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 the Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of February 26 and December 16, 1947 and of August 8, 1957.

The Order of Glory until 1974 was the only order in the USSR that was received only for personal merits, it was not awarded to military units, enterprises, organizations;
The statute of the order provided for the promotion of holders of all three degrees in rank, which was an exception for the Soviet award system; the colors of the ribbons of the order repeat the colors of the ribbon of the royal order of St. George, which in Stalin's times was at least unexpected; the color and pattern 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 award system of the USSR.

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

The Order of Glory is awarded for:
- Bursting first into the enemy's disposition, personal courage contributed to the success of the common cause;
- Being in a burning tank, 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;
- From personal weapons, using marksmanship, destroyed from 10 to 50 enemy soldiers and officers;
- In battle, with anti-tank gun fire, knocked out at least two enemy tanks;
- Destroyed with hand grenades on the battlefield or behind enemy lines from one to three tanks;
- Destroyed at least three enemy aircraft with artillery or machine gun fire;
- Despising the danger, he was the first to break into the bunker (bunker, trench or dugout) of the enemy, by decisive actions he destroyed his garrison;
- As a result of personal intelligence, I established weak spots defense of the enemy and withdrew our troops to the rear of the enemy;
- Personally captured an enemy officer;
- At night, he took down a guard post (patrol, secret) of the enemy or captured him;
- Personally, with resourcefulness and courage, making his way to the enemy's position, destroyed his machine gun or mortar;
- Being on a night sortie, destroyed the enemy's warehouse with military equipment;
- Risking his life, he saved the commander in battle from the imminent danger that threatened him;
- Neglecting personal danger, captured the enemy's banner in battle;
- Being wounded, after dressing, he returned to duty;
- Shot down an enemy plane from personal weapons;
- Having destroyed the enemy's firepower by artillery or mortar fire, ensured the successful actions of his subunit;
- Under enemy fire, made a passage for the advancing subunit in the enemy's barbed wire;
- Risking his life, under enemy fire, he assisted the wounded during a number of battles;
- Being in a wrecked tank, I continued to carry out a combat mission from the weapon of the tank;
- Having swiftly crashed into the enemy convoy on his tank, crushed it and continued to carry out the combat mission;
- With his tank he crushed one or several enemy guns or destroyed at least two machine-gun nests;
- While in reconnaissance, I got valuable information about the enemy;
- A fighter pilot destroyed in air combat from two to four enemy fighter planes or from three to six bombers;
- As a result of an assault raid, an attack pilot destroyed from two to five enemy tanks or from three to six steam locomotives, or blew up a train at a railway station or a stretch, 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 an air battle;
- The crew of a day bomber destroyed a railway train, blew up a bridge, an ammunition and fuel depot, destroyed the headquarters of an enemy unit, destroyed railway station or a ferry, blew up a power plant, blew up a dam, destroyed a warship, transport, boat, destroyed at least two aircraft at an enemy airfield;
- 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 a sea transport or a railway train, destroyed or burned an important plant or factory;
- The crew of a day bomber for a daring action in aerial combat, as a result of which one to two planes were shot down;
- The reconnaissance crew for successfully completed reconnaissance, as a result of which valuable information about the enemy was obtained.

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

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

The Order of Glory is worn on the left side of the chest and, in the presence of other orders of the USSR, is placed after the Order of the Badge of Honor in the order of seniority.
The right to award the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree was granted to the commanders of formations, the Orders 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 awarding of the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree to the engineer senior lieutenant V.S. Malyshev was signed. Orders were sent to different sectors of the front to be awarded at the front line, so the order issued earlier often had a higher number than the order issued later. The Order of Glory 3rd degree No. 1 was later awarded to senior sergeant Kharin, an armored rifleman of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
The order on awarding the Order of Glory, 2nd degree, was first signed on December 10, 1943. The sappers of the 10th Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, privates S.I. Varanov and A.G. Vlasov, who received the 1st degree order by the end of the war.

The first decree on awarding the 1st degree Order of Glory was signed on July 22, 1944. The order was presented to the sapper corporal M.T. Pitenin and assistant platoon commander Senior Sergeant K.K. Shevchenko. Pitenin died even before the decree was signed, not having time to receive the order. Shevchenko fought until the end of the war, having also 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 even general.

The awarding of the Order of Glory lasted 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, that is, full holders of the order - 2,562 people. Among the full cavaliers there are four Heroes of the Soviet Union: Marine Petty Officer P.Kh. Dubinda, attack pilot Lieutenant I.G. Drachenko, gunners senior sergeants A.V. Aleshin and N.I. Kuznetsov.

Four full holders of the Order of Glory - women: sniper petty officer N.P. Petrova (died on May 1, 1945), machine gunner sergeant D.Yu. Stanilienė, nurse foreman M.S. Necheporukova. air gunner-radio operator of the guard petty officer N.A. Zhurkina-Kiyok.
There was a subdivision in the Red Army, in full force (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 awarding of orders to soldiers and sergeants, received the official name "Battalion of Glory". This is the only case of awarding orders to the entire 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 state, has forever remained a symbol of the feat of arms of a simple Soviet soldier. Actor Alexei Smirnov, who played the role of the drunken Fedya in the film "Operation Y", aircraft ("Some old men go to battle") and many others, the whole country knew and loved, but even many of his friends did not suspect that he was a full holder of the Order of Glory , a person who went through almost the entire war as a simple soldier.
The Order of Glory was the last of the "land" orders created during the war: after it, only the "naval" orders of Ushakov and Nakhimov appeared.

As often happens in editorial life, sometimes the most interesting topics publications are suggested by our readers. Some small episode, heard by chance, reveals a whole layer of the richest material. So it happened that time. Ivan Mikhailovich Bogdanov came to the editorial office and his short story as if he gave an assignment: to write about our fellow countryman, holder of the Orders of Glory, Alexander Ivanovich Efremov, who laid down his head for the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War.

I confess that this is not an easy matter, because information about this person is rather scarce: he was born in the village of. Kalgalaksha of the Kemsky region. He worked in the Rybcoop system.

The first question arose: are there any relatives? Someone suggested - this is Tamara Aleksandrovna Shvabskaya. Unfortunately, she only confirmed that there really was a relative-hero, but she does not remember him - she was small, and can not tell anything about him. True, as a person in the village, Alexander Efremov is known, his memory is honored: a street in Kalgalaksha is named after him, his name is in the lists of the Book of Memory of Karelia and is carved on the obelisk of the villagers who fell in battle.

The next attempt is to call on the almighty Internet for help and contact the Podolsk archive of the Ministry of Defense. While it is easier to query the first option, searching in archival documents takes a lot of time. But the world is not without good people. Tatyana Aleksandrovna Slyusareva, director of the methodological center, having learned this from me, volunteered to help. She involved her long-time Moscow acquaintance Maria Mikhailovna Rokhlina, who has experience in searching for such documents, in the search.

So bit by bit, the first information was accumulated, so far very modest. There is no exact date of his birth, it is known: he was born in 1916, died in battle in February 1945. He put on his military overcoat in January 1942, and in March he was already at the forefront. He fought bravely, and it could not be otherwise: the most reliable and proven fighters serve in intelligence. Throughout the war, fate seemed to keep the life of a soldier. Death from an enemy bullet bypassed. He was twice wounded, after the hospital - again the front. According to the available data, one can only trace the main milestones of his military path.

February 1944. 5th shock army The 4th Ukrainian Front is conducting an operation to eliminate the Nikopol bridgehead. It is appropriate to recall here that by 1944 the Soviet troops had created the conditions necessary for the liberation of the territories seized by the Nazis. For this purpose, a strategy of offensive actions, the so-called "Ten Stalinist crushing blows", was developed. The first was inflicted on January 14, 1944 near Leningrad and Novgorod by the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts. The Apostolovo-Nikolskaya operation, carried out by the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian fronts, became part of the second crushing blow. The Nazis fought furiously on the approaches to the right bank of the Dnieper. In the battle for the liberation of the village of Sergeevka, which is slightly northeast of the village. Velikaya Lepetiha (Kherson region), the scout of the 96th separate guards company of the guard, Private Efremov, distinguished himself - he destroyed an enemy machine gun that interfered with the advance of the unit. The brave feat of the soldier was appreciated by the command - Alexander Efremov received his first Order of Glory, 3rd degree.

August 1944. Liberation actions were gaining impetuous strength, at the cost of deadly battles with the enemy, Soviet troops advanced further and further to the West. And on August 25, a reconnaissance platoon of the 291st Guards Regiment (the same division, 28th Army, 1st Belorussian Front) Alexander Efremov once again perfectly completed his combat mission: having overcome the Western Bug River, he revealed the location of enemy firing points, which were then amazed. The place where this episode took place combat path our compatriot, - the village of Rybno, which is 2 kilometers south-west Polish city Vyshkow How important and risky this soldier's work was, is evidenced by his Order of Glory, 2nd degree.

Making a detailed reference in the text to the names of fronts, armies, divisions, I hope that to some extent this will help in further searches for information about Alexander Ivanovich, about his fellow soldiers. And coming to the last page of his heroic path, I quote the text award sheet already to the guard of sergeant Efremov:

“… The commander of the intelligence section of the 291st Guards Rifle Regiment of the 96th Guards. rifle division(Ilovatskaya, Orders of Lenin and the Red Banner) was presented to the Order of Glory, 1st degree. Born in 1916, Russian, non-partisan. He was awarded the Order of Glory, 3rd degree on 02/11/1944, the Order of Glory, 2nd degree on 09/24/1944.

Relatives' address: Karelo-Finnish SSR, Kemsky district, the village of Letnyaya Reka. Sister - Anna Ivanovna Danilova.

After our troops crossed the border East Prussia Guards sergeant Efremov began to show more hatred towards the enemy, wanting to finish off the wounded animal in his lair as soon as possible. On the night of October 22-23, 1944, he proved himself to be a fearless guardsman. When performing a combat mission, he made his way to the rear of the enemy and, having established the location of the firing points, returned to the unit, and on the way back at night he removed the enemy patrol in the composition of 2 German soldiers.

On the morning of October 23, according to his data, our artillery "covered" the fire, destroying 4 machine guns and 3 mortars of the enemy, which contributed to the occupation of the southwestern outskirts of the city of Stalluponen (note - now the city of Nesterov, Kaliningrad region.) For the fact that he showed exceptional courage , courage and courage, comrade. Efremov is worthy of the government award of the Order of Glory, 1st degree.

Commander of the 29th 1st Guards Rifle Regiment, Guards. Major Matveev.

Commander of the 96th Order of the Red Banner of the Guards Rifle Division, Major General Kuznetsov.

The commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Corps, Major General Aleksandrov.

Conclusion of the Military Council of the Army: deserves to be awarded the Order of Glory, 1st degree.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Lucinschi.

But, judging by the dates of the performance, Alexander Ivanovich did not have time to receive the award - he died performing the next task.

I will return to the chronicle of events again. February 1945. By this time, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front reached the approaches to the city of Preussisch Aylau (now the city of Bagrationovsk in the Kaliningrad region), an important communications hub (3 railways and 6 highways) and a strong stronghold for the defense of the Germans in East Prussia. The battles were fought for each settlement. In front of me is a copy of the document that put an end to this stage of my investigation. This is the "Name list irrecoverable losses sergeant and rank-and-file personnel in the Ilovatskaya Guards Rifle Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Division. Among 111 in the list is the surname of A.I. Efremova: “died in battle on February 5, 1945, was buried in a mass grave in the center of the village of Guvenin, 6 km north-east of Pr. Aylau, East Prussia ". I cannot but mention the fact that a little later, on February 18 of the same year, near the town of Melzak, the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, ID Chernyakhovsky, was mortally wounded by a shell fragment.

After the end of the war, the lands of East Prussia became part of the RSFSR. The settlements that bore the Prussian-German names were renamed: Konigsberg became Kaliningrad, Preussisch Aylau became Bagrationovsky, and the small village of Guvenen became the village of Ryazanskoe. But too much time has passed, much has changed. This village is no longer on the map. What happened to the mass grave, where now to look for traces, where were the remains of the soldiers who rested on this earth transferred?

The military commissariat of the city of Bagrationovsk, where I turned to during the search, does not have such information, but promised to help in the search for the burial. And now, finally, the long-awaited result. Confirmation received: Sergeant Efremov was reburied in a mass grave in the city of Bagrationovsk. While his surname is not among the immortalized soldiers (unfortunately, not all heroically dead defenders of the Motherland have been named by name), but an application has already been submitted to the city administration and there is confidence that the name of Alexander Ivanovich Efremov will be carved in stone.

We must know at what cost the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was given. We must remember every warrior who gave his life in mortal combat with the enemy. Therefore, a big request to the readers: respond if there is still any information about our hero or about his relatives.
Every year we celebrate the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow. June 22, 1941 was the date that crossed out the fate of the people of a huge country. 70 years have passed, but we are still opening new pages of that terrible war, in which the name of our fellow countryman, holder of the Orders of Glory of 3 degrees Alexander Ivanovich Efremov is inscribed. Eternal memory to him!

Afterword. A lot of time was spent on the preparation of this material, both mine and the people who helped to shed light on the fate of A.I. Efremov. And my words of gratitude for sensitivity and understanding are addressed first of all to Ivan Mikhailovich Bogdanov, Tatyana Aleksandrovna Slyusareva, veteran of the Great Patriotic War Maria Mikhailovna Rokhlina (Moscow), employee of the Bagrationovsky military registration and enlistment office Vasily Vasilyevich Chekalo. Special gratitude to volunteers who create and maintain Internet resources, which provide an opportunity to receive sometimes invaluable information about events for a long time days gone by, about people whose names should not disappear from the memory of the people.

The Military Order of Glory was established by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on November 8, 1943, it has degrees - the third, the second and the highest first. According to the statute, this is a soldier's order, it was awarded to the soldiers of the rank and file and non-commissioned officers. In total for the Great World War II about 1 million people were awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree, more than 46 thousand people of the 2nd degree, and 2637 of the 1st degree.

On the same day, the Order of Victory and the Order of Glory were established. The latter was awarded to ordinary soldiers, sergeants and petty officers, as well as junior lieutenants of the air force. In the Great Patriotic War, orders and medals of the USSR already existed, bearing the names of famous Russian commanders. Therefore, they wanted to name the Order of Glory in honor of the hero of the war of 1812 - Bagration, who became famous for his bravery and heroism among ordinary soldiers.

How was the Order of Glory created?

In August 1943, a group of nine artists presented 25 different sketches of the future order to the commission. The selected four options were shown to Stalin. Iosif Vissarionovich chose the project of the artist N. Moskalev, on which against the background five pointed star the outline of Field Marshal Bagration was depicted.

At the very beginning, it was planned that the award would include four degrees. However, Stalin decided that the order would contain three degrees, like the others. And it should be called the Order of Glory, since there is no victory without courage and glorious deeds.
The final version of the award was approved in the same 43rd year in the fall. The order was created in the form of a five-pointed star with a drawing of the Spasskaya Tower, which is framed with a wreath. At the bottom, on a red field, there is an inscription "Glory".

Order of Glory 3rd degree for what was given?

In November 1943, the charter of the order was officially approved, providing for a phased award, starting with the 3rd degree. Therefore, the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree of the Second World War was made of silver, the 2nd degree was made of gold with silver inserts, and the 1st degree was completely gold. The award was presented for the fact that the soldiers:

• broke in first on the enemy's position and ensured the success of the combat operation by their own exploits;
• were in a burning tank, continuing the battle;
• in a dangerous situation they rescued the banner of military units;
• the soldier destroyed from 10 to 50 enemy soldiers and officers from small arms;
• the order of glory of the 3rd degree was awarded to the one who blew up 1-3 tanks with grenades on the front line or behind enemy lines;
• being in intelligence was able to obtain valuable information about the enemy;
• shot down 2-4 enemy aircraft;
• during a night battle, shot down up to four enemy aircraft;
• was able to undermine the enemy ammunition depot.

And this is not the whole list of feats for which the Order of Glory was awarded. Soldiers, sergeants or junior officers received this award for their courageous deeds in helping the Red Army defeat the invaders.

How the award was presented

Full Cavaliers of the Order of Glory had the right to be awarded the following military ranks. For example, an ordinary soldier, corporal or sergeant could become foremen, those who already had this rank could become a junior lieutenant, and in aviation they could rise to the rank of lieutenant.

The order of the 3rd degree was awarded by the commanders of such large formations as divisions and corps, the 2nd degree was given by the commander of an army or front, and the 1st degree was given only by order of the Supreme Soviet.

Like many orders and medals of the USSR, the Order of Glory was awarded right at the front after the end of a successful military operation. The very first documentary evidence of the awarding of the order is dated December 20, 1943. This award was awarded to the sapper of the 140th Rifle Regiment Sergeant G.A.Israelyan.

First awardees

The first numbers of the Orders of Glory, 3rd degree, went to the 2nd Ukrainian Front. So, the order number 1 was given to the commander of an infantry platoon, senior sergeant I. Kharin. While defending defensive positions, he blew up three enemy tanks and two self-propelled artillery guns from an anti-tank rifle. In the future, there were often episodes when the order with the initial number was awarded later than the orders with subsequent numbers.

The first recipients of the Order of Glory, 2nd degree

First, the soldiers S. Baranov and A. Vlasov were awarded the 2nd degree. They were sappers-reconnaissance officers of the 665th miner unit, who helped to break out of the encirclement of the 385th Krichev rifle division. They ended the war with full knights of the order.

Awarded with the Order of Glory, 1st degree

The first to receive this award the highest degree, were the sapper of the 338th rifle regiment, corporal M. Pitenin and Art. sergeant of the 110th division K. Shevchenko.
The initial copies of the 1st Class Order of Glory were sent to the Leningrad Front.

Knights of the Order

Most of those who participated in the Second World War received various military awards, but the Order of Glory became one of the massive awards among soldiers of the rank and file, sergeant and officer corps.

For the entire period from 1943 to 1945, the number of soldiers awarded this award exceeded 45 thousand people, among whom more than 2500 fighters received all three degrees.

In the history of the Second World War, there are cases when the order was awarded to entire battalions for breaking into enemy positions, which led to a victory over the enemy in a given direction. Subsequently, such units were called "Battalion of Glory".
Among those awarded with the order of all 3 degrees, there are four Heroes of the USSR and four representatives of the fairer sex.

Material assistance of the state to the knights of the order

By the decision of the Supreme Council, those awarded with this order received monthly subsidies:

• Order of Glory, 1st degree - 15 rubles per month;
• 2nd degree - 10 rubles;
• 3rd degree - 5 rubles per month.

Also, full holders of the Order of Glory had the right to an increased disability pension and the opportunity free training in universities.

Historical facts of the presentation of the award

Seaman P. Dubinda in 1941, when the war began, served in Navy... In the summer of 1942, he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. In the spring of 1944, Dubinda fled from the invaders and again joined the army as an ordinary soldier. In August 44, when attacking the German positions, he broke into the enemy's cover and neutralized 7 enemy soldiers. For this act, he acquired the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree.

A couple of weeks later, in the battle for a Polish village near Warsaw, Dubinda replaced the wounded platoon commander and successfully carried out an attack on enemy positions, for which he earned the Order of Glory, 2nd degree.

In October 1944, he managed to exterminate four Nazi soldiers and take prisoners German officer... For this he was awarded the 1st degree order.

The second such hero, who deserved all three degrees of the order and the title of Hero, was the artilleryman A. Aleshin. In the spring of 1943, about ten enemy tanks moved to the gun position, which was held by the battery of the future knight of the order. Three tanks were knocked out, the rest retreated. For this, Aleshin acquired the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree.

In the winter of the 45th, A. Aleshin's artillery crew near Fansburg repulsed two German counterattacks, inflicting significant damage on the enemy. For this he was awarded the Order of Glory, 2nd degree.

A little later he had to fight off three enemy attacks. The Germans retreated, suffering casualties in killed 40 people. And Alyoshin was awarded the order Glory 1st degree.

The next famous knight of the order is the pilot I. Drachenko. For the period 1943-1944. he made about 50 sorties on his plane, while destroying 3 enemy tanks, 20 vehicles, 4 anti-aircraft guns and more than a hundred enemy soldiers and officers. For this he was awarded the Order of the 3rd degree.

On June 26, 1944, the attack pilot I. Drachenko at the Tuzira station near the town of Yassy repulsed the blow of German aircraft and destroyed the enemy composition, for which he was awarded the Order of Glory, 2nd degree.

He acquired the next degree in the fall of 1944 for combat missions, which he made in September-October 44th. The total number of sorties was over 50.

Another Hero of the USSR, who was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree, was artilleryman N. Kuznetsov, who received all three degrees for the liberation of the city of Sevastopol. He installed the Victory Banner over the train station, repelled tank attacks in the battle for Lithuania and knocked out 10 German tanks near Konigsberg. However, he received the last award only in 1980, although he was awarded in 1945.

Conclusion

What is special about this award? The fact that it was awarded to almost everyone who deserved it, from a simple private to a lieutenant. Moreover, to get more high level awards, one should have had the previous one, that is, to be awarded the order of the 2nd degree, it was necessary to have the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree. Thus, this award was given regardless of rank, but thanks to the courage shown during combat situations. This, by the way, was the plus of the order. Those who were awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree, 2nd and 1st, were distinguished by real heroism. If many general's medals and orders were awarded only to those who held certain positions, then this soldier's award was awarded to heroes for specific actions, regardless of shoulder straps.

So, there are numerous holders of the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree, because real courage, courage and bravery can be found on the front line, in a trench, in the heart of an ordinary soldier, and not in headquarters, among colonels and generals. Although there were many brave people among them, this is another story.

Not everyone knows that on 06/20/1943, at a meeting of the People's Commissar of Defense of the Soviet Union, the issue of creating a project was discussed By that time, the top leadership Soviet country no longer doubted the victory of our troops over fascist Germany... In this regard, right at the meeting, he proposed to establish a military award, arguing that there would be no victory over fascism without military glory.

How the Order of Soldier's Glory was born

The author of the project proposed to establish an award with four degrees of distinction, similarly George cross... According to Moskalev's idea, the military award could be called the Order of Bagration. It was not for nothing that the artist took the Order of St. George as a basis, since it was the most revered among the soldiers of that time.

The sketch for the award and the author's idea were approved by Stalin, but he insisted that the award should be called the Order of Glory. In addition, he ordered to reduce the number of degrees of distinction to 3 in order to equate the order with the awards of the commanders. The Order of Glory was finally approved on 10/23/1943, and soon the minting of the first samples of the award began.

A little about military regalia

Incentives for military personnel began with the lowest degree of distinction. This was followed by awards in ascending order ─ II degree of distinction and I. The award of the highest degree of distinction was made in gold, silver was used for minting awards of the II degree. The central image on the medallion itself is the gilded Frolovskaya (Spasskaya) tower.

At different times of the existence of a soldier's award, its appearance changed several times. At the same time, not everyone knows that the arrows on the chimes of the tower also showed a different time each time. The Order of Glory III degree had the same composition, only the image of the medallion was not covered with gilding. The holders of this order could be assigned the following military rank out of turn at the request of the unit command. For example, a foreman could immediately become a junior. lieutenant, and he, in turn, receive lieutenant shoulder straps.

The Order of Glory of the 3rd degree of the Second World War to a distinguished soldier could be awarded by a brigade commander or an officer holding a higher position. The commanders of the armies or flotillas made a decision and signed a decree on awarding servicemen with the Order of the II degree. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree on awarding the soldiers with the Order of the 1st degree of distinction. From the end of February 1947, only the Presidium made the decision to award servicemen.

Among the combined-arms awards that were created during the years of opposition to the fascist occupation, the Order of Glory of the USSR became the last. True, after him the Order of Admiral Nakhimov was also issued, but they were used to award only Soviet sailors.

On the features of the soldier's award

The Order of Glory of the Second World War was special and distinguished from other awards. First of all, it was originally conceived as a soldier's award. For the courage shown in battles, sailors and Red Army soldiers, as well as junior aviation lieutenants, could be awarded her. Soviet officers could not receive this award.

A characteristic feature of the Order of Glory was the following: the award was awarded only to people for their military exploits. Military units could not apply for it, as well as various organizations. In addition, all three Orders of Glory had the same color ribbon, which was a distinctive feature of the pre-revolutionary military regalia.

Detailed description of the insignia

The order is made in the shape of a five-pointed star, and the distance between the tops of the star itself is 46 mm, each of which has convex surface framed by bumpers. In the center of the order is the circumference of the medallion with a bas-relief of the Kremlin tower, on which the ruby star... The lower part of the medallion has a ruby ​​ribbon with the word "GLORY" in capital letters. On either side of this ribbon, on the inside of the medallion, there are laurel branches symbolizing victory.

On the central beam there is an eyelet through which a ring is threaded, due to which the award is attached to the order block. The medal block has a pentagonal shape and is decorated with a moiré ribbon 24 mm wide. The ribbon has three longitudinal colors, as well as two orange ones, which alternate with each other and symbolize the flame of fire and smoke ( St. George Ribbon). An orange millimeter line runs along both edges of the tape. Thanks to the pin located on the back of the order block, the award is attached to the clothing.

The Order of Glory was issued by the number, which was located on the back of the medallion. It must completely match the entry in the order book. Note that the Order of Glory III degree was made of silver, the weight of which in the product is about 20.6 g, with a total weight of the award of 23 g.

The central circle of the medallion of the Order of the II degree is gilded, and the weight of the award and the silver content coincides with the award of the III degree of distinction. The Order of the 1st class was made of gold the highest standard, which is contained in the award 29 g, with a total weight of 31 g.

First awarded the Order of Smoke and Fire

Soon after the approval of the new order - 11/13/1943 - there was historical event... The first award, which was awarded to V.S.Malyshev. At that time, he served as a sapper. He managed to destroy the enemy's machine-gun crew, which did not allow Soviet soldiers break through the enemy's defenses. Later, Malyshev earned the same award of the II degree. Almost simultaneously with him, the Order of Glory of the III degree was awarded to the engineer sergeant G.A.Israelyan, who served in the 140th rifle regiment. The Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper wrote about this award, the next issue of which was published on 12/20/1943.

The rewarding of sergeant Israelian took place by order of the command of the rifle division on 11/17/1943. This happened almost immediately, as soon as the award was established by order of the Presidium of the Supreme Council. Israelian G.A. ended the war with the status of a full knight of this order. No less interesting is the rewarding of the platoon lock of the anti-tank gun battery of senior sergeant I. Kharin, who fought in one of the military units on the II Ukrainian front. Ivan Kharin was awarded the Order of Glory III degree by order No. 1. This award he was awarded for destroying two self-propelled guns "Elephant" and three enemy tanks in one battle.

The Red Army sappers Andrey Vlasov and Sergey Baranov, who were awarded the Order of Glory, were the first to be awarded the Order of the II degree of distinction. At that time, they fought as part of a reconnaissance company of the 665 battalion of sappers. At the end of November 1943, the reconnaissance company made a sortie into the enemy's rear, while destroying the barbed wire, thanks to which the soldiers of the 385th Krichev division managed to defeat the Nazi defense with practically no losses.

About cavaliers and heroes who deserve a soldier's order

It is believed that in the period 1941-1945 about 998 thousand Soviet soldiers received the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree. The list of awardees is continued by 46.5 thousand fighters who were awarded the Order of the II degree of distinction. There are far fewer of those who have received the highest award. The fighters awarded the Order of Glory of the 1st degree had to accomplish a truly outstanding feat. There were 2,620 such people.

Answering the question how many holders of the Order of Glory exist, it should be noted that there are a little more than 2.5 thousand full holders. Of these, only four were awarded the star of the Hero of the USSR. These are senior sergeants of artillery A.V. Aleshin and N.I. Kuznetsov, pilot of assault aviation, Jr. lieutenant I. G. Drachenko and foreman of the guard Dubinda P. Kh. Note that 647 people are cavaliers Order III degrees and 80 - II degrees were Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Interesting life experiences of award winners

January 15, 1945 215th rifle regiment was on Polish territory. At that time, he was part of the 77th division, which was defending the Pulawski bridgehead, which was located in the area of ​​the Vistula River. On this day, the 1st battalion of the regiment made a quick breakthrough and tore apart the solid defenses of the fascists. The soldiers continued to hold the captured positions until the main forces of the Soviet troops arrived. When the Nazi defense was seized, Guardsman Petrov closed the machine gun of the German invaders with his own body, thanks to which the battalion fighters quickly captured the German positions. For this operation, each soldier of the battalion received the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree. The list of awardees included the entire personnel of the battalion. The battalion commander, Major Yemelyanov, was posthumously awarded the Hero's Star. The company commanders of this battalion received the Order of the Red Banner as an award. awarded the platoon commanders of the unit.

It is known that Soviet women also fought bravely during the war. Some were able to become full holders of the Order of Glory. Stanilienė D.Yu. became the first cavalier among women. She served during the war in the Lithuanian rifle division with the rank of sergeant and was a machine gunner in the squad. In one of the battles with German troops, its commander was seriously wounded. Danute replaced him and single-handedly held back the advance of the German infantry. For this she received the Order of Glory III degree. By the end of the summer of 1944, near Polotsk, in the village of Lyutovka, Danuta managed to repel the Nazi attacks, as a result of which more than 40 enemy infantry were killed. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union on March 26, 1945, signed an order on awarding Stniliena D. Yu. The Order of Glory, I degree.

Rosa Shanina came to the front as a twenty-year-old girl. She began her service in April 1944. She was a sniper, on account of her many slain opponents. Only according to confirmed data, Rosa was able to destroy over 50 Nazis. She managed to become a Chevalier of the Order of Glory II and III degree. On January 28, 1945, not far from Ilmsdorf, Senior Sergeant Shanina died heroically at the age of 21.

Soviet pilot Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Zhurkina in mid-spring 1944, as part of a combat crew, flew over settlements Pskov region. During the 23 sorties she made, she managed to photograph the location of enemy units and military equipment, and also reflect a dozen attacks while in the air. Zhurkina received the Order of the III degree for her courage shown in battles. Already in the fall of the 44th, Zhurkina received an award of the II degree - for the bombing of the enemy on Latvian territory. Until the end of the war, she received the Order of Excellence for her other accomplished feats.

Nina Pavlovna Petrova started the war at the age of 48 and joined the ranks of the Leningrad people's militia division. A little later she moved to the medical unit of the division. In the period from January 16 to March 2, 1944, in battles with the Nazis, she destroyed 23 Nazis, for which she received an award of the III degree in the late spring of the same year. By the end of the war, for personal exploits she received the Order of Glory of the highest degree of distinction.

Marina Semyonovna Necheporchukova served as a physician during the war years. In early August 1944, fierce battles with the Nazi invaders took place near the Polish city of Grzybow. Marina Semyonovna carried her from the battlefield, and then helped 27 soldiers of the Red Army. She later saved the life of one of Soviet officers and evacuated him from the battlefield near Magnushev. For this, in the fall of the 44th, she was awarded the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree. The list of awardees was replenished by two more fellow soldiers of Necheporchukova, for the evacuation of the wounded. At the end of March 1945 in the city of Kustrin, she helped a large number of wounded soldiers, for which she was awarded the Order of Military Glory, II degree. Later, in one of the battles, where the Germans put up strong resistance, M.S.Necheporchukova managed to carry 78 wounded soldiers and officers from the battlefield. For this feat in May 1945 she received the Order of Glory, 1st degree.

Who could receive the award

Each soldier could receive the Order of Glory III degree as a reward. For what this award was given, the statute of the order will help to understand. So, this award could be awarded for the following actions.

• Destruction of at least 3 enemy aircraft with machine gun or artillery fire.
• Destruction of two or more Nazi tanks using an anti-tank gun.
• Continuation of combat missions in a burning tank.
• Destruction of ten or more German soldiers and officers through the use of personal weapons.
• Destroying an enemy tank using an anti-tank grenade.
• Establishing gaps in the defense of the fascists as a result of conducting one-man reconnaissance, as well as bringing our troops to the rear of the enemy by a safe route.
• Taking off or capturing enemy posts or patrols at night (alone).
• An independent sortie behind enemy lines and the destruction of mortar or machine-gun crews.
• Shooting down an enemy plane using personal weapons.
• Destruction of up to 3 fighters or up to 6 bombers during air combat.
• Destruction of an enemy echelon, military unit, bridges, enemy food bases, power plants and other objects of strategic importance, as a member of the bomber crew.
• Conducting reconnaissance operations to obtain information about the enemy, being a member of the crew of a reconnaissance aircraft.
• After being wounded and bandaging, the soldier's return to service and the continuation of hostilities.
• For ignoring personal safety when capturing an enemy banner.
• With the sole capture of an enemy officer in captivity.
• By neglecting your own life, save the commander's life.
• For saving the banner of his unit, neglecting his own life.

Some facts about the heroes of the Order

I. Kuznetsov became a full knight of the order, who was awarded this honor at the age of sixteen. At the age of 16, he was already in command of a squad and received the highest distinction award.

During the war years, famous film actors were also awarded the Soviet Order of Glory. It is impossible not to recall the famous Alexei Makarovich Smirnov, who became a knight of the Order of Soldier's Glory. A.M.Smirnov was awarded the Order of Glory of the III degree on 09/01/1944, and on April 27 he was awarded the Order of the II degree.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Valikov also became a Knight of the Order of the III and II degrees. He served in the 32nd Slonim-Pomeranian Brigade of the 2nd Tank Army.