  We present a simple analytic model for the structure of non-relativistic and
relativistic radiation mediated shocks. At shock velocities \beta_s\equiv
v_s/c\gtrsim 0.1, the shock transition region is far from thermal equilibrium,
since the transition crossing time is too short for the production of a
black-body photon density (by Bremsstrahlung emission). In this region,
electrons and photons (and positrons) are in Compton (pair) equilibrium at
temperatures T_s significantly exceeding the far downstream temperature, T_s\gg
T_d\approx 2(\varepsilon n_u \hbar^3c^3)^{1/4}. T_s\gtrsim 10 keV is reached at
shock velocities \beta_s\approx 0.2. At higher velocities, \beta_s\gtrsim0.6,
the plasma is dominated in the transition region by e^\pm pairs and 60
keV\lesssim T_s \lesssim 200 keV. We argue that the spectrum emitted during the
breaking out of supernova shocks from the stellar envelopes (or the surrounding
winds) of Blue Super Giants and Wolf-Rayet stars, which reach \beta_s>0.1 for
reasonable stellar parameters, may include a hard component with photon
energies reaching tens or even hundreds of keV. This may account for the X-ray
outburst associated with SN2008D, and possibly for other SN-associated
outbursts with spectra not extending beyond few 100 keV (e.g.
XRF060218/SN2006aj).
