Medal for the Defense of Sevastopol

Deep dive into the history of Crimea and Sevastopol. Parallels between first Crimean War of 1853-1856 and Defence of Sevastopol during WW2. Description of medal variations, as well as fakes
Our introductory video on WW2 Campaign Medals:
• WWII Soviet Campaign M...
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
05:21 - History of Sevastopol as a Naval Base
11:47 - The First Siege of Sevastopol
12:32 - Sketch Map of the Crimea Area
19:01 - Reasons for the Crimean War of 1853-56
24:16 - Russian Fleet under Admiral Nakhimov and the Battle of Sinop
28:20 - European Powers Declare War on Russia
30:00 - Defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War
39:29 - Imperial Russian Medal for the Defense of Sevastopol
41:07 - German Siege of Sevastopol in 1941-42
1:37:54 - German "Crimean Shield" Award
1:40:18 - Variations of the Soviet Medal for the Defense of Sevastopol
1:51:29 - Collector's Tip: How to Spot a Fake
2:02:05 - "Voenkomat" Variation
2:04:57 - Weights and Measures

[@qt862]

Really enjoy the depth of history Igor brings to the whole subject, especially the crossover stories that provide a more complete understanding about the subject!

[@CollectRussia]

Thank you very much for watching and the kind comment, @qt862 ! Makes us inspired to do more!

[@user-sn4qf3ky6o]

Thank you Igor for your very interesting tutorial on this important medal. I am looking forward to your future episodes. James

[@CollectRussia]

James, thanks for watching and kind comments! More to come...

[@ericfg806]

Thanks so much for doing these!!!! Can't wait for Order of Glory and George Cross & Medal. ;)

[@CollectRussia]

Thanks for watching! We will definitely do episodes on St. George Cross and other imperial decorations. And of course, on the Order of Glory as well.

[@ericfg806]

@@CollectRussia So many variations of the George Cross beyond the white and yellow metal versions. Dunno how anybody can keep that straight. One question: where were the majority of the late 19th to early 20th Century Imperial Russian medals actually struck/minted? Was there a 'state mint' like the later Soviet Mondvor?

[@CollectRussia]

That's a very good question! During that period (unlike earlier and later, after 1941), there was only one manufacturer of the official state-issued medals: the St. Petersburg Mint. Of course, there were also privately-commissioned medals made by a number of jewelry firms such as the Kuchkin factory and individual makers. Higher decorations (e.g. orders of St. George) and badges (graduation, regimental, etc.) were made exclusively by private firms, while the official issues of the St. George Crosses and St. George Bravery medals were struck at the mint.

[@ericfg806]

@@CollectRussia Thanks for that!

[@bubba98]

Another lovely video! I’m wondering if you guys could do a video on the order of the red star. I know it’s a lower end award but it would be nice to see what you guys have to say about it.

[@CollectRussia]

Thanks for watching and the suggestion! I wouldn't call the Order of the Red Star a low award. It may seem so just because of the huge number of issues, due mostly to the 1944-1958 practice of awarding it for the length of service. In the earlier years in particular, it was not so easy to earn. In the order of importance, it was above many other decorations, including any of the medals and even some of the orders such as the Order of Glory in any class, Badge of Honor, and even the "officer's" Order for Service to Homeland in any class. It will definitely be a subject for some of our future episodes. The problem is, there is a lot of ground to cover: there were very many different types and variations of this award - some of them rare and pretty expensive.