The Medal for the Defense of the Caucasus

• Time Period: Second World War
• Year of Institution: 1 May 1944
• Country: Russia & USSR

The Medal for the Defense of the Caucasus (or Медаль «За оборону Кавказа», Medal «Za oboronu Kavkaza» in Russian) was established on 1 May 1944 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded to all Soviet military and civilians who participated in the defense of the Caucasus region between July 1942 and 9 October 1943.

The medal was awarded to soldiers of the Red Army, Navy, and troops of the NKVD, as well as persons from the civilian population who took part in the defense of the Caucasus during the battle for the Caucasus. Award of the medal was made on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the basis of documents attesting to actual participation in the defense of the Caucasus issued by the unit commander, the chief of the military medical establishment, or by a relevant provincial or municipal authority of the Stavropol or of the Krasnodar Soviets of People’s Deputies, of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR, of the Azerbaijan SSR, of the North Ossetian ASSR or of the Kabardin ASSR.

The Medal for the Defense of the Caucasus Design

The medal was 32mm in diameter, circular, and made of brass, with a raised rim on both sides. It was worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other awards of the USSR.

On the obverse in the center, the relief image of Mount Elbrus, at its foot, oil derricks and a group of three tanks moving to the left; over the mountains, three aircraft flying towards the left. A 3mm wide band covered with relief images of clusters of grapes and flowers went around the entire circumference of the medal, at the very top, a relief five-pointed star, at the bottom, a scroll with the relief inscription «СССР» (“SSSR”) bisected by the image of the hammer and sickle. On the reverse near the top, the relief image of the hammer and sickle, below the image, the relief inscription in three rows «ЗА НАШУ СОВЕТСКУЮ РОДИНУ» (“FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND”).

The medal was secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide olive green silk moiré ribbon with 2.5mm wide blue edge stripes, in the middle, two 2mm wide white stripes bordered by 1mm blue and red stripes separated by a 2mm olive stripe.