Note an extremely early date of issue: most capture and liberation medal documents were issued much later, in 1946 and the following years. The document shows the stamp of the Political Directorate of the Central Group of Soviet Armies (Soviet occupation forces in Europe) and is hand-signed by the Chief of the Directorate Lt. General Galidzhev.

In good condition. There is a horizontal crease but no tears or other significant wear. Both the exterior and interior pages are very clean.

Based on the documents found on the Russian archival website Pamyat-naroda.ru, Vladim

Note an extremely early date of issue: most capture and liberation medal documents were issued much later, in 1946 and the following years. The document shows the stamp of the Political Directorate of the Central Group of Soviet Armies (Soviet occupation forces in Europe) and is hand-signed by the Chief of the Directorate Lt. General Galidzhev.

In good condition. There is a horizontal crease but no tears or other significant wear. Both the exterior and interior pages are very clean.

Based on the documents found on the Russian archival website Pamyat-naroda.ru, Vladimir Mudrikov (Владимир Владимирович Мудриков) was born in 1911, joined the Communist Party in 1930, and enlisted in the military in 1938. From the early part of the Patriotic War, he served as a political officer specializing in propaganda aimed at the enemy troops. In this capacity he earned his first decoration, an Order of the Red Star which was awarded to him in July 1942. At that point, his position was Assistant Commander of the 37th Army, Northwestern Front. The award commendation specifically mentioned cases when Mudrikov masterfully used intelligence gained from German POWs, deserters, and captured documentation such as soldiers' notebooks and diaries. This allowed him to fine-tune for maximum impact Soviet propaganda fliers and messages broadcast over loudspeakers installed on the front lines. As a result, there was a significant increase in the number of defections by German troops in his army's sector.

During the last months of the war, Mudrikov served with the 13th Army, 1st Ukrainian Front, as chief political officer for propaganda among enemy troops and local civilians on territories occupied by the Red Army. For his outstanding performance he was decorated with two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st cl. bestowed in February and June 1945. The latter was for the Battle of Berlin and the Soviet lighting strike to capture Prague in what was the final campaign of the war in Europe. The award commendation gave Mudrikov at least a partial credit for the defection of some 6000 German troops, many of whom surrendered in mass. It is interesting to note that among the tactics employed by Mudrikov and his propaganda operatives was sending some of the captured German soldiers back to the enemy lines with the purpose of undermining morale of the defenders and compelling them to give up.

Research Materials: photocopy of Mudrikov's award commendations for the Order of the Red Star and two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st cl.
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