Order of Lenin
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Order of Lenin Type 4 Var. 2 ("Monetnyi Dvor" screw back),
#12176, awarded
on 31 December 1942 to the navigator of a long-range bomber,
17th Long Range Aviation Division. In the first days of the
war prior to being assigned to the long-range aviation, he
had completed 10 daytime bombing missions targeting
concentrations of enemy troops near Ternopol, Kiev and
Poltava. On one of these early sorties his plane was set on
fire by German fighters, but he managed to cross the front
line before bailing out with a parachute. After his arrival
to the new unit, he completed additional 29 nighttime combat
missions against enemy airdromes, railway junctures and
other targets in combat zones including Kursk, Bryansk,
Oryol, Vyazma, Smolensk and Rzhev. In July 1942, he flew
three long-range missions against Koenigsberg, at the time
hundreds of miles away from the front line. During the
following two months, after being recommended for his first
decoration, he flew six more such missions against
Berlin, Danzig and Budapest, and in May 1943, also took
part in an air raid on Warsaw. By late 1943, he had an
overall score of 140 completed combat missions earning him
not only the Order of Lenin in December 1942, but also an
Order of the Red Banner bestowed one year later.
The order is in very fine condition, a very attractive piece
never converted to suspension and without the usual severe
enamel damage or repairs. Comes with archival research.

Order of Lenin, Type 5, Var. 2 (without "dimple"), #4281, official mint re-
issue for a Type 4 "Mondvor" screw back of circa 1939 issue. An exceptionally rare
piece, one of the few of the "no dimple" version deliberately set aside at the
mint to be reissued (as opposed to most other WW2 / early post-war duplicates that
have an altered serial number). In excellent condition. An almost unique
opportunity for the advanced collector.