History

The Partisan Medal was established on February 2, 1943. This medal was conferred upon partisans of the Great Patriotic War, in two classes. The I Class was awarded to partisan leaders or for committing an act of bravery. This class was awarded over 56,000 times. The award was accompanied by a small award booklet.

The I Class is composed of silver, and has a silver ring soldered at 12 o'clock. It presents left facing profiles of Lenin and Stalin on the obverse along with the Russian inscription which translates to: "To a Partisan of the Great Patriotic War". The obverse also features the Cyrillic script for the USSR. The reverse Russian inscription translates to: "For Our Soviet Motherhood".

There are many known fakes of this medal. Originals have sharp details and the proper solder is used for the ring (silver for I Class and lead for II Class)