Silver, 14K gold (hammer and sickle emblem), enamels. Measures 47.5 mm tall, 45.1 mm wide; weighs 26.5 g without the screw plate. The reverse is relatively flat, with just a hint of a pentagon "star" counter-relief. This piece is among the fourth series of "Starbacks" manufactured at the Krasnokamsk Mint in 1944. According to the Monvor.narod.ru website, its currently known serial number range is from 200030 - 246208.

In excellent condition. The enamel is nicely preserved and shows a beautiful luster; it has only some tiny contact marks barely noticeable to the naked eye, no chips, flaking or other significant wear (a slightly darker spot under the enamel on the lower right arm is a factory imperfection, not a result of wear; it is visible in our greatly enlarged photos but practically unnoticeable to the naked eye). The golden hammer & sickle emblem is practically pristine. Very attractive even toning to silver on both sides. The screw post is over 13 mm long, has not been shortened. Original WW2 era screw plate is included.

Sergey Budnik was born in 1919 in a village of the Kharkov region of Ukraine and joined the Red Army in 1939. In 1941, he served with the Southwestern Front, then took part in the defense of Moscow and in 1942 took part in the Battle of Stalingrad. By 1944, he had been wounded in combat at least three times, two of them seriously, but had not yet been awarded with any decorations beside the Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad.

As of summer of 1944, Budnik had the rank of Guards Lieutenant, serving as Senior Adjutant, Senior Adjutant of the 45th Separate Guards Antiaircraft Squadron, 10th Guards Kuban Cossack Cavalry Division, 4th Guards Kuban Cossack Cavalry Corps, 1st Belorussian Front. In this capacity, he took part in the Soviet strategic operation codenamed Bagration, the offensive that effectively destroyed the Army Group Center, inflicting the largest defeat the German army suffered in the entire WW2.

During the Bagration, Budnik was tasked with leading his division's mobile machine gun squadrons in the 4th Guards Cavalry Corps' raid deep into the enemy-held territory along the northern edges of the Pripyat marshes - a terrain ideal for cavalry and all but impassible for tanks or trucks. In the battle for the city of Slutsk (an administrative center in the Minsk Region) on 30 June, Budnik acted with great audacity and skills, repelling two enemy counterattacks. On that single day, he and his machine gunners destroyed two enemy heavy machine guns, one truck loaded with ammunition, and one motorcycle; killed 130 German soldiers; and captured seven POWs. It is worth mentioning that Budnik's cavalry division was given the honorific title of Slutskaya for the liberation of the city (by the end of the war, it would become one of the most decorated Soviet cavalry units with the full honorary designation of 10th Guards Kuban Cossack Slutskaya, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov 2nd cl., Order of Kutuzov 1st cl., Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd cl. Cavalry Division).

On 7 July, Budnik distinguished himself again in the repulsion of enemy counterattacks at the city of Baranovichi (aka Baranavichy), a city in the Brest region of western Belorussia. Within one day, he on two occasions reconnoitered the enemy positions by placing himself in no- man's land and from there directed the fire of his squadrons. In the skirmish his cavalrymen repelled seven assaults destroying an ammunition truck and 75 enemy soldiers. For these outstanding results, Budnik was recommended for a "humble" Order of the Red Star by his squadron commander. Although approved by two superior officers, the recommended award was then deservedly upgraded to the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd cl. by Lt. General Pliev, the legendary commander of the 4th Guards Cossack Kuban Cavalry Corps - and also the overall commander of the ad-hoc Cavalry and Mechanized Group that successfully raided the rear of two German armies during the Bagration. On 28 August 1944, the decoration was bestowed upon Budnik by a general order of the Commander of the Artillery, 1st Belorussian Front.

Within two months from his first award, Budnik earned the 1st cl. of the same order in yet another cavalry raid, this time in the area of Debrecen, Hungary, where his division and corps fought as a part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In the period from 6-26 October, he "exercised exceptional precision" in leading the men of his squadron and on numerous occasions personally reconnoitered the enemy defensive positions. On one occasion, the reconnaissance information he obtained in the enemy rear near the town of Derecske (just south of Debrecen) helped to thwart two counterattacks, resulting in significant losses for the enemy. On 26 October, as Budnik's cavalry corps broke through near the town of Nagykálló, his division's HQ came under a fierce counterattack. At the most critical moment, Budnik took command over the defense and repelled three assaults, inflicting severe losses on the numerically superior German force. In the skirmish, the enemy lost five machine guns, four horse-drawn ammunition wagons, and 95 soldiers. Budnik was soon recommended for the Order of the Red Banner, but although the award was approved by the entire chain of command through the corps commander, he received an Order of the Patriotic War, 1st cl. - a somewhat lesser decoration - by a decree of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Research Materials: photocopy of the relevant page of the roster of recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd cl., containing Budnik's name and the award serial number (it is interesting to see that although the award decree was issued in August 1944, it took Budnik until 1 December 1944 to physically receive his decoration); photocopy of the award commendations for the Orders of the Patriotic War 2nd and 1st cl. mentioned above. Detailed information about the 10th Guards Kuban Cossack Cavalry Division and 4th Guards Cavalry Corps is available in the Vol. V Red Sabers of Charle's Sharps Soviet Order of Battle in WWII book series.