Soviet Medal for Bravery #1709946

[Woolgar]

My latest addition is this nice Leningrad-Novgorod offensive Medal for Bravery with research.
The medal was awarded to Senior Sergeant Ivan Petrovich Vinogradov, a gun Commander in the 30th Artillery Regiment, 10th Rifle Division, 4th Shock Army, Leningrad Front for destroying a platoon of infantry and surprising three heavy machine guns during the advance of Red Army Infantry.
He would later be severely wounded in the fighting in the city of Pushkin on 25th January 1944.
The fighting around Pushkin was part of the Leningrad-Novgorod offensive that finally lifted the siege of the city after 900 days, pushing the Germans back over 100 km to the Liga river and eventually to the Narva river.

[TabsTabs1964]

Nice medal and research and information.
Thanks for sharing

Regards
Santi

[Combattente]

The ribbon bar does not correspond to the number range of the medal. But as for me it takes no sense if the medal itself is original and researched! Any Soviet bravery medal is great! My congratulations to you! You are a happy owner of the small piece f the great story!!!

[Marcel Banziger]

The ribbon is correct. Don't forget that veterans kept wearing these in postwar years and with wearing there comes wear and tear in ribbons and suspension pins can break. So it is common to see replacements for both suspension and ribbon. Nothing wrong here.

[Watchdog]

The ribbon is correct. Don't forget that veterans kept wearing these in postwar years and with wearing there comes wear and tear in ribbons and suspension pins can break. So it is common to see replacements for both suspension and ribbon. Nothing wrong here.

Correct. Also, this is one of the Soviet medals (the 20 year anniversary medal is another) that was fitted with a particular colour and style of ribbon originally but the regulations changed to a completely different colour and style of suspension during the recipients military career which resulted in the ribbon/suspension being changed. So, as Marcel states there is more than one reason why a medal is found with a different ribbon/suspension to that in use when the particular piece was awarded.

To me, an early issue medal with a later ribbon/suspension suggests that the recipient continued to serve or at least continued to wear the medal for quite some time after it was awarded. I can't think of another army that did this but the Soviet Army did so if anything it can add to the history of an individual medal.

It would of course, be a concern if a late issue medal was found with an early ribbon/suspension because the could not be legitimate.

Just my opinion of course.

Regards

Mark

[Marcel Banziger]

Also worth mentioning, Bravery medals with this serial number range were awarded with the 5 corner block suspension with grey/blue ribbon so there shouldn't even be confusion with the early rectangular suspension with red ribbon.

[Watchdog]

Also worth mentioning, Bravery medals with this serial number range were awarded with the 5 corner block suspension with grey/blue ribbon so there shouldn't even be confusion with the early rectangular suspension with red ribbon.

As with all such changes or "transitions" there will always be a grey area or "blurred line" around the point where change is implemented. Very rarely will there ever be a definite point where the change was completely effected overnight!

[meyerse]

there is no 'blurred line' at 1.7 million serial number. This came with a grey/blue 5 sided ribbon/block.