Silver, 14 K gold (hammer & sickle emblem), enamels. Measures 48.0 mm in height, 45.0 mm in width; weighs 26.8 g without the screw plate. The reverse is relatively flat, with just a hint of a pentagon "star" counter-relief. The mintmark is in two straight, nearly horizontal lines. This piece is among the late-war "starbacks" made by the Krasnokamsk Mint. According to the Monvor.narod.ru website, it was made from November 1944 - January 1945 (currently known serial number range for this series is 340505 - 402434).

In very fine to excellent condition. In very fine to excelle

Silver, 14 K gold (hammer & sickle emblem), enamels. Measures 48.0 mm in height, 45.0 mm in width; weighs 26.8 g without the screw plate. The reverse is relatively flat, with just a hint of a pentagon "star" counter-relief. The mintmark is in two straight, nearly horizontal lines. This piece is among the late-war "starbacks" made by the Krasnokamsk Mint. According to the Monvor.narod.ru website, it was made from November 1944 - January 1945 (currently known serial number range for this series is 340505 - 402434).

In very fine to excellent condition. In very fine to excellent condition. The red and white enamel on the center medallion is essentially perfect. The enamel on the arms is near perfect to the naked eye, having only some tiny contact marks and minuscule amount of flaking along the edges, all of it practically unnoticeable without magnification. The enamel exhibits beautiful luster throughout. The hammer of the golden emblem is slightly curved upward but the emblem is otherwise intact. The screw post is full length, approx. 12.5 mm long, and comes with a wartime screw plate.

Dmitriy Lisakov was born in 1910 in the village of Mikhailovskaya in Russia's Vladimir Region. He joined the Red Army in October 1931 and became a Party member in 1938, at the height of Stalin's purges. Lisakov specialized as a technician for the bomber aircraft of the Long- Range Aviation arm. He gained valuable experience in the Winter War against Finland, albeit Soviet bombers performed relatively poorly in that conflict. Designed in the mid-1930s, the few aircraft models available (the Tupolev TB-3, Tupolev SB, and Ilyushin DB-3) were already showing signs of obsolescence. Meanwhile, there were few targets of value for strategic aviation, and Finnish air defenses and weather extracted a high toll.

In the first weeks of the Patriotic War, Soviet frontline aviation suffered terrible losses to the Luftwaffe. By contrast, the Long-Range Aviation based far from the front fared relatively well and continued to fly missions throughout the critical fall and winter months of 1941. Its few successes were highly celebrated, even mythologized. Lisakov's awarding of the Order of the Red Star by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on 16 September 1941 therefore stands out as extremely significant. Although the award commendation is not presently available from the archives, it can be deduced that Lisakov made an invaluable contribution to a noteworthy early victory by the Soviet bomber force. And unlike many of his fellow awardees, Lisakov survived the war; most of the others were killed in action relatively soon after receiving their decorations.

The Order of the Patriotic War, which Lisakov earned as an Engineer-Captain in the position of Assistant Chief for Aircraft & Engines of the 18th Air Army (the later reformation of Long-Range Aviation), represented a cumulative award for his service since 1941. Thanks to his enterprising, energetic leadership and management, the 18th Air Army was kept constantly supplied with new aircraft and engines. The award commendation was written on 8 May 1945, making it a clear "victory" award.

Post-war, Lisakov was senior officer for aviation technical supplies at the headquarters of Long-Range Aviation. He earned an Order of the Red Star, Order of the Red Banner, and Order of Lenin for long service, in addition to his wartime awards. As a Moscow-based headquarters officer, he also received the Medal for the 800th Anniversary of Moscow.

Research Materials: photocopy of the award record card, award commendation, relevant pages of the awarding decrees for the 1941 Order of the Red Star and present Order of the Patriotic War 2nd cl., digital photo portrait of Lisakov from his service record.
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