History

The Partisan Medal was established on February 2, 1943. This medal was conferred upon partisans of the Great Patriotic War, in two classes. The II Class was awarded to partisans, leaders of partisan detachments and organizers of the partisian movements for personal combat distinction in fulfilling orders and missions of the command and for active assistance in the partisan struggle against the German-Fascist invaders. This class was awarded over 71,000 times. The award was accompanied by a small award booklet.

The II Class is composed of brass, and has a brass ring soldered at 12 o'clock. It presents left facing profiles of Lenin and Stalin on the obverse along with the Russian inscription which translates to: "To a Partisan of the Great Patriotic War". The obverse also features the Cyrillic script for the USSR. The reverse Russian inscription translates to: "For Our Soviet Motherhood".

There are many known fakes of this medal. Originals have sharp details and the proper solder is used for the ring (silver for I Class and lead for II Class).