Soviet Russian WW2 Medal for the Defense of Moscow ORIGINAL 1941-42 Battle Award For Sale

Soviet Russian WW2 Medal for the Defense of Moscow ORIGINAL 1941-42 Battle Award
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Soviet Russian WW2 Medal for the Defense of Moscow ORIGINAL 1941-42 Battle Award:
$55.99

Soviet WW2 Medal for the Defense of Moscow,Variation 1.


This is a GUARANTEED 100% ORIGINAL medal struck in the 1940s at the Soviet Mintand issued by the Soviet authorities – not a replica or more recent reissue!

Themedallion is in brass, measures 32.1 mm in width and weighs 16.4 g notincluding the suspension and connecting link. The medal is a Variation 1characterized by a separate eyelet soldered to the main body of the medallion.This version was made only during the 1940s.


Themedal is in GOOD condition. Both sides of the medallion show only a minoramount of wear to the high points; the details of the artwork and lettering arenicely preserved. There is a light tarnish throughout, but no significantblemishes or pitting. The medal is completely free of bumps, edge knocks orsignificant scratches, although it has many tiny contact marks from normalwear.

Themedal comes on an aluminum suspension device of late Cold War era (Sovietveterans often wore their medals with pride, so both the ribbons andsuspensions were frequently replaced as needed.) The ribbon shows age but isperfectly clean and sound. The connecting link between the medal and suspensionappears to be original to the medal, and its ends are still joined with solder.


Thismedal was awarded to one of the participants of perhaps the most criticalbattle of the initial period of the Patriotic War. By the time theGermans arrived at the doorsteps of Moscow, they had already overwhelmedmassive Soviet troop formations in Belorussia, encircled and cut to pieces alarge army group at Kiev, besieged Sevastopol, and completely blockadedLeningrad. Even though the Soviet government and most of the industries hadevacuated from the Soviet capital, the loss of Moscow could have beencatastrophic to the Soviet war effort: Moscow was the nexus of the entireSoviet railroad system, not to mention that its surrender would be a huge blowto morale of the already staggering Soviet population.


Ithelped of course that the German Wehrmacht had been bled white in the previousbattles and that Moscow’s air defenses were next to none in the world.Moreover, the Soviets had prepared formidable armored reserves, to a largeextent from the troops taken from the far eastern border (after it had beendetermined that Japan was not planning to attack the Soviet Union in 1941).Additionally, the unusually cold winter of 1941-42 - even by Russian standards- wreaked havoc on German equipment.


TheSoviet counteroffensive at Moscow in early December 1941 - January 42 failed todestroy the Army Group Center, but it inflicted serious losses on the Germansand pushed the front line away from the city. Even more importantly, this wasthe first major German reversal on the ground in WW2 and thus a tremendousmorale booster for the entire anti-Nazi coalition.


TheMedal for the Defense of Moscow Variation 1 is really a “must have” item in anyWW2 medal collection. Because its condition is admittedly far from perfect, weoffer this ORIGINAL example at a super low BARGAIN PRICE!


FREE SHIPPING(USPS Ground Advantage Mail) WITHIN USA ONLY!

We WILL NOT ship our items outside USA.

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