- Time Period: Second World War
- Year of Institution: 9 June 1945
- Country: Russia & USSR
The Medal for the Liberation of Belgrade (or Медаль «За освобождение Белграда», Medal «Za osvobozhdenie Belgrada» 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 liberation of Belgrade between 29 September and 22 October 1944.
The medal was awarded to soldiers of the Red Army, Navy, and troops of the NKVD, direct participants of the heroic assault and liberation of the city of Belgrade 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 for the Liberation of Belgrade 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.
On its obverse along the entire medal circumference, a laurel wreath split only at the top by a small five-pointed star, within the wreath, along its upper inner circumference, the relief inscription ЗА ОСВОБОЖДЕНИЕ» (“FOR THE LIBERATION”), at lower center just above the wreath, the horizontal relief inscription «БЕЛГРАДА» (“OF BELGRADE”). On the reverse at the top, a relief plain five-pointed star over the relief date in three rows «20 ОКТЯБРЯ 1944» (“20 OCTOBER 1944”).
The Medal “For the Liberation of Belgrade” was secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide green silk moiré ribbon with 8mm wide black central stripe.
