Following the withdrawal from Belgrade under strong pressure from Soviet forces, German forces destroyed the Danube bridge in Belgrade in May 1944. The reconstruction of this extremely important bridge leading toward Pančevo required a considerable period of time. However, with the engagement of Soviet engineers and local builders, the bridge was built surprisingly quickly, in just one year. The works were led by Soviet officer Vladimir Aleksandrovich Golovko. On Republic Day, November 29, 1946, Marshal Tito officially opened the bridge and put it into service.
On that occasion, the Presidency of the FPRY made a decision to issue a special commemorative medal, which was awarded to the Soviet and Yugoslav builders of this so-called „Pančevo Bridge.“.
A medal made of bronze; it is circular in shape, with a diameter of 36.80 mm and a thickness of 3 mm. The medal hangs from a metal frame holding a silk ribbon in the colors of the Yugoslav flag: blue-white-red with a red five-pointed star in the center. The width of the ribbon is 22 mm.
On the face of the medal is an image of a bridge. Below the bridge is the coat of arms of the FPR Yugoslavia (with five torches) placed above a winged railway wheel (the symbol of the railways). Surrounding everything is a wreath of laurel branches.
On the reverse, in the central part, there is the inscription: „FNRJ / 1945-1946 / BEOGRAD“, and surrounding it is a semi-circular inscription: „ZA GRAĐENJE MOSTA PREKO DUNAVA“. The beginning and end of the inscription are separated by a small five-pointed star.
There are two variants of the medal:
(1) With screw: ZNB Mint. The screw has a diameter of 13.30 mm and bears a semicircular inscription: „З.Н.Б. / КОВНИЦА“ [Z.N.B. / KOVNICA]. In front of and behind „З.Н.Б.“ there is a small five-pointed star. The total mass of the medal together with the screw is: 32.83 g.
(2) With a screw: Institute for Manufacturing Banknotes. The screw has a diameter of 25.20 mm and features a semicircular inscription on it: „ЗАВОД ЗА ИЗРАДУ / НОВЧАНИЦА“ [ZAVOD ZA IZRADU / NOVČANICA]. In front of and behind „НОВЧАНИЦА“ there is one small five-pointed star. The total weight of the medal together with the screw is: 38.21 g.
The commemorative medal for the construction of the bridge over the Danube was originally established as an expression of gratitude by the new Yugoslav authorities toward Soviet builders. However, it very quickly became a symbol of the political conflict between Stalin and Tito.
Following the 1948 Cominform Resolution, it became clear that Stalin would not tolerate the independent political paths of Eastern European countries that were under the influence of the Soviet Union. The Yugoslav political leadership was labeled as revisionist and counter-revolutionary. Consequently, party and general meetings of work collectives were held throughout the Soviet Union with the aim of compromising Yugoslavia, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, and Josip Broz Tito. All of this was regularly published in the media of the time.
In such tense circumstances and the prevailing anti-Yugoslav atmosphere, this medal for the construction of the bridge over the Danube looked very unusual on the uniforms of Soviet soldiers.
In the special department of the NKVD, a working group was formed with the task of finding all recipients of these Yugoslav medals. Complete lists of Soviet soldiers who had previously received these medals were compiled, and the active confiscation of both the medals and the award decrees began. If a medal was lost, the person who lost it had to personally write a statement, and an NKVD officer would add a special note to the decree.
According to that list, the number of confiscated booklets (decrees) corresponded to the number of awardees. However, there is a discrepancy in the number of confiscated medals. Specifically, fewer medals were confiscated than the number of booklets. There is a possibility that fewer medals were awarded than the booklets themselves. Some booklets have a characteristic hole where a medal was attached, while other booklets do not have such a hole.
What is interesting about these booklets is that they were filled out using different ink colors and different handwritings. It is assumed that blank booklets were distributed to military units, and then the names of the medal recipients were entered within those units. This medal was mostly awarded to common soldiers and non-commissioned officers. The booklets are otherwise signed by Todor Vujasinović, Minister of Railways and Transport, and stamped with the seal of the Ministry.
All confiscated medals and booklets were stored in the Awards Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the seized medals and booklets were destroyed. It is assumed that only about one hundred booklets have been preserved, not including those awarded to Yugoslav citizens.
The author thanks his colleague Dejan Krupa for his help in writing this article.
Author: Zlatko Viščević
Image sources: Coins, Banknotes & Militaria Store (https://www.cbm-store.com/), Wikipedia (https://www.wikipedia.org/).
Literature: Mandić, Ranko and Gerić, Lazar, Russian-Serbian Phaleristics IV, “Dinar” magazine, Serbian Numismatic Society, Belgrade, 2004; Velichko, Aleksandr Mikhailovich, Two New Contributions to the Study of Russian-Serbian Phaleristics, “Dinar” magazine, Serbian Numismatic Society, Belgrade, 2007.
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