Collectibles must and always belong to a memorable era. The Great Patriotic War belongs precisely to such eras and the awards that were awarded to the most courageous defenders of our Motherland will always be in value, and over the years their value will only increase. Orders and medals of the Great Patriotic War are collectibles for citizens different countries, their catalog price on the black market today in some cases exceeds the cost of a new car.
Some regalia, produced even in large quantities, have own story and this makes their cost much higher than the catalog average, but such cases are quite rare. We decided to publish a list of orders and medals of the Great Patriotic War and their value today in Russia. In the countries of the former Soviet Union prices for such orders and medals are lower, therefore, in order not to mislead site visitors, we will publish prices in rubles that are relevant for Russia and for the so-called “black market”, because the circulation of these awards is not officially permitted. Remember this when trying to both buy and sell orders and medals. Speaking more in clear language- never do this.
The cost of orders and medals of the Great Patriotic War
1. Order "Victory"
Description: A pentagonal star surrounded by diamonds is the most expensive award today not only in Russia, but also in the world. The order is made of silver, gold and platinum and inlaid with diamonds and rubies.Price: According to experts, its value today on the black market exceeds 20 million US dollars. All existing orders of this type are permanently stored in state museums and storage facilities.
2. Order of Suvorov (1st class)
Description: a convex five-pointed star with Suvorov’s profile and diverging rays. It was awarded to commanders of the Red Army for outstanding achievements in command and control of troops.Price: from $25,000
3. Order of Kutuzov (1st class)
Description: a convex five-pointed star, the surface in the form of diverging rays. This order is made of gold and silver and represents an image of Kutuzov’s profile.Price: from $22,000
4. Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1st class)
Description: weight 42 grams, made of gold and silver. Weight 42 grams. A total of approximately 323 units were completed. Awarded for fearless actions to both officers and soldiers of the Great Patriotic War.Price: from 25,000 dollars.
5. Order of Ushakov (1st degree)
Description: Made from platinum, gold and silver. In the central part of the five-pointed star with diverging rays is the face of Admiral Ushakov. It is the “naval analogue” of the Order of Suvorov. Very rare - only 47 units produced. This order was awarded only to officers.Price: from $250,000.
6. Order of Nakhimov (1st degree)
Description: 10-pointed star with diverging rays and anchors at the ends of 5 of them. Contains gold, silver, 5 rubies. awarded to Navy officers.Price: from $150,000
7. Order of the Patriotic War (1st class)
Description: diameter - 45 mm, composed of gold and silver. One of the most common awards for WWII. In total, approximately 2,860,000 units were issued.Price: suspended - from 1000 dollars, screw - from 200 dollars
8. Order of the Red Star
Description: weight 33.3 grams, made of silver.Price: from 750 to 15,000 dollars.
9. Order of Alexander Nevsky
Description: junior, but one of the smallest circulation among the awards for awarding the commander of the Red Army.Price: from 1500 to 7000 dollars
10. Order of Glory (1st class)
Description: diameter 46 mm, execution - gold.Price: from 500 to 8000 dollars, depending on the date of issue and condition.
11. Order of Lenin
Description: 31.3 grams, material - gold and platinum.Price: from 1000 to 50,000 dollars. The rarest is the so-called “tractor” on a propeller; in total, about 800 pieces were produced.
12. Order of the Red Banner
Description: Height - 40 mm, width - 36.3 mm, made of gilded silver. About 1.5 million units were produced in different variations.Price: from 120 to 3500 dollars
13. Medal "Gold Star"
Description: A five-pointed gold star with smooth dihedral rays on the front side. material - 950 gold. Individuals who achieved highest degree distinctions - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.Price: from 8000 dollars
14. Medal "Ushakov"
Description: material - silver, weight - 28 grams. Sailors, midshipmen and warrant officers of the Navy were awarded.Price: from 1500 to 3500 dollars
15. Medal "Nakhimov"
Description: medal with the profile of Admiral Nakhimov, made of bronze. Sailors, midshipmen and warrant officers of the Navy were awarded.Price: from 1200 to 2200 dollars
16. Medal "For Courage"
Description: weight - 25.8 grams, material - silver.Price: from 50 to 1000 dollars.
17. Medal “For Victory over Germany”
Description: made of brass. Awarded to individuals who took direct part in hostilities and in work to support the front.Price: from 20 dollars
18. Medal “For the Capture of Berlin”
Price: from 20 dollars19. Medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus”
Price: from 20 dollars20. Medal “WWII Partisan” (1 a.)
Price: from 200 to 1000 dollars21. Medal “For the Liberation of Warsaw”
Price: from 20 dollars22. Medal "For Military Merit"
Price: from 90 to 600 dollars23. Medal “For the Defense of the Arctic”
Price: from 80 dollars24. Medal “For the Capture of Budapest”
Price: from 60 dollars25. Medal “For the Defense of Kyiv”
Price: from 50 to 600 dollars26. Medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”
Price: from 20 dollars27. Medal “For the Liberation of Prague”
Price: from 40 dollars28. Medal “For the Defense of Odessa”
Price: from 400 dollars29. Medal “For the Liberation of Belgrade”
Price: from 300 to 900 dollars30. Medal “For the Capture of Koenigsberg”
Price: from 20 dollars31. Medal “For the Defense of Moscow”
Price: from 20 dollars32. Medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad”
Price: from 20 dollars33. Medal “For the Capture of Vienna”
Price: from 100 dollars34. Medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol”
Price: from 500 dollarsBattle awards
Great Patriotic War
On this page you will see photographs of military awards of the Soviet Union and information about them. A detailed description of each award contains information about the date of establishment, conditions for awarding, and data on the number of recipients during the war years. Also presented detailed description appearance and the order of wearing the award.
Some of the orders and medals presented here were established even before the start of the Great Patriotic War, and in the first years of the war there were only three orders and three types of medals for awarding soldiers and officers. On May 20, 1942, the establishment of new types of orders and medals began; in total, ten orders and twenty-one medals were established during the war years.
Order of Suvorov
Short description awards.
The Order of Suvorov was awarded to military leaders for the excellent organization of military operations and their determination and perseverance, which resulted in victory in battle. The Order of the 1st degree could be awarded to the commanders of fronts and armies, their deputies, chiefs of staff, operational departments and branches of troops of fronts and armies for an excellently organized and carried out operation on the scale of an army or front, as a result of which the enemy was defeated or destroyed. One circumstance was particularly stipulated - the order named after the great commander was awarded for a victory won over numerically superior enemy forces.
The Order of the 2nd degree was awarded to: commanders of corps, divisions or brigades, as well as their deputies and chiefs of staff for organizing the defeat of a corps or division, for breaking through the enemy’s defensive line with its subsequent pursuit and destruction, as well as for organizing a battle in an encirclement, breaking out of an encirclement with maintaining the combat effectiveness of their units, their weapons and equipment. Operations must be carried out with fewer forces than the enemy. The II degree badge could be received by commanders of armored formations for a deep raid behind enemy lines, “as a result of which a sensitive blow was dealt to the enemy, ensuring the successful execution army operation".
The Order of the III degree was intended to reward commanders of regiments, battalions and companies for skillfully organizing and carrying out a victorious battle with forces smaller than those of the enemy.
During the Great Patriotic War, 391 people were awarded the Order of Suvorov I degree (of which more than 20 were awarded three times), the Order III degree - 4,012 people, the Order of Suvorov of all degrees - more than 7,000 people.
Order of Alexander Nevsky
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Brief description of the award.
The Order of Victory was awarded to the highest command staff of the Red Army for the successful conduct of military operations on the scale of several or one front, as a result of which the front-line situation changed in favor of the Red Army.
Over the entire existence of the order, 20 copies of it were awarded to 17 military leaders.
Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army"
Medal of Honor"
Medal "For Military Merit"
Medal "Gold Star"
Ushakov Medal
Nakhimov Medal
Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War"
Everyone who is interested in, and even more so, seriously involved in phaleristics, is well aware that among the awards as Russian Empire, and the USSR ( modern Russia too) there is a certain hierarchy, that is, some awards are considered more important (“senior”), others less (“junior”).
But if in relation to orders such a hierarchy is understandable and to a certain extent logical, then as regards medals, everything is much more confusing. This is especially true for Soviet medals associated with specific events of the Great Patriotic War - the defense of Soviet cities or territories, as well as the liberation of the capitals of occupied states from the Germans or the capture of enemy cities.
In this regard, several questions arise, some of which I have my own answers, or rather, assumptions that may seem controversial to some. But some questions still remain unanswered for me.
I would be very grateful if you, my dear readers, could tell me the answers to these questions.
To begin with, I give full list these medals (in hierarchical order - from the oldest to the youngest). In parentheses after the name of the medal: the date of its establishment and the number of recipients.
2. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF MOSCOW" (1 May 1944; 1,028,000)
3. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF ODESSA" (December 12, 1942; 30,000)
4. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF SEVASTOPOL" (22 December 1942; 52.540)
5. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF STALINGRAD" (22 December 1942, 759.560)
6. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF Kyiv" (June 21, 1961; 107.540)
7. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE CAUCASUS" (May 1, 1944; 870,000)
8. Medal "FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE SOVIET POLAR REGION" (December 5, 1944; 353.240)
9. Medal "FOR VICTORY OVER GERMANY IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR 1941 - 1945"(9 May 1945; 14,933,000)
10. Medal "FOR VICTORY OVER JAPAN" (September 30, 1945; 1,800,000)
11. Medal "FOR THE CAPTURE OF BUDAPEST" (9 June 1945; 362.050)
12. Medal "FOR THE CAPTURE OF KONIGSBERG" (9 June 1945; 760,000)
13. Medal "FOR THE CAPTURE OF VIENNA" (9 June 1945; 277.380)
14. Medal "FOR THE CAPTURE OF BERLIN" (9 June 1945; 1,100,000)
15. Medal "FOR THE LIBERATION OF BELGRADE" (9 June 1945; 70,000)
16. Medal "FOR THE LIBERATION OF WARSAW" (9 June 1945; 701.700)
17. Medal "FOR THE LIBERATION OF PRAGUE" (9 June 1945; 375,000)
Some logic in the hierarchy of these medals is quite clear to me.
Thus, it is quite natural that the defense of one’s cities and territories from the aggressor should be regarded (although this word is hardly appropriate in this case) higher than the capture of enemy cities. This was fully consistent with the official Soviet ideology, reflected, among other things, in poems and songs (remember: “We don’t need an inch of someone else’s land, but we won’t give up even an inch of our own!”; “We are peaceful people, but our armored train is on a siding. .."?)
Therefore the medals "For defense..."
in the hierarchy of military medals are higher than decorations "For taking..."
. And I think that's right.
But here too there are a number of questions.
So, I understand why the medal "For the defense of Leningrad" occupies the highest place in the hierarchy. The 900 days of blockade of the city that never surrendered to the enemy speaks for itself. Therefore, I, a Muscovite, am not at all offended that the medal "For the defense of Moscow" is located one step lower (although the significance of the battle of Moscow in the period from October 1941 to March 1942 for the entire course of not only the Great Patriotic War, but also the entire Second World War is objectively higher). Moreover, most likely, the date of establishment of the award is also important here: 1942 and 1944. respectively.
But I don’t understand at all why the medals "For the defense of Odessa" And "For the defense of Sevastopol" (certainly heroic, I have no thoughts of questioning this) are considered more significant than a medal "For the defense of Stalingrad" ? And it's not even that Battle of Stalingrad became a turning point in the entire Second World War, but in the fact that, unlike Odessa and Sevastopol, Stalingrad was never surrendered to the enemy.
By the way, the defense of Odessa lasted a little more than two months (5.08.41 - 16.10.41), while the defense of Sevastopol lasted almost 10 months (12.09.41 - 10.07.42). But at the same time, the significance of medals for heroic defense of these three cities (including Stalingrad) is for some reason located in reverse order: Odessa, Sevastopol, Stalingrad , despite the fact that they were established at the same time - December 22, 1942 , when both Odessa and Sevastopol had already been surrendered, and Stalingrad continued to defend itself, and even moreover, the first successes of Operation Uranus were obvious, which resulted in the complete defeat of the 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus and its encirclement, which included more than a million soldiers, enemy officers and generals.
The most paradoxical fact in the hierarchy of Soviet medals is that the medal "For the defense of Kyiv"
is above all other medals "For Defense...".
During the defense of Kyiv in July-September 1941, about 700 thousand Soviet soldiers died, the defeat of the Red Army near Kiev led to catastrophic consequences (including for Odessa and Sevastopol), not to mention the fact that the defeat of Kirponos and Budyonny as a result of the failed Kiev War The operation (“hold Kiev at any cost”) ended with the encirclement of a huge number of Soviet troops and the accelerated German offensive on Moscow.
At the time when the Soviet medals in question were established (1942 - 1945), the defense of Kyiv was not perceived as even equal in importance to the same Battle of Stalingrad (especially judging by the results).
But everything was decided by N. S. Khrushchev, who established this medal June 21, 1961
, and put her above all the others (probably everyone understands why). It is strange, in this regard, that the main “collector” of orders and medals throughout the USSR, L. I. Brezhnev, did not establish a special medal “For the Defense of Malaya Zemlya” and did not place it even higher.
Not everything is clear regarding medals "For taking..." .
For example, I don’t understand why the medal "For the capture of Berlin"
is located in the Soviet award hierarchy lower than medals "For the capture of Budapest"
, "For the capture of Koenigsberg"
And "For the capture of Vienna"
. Moreover, all these medals were established at the same time - on June 9, 1945.
In my opinion, it would be logical to arrange these medals in the following order: “For the capture of Berlin”, “For the capture of Koenigsberg”, “For the capture of Vienna”, “For the capture of Budapest”.
I'll explain why.
Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany, has always been the main goal of all Soviet soldiers as the “lair of the beast,” which is why they wrote “To Berlin!” on the shells. Kenegsberg turned out to be a very tough nut to crack; the Nazis resisted there so fiercely that they managed to take this city only on April 9, a month before the complete surrender of Germany. Vienna, as one of the capitals of the Reich, was also perceived as an enemy city, but still surrendered later than Budapest (April 15 and February 13, 1945, respectively).
With medals "For liberation..." everything is now much clearer, including the fact that the medal "For the liberation of Prague" takes last place in the hierarchy. Despite the fact that in Soviet times It was not customary to mention the role of Bunyachenko’s “Vlasov” division in the liberation of Prague from the Nazis; the founders of this medal simply could not ignore this, since the role of the Red Army in the liberation of Prague (and not Czechoslovakia!) was not very significant.
But here are the medals "For the liberation of Belgrade" And "For the liberation of Warsaw" I would switch places, although I’m not completely sure about this, it’s possible that in this case I have sympathy for the Serbs and antipathy for the Poles (there is such a thing, I confess!).
In conclusion, I would like to note that real front-line soldiers, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, were not too interested in the topic of the significance of medals. They thought primarily about how to defeat the enemy and still survive, and not about which medal ranks higher.
In addition, as far as I know from numerous conversations with veterans (as the head of the military history museum, I constantly communicate with them), the most valuable medal for them was Medal of Honor" , founded back in 1938 year,
since it was awarded for personal courage, and not for general participation in certain operations.
However, this medal occupied the highest place in the entire hierarchy of Soviet medals, which, from my point of view, is quite fair.
Separately for Svidomo : pay attention to the medal pads "For victory over Germany" And "For the capture of Berlin" before you blather something about the “Colorados”!
I borrowed the images of the awards from Wikipedia, which I honestly admit.
Sergey Vorobiev.
Awards of the Great Patriotic War were one of the methods of encouragement indicating recognition of special services to the Motherland. This fight against Nazi Germany, which lasted from 1941 to 1945, became the most difficult test for the Armed Forces and everything Soviet people. The war, which had truly enormous world-historical significance, ended in complete victory for the USSR. Soviet troops, at the cost of unimaginable losses, saved humanity from the fascist threat of enslavement and thereby saved world civilization.
For their exploits in the war, 11,603 people were awarded the great title of Hero of the USSR. Of these, 104 received this title twice, and A. I. Pokryshkin, I. N. Kozhedub and G. K. Zhukov - three times. Soviet awards of the Great Patriotic War were presented to more than 7 million people. In addition, military orders were also awarded to formations, ships and individual units of the Armed Forces. Soviet underground fighters, partisans and militias also fought with great courage and dedication against the fascist invaders. During this bloody war, 25 medals and 12 orders were established, which were awarded not only for military merits, but also for labor feats in the rear.
General information
During the Second World War, the award system of the Soviet Union underwent significant changes in order to most fully designate all the heroism and courage of both soldiers and officers, as well as civilians who accepted Active participation in the fight against Nazi Germany. Thus, the orders and medals that appeared eliminated the previously uncertain statuses of their pre-war counterparts. For example, at first there was no clear definition of what the award should be given for, but later specific combat circumstances were spelled out.
Order of the Patriotic War
He was one of the first. Its history began in April 1942, when J.V. Stalin ordered General A.V. Khrulev to prepare a draft order for military personnel who showed heroism in battles with the Nazis. The artists A. I. Kuznetsov and S. I. Dmitriev worked on the design of the award. At first the order was called differently, but when approved in May of the same year, it received its final name - “Patriotic War”. It was approved in two degrees, and the highest was the first of them. For each of the awards, the statute contained a detailed description of the feat.
To military personnel of all branches of the military without exception, as well as commanders and ordinary soldiers partisan detachments These awards of the Great Patriotic War were presented. It is impossible to list the names of all those awarded in this article, since in the period from 1942 to 1991 the order of the first degree was awarded 2,398,322 times, and the second - 6,688,497 times. The award was officially discontinued in 1947, but was revived from time to time. For example, in the 60s, this order was awarded to foreigners who in some way helped Soviet prisoners of war, underground fighters and partisans. Since 1985, it has been used as a reward for veterans of the Great Patriotic War on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany.
It must be said that the history of awarding this order knows cases when it was awarded to entire formations, military units, defense enterprises, military schools and even cities. There are many foreigners among those awarded. These are military personnel of the Czechoslovak corps and Polish troops, British sailors and French pilots of the Normandy-Niemen. There is also one American. This was the then US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, W. A. Harriman.
Order of Suvorov
Some military awards The Great Patriotic War medals were specially designed to reward senior command leadership. In July 1942, the Soviet order first appeared, which occupied the highest level of the hierarchy. He had three degrees of seniority, which had not yet existed in the award system of the Land of the Soviets. The Order of Suvorov became such an award.
They started talking about its creation in June of the same year, when the Red Army was catastrophically losing to the German military machine. In addition, the well-known order No. 227 was issued, entitled “Not a step back!” At the same time, two more military orders were established - Kutuzov and Nakhimov. These three awards of the Great Patriotic War were radically different from the rest, since they were awarded exclusively to commanders with high positions. The highest was the Order of Suvorov.
The first award was made in December 1942. It was awarded to Major General V.M. Badanov, who commanded the tank corps and received the Order of Suvorov, second degree. Under his leadership, they prepared and then carried out a raid on the rear of the Nazis. As a result, the German airfield from which the Paulus group was supported at Stalingrad was destroyed. The Order of Suvorov, first degree, was awarded to 23 generals and marshals in January 1943, among whom were G.K. Zhukov, K.A. Meretskov, A.M. Vasilevsky and other military leaders. Also, about 30 senior officers serving in the armies allied to the USSR received this award.
Order of Kutuzov
In the summer of 1942, the Soviet government decided to establish several military awards at once. Among them was the Order of Kutuzov. The sign was designed by several famous artists and architects. Selection committee I reviewed all the submitted sketches and chose the work of G. N. Moskalev. It must be said that at first these awards of the Great Patriotic War had only two degrees. The third was approved only in February of the following year.
The Order of Kutuzov was considered “headquarters”, in contrast to the badge of Suvorov, and had a “defensive” character. This is supported by the fact that it was awarded to both army and naval commanders for conducting and developing successful military operations, which resulted in a serious defeat of enemy forces and maximum preservation of the combat effectiveness of Soviet troops.
Order of Ushakov
At the beginning of March 1944, the Order of Ushakov, which had two degrees, was established to reward Navy officers. He is the oldest of all naval awards. It was awarded for successful developments in military operations at sea, accompanied by victory over superior enemy forces.
It is worth noting that these awards of the Great Patriotic War were awarded to naval officers not only for the destruction of various warships, but also for the liquidation of coastal fortifications, bases, equipment, as well as for the successful conduct of landing operations.
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
It was established in October 1943. These military awards of the Great Patriotic War appeared just when the Red Army began active efforts to liberate Ukrainian territories from the fascist occupiers. Its creation was initiated by N. S. Khrushchev, A. P. Dovzhenko and the poet Nikolai Bazhan. A competition was announced for the creation of a draft order, which was supposed to be made in three degrees. From a large number of works, the commission chose a drawing by the Ukrainian graphic artist and artist A. S. Pashchenko.
The Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky became the fourth and final award of all military leaders. Its difference was that it was awarded both to commanders and ordinary soldiers, and to units and formations of the army and navy. Also, these military awards of the Great Patriotic War could be awarded to both the command staff and ordinary soldiers of partisan detachments and formations operating in the occupied lands.
Order of Nakhimov
It was accepted simultaneously with the Order of Ushakov exclusively for presentation to military sailors. He had two degrees. Both of these awards of the Great Patriotic War (photo presented in the article) in accordance with the levels of the hierarchy were equal to the Orders of Kutuzov and Suvorov.
The initiator of its approval was the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov. Work on the sketch began in mid-1943. The first of the projects submitted to J.V. Stalin were rejected due to the fact that they were made in too dark colors. The leader approved the second version of the order. In addition, he offered to decorate the award with rubies, and his wish was fulfilled. Thanks to this, the Order of Nakhimov, decorated with precious stones, became one of the most expensive signs of the USSR.
Order of Alexander Nevsky
Almost all the highest awards of the Great Patriotic War had two or three degrees. But this order did not have them. Despite this, it is considered almost the most beautiful and revered award badge for the entire existence of the USSR. It was established in July 1942.
J.V. Stalin entrusted its development to the then young architect I.S. Telyatnikov. Some difficulties arose in the process, since the portraits painted during the prince’s lifetime were not preserved. Therefore, I had to take the profile of actor Nikolai Cherkasov, who played main role in the film "Alexander Nevsky". Initially, the order consisted of several parts, which gave it special beauty and originality, but since 1943 it began to be made entirely stamped.
This order was awarded to commanders of regiments, divisions, brigades, etc. for personal courage and courage shown in battles, as well as for the destruction of superior enemy units with minimal losses to their own troops.
Order "Victory"
In 1943, the bloodiest and fiercest battles with the fascist occupiers took place. Stalingrad, Moscow, Kyiv, Kursk - these are significant milestones that became turning points during the war. From that moment on, the situation on the fronts changed dramatically in favor of the Red Army. At the beginning of November of the same year, they issued a decree establishing the highest award - the Order of Victory. Its author was the artist A.I. Kuznetsov, who also designed the “Patriotic War” sign. New order was the most expensive, since rubies, 174 small diamonds from 5 to 16 carats, as well as 2 grams of gold and 19 grams of silver were used in its manufacture.
The Order of Victory was awarded only to senior commanders. Badge No. 1 went to Marshal of the USSR G.K. Zhukov, and No. 2 to Chief of the General Staff A.M. Vasilevsky. These highest awards of the Great Patriotic War (you can see the photo on the page) were awarded on April 10, 1944. Interestingly, the order was awarded not only to Soviet military leaders. Among the recipients were generals D. D. Eisenhower and B. L. Montgomery, commander-in-chief of the Polish army M. Rolya-Zhimierski, Yugoslav leader Joseph Broz Tito and others.
Order of Glory
It was developed together with the “Victory” sign. The idea was suggested by J.V. Stalin himself. This order was supposed to be awarded to junior and ordinary command personnel for various kinds of heroic deeds committed on the battlefield. After it was approved, it practically became equal in status to the commander’s insignia. At first it was called the Order of Bagration, but then it was renamed.
Its author is the artist G.N. Moskalev, who made sketches for all the medals awarded for the defense of cities in the Soviet Union. The Order of Glory has three degrees. The highest sign is made of gold, the other two are made of silver. It was a so-called soldier's order, and was awarded exclusively for personal merit.
"Golden Star"
Despite the fact that this is a medal, it is valued higher than any of the orders. At first, Golden Stars were awarded to Soviet soldiers who fought on the side of the Spanish Republican Army on the Karelian Isthmus, as well as against the Japanese at Khalkhin Gol. It is interesting that quite often these badges are mistaken exclusively for awards of heroes of the Great Patriotic War.
But, nevertheless, the medal appeared in mid-1936, and the first award took place only three years later. It must be said that on its back at first there was the inscription “Hero of the SS” (Hero of the Soviet Union), but since later bad associations with the last two letters began to arise, they decided to replace them with the abbreviation USSR.
Medals
The first awards of this level were four badges simultaneously. They were medals for the defense of cities - Leningrad, Odessa, Stalingrad and Sevastopol, and a couple of years later two more were added to them, awarded for the defense of Moscow and the Caucasus. At the end of 1944, another one appeared - “For the defense of the Soviet Arctic.” All of these awards for participants in the Great Patriotic War were given for heroic defensive battles. After the end of the Second World War, medals were established for the capture of Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Prague, Koenigsberg and Warsaw.
The USSR Order of the Patriotic War was awarded to military personnel and partisans who showed courage, fortitude and courage in battle, as well as to military personnel who, through their own actions, contributed to the success of the military operations of the Soviet troops.
The highest degree of the order is I degree.
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree
The badge of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was made of 583 gold and silver. It is an image of a five-pointed star, covered with ruby-red enamel against a background of golden rays, diverging in the form of a five-pointed star, the rays of which are located between the ends of the red star. In the middle of the red star is a gold image of a hammer and sickle on a ruby-red round base, bordered by a white enamel belt, with the inscription “PATRIOTIC WAR” and with a gold star at the bottom of the belt. The red star and white belt have gold rims. The applied sickle and hammer in the center of the order are made of gold. Against the background of the rays of a golden star, the ends of a rifle and a checker are depicted, crossed behind a red star.
The Order of the Patriotic War is the first award that appeared during the Great Patriotic War. In addition, this is the first order of the USSR that had a division into degrees. For 35 years, the Order of the Patriotic War remained the only Soviet order passed on to the family as a memory after the death of the recipient (other orders had to be returned to the state). Only in 1977 the order of leaving in the family was extended to other countries and the USSR.
On April 10, 1942, Stalin instructed the head of the rear of the Red Army, General Khrulev, to create and present a draft order to reward military personnel who distinguished themselves in battles with the Nazis. Initially, the order was planned to be called “For Military Valor.” Artists S.I. were involved in the work on the order project. Dmitriev (author of the drawings of the medals “For Courage”, “For Military Merit” and the 20th anniversary of the Red Army) and A.I. Kuznetsov. Just two days later, the first sketches appeared, from which several works were selected for the production of test copies in metal. On April 18, 1942, samples were submitted for approval. It was decided to take the project of A.I. as the basis for the future award. Kuznetsov, and the idea of the inscription “Patriotic War” on the sign was taken from the project of S.I. Dmitrieva.
For the first time in the history of the Soviet award system, the statute of the order listed specific feats for which the person who distinguished himself had the opportunity to be nominated for an award.
Projects of the Order of the Patriotic War (original name “For Military Valor”).
The first holders of this order of the USSR were Soviet artillerymen. By Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR dated June 2, 1942, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to Captain I.I. Krikliy, junior political instructor I.K. Statsenko. and senior sergeant Smirnov A.V. In May 1942, the division under the command of Captain Krikliy I.I. in two days of fighting, he destroyed 32 enemy tanks in the Kharkov area. When all the other crew numbers were killed, senior sergeant Smirnov A.V. continued to fire from the gun. Even after his hand was torn off by a shell fragment, Smirnov continued to shoot at his enemy with one hand. In total, he destroyed 6 fascist tanks in battle. Division Commissioner, Junior Political Commissar Statsenko I.K. not only led his subordinates, but also, inspiring them with his own example, he himself destroyed several German armored vehicles. The unit commander, Captain Krikliy, knocked out 5 German tanks, but was wounded in battle and died in the hospital. The award came to the family of the first gentleman, Captain Krikliy, only in 1971. The Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, awarded to his widow Alexandra Fedorovna on June 12, 1971, bore the number 312368.
Hero of the Soviet Union Fedorov I.E. (1914-2011). Knight of five orders of the Patriotic War.
The Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree No. 1, was posthumously awarded to senior political instructor V.P. Konyukhov, who died on August 25, 1942 from a direct hit from an enemy shell. The order book and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, No. 1, were handed over to the hero’s family.
The Order of the Patriotic War, II degree No. 1, was posthumously awarded to reconnaissance senior lieutenant P.A. Razhkin, who many times directly supervised operations, sometimes conducting reconnaissance in combat on tanks. The award was given to the family.
On July 24, 1942, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was received by a civilian for the first time; it was the Chairman of the Sevastopol City Council, L.P. Efremov. He was awarded by Decree of the PVS of the USSR of July 24, 1942.
The feat of pilot Gastello, who directed a downed plane into a concentration of enemy armored vehicles, is well known. To the commander of the bomber crew of the 207th Air Regiment of the 42nd Bomber Air Division, Captain Gastello N.F. For this feat he was posthumously awarded the title of GSS. The Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was posthumously awarded to the crew members who, together with their commander, carried out the famous fiery ram: lieutenants Burdenyuk A.A., Skorobogaty G.N. and senior sergeant Kalinin A.A.
Hero of the Soviet Union, Chief Petty Officer Mikhailova (Demina) Ekaterina Illarionovna, the only woman to serve in Marine Corps reconnaissance. She was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of the Patriotic War I and II degrees, medals, incl. medal "For Courage". On August 22, 1944, when crossing the Dniester estuary, she was one of the first to reach the shore as part of the landing force, provided first aid to seventeen seriously wounded sailors, suppressed the fire of a heavy machine gun, threw grenades at the bunker and destroyed over 10 Nazis.
At the end of June 1941, during the battles for Rovno, the KV tank number 736 fell into the ring of enemies. The tankers managed to destroy a German self-propelled gun, several guns and trucks, a large number of enemy manpower. After the Germans knocked out the tank and it stopped, the surviving tankers Golikov and Abramov continued to repel the Nazi attacks until the last shell. Gunner Golikov A.A. and Abramov P. were posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
Many soviet soldiers and the officers were awarded the Order of the Patriotic War twice. Some became holders of three or even four orders of the Patriotic War. So, tank driver Sergeant Yanenko N.A. was awarded four orders (2 orders of the 1st degree and 2 orders of the 2nd degree). Among the holders of 3 orders of the 1st degree is the assistant to the commander of the Turkestan Military District, Major General tank troops Zhilin A.N., Heroes of the Soviet Union, Colonel Goryachkin T.S. and Major Bespalov I.A.
The largest number of awards known to us to one person with this honorary order for exploits during the war and post-war distinctions (taking into account both degrees) is 5 times. Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov became a holder of four Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and one Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree. Hero of the Soviet Union Fedorov (GSS rank awarded in 1948) ended the war with the rank of colonel and as commander of the 273rd Gomel Fighter Aviation Division (Leningrad Front). After the war, he was a test pilot for the Lavochkin Design Bureau for some time. Fedorov received three Orders of the Patriotic War of the first degree and the Order of the Patriotic War of the second degree during the war and shortly after its completion, and in 1985 Fedorov was awarded the fifth Order of the Patriotic War (anniversary version of the 1st degree). In addition to the Gold Star medal and five Orders of the Patriotic War, the Hero’s chest was decorated with the Order of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Red Star and many medals.
Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin (1921-1997) joined the army from school. With the rank of private he went through two wars: the Finnish and the Great Patriotic War, fighting from 1939 to 1946. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, medals For Courage and For the Defense of Leningrad.
Among those awarded the Order of the Patriotic War are several hundred residents of other countries - soldiers of the Polish army, the Czechoslovak corps, the French Normandie-Niemen air regiment and other formations and units who fought shoulder to shoulder with the Red Army against the Nazis. So, for example, for outstanding military activity that contributed to the major success of the Anglo-American troops in North Africa and in Italy, and for their courage and bravery, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to a group of United States Army soldiers - Brigadier General Curtis I. Hamey, Colonel Armen Peterson and Sergeant John D. Coffee. The same Decree awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, to Colonel Joseph J. Preston, Colonel Russell A. Wilson, First Lieutenant David M. Williams, Technical Sergeant Edward J. Learn, Corporal James D. Slayton and Private 1st Class Ramon G. Gutierrez.
Among the military personnel of England, the order of the first degree was awarded to lieutenants of the royal navy John Patrick Donovan, Francis Henry Foster, Charles Arthur Langton and Sub-Lieutenant Charles Robin Arthur Sr. The second class was awarded to Lieutenant Earl William Brien, diesel fireman Clements Irwin, watch helmsman Sydney Arthur Carslake and chief signalman Stanley Edwin Archer.
Anatoly Dmitrievich Papanov (1922-1987). At the front from the first days of the war. He was a senior sergeant and commanded an anti-aircraft artillery platoon. Knight of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st and 2nd degree.
The order was also awarded to home front workers. It was owned, for example, by the outstanding aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev, designers small arms Tokarev F.V., Sudaev A.I., Simonov S.G., director of the artillery plant in Gorky Elyan A.F., who managed to organize the production and transfer of more than 100 thousand guns to the front.
The Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to 7 military units and 79 enterprises and institutions, such as 3 printed publications: “Komsomolskaya Pravda” (1945), “Youth of Ukraine” and the Belarusian “Zvyazda” (1945). In 1945, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to industrial enterprises that made a significant contribution to the defeat of the enemy. The Ural Heavy Engineering Plant named after. S. Ordzhonikidze, Gorky Automobile Plant, Gorky Shipbuilding Plant "Krasnoe Sormovo" named after. Zhdanov, Volgograd Tractor Plant named after. Dzerzhinsky and others.
This order was also awarded to collective farmers for saving the harvest in the dry year of 1946.
On October 15, 1947, the presentation and awarding of the Order of the Patriotic War to civilians was discontinued, and from that moment on, military personnel were awarded very rarely.
During the Khrushchev Thaw, this order was remembered again. They began to be awarded to residents of other countries who provided assistance to Red Army soldiers during their escape from captivity, and then Soviet soldiers, underground fighters and partisans, almost all of whom were considered “traitors to the Motherland” under Stalin.
Vladimir Pavlovich Basov (1923-1987). Captain, Deputy Chief of the Operations Department of the 28th Separate Artillery Breakthrough Division of the Reserve of the High Command. Knight of the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
At the end of the 60s, Polish citizen Kazimiera Tsymbal was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War. For 156 days, she hid in her own cellar the crew of a tank from the 55th Guards Tank Brigade that was destroyed on the Sandomierz bridgehead. The Nazis, having found a damaged tank, demanded that the residents of the village of Volya-Gruetskaya hand over the tankers. When they categorically refused, all the men in the village were sent to a concentration camp. Among those killed in the concentration camp was Kazimiera’s husband, Franciszek Tsymbal. He also awarded the order Patriotic War (posthumously). Only on January 12, 1945, regular units of the Red Army captured the village of Volya-Gruetskaya and freed the tankers.
After Brezhnev came to power, L.I. and the resumption of Victory Day as a national holiday(under Khrushchev he was not considered this way) has come new stage in the history of the order: it began to be awarded to cities whose residents took part in the defensive battles of 1941-1943. The first among them, in 1966, were awarded to Novorossiysk and Smolensk, which were later ranked among the Hero Cities. In 1966, the first degree of the order was awarded to the Slovak village of Sklabinya, which the Nazis razed to the ground in 1944 for providing assistance to Soviet paratroopers. The awarding of cities with the Order of the Patriotic War continued into the 70s, but a particularly large number of them were awarded in 80-82. The Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to Voronezh (1975), Naro-Fominsk (1976), Orel, Belgorod, Mogilev, Kursk (1980), Yelnya, Tuapse (1981), Murmansk, Rostov-on-Don, Feodosia (1982) and other.
In 1975, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to the Soviet Committee of War Veterans.
Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin is a holder of the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. He served in a rifle regiment as a scout. In August 1942, near Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk), he was wounded in the leg, gangrene began, and Mikhail was being prepared for amputation. He asked the chief surgeon of the field hospital: “Doctor, I can’t lose my leg, I’m an artist!” The surgeon did everything possible.
In 1985, on the eve of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Victory, a Decree of March 11, 1985 appeared, according to which all active participants (the third type of order badge), including partisans and underground fighters, were to be awarded the Order of the Patriotic War. With all this, all marshals, generals, admirals, holders of any orders and medals “For Courage”, Ushakov, “For Military Merit”, Nakhimov, “Partisan of the Patriotic War” received during the war, as well as disabled people of the Patriotic War were awarded the Order of the 1st degree . Front-line soldiers who did not fall into these categories were awarded the Order of the 2nd degree. Naturally, it was impossible to equate the Order of the Patriotic War, received during the war, with the anniversary version of this award. The design of the jubilee orders was simplified as much as possible (solid stamped), all gold components were replaced by silver ones with gilding.
In total, during the Second World War, 324,903 awards were made with the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree, and 951,652 awards were awarded with the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree.
The anniversary version of the Order of the 1st degree was awarded to about 2 million 54 thousand, the 2nd degree - about 5 million 408 thousand awards.
The total number of awards with the Order of the Patriotic War (both combat and anniversary versions) as of January 1, 1992 was 2,487,098 for the 1st degree and 6,688,497 for the 2nd degree.