View source for Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin

{{short description|Polish award}}
{{Infobox military award
|name=Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin<br>''Medal „Za udział w walkach o Berlin”''
|image=Medal_„Za_udział_w_walkach_o_Berlin”.jpg
|caption=
|presenter=  {{Flag|Poland}}
|type=Commemorative Medal
|eligibility= Polish military personnel
|awarded_for= Participation in the [[Battle of Berlin]]
|campaign=
|status=No longer awarded
|description=
|clasps=
|established=April 21, 1966
|firstawarded=
|lastawarded=December 23, 1992
|total_awarded=
|total_awarded_posthumously=
|total_recipients=
|individual=
|higher=
|same=
|lower=
|related=
|image2=[[Image:POL_Za_udział_w_walkach_o_Berlin_BAR.svg|80px]]
|caption2=Ribbon bar of the Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin
}}
The '''Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin''' ({{Langx|pl|Medal „Za udział w walkach o Berlin”}}) was a Polish commemorative medal awarded by the [[Polish People's Republic]] to commemorate Polish military personnel who took part in the [[Battle of Berlin]].
==History==
The Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin was established by the [[Sejm]] by the Act of April 21, 1966, to commemorate the victory over [[Nazi Germany]] and the contribution of the [[Polish People's Army]] in the capture of Berlin in 1945. According to the law, the medal was a recognition of people who took part in the 1945 [[Berlin Offensive]]. The ordinance of the [[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Minister of National Defense]] of April 25, 1966 defined the rules and procedure for awarding the medal, the pattern of the badge and the manner of wearing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU196620190425|title=Ustawa z dnia 21 kwietnia 1966 r. o ustanowieniu medalu "Za udział w walkach o Berlin" i medalu "Za zasługi dla obronności kraju"|newspaper=isap.sejm.gov.pl|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prawo.pl/akty/dz-u-2019-425-t-j,16786665.html|title=Ustanowienie medalu "Za udział w walkach o Berlin" i medalu "Za zasługi dla obronności kraju".|newspaper=sip.lex.pl|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref>
Pursuant to the regulation, the medal was awarded to persons who performed military service in the period from April 1945 to May 9, 1945 in the following units of the Polish Army:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prawo.pl/akty/dz-u-2019-425-t-j,16786665.html|title=Ustanowienie medalu "Za udział w walkach o Berlin" i medalu "Za zasługi dla obronności kraju".|newspaper=prawo.pl|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref>
*[[1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division]]
*{{ill|2nd Pomeranian Haubic Artillery Brigade|pl|2 Brygada Artylerii Haubic}}
*{{ill|1st Independent Mortar Brigade|pl|1 Samodzielna Brygada Moździerzy}}
*{{ill|6th Warsaw Independent Motorized Pontoon-Bridge Battalion|pl|6 Batalion Pontonowo-Mostowy}}
*{{ill|Polish Independent Special Battalion|pl|Polski Samodzielny Batalion Specjalny}}
The medal could also be awarded to personnel who performed military service in the above-mentioned period at the headquarters and staffs in during the battle, as well as in the headquarters and units of the [[Polish Armed Forces in the East]] cooperating in the capture of Berlin. The medal could be awarded posthumously. The medal was awarded on the basis of documents confirming the fulfillment of the required conditions, and the application for the medal was presented by a special commission appointed by the Minister of National Defense. Together with the badge of the distinction, an award card was presented. If the medal was awarded posthumously, the medal badge and the award card were handed over to the closest family member.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tadeusz|last=Jeziorowski|first2=Mariusz|last2=Skotnick|title=  Blask orderów. T. III|publisher=Warszawa: Muzeum Łazienki Królewskie|date=2019|isbn=|language=pl|pages=50}}</ref>
The medal was actually presented during the 1966 [[Victory Day (9 May)|Victory Day]] celebrations on May 9, and was given to professional soldiers by commanders of military units or higher superiors. It was also presented to reserve and retired soldiers by the heads of provincial military staffs or their deputies, or by other persons authorized by the Minister of National Defense.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tadeusz|last=Jeziorowski|first2=Mariusz|last2=Skotnick|title=  Blask orderów. T. III|publisher=Warszawa: Muzeum Łazienki Królewskie|date=2019|isbn=|language=pl|pages=50}}</ref>
The historical significance of the participation of the Poles in the capture of Berlin lies in the fact that it was the Polish soldiers who were the first to put up [[Invasion of Poland|armed resistance]] during [[World War II]] and the only ones from the entire [[anti-Hitler coalition]] who fought alongside [[Red Army]] soldiers during the 1945 Berlin Offensive. Only the soldiers of the Polish People's Army had the honor of hoisting the [[Polish flag]] on the [[Brandenburg Gate]], following the defeat of Nazi Germany in the battle. In total, 12,700 Polish soldiers and officers took part in the direct assault on Berlin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sztetl.org.pl/en/glossary/berlings-army|title=Berling's Army|newspaper=sztetl.org.pl|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ipn.gov.pl/download/84/109404/Firsttofightenglish.pdf|title=‘First To Fight’ The Poles on the Front Lines of World War II|newspaper=ipn.gov.pl|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref>
On December 23, 1992, by the Act of October 16, 1992, the awarding of the Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin was deemed completed, as well as most of the war orders and decorations for merits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19920900451|title=Ustawa z dnia 16 października 1992 r. Przepisy wprowadzające ustawę o orderach i odznaczeniach, uchylające przepisy o tytułach honorowych oraz zmieniające niektóre ustawy.|newspaper=isap.sejm.gov.pl|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref>
==Appearance==
The designer of the medal was Wacław Kowalik.
The obverse side of the 38mm, silver medal bears the image of the [[Order of the Cross of Grunwald]] and carries the inscription '''ZA UDZIAL : W WALKACH O BERLIN''' ('For participation in the Battle of Berlin'). The reverse is decorated with a laurel spray wearing a ribbon and the inscription '''MINISERSTWO / OBRONY NARODOWEJ / PRL''' ('[[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defense People's Republic of Poland]]').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/awards/1340/Medal-Za-Udzial-w-Walkach-o-Berlin.htm|title=Medal Za Udzial w Walkach o Berlin|newspaper=tracesofwar.com|access-date= March 22, 2020}}</ref>
The red ribbon measures 40mm wide and bears two stripes on each side, a yellow one on the outer and a black one on each inner side.
==See also==
*[[Medal "For the Capture of Berlin"]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Military awards and decorations of Poland]]
[[Category:Polish campaign medals]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1966]]
[[Category:Awards disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Battle of Berlin]]