Item number: M185-6

Year: AD 1918

Material: Silver

Provenance: Private Collector, USA, 2024

This is a miniature silver commemorative medal issued on September 21, AD 1918, during the Russian Civil War, by the anti-Bolshevik armed forces known as the “Volunteer Army” under the leadership of Anton Denikin. It was awarded to participants of the “First Kuban Campaign” in recognition of their service.

The medal features a design of a sword piercing a crown of thorns, with the crown symbolising martyrdom. There are two classes of the award: the first class was bestowed upon soldiers and medical personnel who directly participated in combat, and it is suspended from a ribbon patterned after the orange-and-black stripes of the Order of St. George. The second class was awarded to individuals who did not take part in direct combat, and its ribbon bears the red-and-black colour scheme of the Order of St. Vladimir.

The First Kuban Campaign, also known as the “Ice March,” took place from February 9 to April 30, AD 1918. At that time, the anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army, led by Lavr Kornilov and Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev, was forced to retreat from Rostov-on-Don to the Kuban Cossack capital of Yekaterinodar to evade the advancing Red Guards.

Comprising only about 4,000 men, the Volunteer Army endured extreme cold and relentless pursuit by Red guards during the retreat. Despite the dire conditions, the army managed not only to repel enemy attacks but also to absorb scattered remnants of other White forces along the way. By the time they reached the outskirts of Yekaterinodar on April 9, their numbers had grown to over 6,000.

At that point, Yekaterinodar (now Krasnodar) had already fallen to the Red Guards on March 14. The Volunteer Army engaged in intense fighting to recapture the city. During these battles, General Lavr Kornilov was killed by artillery fire.

After the campaign, Supreme Commander Anton Denikin issued medals to the officers and soldiers who had taken part in the battle. The “First Kuban Campaign Medal” came to be regarded as one of the most highly esteemed decorations among the various White Army factions opposed to the Bolsheviks.

物件編號: M185-6

年代: 公元 1918 年

材質: 銀

來源: 美國私人收藏 2024

這是公元1918年9月21日，俄國內戰期間，安東·鄧尼金領導的反布爾什維克武裝力量「志願軍」為獎勵「第一次庫班戰役」參與者發行的紀念獎章迷你版，材質為銀。

獎章外觀為一把穿越荊棘王冠的寶劍，荊棘王冠是殉難的象徵。獎章共有兩個等級，直接參與戰鬥的士兵和前線的醫護人員得以獲贈第一級獎章，其綬帶配色為聖喬治勳章的橘黑色帶。未直接參與戰鬥的人員則獲得第二級，其綬帶配色為聖弗拉基米爾勳章的紅黑色帶。

第一次庫班戰役又稱為「冰上行軍」，發生於公元1918年2月9日至4月30日，彼時拉夫爾·科尼洛夫和米哈伊爾·瓦西里耶維奇·阿列克謝耶夫領導的志願軍為了躲避赤衛隊追擊，決定從頓河畔羅斯托夫撤退到庫班哥薩克的首府葉卡捷琳諾達爾。人數僅四千餘人的志願軍在撤退途中不僅要忍受嚴寒氣候，更要面臨赤衛隊追擊和包圍。然而志願軍不僅擊退來犯的赤衛隊，更沿途吸收其他的白軍殘部，當他們於4月9日抵達葉卡捷琳諾達爾郊區時，人數已經增長為六千餘人。由於克拉斯諾達爾於稍早3月14日遭到赤衛隊佔領，志願軍經過一番戰鬥才重新佔領葉卡捷琳諾達爾，拉夫爾·科尼洛夫也在戰鬥期間遭到砲擊身亡。

事後總指揮官安東·鄧尼金頒發獎章給參與這場戰鬥的官兵。「第一次庫班戰役獎章」也被反對布爾什維克的各路白軍勢力視為最為敬重的獎章。