Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, Type 2, "flat reverse" Leningrad Mint variation, #894343, with award document, issued on 30 May 1951 to Junior Lieutenant (Retired) Yevgeniy Skopin who was severely wounded in the Battle of Stalingrad in January 1943 while serving as deputy commander of an artillery battery in the 84th Rifle Division, Stalingrad Front.

The order is in silver, 14 K gold (hammer and sickle emblem), enamels; measures 45.8 mm in height x 44.1 mm in width; weighs 28.2 g without the screw plate. Features flat reverse, horizontal mint mark in two lines struck by a single stamp, and serial number without an underline. According to Mondvor.narod.ru classification, this piece is Leningrad Mint Variation 5 Sub-variation 1, the first series of the post-war Leningrad Mint "flat backs" produced during 1950s (its currently known serial number range is 877526 - 919315).

The order is in excellent condition. The enamel shows beautiful luster and is free of significant flaws of any kind. There are a few miniscule contact marks, mostly on the top arm, that are almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, no other signs of wear. The golden hammer & sickle emblem and details of the starburst are essentially pristine. There is very attractive toning to the reverse. The screw post is full length, well over 13 mm, and includes original screw plate.

The document: order booklet of post-war model, with hard cover wrapped in burgundy leatherette. The gold national emblem on the front cover is of 1946-55 type, with 16 scrolls corresponding with the number of republics in the USSR. The document was filled-out on 30 October 1951. The Order of the Patriotic War 2nd cl. is the only award listed in it.

The order booklet is in excellent, near mint condition. The cover shows practically no wear, the internal pages are pristine and crisp.

Yevgeniy Skopin was born in 1922 and joined the Red Army in May 1941, just before the German invasion. He was at the front starting from September 1942 serving as deputy commander of an artillery battery of the 74th Artillery Regiment, 84th Rifle Division. During the previous month of August, his division was rushed from the Demyansk area to join the 1st Guards Army of the Stalingrad Front. Prior to the Soviet counter-offensive, the division was engaged in heavy defensive battles in the area of the village of Erzovka (Yerzovka) near the Volga River on the northern outskirts of Stalingrad. By the time the Soviet armies counterattacked in November, the division had been resubordinated to the 24th Army of the Don Front with which it fought in the Don River bend near the villages of Panshino and Vertyachiy.

On 5 January, just five days before the launch of the Operation Koltso ("Ring") which destroyed the remaining German troops in the Stalingrad pocket, Skopin was severely wounded in the right knee and shin by a German bullet. The wound was so serious that it required an amputation of his leg above the knee. On 27 March 1943, while still suffering from his injury, he was transferred to a hospital in the city of Kuybyshev where he remained convalescent for over four months. On 7 August, he was finally discharged from the hospital and released from active duty due to permanent disability.

In October 1949, Skopin was belatedly recommended for an Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd cl. by а district military commissar of the city of Kirov where he resided after the war. On 30 May 1951, after another year and a half's delay, the award was finally bestowed upon him along with thousands of other war veterans by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. At the time, it was apparently Skopin's only decoration of WW2, although in 1985 he also received a "jubilee issue" of the Order of the Patriotic War 1st cl.

Research Materials: photocopy of the award commendation. History of the 84th Rifle Division can be found in Volume VIII Red Legions of the Charles Sharp's book series Soviet Order of Battle, World War II.

Item# 36270

$575.00