The medallion is in silver and lacquer; measures 42.1 mm in height incl. eyelet, 37.6 mm wide; weighs 26.8 g without the suspension and connecting link. In very fine to excellent condition. The lacquer in the letters is mostly intact having just a few tiny chips - better than that on the vast majority of Valor Medals of the WW2 era. Details are extremely well preserved. There are no significant dings or scratches; the silver exhibits very attractive dark patina.

The medal comes on an original suspension, a WW2 two-layer model in steel with a self-locking pin. The ribbon is

The medallion is in silver and lacquer; measures 42.1 mm in height incl. eyelet, 37.6 mm wide; weighs 26.8 g without the suspension and connecting link. In very fine to excellent condition. The lacquer in the letters is mostly intact having just a few tiny chips - better than that on the vast majority of Valor Medals of the WW2 era. Details are extremely well preserved. There are no significant dings or scratches; the silver exhibits very attractive dark patina.

The medal comes on an original suspension, a WW2 two-layer model in steel with a self-locking pin. The ribbon is old, probably original to the medal; it shows minimal amount of soiling and fraying on the edges, but is still very attractive. The connecting link appears to be original; its ends are still joined with solder.

The Medal Certificate, #531519, was filled-out on 10 November 1947. Bound in red cloth and similar in format to a WW2 order booklet, it is the type issued with Valor, Combat Service and other higher-level medals. The document shows a 1 September 1946 date for the start of special privileges, corresponding with an August 1946 award decree.

The document is in very good overall condition, nice and crisp. The cover shows no wear aside from some small indentations that came from attaching the medal to it with a paper clip for long-term storage as was customary. There is a puncture to the internal pages at the same area at the top edge and some small rust stains, but the interior is immaculately clean otherwise. The binding is perfectly tight.

Nikita Prokopenko joined the Red Army in 1942 at the age of 45. From the following month, he fought at Smolensk as a rifleman of the 1262 Rifle Regiment, 380th Rifle Division, 22nd Army, Kalinin Front. On 5 March of the same year, he was seriously wounded in the right arm and shoulder by a bullet and mine fragments. After convalescing in a hospital, he was discharged from the military due to the permanent loss of mobility in the right elbow. Despite being an invalid, Prokopenko soon found a job as a forest warden, and as of February 1945, was carrying out his duties in an exemplary fashion. The latter was emphasized in the award commendation jointly submitted by the military commissar and Communist Party boss at his place of residence. The award was bestowed upon Prokopenko on August 6th of the following year, one of thousands of such medals issued belatedly to the wounded veterans.

Research Materials: photocopy of the award commendation and relevant pages of the award decree. Additional information is available in the Vol. IX Red Tide of the C. Sharp's Soviet Order of Battle, World War II series. According to various Internet sources, the 1262nd Rifle Regiment took severe losses in July 1942, when it bore the brunt of massive air strikes and panzer attacks during the German Operation Seidlitz. In September 1943, the regiment was almost completely wiped out in the heavy fighting on the Pronya River bridgehead following the liberation of Smolensk, and its commander and all of his staff were killed in action. Although grievously wounded, Prokopenko was relatively "lucky" considering what would happen to his unit over the course of the following year and a half.
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