Russia 50Yrs OPERATION NEVA Badge Soviet WW2 Veteran 1944 Leningrad Relief Medal

Description

Russian WW2 Veteran Badge in Commemoration of the 50
th
Anniversary of the Operation Neva (Lifting the Siege of Leningrad in January 1944.)
This is GUARANTEED 100% ORIGINAL award issued in 1994, not a later issue or a replica!
The badge is in aluminum, paint
and lacquer. The round
medallion measures about 42 mm in height (incl. eyelet), 38 mm in width. The inscription reads “50
th
Anniversary of the Operation ‘Neva’”. There is a maker’s logo on the reverse of the suspension device.
The badge is in EXCELLENT condition.  Please note: we have a couple of these in stock (that’s why we are able to offer it at BARGAIN PRICE with free US shipping included!) If you order, we will send you a badge in the same exact condition and of the same vintage as you see in the photos.
Operation Neva was launched in January 1944 from two separate positons: the hitherto isolated Soviet beachhead around the town of Oranienbaum on the Gulf of Finland west of Leningrad and from the Pulkovo Heights south of the city. On January 14th, two Soviet armies of the Leningrad Front (army group) jumped off and crushed through the lines of the already severely depleted German 18th Army. Over the course of the first five days of the offensive, the confident and well-equipped Soviet troops cleared the coast, linked up the Oranienbaum position with Leningrad, and liberated the town of Ropsha. In the following days, they succeeded in pushing the line some 100 km away from Leningrad and thus ended the nearly three-year long Nazi siege.
Pins of this kind were awarded to the veterans often in commemoration of an anniversary of their unit, a battle in which they participated, or anniversary of victory over Germany. They were often handed out to surviving servicemen at veterans’ conventions, patriotic rallies or other special events. Because not many veterans were still alive at the time, veteran badges of a specific unit or for specific battle are often scarce.
Soviet WW2 veteran badges were NEVER available for sale. Unlike the usual souvenir pins that could be purchased in a Soyuzpechat kiosk, this badge does not have a price in raised characters on the back (common Soviet anniversary pins available for sale to general public always had a price in Kopeks marked on the back, something that looked like 10 k. or 15 k.)  Original Soviet veteran badges are fun to collect if you are interested in military history. With plenty of information available online and in published books, you can often trace where the unit fought in WW2 and what battles it won. A correct badge can be a nice addition to a WW2 medal group or even an individual researched decoration and will bring extra dimension and interest to a collector’s display.
FREE SHIPPING (USPS 1st cl. Mail) WITHIN USA ONLY!
We WILL NOT ship our eBay items outside USA.