The medallion is in silver and lacquer; measures 42.5 mm in height incl. eyelet, 37.3 mm in width; weighs 27.1 g not including the suspension and connecting link.

In excellent condition. The lacquer in the letters is almost completely intact, having only a couple of tiny, barely noticeable chips - which is highly uncommon for the WW2 version of the medal. Besides some miniscule contact marks, the medallion shows no wear, and its raised details are pristine and exceptionally crisp. A very attractive toning to the silver throughout.

Comes on an original suspension device

The medallion is in silver and lacquer; measures 42.5 mm in height incl. eyelet, 37.3 mm in width; weighs 27.1 g not including the suspension and connecting link.

In excellent condition. The lacquer in the letters is almost completely intact, having only a couple of tiny, barely noticeable chips - which is highly uncommon for the WW2 version of the medal. Besides some miniscule contact marks, the medallion shows no wear, and its raised details are pristine and exceptionally crisp. A very attractive toning to the silver throughout.

Comes on an original suspension device, a WW2 two-layer model in steel with a self-locking pin. The perfectly preserved ribbon is relatively recent, although it shows some age and use. The connecting link appears to be original, and its ends are still joined with solder.

Gennadiy Samarokov was born in 1925 in the city of Minsk. He apparently remained in the area during the German occupation, judging by the fact that got conscripted into the Red Army in Minsk in early July 1944, immediately after the liberation of the city by the Red Army during the massive Bagration offensive in Belorussia (the date of his conscription as shown in the archival record is July 1st, but that is probably inaccurate, as Minsk remained in German hands until July 3rd-4th ). Whatever may be the exact starting date of his service, he was in combat just days later without any proper bootcamp training, just like hundreds of thousands of other "booty" Ukrainians and Belorussians of draft age living on the previously occupied territories.

Appointed as a rifleman to the 1313th Rifle Regiment, 173rd Rifle Division, 31st Army, 3rd Belorussian Front, Samarokov took part in the offensive in the vicinity of the city of Suwalki, Poland, one of the follow-up Soviet operations that unfolded on the flanks of the highly successful Operation Bagration. Whether or not his fresh cannon fodder status played any role in it, Samarokov got a severe head wound on 1 August and was sent to Evacuation Hospital #1847. In February of next year, he was discharged from active duty, apparently due to severity of his wound, and transferred to the reserves. On 16 June 1945, the Kaganovich District Military Commissariat of the city of Minsk recommended Samarokov for the Order of the Red Star for his short-lived combat actions. The regional military commissariat downgraded it to the Medal for Combat Service, which was upgraded up the chain of command to the Medal for Valor.

Medical evaluation of Samarokov's condition rated him for 2nd level of disability, but he still found employment after the war. As of July 1947, when his award card was filled out, he worked as a supervisor at a telephone exchange station in Minsk. The Valor Medal, naturally, remained his only decoration of the war.

Research Materials : b/w copy of the award card and award commendation for the Medal for Valor.
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