The Medal for Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945

• Time Period: Second World War
• Year of Institution: 6 June 1945
• Country: Russia & USSR

The Medal for Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 (or Медаль «За доблестный труд в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.», Medal «Za doblestnyj trud v Velikoj Otechestvennoj vojne 1941-1945 gg.» in Russian) was established on 6 June 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and awarded to all Soviet industrial workers for a term of one year or longer of labor during The Great Patriotic War (6 months for disabled military veterans/professional school graduates/the retired who returned to work to aid.)

The medal was awarded for wartime labor of one year or six months in the case of disabled veterans, to:

• workers, technical personnel and employees of industry and transport;
• farmers and agricultural specialists;
• workers in science, technology, the arts, and literature;
• employees of the Soviet, party, trade union, and other civic organizations.

Presentation of the award of the Medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945” was made by the executive committees of city and district Soviets on the basis of documents issued by the heads of enterprises, institutions, party, government, trade unions, and other civic organizations.

Its statute was later amended by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on July 18, 1980.

The Medal for Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 Design

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

On the obverse, the left profile bust of Joseph Stalin wearing the uniform of a Marshal of the Soviet Union, along the upper circumference of the medal, the relief inscription “НАШЕ ДЕЛО ПРАВОЕ” (“OUR CAUSE IS JUST”), along the lower circumference of the medal, the relief inscription “МЫ ПОБЕДИЛИ” (“WE HAVE WON”).

On the reverse along the upper circumference of the medal, the relief inscription «ЗА ДОБЛЕСТНЫЙ ТРУД» (“FOR VALIANT LABOUR”), in the center, under a relief hammer and sickle, the inscription on four lines «В ВЕЛИКОЙ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЙ ВОЙНЕ 1941–1945 ГГ.» (“THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR 1941–1945”), at the bottom, a small relief five-pointed star.

The Medal “For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945” was secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide red silk moiré ribbon with 2mm wide yellow edge stripes and a 7mm wide green central stripe.