History

The Order of August 23rd was established in 1959 in commemoration of the events of August 23, 1944. On this date King Mihai I led a coup against the Nazi-allied government of Prime Minister Ion Antonescu, that would eventually lead to Romania's alliance with Soviet forces. The Order was conferred upon individuals in recognition of preparation and participation in the coup on August 23. Later, it was conferred upon Romanian civilians and military personnel in recognition of labour and other contributions to the Romanian military, but it was permanently suppressed following the collapse of the Socialist Republic in 1989.

There are two versions of the V Class Medal. The first version, awarded during the Romanian People's Republic, features "RPR" in the obverse crest, while the second version, awarded during the Romanian Socialist Republic, features "RSR" in the obverse crest.

There may be additional versions of the V Class Medal that differ in composition.