- Time Period: Second World War
- Year of Institution: 3 March 1944
- Country: Russia & USSR
The Medal to a Partisan of the Patriotic War (or Медаль Партизану Отечественной войны in Russian) was a World War II Soviet paramilitary award established in two classes on February 2, 1943 to recognize the fortitude and courage of the partisans on the home front in their struggle to free the Soviet Motherland of the Nazi invaders far behind enemy lines.
The first class was awarded to partisans, to leaders and organizers of partisan units, for outstanding achievements in organizing the guerrilla movement, for bravery, heroism and outstanding achievements displayed in the partisan struggle in the occupied territories of our Soviet Motherland far behind the Nazi lines. The second class was awarded to partisans, to leaders and organizers of partisan units, for personal distinction in combat, in the execution of orders and command assignments, for active support of the guerrilla struggle against the Nazi invaders.
The medal’s statute was amended by a further decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 26, 1947. Medals to a Partisan of the Patriotic War could be awarded posthumously, along with their relevant award certificates which are transferred to the families for safekeeping and as a memento.
The Medal To a Partisan of the Patriotic War Design
The medal measured 32mm in diameter. It’s a circular medal, the first class struck in silver, the second class struck in brass.
Their identical obverses bore the left bust profiles of Lenin and Stalin, the latter being the closer and slightly to the right. A 3mm wide relief ribbon ran along the entire circumference of the medal, at its very bottom, a relief five pointed star bearing a hammer and sickle and bisecting the inscription “USSR” («СССР»), on the remainder of the ribbon, the relief inscription “To a Partisan of the Patriotic War” («Партизану Отечественной войны»). On their also identical reverses, the relief inscription in three lines “For our Soviet Motherland” («За нашу Советскую Родину»), above the inscription, the relief image of the hammer and sickle.
The medal was secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by an overlapping 24mm light green silk moiré ribbon with a 2mm wide red central stripe for the first class and a blue stripe for the second.
