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https://www.collectrussia.com/DispitemWindowOrig.htm?item=34556
Badge of a Veteran of the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps, issued on occasion of the 50th anniversary of Victory over Germany, 1995.

In aluminum and paint. The badge is of rather large size: measures 47 mm in height (including the eyelet), 45 mm in width. The inscription on the white band is "50th Anniversary of Victory". The red plaques at the bottom have abbreviated name of the unit: 6 ИАК, МО ПВО ("6th Fighter Aviation Corps, Moscow Air Defense District.") The reverse has logo of the Souvenir Product Line, Smolensk SAZ Aviation Factory. In excellent condition.

This is an interesting piece: one of the relatively few veteran badges made and issued soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it does not have any obvious references to the recent communist past (other than the barely noticeable star insignia on the jet fighter.) Note for example the relatively unusual pentagon shape of the medallion (as opposed to the typical Soviet design that would usually show a red star or a red banner.)

The 6th Fighter Corps was one of the key components in the air defense of Moscow since the start of the Patriotic War. Even in the early phase of the war, the Luftwaffe indeed found the Soviet capital an extremely difficult nut to crack: the air raids were frequent but none to successful and never led to wide-spread devastation seen by many other European capitals. By mid-1943, the front had moved far away from Moscow, and the 6th Fighter Corps had been reduced in size and transformed into the 1st Fighter Air Defense Army. It is therefore interesting to see the reference only to the original unit name, which indicates that the badge may have been intended primarily for one of the early veterans who took part in the Battle of Moscow.



Item# 34556

$25.00  Add to cart

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