Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War"

The Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" (Медаль «Партизану Отечественной войны») was a World War II Soviet paramilitary award established in two classes on February 2, 1943, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. to recognise 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. Its statute was amended by a further decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 26, 1947.

Medal statute
The Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" was awarded in two classes.
 * The medal 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 medal 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 "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" was bestowed on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It was worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other medals of the Soviet Union, immediately following the Medal "For Labour Valour". When worn in the presence of orders and medals of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.

Medals "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" awarded posthumously, along with their relevant award certificates, are transferred to the families for safekeeping and as a memento.

Medal description
The Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" was a 32mm in diameter circular medal, the medal first class was struck in silver, the medal second class was 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 "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War" 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, the ribbon for the medal first class had a 2mm wide red central stripe, the stripe was blue for the medal second class.

Recipients (partial list)
The individuals below were all recipients of the Medal "To a Partisan of the Patriotic War".


 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Nikolayevich Medvedev
 * Partisan leader, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Oleksiy Fedorov
 * Wartime diarist and Soviet partisan Inessa Alexandrovna Konstantinova
 * Partisan scout, posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union Valentin Aleksandrovich Kotyk
 * Soviet Ukrainian partisan, posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Vasilyevich Turkenich
 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Petrovich Vershigora
 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Nikolaevich Druzhinin
 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikolayevich Banov
 * Partisan leader Colonel Ilya Grigoryevich Starinov
 * Partisan leader posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Vasil'evich Rudniev
 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Mironovich Masherov
 * Partisan leader, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Sydir Artemovych Kovpak
 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Zakharovich Korzh
 * NKVD political commissar with the partisans Ivan Iosifovich Sergeychik
 * Partisan leader, Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Nikolayevich Saburov
 * Teenage partisan Ales Mikaïlovich Adamovich
 * A founder of the Partisan organisation Young Guard Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy
 * Aircraft designer Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov
 * Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Alekseevich Yegorov
 * Lieutenant General Pavel Anatolyevich Sudoplatov
 * Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Yevgeniyevich Golovanov
 * Partisan leader Alexander Nikolayevich Shelepin