Soviet WWII Campaign Medal “For the Defence of the Soviet Transarctic”

Authentic Soviet Medal “For the Defence of the Soviet Transarctic” (Russian: «ЗА ОБОРОНУ СОВЕТСКОГО ЗАПОЛЯРЬЯ»), awarded to participants in the Arctic campaigns against Nazi Germany during the Arctic Campaign of World War II.

The medal is struck in brass and measures 32 mm in diameter with a raised rim. The obverse features a detailed composition centered on the bust of a Soviet soldier dressed in a sheepskin coat and fur cap, armed with a PPSh submachine gun. To the left appears the partial silhouette of a warship, while aircraft are shown in flight on either side of the soldier’s head. At the lower portion, two tanks emerge across the soldier’s coat, emphasizing the combined arms nature of the campaign. Along the circumference runs a 3 mm band bearing the inscription “FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE SOVIET TRANSARCTIC” («ЗА ОБОРОНУ СОВЕТСКОГО ЗАПОЛЯРЬЯ»), with a five-pointed star and hammer and sickle emblem at the base.

The reverse displays the hammer and sickle near the top, above the three-line inscription “FOR OUR SOVIET MOTHERLAND” («ЗА НАШУ СОВЕТСКУЮ РОДИНУ»), a standard motif across Soviet campaign medals.

The medal is suspended from a standard Soviet pentagonal mount, fitted with a 24 mm blue silk moiré ribbon featuring narrow white edge stripes and a broader central white stripe with fine edging. The ribbon may show age-related wear such as light soiling, minor staining, and edge fraying, consistent with period use and storage.

Condition: As shown in photographs.