- Time Period: Second World War
- Year of Institution: 9 June 1945
- Country: Russia & USSR
The Medal for the Capture of Königsberg (or Медаль «За взятие Кенигсберга», Medal «Za vzjatie Kenigsberga» in Russian) was established on 9 June 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded to Soviet service personnel who took part in the capture of Königsberg from the armed forces of Nazi Germany between 23 January and 10 April 1945.
The medal was awarded to soldiers of the Red Army, Navy, and troops of the NKVD, direct participants of the assault and capture of Königsberg as well as to the organizers and leaders of combat operations in the capture of this city. Serving military personnel received the medal from their unit commander, retirees from military service received the medal from a regional, municipal, or district military commissioner in the recipient’s community.
The medal’s statute was amended on July 18, 1980 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR № 2523-X.
The Medal for the Capture of Königsberg Design
The medal was 32mm in diameter, circular, and made of brass, with a raised rim on the obverse. It was worn on the left side of the chest.
The obverse has a raised rim and shows a small relief five-pointed star with divergent rays at the top. Below this is a relief inscription in bold letters on three rows «ЗА ВЗЯТИЕ КЕНИГСБЕРГА» (“FOR THE CAPTURE OF KÖNIGSBERG”), with a relief image of a horizontal laurel branch below. The reverse bears the relief date in three rows «10 АПРЕЛЯ 1945» (“10 APRIL 1945”) below a relief plain five pointed star.
The medal is secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide silk moiré ribbon with 2 mm green edge stripes and five 4 mm wide alternating stripes, three black and two green.
