What orders appeared during the Great Patriotic War.

Order of the Patriotic War

On May 20, 1942, the first of the Soviet orders established during the war, and the first Soviet award divided into degrees, became the Order of the Patriotic War. The statute very clearly indicated the actions and feats for which the award was presented. Initially, the order was issued on a block, but since the award was often lost when worn in combat situations, since 1943 the order badge received a more reliable pin fastening.
The first holder of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was the commander of the 1st division of the 32nd Guards Artillery Regiment, Captain Ivan Ilyich Krikliy. On May 15, 1942, north of Kharkov, the division repelled several attacks by German tanks. Captain Krikliy himself destroyed five German combat vehicles with a gun, but was mortally wounded. Order No. 312368 was awarded to the hero’s widow only in 1971. Since 1966, the Order of the Patriotic War began to be awarded to cities, the first of which were Novorossiysk and Smolensk. Until 1977, this was the only Soviet order that was left to the family after the death of the recipient to be kept as a memory.

A certain devaluation of the award occurred in 1985, when, on the 40th anniversary of the Victory, all participants in the Great Patriotic War, regardless of rank, were awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st or 2nd degree, and some veterans refused the award, indicating that they could not accept a high military award as a commemorative badge. For example, during the war, if a fighter shot down an airplane with a personal weapon, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree. The famous feat of signalman M. M. Putilov, who restored the damaged line at the cost of his life, was also awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree (posthumously). In total, during the Great Patriotic War, 324 thousand people were awarded the 1st degree of the order, and more than 950 thousand people were awarded the 2nd degree. In 1985, 2 million 54 thousand were awarded orders of the 1st degree and 5 million 404 thousand - 2nd degree.

Order of Suvorov

The Order of Suvorov was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 29, 1942. The order had three degrees. “The Order of Suvorov is awarded to the commanders of the Red Army for outstanding success in command and control of troops, excellent organization of combat operations and the determination and perseverance shown in carrying them out, as a result of which victory was achieved in the battles for the Motherland in the Patriotic War.”
The Order of Suvorov, 1st degree No. 1, was awarded to Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. The Order of Suvorov No. 1, 2nd degree, was awarded to Major General Vasily Mikhailovich Badanov, who, at the head of a tank corps, broke through to the village of Tatsinskaya, where several hundred aircraft from those supplying the 6th German Army, surrounded in Stalingrad, were destroyed. In addition to military leaders, the Order of Suvorov was awarded to outstanding Soviet weapons designers. The Orders of Suvorov, 1st and 2nd degree, were awarded to Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin, Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin; Order of the 2nd degree - Georgy Semenovich Shpagin. The Order of Suvorov 1st degree was awarded to 391, 2nd degree - 2863, 3rd degree - 4012. Among those awarded were 1528 units and formations of the Red Army.

Order of Kutuzov

The Order of Kutuzov was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 29, 1942. The Order initially had two degrees (from February 1943 - three)

“The Order of Kutuzov is awarded to the commanders of the Red Army for a well-developed and carried out operation plan - front-line, army or separate formation, as a result of which the enemy was inflicted a heavy defeat, and our troops retained their combat effectiveness.”

The first award of the 1st degree of the order was made on January 28, 1943. Among the 17 recipients were the commander of the Kalinin Front, Colonel General Maxim Alekseevich Purkaev, and the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, Army General Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev. Awards of the Order of Kutuzov after the end of World War II are relatively rare. For example, the third Order of Kutuzov, 1st degree, was awarded to Marshal Vasily Danilovich Sokolovsky for the development of Operation Whirlwind in Hungary in 1956. In total, the following awards were made: orders of the 1st degree - 675, 2nd degree - 3326, 3rd degree - 3328. Nowadays, the Order of Kutuzov belongs to the category of so-called “sleeping” orders, awards of which are possible only in the event of a major war .

Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky

The Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 10, 1943.

“The Order is awarded to commanders and soldiers of the Red Army and Navy, leaders of partisan detachments and partisans who showed special determination and skill in operations to defeat the enemy, high patriotism, courage and dedication in the struggle for the liberation of Soviet land from the German invaders.”

On October 26, 1943, General Alexei Ilyich Danilov, commander of the 12th Army, hero of Stalingrad and the crossing of the Dnieper, became a Knight of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 1st degree No. 1. The Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky became the only Soviet order, the inscription on which was made not in Russian, but in Ukrainian. In total, awards were made: 1st degree orders - 323, 2nd degree - 2390, 3rd degree - 5738.

Order of Alexander Nevsky

The Order of Alexander Nevsky was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on July 29, 1942 and became the youngest among the orders named after legendary commanders. Since the lifetime image of Alexander Nevsky was not preserved, the artist Igor Sergeevich Telyatnikov took a bold step, placing on the medallion of the order a completely recognizable image of film actor Nikolai Cherkasov in the image of the prince from Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky”. Thus, this was one of the few cases (and unique for the award system) when a historical figure of an earlier era was endowed with the external features of a person who lived several centuries later.
The Order of Alexander Nevsky No. 1 was awarded to the commander of the Marine Battalion of the 154th Marine Rifle Brigade, Senior Lieutenant I.N. Ruban, who organized an ambush of a German column in the area of ​​the Great Bend of the Don in August 1942. In total, about 42 thousand awards were made. The modern Russian award system also includes the Order of Alexander Nevsky, although in appearance and statute it is extremely far from the Soviet order.

Order of Glory

On November 8, 1943, the Order of Glory was established. There is a certain continuity of this award with the St. George Cross, which existed in the pre-revolutionary award system. The same sequential awarding from the lowest degree to the highest (although the number of degrees is reduced to three), the same St. George's Order Ribbon and largely similar statuses. Initially, the order was supposed to bear the name of Peter Ivanovich Bagration, becoming another order that received the name of one of the Russian commanders.

However, Stalin pointed out “that there is no victory without glory” and ordered the portrait of the commander to be replaced with an image of the Spasskaya Tower. The Order of Glory was awarded to privates and sergeants, and in aviation - to officers. Here are just some of the clauses of the statute: “The Order of Glory was awarded to the one who, having been the first to break into the enemy’s location, contributed to the success of the common cause with personal courage,” “while in a tank that caught fire, he continued to carry out a combat mission,” “in a moment of danger, he saved the banner of his unit from being captured by the enemy ", "with personal weapons, with accurate shooting, he destroyed from 10 to 50 enemy soldiers and officers", "in battle, with anti-tank rifle fire, he disabled at least two enemy tanks."

The Badge of the Order of Glory, I degree No. 1, was received by a soldier of the 63rd Guards Rifle Division of the Leningrad Front, commander of the infantry squad of the guard, senior sergeant Nikolai Zaletov. Officially, the 1st battalion of the 215th Red Banner Regiment, which withstood a difficult battle on February 25, 1945, became the “Battalion of Glory”, all of whose rank and file were awarded the Order of Glory, 3rd degree. In total, 997,815 were awarded orders of the 3rd degree, 46,473 of the 2nd degree, and 1,620 people became full holders of the Order of Glory of three degrees.

Order "Victory"

On November 8, 1943, simultaneously with the soldier’s Order of Glory, the highest military award of the USSR, the Order of Victory, appeared. The Order of Victory was awarded to senior commanders for conducting operations on the scale of one or several fronts, as a result of which the situation radically changed in favor of the Red Army. The order is made of platinum. The rays of the star are synthetic rubies (natural rubies of this size and the same shade cannot be selected even for one order, let alone twenty). Between the arms are diamonds with a total weight of 14.22 to 16.25 carats. The first to be awarded the Order of Victory on April 10, 1944 were Marshals Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov and Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (for the liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine). Kirill Afanasyevich became the Knights of the Order of Victory. Meretskov, Ivan Stepanovich Konev and more.

In 1978, with a deviation from the statute, the Order of Victory was awarded to Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (the only case when the Order of Victory was made with a pin rather than a pin fastening). In 1989, Brezhnev was posthumously deprived of the highest military leadership award, also in violation - according to the law, the recipient could be deprived of the award if he committed a serious crime or changed citizenship. In addition to Soviet military leaders, five foreigners became holders of the Order of Victory: Field Marshal B. Montgomery, General D. Eisenhower, Marshal I.B. Tito, Marshal M. Zhimersky and the former King of Romania Mihai I (the only one of all awarded who is still alive ).

The Order of Glory was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of November 8, 1943. Subsequently, the Statute of the order was partially amended by Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of February 26 and December 16, 1947 and August 8, 1957.

Until 1974, the Order of Glory was the only order in the USSR that was received only for personal merit; it was not awarded to military units, enterprises, or organizations;
The statute of the order provided for the promotion of gentlemen of all three degrees in rank, which was an exception for the Soviet award system; the colors of the order’s ribbons repeat the colors of the ribbon of the royal Order of St. George, which was at least unexpected in Stalin’s times; the color and design of the ribbon were the same for all three degrees, which was also typical only for the pre-revolutionary award system, but was never used in the USSR award system.

Statute of the order.
The Order of Glory is awarded to privates and sergeants of the Red Army, and in aviation, to persons with the rank of junior lieutenant, who have demonstrated glorious feats of bravery, courage and fearlessness in battles for the Soviet Motherland.

The Order of Glory consists of three degrees: I, II and III degrees. The highest degree of the order is I degree. The award is made sequentially: first with the third, then with the second and finally with the first degree.

The Order of Glory is awarded for:
- Having been the first to break into the enemy’s location, he contributed to the success of the common cause with his personal courage;
— While in a tank that caught fire, he continued to carry out his combat mission;
- In a moment of danger, he saved the banner of his unit from being captured by the enemy;
— Using personal weapons with accurate shooting, he destroyed from 10 to 50 enemy soldiers and officers;
— In battle, he disabled at least two enemy tanks with anti-tank gun fire;
— Destroyed from one to three tanks on the battlefield or behind enemy lines with hand grenades;
— Destroyed at least three enemy aircraft with artillery or machine gun fire;
— Disdaining danger, he was the first to break into the enemy bunker (trench, trench or dugout), and with decisive actions destroyed his garrison;
— As a result of personal reconnaissance, he identified weak points in the enemy’s defenses and brought our troops behind enemy lines;
- Personally captured an enemy officer;
— At night, he removed the enemy’s guard post (watch, secret) or captured it;
— Personally, with resourcefulness and courage, having made his way to the enemy’s position, he destroyed his machine gun or mortar;
— While on a night sortie, he destroyed an enemy warehouse with military equipment;
- Risking his life, he saved the commander in battle from the immediate danger that threatened him;
- Neglecting personal danger, he captured the enemy’s banner in battle;
— Having been wounded, after bandaging he returned to duty;
- Shot down an enemy plane with personal weapons;
— Having destroyed enemy fire weapons with artillery or mortar fire, he ensured the successful actions of his unit;
— Under enemy fire, he made a passage for the advancing unit through the enemy’s wire barriers;
— Risking his life, under enemy fire, he provided assistance to the wounded during a number of battles;
— While in a damaged tank, he continued to carry out a combat mission using the tank’s weapons;
— Having quickly crashed his tank into an enemy column, he crushed it and continued to carry out his combat mission;
— With your tank, he crushed one or more enemy guns or destroyed at least two machine-gun nests;
— While in reconnaissance, I obtained valuable information about the enemy;
— A fighter pilot destroyed from two to four enemy fighter aircraft or from three to six bomber aircraft in air combat;
— An attack pilot, as a result of an attack raid, destroyed from two to five enemy tanks or from three to six locomotives, or blew up a train at a railway station or stage, or destroyed at least two aircraft at an enemy airfield;
— The attack pilot destroyed one or two enemy aircraft as a result of bold initiative actions in air combat;
— The crew of a daytime bomber destroyed a railway train, blew up a bridge, an ammunition depot, a fuel depot, destroyed the headquarters of an enemy unit, destroyed a railway station or stage, blew up a power plant, blew up a dam, destroyed a military vessel, transport, boat, destroyed at least two planes;
— The crew of a light night bomber blew up an ammunition and fuel depot, destroyed the enemy headquarters, blew up a railway train, blew up a bridge;
— The crew of a long-range night bomber destroyed a railway station, blew up an ammunition and fuel depot, destroyed a port facility, destroyed sea transport or a railway train, destroyed or burned an important plant or factory;
— The crew of a daylight bomber for daring action in aerial combat, resulting in the shooting down of one to two aircraft;
— The reconnaissance crew for successfully completed reconnaissance, as a result of which valuable data about the enemy was obtained.

The Order of Glory is awarded by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Those awarded the Order of Glory of all three degrees are awarded the right to confer a military rank:
- privates, corporals and sergeants - foremen;
- having the rank of sergeant major - junior lieutenant;
- junior lieutenants in aviation - lieutenants.

The Order of Glory is worn on the left side of the chest and, in the presence of other orders of the USSR, is located after the Order of the Badge of Honor in the order of seniority of degrees.
The right to award the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree was granted to commanders of formations, the Order of Glory of the 2nd degree - starting from the commander of the army (flotilla), and the Order of the 1st degree could only be awarded by the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces.

On November 13, 1943, the first award of the Order of Glory, 3rd degree, to sapper Senior Lieutenant V.S. Malyshev was signed. Orders were sent to different sections of the front to be awarded at the forefront, so an order issued earlier often had a larger number than an order issued later. The Order of Glory, 3rd degree No. 1, was later awarded to the armor-piercing officer of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, senior sergeant Kharin.
The order to award the Order of Glory, 2nd degree, was first signed on December 10, 1943. Its recipients were the sappers of the 10th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, privates S.I. Varanov and A.G. Vlasov, who by the end of the war received the Order of the 1st degree.

The first Decree on awarding the Order of Glory, 1st degree, was signed on July 22, 1944. The Order was awarded to sapper Corporal M.T. Pitenin and assistant platoon commander senior sergeant K.K. Shevchenko. Pitenin died before the Decree was signed, without having time to receive the order. Shevchenko fought until the end of the war, also having the Order of the Red Banner, the Patriotic War and the Red Star, which was a very rare occurrence for a sergeant, and the addition to them in the form of all three degrees of the Order of Glory made him a phenomenon: not every colonel had six orders, and not even general

The awarding of the Order of Glory continued from November 1943 until the summer of 1945. During this period, 980,000 people became holders of the Order of the 3rd degree. 2nd degree - 46,000, and 1st degree, i.e. full holders of the order, - 2,562 people. Among the full cavaliers are four Heroes of the Soviet Union: Marine Sergeant Major P.Kh. Dubinda, attack pilot Lieutenant I.G. Drachenko, artillery senior sergeants A.V. Aleshin and N.I. Kuznetsov.

Four full holders of the Order of Glory are women: sniper foreman N.P. Petrova (died on May 1, 1945), machine gunner Sergeant D.Yu. Staniliene, nurse sergeant M.S. Necheporukova. air gunner-radio operator of the guard foreman N.A. Zhurkina-Kiyok.
There was a unit in the Red Army, in its entirety (except for officers) awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree. - the whole battalion distinguished itself! For the successful assault on the German defense on the Vistula, the 1st battalion of the 215th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 69th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, after the presentation of orders to soldiers and sergeants, received the official name “Battalion of Glory”. This is the only case of awarding orders to all personnel of such a large unit as a battalion.
This order, deeply revered by the people, the only soldier’s order of a no longer existing power, forever remained a symbol of the military feat of the ordinary Soviet soldier. Actor Alexei Smirnov, who played the role of the drunkard Fedya in the film “Operation Y”, aircraft (“Only old men go into battle”) and many others, was known and loved by the whole country, but even many of his friends did not suspect that he was a full holder of the Order of Glory , a man who went through almost the entire war as a simple soldier.
The Order of Glory became the last of the “land” orders created during the war: after it only the “naval” orders of Ushakov and Nakhimov appeared.

An award is a form of encouragement that is evidence of recognition of merit. Its main types in Russia are titles of Russia, various other honorary titles, medals and orders, diplomas, certificates of honor, badges, prizes, inclusion on the Board of Honor or in the Book of Honor, as well as declarations of gratitude, etc. Military awards (orders and medals) occupy a very important place among them.

The role of our country in the Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War was the greatest test for all the people of our country. The armed forces of the USSR provided assistance not only to compatriots, but also to other peoples living in Europe in liberating them from fascist slavery. For this, many people received military orders and medals. The Soviet Armed Forces also fulfilled their duty towards the peoples of Asia, enslaved primarily in Vietnam, Korea, and China.

How many medals and orders were awarded at this time?

For their exploits at the front, 11,603 soldiers were awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Of these, 104 people received it twice, and A.I. Pokryshkin, I.N. Kozhedub and G.K. Zhukov - three times.

10,900 orders were awarded to ships, units and formations of the Armed Forces. A well-coordinated military economy was also created in the USSR, and the unity of the rear and the front was observed. During the war, 12 orders were established, in addition to 25 medals. They were awarded to participants in the partisan movement, war, home front workers, underground workers, as well as people's militias. In total, more than 7 million people received military orders and medals.

Established medals

The medals that were established for participation in the war are as follows:

8 “For Defense”: Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol, the Soviet Arctic, Moscow, the Caucasus;

3 "For liberation": Belgrade, Warsaw, Prague;

4 "For the taking": Budapest, Vienna, Koenigsberg and Berlin;

2 “For victory”: over Japan, over Germany;

- "Partisan of the Patriotic War";

- “For valiant work in the Second World War”;

- "Golden Star";

- "For military merits";

- “For courage”;

Nakhimov Medal;

- "Guard".

Ushakov Medal.

A medal is a less honorable award compared to an order.

Orders for participation in World War II

Unlike a medal, a military order can have several degrees. For participation in the Second World War they were the following: Patriotic War, Lenin, Red Star, Red Banner, Nakhimov, Ushakov, “Victory”, Slava, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Kutuzov, Alexander Nevsky, Suvorov. We will tell you more about all these awards.

Order of the Patriotic War

In 1942, on May 20, a Decree establishing this order of 1st and 2nd degrees was signed. For the first time in the history of the USSR award system, specific feats for which this award was given to representatives of the main military branches in our country were listed.

The Military Order of the 1st and 2nd degrees could be received by commanding and enlisted personnel of the Navy, the Red Army, and the NKVD troops. In addition, partisans were awarded who showed courage, perseverance and bravery in battles with the Nazis or who through their actions contributed in one way or another to the success of military operations of the USSR troops. The right to receive this order for civilians was separately stipulated. They were awarded it for their contribution to the victory over the enemy.

The Military Order of the 1st degree could be received by someone who personally destroyed 2 medium or heavy, or 3 light enemy tanks, or 3 medium or heavy, or 5 light ones as part of a gun crew; II degree - 1 medium or heavy tank, or 2 light, or 2 medium heavy, or 3 light as part of a gun crew.

Order of Suvorov

Military orders, which were named after Alexander Nevsky, Kutuzov and Suvorov, were established in the USSR in June 1942. These awards could be received by officers and generals of the Red Army for skillful leadership of various military operations, as well as for excellence in battles with the enemy.

The Order of Suvorov, 1st degree, was awarded to commanders of armies and fronts, as well as their deputies, heads of operational departments and headquarters, branches of armies and fronts for a successfully organized and carried out military operation on the scale of a front or army, as a result of which the enemy was destroyed or defeated. One circumstance was specially stipulated: victory must certainly be won by smaller forces over an enemy who was numerically superior, since Suvorov’s principle was in effect, which stated that the enemy is beaten with skill, and not with numbers.

The Order of the 2nd degree could be received by the commander of a brigade, division or corps, as well as his deputy or chief of staff for organizing the defeat of a division or corps, breaking through the enemy’s defensive line with subsequent pursuit and defeat, as well as for organizing a battle carried out surrounded, leaving it while maintaining the combat effectiveness of one’s unit, its equipment and weapons. The commander of an armored formation could also be noted for the fact that he carried out a deep raid behind enemy lines, inflicting a sensitive blow on him, which ensured the successful completion of the operation by the army.

The Order of the III degree was intended to reward various commanders (companies, battalions, regiments). It was awarded for skillfully organizing and conducting a battle that brought victory with fewer forces than the enemy.

Order of Kutuzov

This military order of the 1st degree, created according to the design of the artist Moskalev, could be issued to the commander of the army, front, as well as his deputy or chief of staff for the fact that they had well organized the forced withdrawal of some large formations, along with inflicting counterattacks on the enemy, withdrawing to new the lines of their troops with small losses in their composition; as well as for the good organization and conduct of an operation to combat enemy forces superior to the large formations at its disposal, and for maintaining constant readiness of troops for a decisive attack on the enemy.

Fighting qualities that distinguish the activities of M.I. Kutuzov, were the basis of the statute. This is a skillful defense, as well as tactical exhaustion of the enemy followed by a decisive counter-offensive.

One of the first to receive this order of the 2nd degree was K.S. Melnik was a major general who commanded the 58th Army, which defended a section of the Caucasian Front from Malgobek to Mozdok. Having exhausted the main forces of the enemy, in difficult defensive battles his army launched a counter-offensive and entered the Yeisk region with battles, breaking the German defense line.

The Order of Kutuzov, III degree, was awarded to the officer who skillfully developed a battle plan, which ensured good interaction between various types of weapons and a successful outcome of the operation.

Order of Alexander Nevsky

Architect Telyatnikov won the competition for the design of this order. He used in his work a still from a film called "Alexander Nevsky", which was released shortly before. Nikolai Cherkasov starred in the title role. His profile was depicted on this order. There is a medallion with a portrait in the center of a red star, five-pointed, from which silver rays extend. Ancient Russian attributes of a warrior (quiver with arrows, bow, sword, crossed reeds) are located at the edges.

According to the statute, the military order is awarded to an officer who fought in the ranks of the Red Army for the initiative shown in choosing a good moment for a bold, sudden and successful attack on the enemy and inflicting a major defeat on him. Moreover, it was necessary to preserve significant forces of their troops. This award was given for the successful completion of a certain task in conditions of superior enemy forces. At the same time, it was necessary to destroy most of his forces or completely defeat him. Also, a person could hear the words “a military order is awarded” for commanding an aviation, tank, or artillery unit that inflicted heavy damage on the enemy.

In total, more than 42 thousand soldiers, as well as approximately 70 foreign officers and generals, received this award.

Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky

In the summer of 1943, the Soviet army was preparing for a responsible operation - the liberation of Ukraine. The poet Bazhan, as well as the film director Dovzhenko, came up with the idea of ​​this award, named in honor of the great Ukrainian commander and statesman. The material for this order of the first degree is gold, the second and third - silver. The statute was approved in 1943, on October 10. This order was awarded to commanders and soldiers of the Red Army, as well as to partisans who showed distinction in battles during the liberation of Soviet land from the fascist invaders. In total, approximately 8.5 thousand people were awarded it. The order of the first degree was awarded to 323 soldiers, the second - approximately 2,400, and the third - more than 57. Many military formations and units (over a thousand) received it as a collective award.

Order of Glory

Military orders of the USSR also include the Order of Glory. His project, completed by Moskalev, in October 1943, was approved by the commander-in-chief. At the same time, the colors of the Order of Glory ribbon proposed by this artist were approved. It was orange and black. The ribbon of the Order of St. George, the most honorable military award in pre-revolutionary Russia, had the same colors.

The Order of Military Glory has three degrees. The first degree award is gold, and the second and third are silver (the central medallion was gilded for the second degree order). This badge could be received by a warrior for personal feat shown on the battlefield. These orders were issued strictly sequentially - from lowest to highest degree.

This award could be received by the one who was the first to break into the enemy’s position, saved the banner of his unit in battle, or captured the enemy’s; and also the one who saved the commander in battle, risking his life, shot down a fascist plane with a personal weapon (machine gun or rifle) or personally destroyed up to 50 enemy soldiers, etc.

In total, approximately a million badges of this order, III degree, were issued during the war years. More than 46 thousand people received the second degree award, and about 2,600 received the first degree.

Order "Victory"

This WWII (combat) order was established in 1943, by decree of November 8. The statute stated that it was awarded to senior commanders for the successful conduct of military operations (on one or several fronts), as a result of which the situation radically changes in favor of the USSR army.

A total of 19 people received this order. Twice it was Stalin, and also Zhukov. Timoshenko, Govorov, Tolbukhin, Malinovsky, Rokossovsky, Konev, Antonov received it once each. Meretskov was awarded this insignia for his participation in the war with Japan. In addition, five foreign military leaders are honored by him. These are Tito, Rolya-Žimerski, Eisenhower, Montgomery and Mihai.

Order of the Red Banner

This order was established in 1924, two years after the USSR was formed. Soldiers of the Soviet army, civilians and partisans, awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Battle (there are about a hundred thousand of them in total), received it for the exploits performed during the Great Patriotic War. It was awarded for heroic deeds that were performed with obvious danger to life in a combat situation. Also, a person could earn the Order of the Battle Banner for outstanding leadership of the operations of various military formations, formations, units, displaying courage and bravery. It was awarded for special courage and bravery during a special task. It was also possible to receive the Order of the Red Banner of Battle for the courage and bravery shown in ensuring our country’s state security and the inviolability of the border under conditions of risk to life. The Order of the Red Banner was issued for successful military operations of warships, military units, associations and formations that defeated the enemy, despite losses or other conditions unfavorable for this. They also received a reward either for inflicting a major defeat on the enemy, or if their actions contributed to the success of the USSR troops in carrying out a major operation.

Order of Ushakov

The Order of Ushakov is superior to another order that was awarded to naval officers - Nakhimov. It has two degrees. The first class award is made of platinum, and the second class is made of gold. The colors are white and blue, which in pre-revolutionary Russia were the colors of the St. Andrew's flag (naval). This award was established in 1944, on March 3. The order was issued for a successful active operation, which resulted in victory over a numerically superior enemy. For example, in which significant enemy forces were destroyed; for a successful landing operation, which entailed the destruction of coastal fortifications and enemy bases; for bold actions carried out on the sea communications of enemy troops, as a result of which valuable transports and warships were sunk. The Order of Ushakov, II degree, was awarded 194 times. 13 ships and units of the Navy have this insignia on their banners.

Order of Nakhimov

Five anchors made up the star in the sketch of this order. They turned their stems towards the medallion depicting the admiral according to Timm's drawing. This order is divided into two degrees - first and second. The materials for production were gold and silver, respectively. The star rays of the first degree of this award were made from rubies. A combination of orange and black colors was chosen for the ribbon. This award was also established in 1944, on March 3.

and Red Star

More than 36 thousand people received the Order of Lenin for military distinction, and the Red Star - about 2900. Both of them were established in 1930, on April 6.

A very important and significant award for those who resisted fascism during the Second World War was the Order of Victory. Few have received this award, some of them twice in their lifetime. With the help of this insignia, it was decided to celebrate the feat of outstanding personalities from the high command of the Red Army and not only. Five foreign allies who made a significant contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany were also worthy of the awards.

History of the award

In November 1943, a decree was signed on the foundation of this highest insignia. Several people worked on its creation, and the first draft was presented by officer Neelov. For some reason, Stalin did not accept the proposed name and sketch. The second attempt was given to Kuznetsov. This artist already had experience creating similar awards. He presented several options, from which the one was chosen that depicted the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin with the inscription “Victory”.

The Order of Victory in this version was accepted. At Stalin's suggestion, the presented sketch was further modified (background, scale of the tower itself, etc.). After all the wishes were taken into account, a test copy was made, which was approved. Thus, in November 1943, at the Supreme Council, the procedure for awarding the order was described, its signs were described, and a statute was adopted.

The statute stated that the Order of Victory (its photo can be seen below) was an award for the high command of the army. It was awarded for special merits, actions that led to an inevitable victory or an improvement in the situation for the Soviet army.

What does this tall insignia look like?

The Order of Victory is the most expensive award (in monetary terms) of the Soviet Union. Precious metals such as platinum and gold, as well as precious stones - diamonds, were used to make it. Initially, they were going to use real rubies for these purposes, but the jewelers were faced with the following problem: it was impossible to select stones in the same color scheme; they all had different shades. As a result of this, it was decided to replace real stones with artificial ones.

Each Order of Victory, the photo of which very clearly demonstrates its beauty, was made by hand by craftsmen at a jewelry and watch factory in Moscow. This, by the way, was a unique case in the entire history of the USSR, since all other orders and medals were produced at the Mint with the appropriate stamping. It was not available on these models.

So what was this ultimate reward? The order looked like a five-pointed ruby ​​star, it was convex in the center. Closer to the center of the order, the rays of the star were decorated with triangles of rubies, and along its edges there was a line of diamonds. Between them there were small rays (five in each gap), which were also decorated with small transparent precious stones.

In the middle of the order there was a circle with an image of the Kremlin on a blue background, where the mausoleum is located, as well as the Spasskaya Tower. At the bottom, on a red background, was written the word “Victory,” from which a wreath rose upward. It was done in gold color.

For each order, forty-seven grams of platinum, two grams of gold, and nineteen grams of silver were used. Also, each star had five rubies (five carats each) and 174 small diamonds weighing a total of sixteen carats.

Today, the Order of Victory is considered a unique work of jewelry, and not just a symbol of military glory and courage.

An integral part of the order is the ribbon

Those awarded this award, in addition to the order itself, had to wear the ribbon that came with it. It was much wider than the ribbons that come with other awards. So, its width was 46 millimeters. The six-color ribbon combined colors from other orders that were used among the awards of the Soviet Union.

So, the color scheme was as follows: in the center there was a wide strip of red, on the sides of it there were stripes of green, dark blue, burgundy, light blue and orange with a black insert.

Knights of the Order of Victory had to wear their award on the left side of the chest, below all other orders and medals (about 12-14 centimeters above the belt). The bar with the ribbon had to be one centimeter higher than other awards.

How many orders are there in total and how many awarded?

If we talk about how many orders of “Victory” were made, then we can say that there were twenty of them in total. However, today there are only nineteen awardees who are indicated on the memorial plaque. Of these, three citizens of the Soviet Union were awarded the award twice.

Eight more Soviet military leaders became holders of the order once each during World War II. There are also foreign citizens who were also awarded.

As for another, twentieth order, it was awarded in February 1978 to the then Secretary General and Marshal of the USSR Brezhnev. After his death, the award was canceled as not in accordance with the statute of the award. This happened in September 1989.

Knights of the Order, awarded twice

Among those who received the Order of Victory, there are those who were awarded twice. It was just three people. Let's consider each of them.

Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov

He was truly a great commander of that time. He did not have a higher military education, but the lack of a theoretical basis was replaced by the practical experience that he received during the Civil War. In addition, Zhukov had a natural talent for leading and making the right decisions in difficult times.

During World War II, he was awarded the rank of Marshal of the USSR. He was also one of the very first to receive the Order of Victory. This happened on April 10, 1944 because he carried out a successful operation to liberate right-bank Ukraine.

The second order was received by Zhukov in 1945, on the thirtieth of March. This award was given to him because he carried out command assignments very well, leading the troops.

Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky

This man went down in history as the greatest strategist of World War II. Even Zhukov noticed his unsurpassed talent as a military leader. Together they led the liberation of right-bank Ukraine, and it was for this that Vasilevsky received the second-ranked Order of Victory. This also happened on the tenth of April 1944.

Almost a year later, on April 19, 1945, Vasilevsky was nominated for the award a second time. At this time, he led operations in East Prussia and won victories.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin

The commander-in-chief of the USSR at that time himself received the third order. The first time this happened was on July 29, 1944. The award was also presented for the liberation of the right bank of Ukraine from Nazi Germany.

The second time Stalin received the order was on the twenty-sixth of June 1945, as a reward for the final victory over Nazi Germany.

Let us now list the Soviet military leaders who received the Order of Victory. Those awarded this high distinction made an invaluable contribution to the victory of the Soviet Union over fascism.

• Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov. This Marshal of the Soviet Union was awarded his medal in 1945, on September 8th. His merits included successful military operations during the hostilities with Japan.
• Alexey Innokentievich Antonov. The occasion of his award is unique. The fact is that at the time of signing the decree, Antonov was only a general, while other holders of the Order of Victory had the rank of marshals and were also Heroes of the Soviet Union. And yet, in 1945, on the fourth of June, he was awarded this award for the completed tasks that were assigned to him by the high command. These were successful military operations on a large scale.
• Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko. He became a holder of the order in 1945, on the fourth of June. He was given the award for his planning of battle operations, as well as for his skillful coordination of actions on the fronts.
• Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov. Soviet marshal who participated in the liberation of Leningrad, as well as in the defeat of fascist troops in the Baltic region. He was awarded this high award in 1945, May thirty-first.
• Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin. Soviet marshal who participated in the liberation of Austrian and Hungarian lands. For his services in 1945, on the twenty-sixth of April, he was awarded this distinction.
• Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky. He also participated in the liberation of Hungary and Austria from the fascist invaders. Awarded in 1945, April twenty-sixth.
• Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The Soviet marshal received the award on March thirtieth, 1945. He was awarded this honor due to his tangible contribution to the liberation of Poland.
• Ivan Stepanovich Konev. He held the rank of marshal at the time of receiving the award. He became a knight on March 30, 1945, also for the liberation of Polish lands from the Nazis.

Each of the listed commanders was worthy of this award, each deserved it with his fortitude and courage.

Among those who received the Order of the Great "Victory" were foreign citizens. We propose to find out who received this honor.

• Josip Broz Tito. This is one of the Yugoslav leaders who led the country's resistance during World War II. In 1945, on September 9, for his services in the victory over Germany and for successful military operations, he was awarded the Order of Victory. He was a very strong personality. In the post-war period, Tito was elected president of Yugoslavia, who saw his own way in governing the state.
• Michal Rolya-Zimierski. Polish marshal, who during World War II was an ardent opponent of aggressive Germany. He was a member of the resistance movement. He received his order in 1945, on August 9, for the successful organization of Polish troops, as well as for conducting various military operations. After the war, Rolya-Zhimersky served as a minister and also spent some time in prison on false charges.
• Bernard Montgomery. This is an outstanding person who participated in many battles during the Second World War, and also carried out military operations on the side of the opponents of Nazi Germany. Montgomery was also one of the founders of the creation of NATO. For his services in the fight against the Nazis in 1945, on June 5, he received the Order of Victory.
• Dwight Eisenhower. He was a general in the US forces during World War II. For his services in carrying out various operations he was awarded an honorary award from the Soviet Union. This happened in 1945, on the fifth of June. In the post-war years, Eisenhower served as President of the United States.

Each of these people made their own special contribution to the fight against Nazi Germany, as a result of which they were awarded such an honorary award.

Awarding the Order to the King of Romania

Among the foreign allies was the king, who was awarded the Order of Victory. Today he is the only surviving holder of the order. The award took place in July 1945, for the fact that Mihai I was able to show determination and turn Romanian policy towards a break with Nazi Germany. At the time of the award he was only twenty-three years old.

The king, awarded the Soviet Order of Victory, showed true heroism and fortitude. In August 1944, when the final victory over fascism was not yet certain, he spoke out against Germany and ordered the arrest of many members of the government (among them was Antonescu, the de facto ruler of Romania). After this, this country stopped hostilities on the side of the fascist invaders.

The Order of "Victory" of the Great Patriotic War is a very significant symbol of what happened in the distant years 1941-1945. This is a sign of the indestructibility of the Russian people, faith in victory over the Nazis, as well as faith in their command. Of course, the war itself was cruel, and sometimes the decisions made by the commanders of those times were also cruel. However, not a single soldier doubted their correctness. This expressed the patriotism of the Russian people of that time, their ability to stand to the last for the good of the Motherland.

Today, despite the fact that the Order of Victory is no longer awarded, it is the most honorable award in Russia, as well as one of the highest awards that has not yet been abolished.

Conclusion

The Soviet Order of Victory is now history. Naturally, they are no longer awarded, and almost all copies are kept in museums.

According to some reports, one of the orders, namely the one that was awarded to the Romanian King Mihai I, was sold and is now in one of the private collections. Although the former owner himself denies this, he never wore it to various celebrations, although there were other orders and medals on his chest.

The awards that were presented to the Soviet command and the Marshal of Poland are currently located on Russian territory. Five orders are kept in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, and the rest in Gokhran.

If we talk about the USSR Order of Victory, which was awarded to Eisenhower, it is now located in the state of Kansas in the city of Abilene, namely in the Memorial Library.

The order that was awarded to Marshal Tito is currently located in the capital of Serbia - the city of Belgrade. It is kept in the “25 May” museum.

The award, which was presented to British Field Marshal Montgomery, is also in his homeland. It is kept in the Imperial War Museum in London.

We can say that every military leader who was awarded this order was worthy of it. This order symbolizes their enormous contribution to the victory over fascism, fortitude and courage in confronting what was disastrous for their people.

On June 1, 1725, Catherine I established the Order of Alexander Nevsky. This is the only order that existed in both the Russian Empire and the USSR and is now in modern Russia. For what services to the Fatherland was this award given and continues to be given to this day?

Order of Alexander Nevsky - what is it awarded for?

Russian empire

The idea to establish the Order of Alexander Nevsky came from the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great, but the monarch did not have time to implement it. Peter I planned to make this order the main military award. This award appeared under Catherine I; both military and civilians were awarded the order. However, Saint Alexander Nevsky did not succeed in becoming the truly main military award: the order became a purely court order. For example, Catherine II awarded it to almost all of her favorites.

USSR

In the Soviet Union, the Order of Alexander Nevsky was awarded to commanders of the Red Army who distinguished themselves in battles for their homeland in the Great Patriotic War. During the awards, much attention was paid to skillful and competent command, the result of which was the maximum possible preservation of equipment and personnel of their units and subunits. The order was established in July 1942 and, during the war years, became one of the most revered in the Army. During the war, the bulk of orders were awarded to officers with the rank of lieutenant to major, who held the position of platoon or battalion commander. Awarding the Order of Alexander Nevsky to commanders of regiments, brigades, not to mention divisions (ranks above major) was rare. This was due to the fact that senior officers and generals were awarded military awards of a higher rank (Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov).

For exploits and merits accomplished during the Great Patriotic War, 42,165 people (including 8 women and 6 foreigners, 5 of them from the French Normandie-Niemen squadron) were awarded (since the first award on November 5, 1942).

The Order of Alexander Nevsky was also awarded after the war. A relatively large number of orders were awarded to officers who distinguished themselves in suppressing the “counter-revolutionary rebellion” in Hungary in 1956. Soldiers and officers were also awarded for military distinctions and exploits in the war with Japan.

Russian Federation

Order of Alexander Nevsky Russian Federation

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the order was retained in the system of state awards of the Russian Federation, but until 2010 it did not have a statute or official description, and no awards were made. On September 7, 2010, by Decree of the President of Russia No. 1099, the statute and description of the order were approved. In accordance with the new statute, the Order of Alexander Nevsky became a general civil award, and its badge now reproduces the design of the pre-revolutionary order. The order is more of a public award than a non-military one. Awarded for special personal services to the Fatherland in the matter of state building, many years of conscientious service and high results achieved in the performance of official duties in strengthening the international authority of Russia, the country's defense capability, economic development, science, education, culture, art, health care and others merit.

Knights of the Order of Alexander Nevsky

Multiple Knights of the Order of Alexander Nevsky 3rd Order

• Borisenko, Ivan Grigorievich (1911-?) - lieutenant colonel, commander of the 536th anti-tank artillery regiment (05/04/1945; 05/25/1945; 06/04/1945)
• Kuprinenko, Pavel Andreevich (1903-1967) - guard major, deputy commander, commander of the 146th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 48th Guards Rifle Division (04/03/1944; 04/19/1944; 03/27/1944)
• Nevsky, Nikolai Leontyevich (1912-1990) - lieutenant colonel, commander of the 818th artillery regiment of the 223rd rifle division (11/07/1944; 12/02/1944; 06/20/1945)

Women - Knights of the Order of Alexander Nevsky

• Amosova (Taranenko) Serafima Tarasovna (1914-1992) - guard captain (awarded 04/26/1944)
• Bershanskaya (Bocharova) Evdokia Davydovna (1913-1982) - guard major (awarded 04/26/1944)
• Lomanova (Tenueva) Galina Dmitrievna (1920-) - guard lieutenant (awarded 12/27/1944)
• Nikulina, Evdokia Andreevna (1917-1993) - guard senior lieutenant (awarded 10/25/1943)
• Kravchenko (Savitskaya) Valentina Flegontovna (1917-2000) - guard captain (awarded 04/29/1945)
• Sanfirova, Olga Aleksandrovna (1917-1944) - guard senior lieutenant (awarded 04/26/1944)
• Smirnova, Maria Vasilievna (1920-2002) - Guard senior lieutenant (awarded 10/25/1943)
• Tikhomirova, Vera Ivanovna (1918-) - guard lieutenant (awarded 04/26/1944)
• Sholokhova, Olga Mitrofanovna (1915-2001) - guard captain (awarded 04/29/1945)

Video about the Order of Alexander Nevsky

• Film about the Knights of the Order of Alexander Nevsky during the Great Patriotic War

• Interview with a WWII veteran “The Story of a Hero.” Guard Lieutenant Colonel Agilbaev Rakhim Kadyrovich. Hero of the Great Patriotic War, tank driver. Knight of the Order of Alexander Nevsky; full holder of the Order of the Patriotic War; Full Knight of the Order of the Red Star