History

This medal was conferred for the Defence of Stalingrad, on December 22, 1942. The period that this covered was July 12, 1942 until November 19, 1942. Approximately 760,000 were awarded.

This medal is made of brass, and all of the "defence of" medals have the same reverse. The obverse shows five soldiers in a line with bayonets fixed, with a tank and aircrafts in the background, along with a soviet flag.

Variation I medals have a separately soldered ring at 12 o'clock.

Variation II medals were awarded at a later date and have a thick gold wash on the surface.

The obverse Russian inscription translates to: "For the Defense of Stalingrad". The reverse Russian inscription translates to: "For the Soviet Motherland".