Orders and Medals of USSR

By Andrei Besedin

Soviet orders and medals are milestones in the history of the USSR, a record of the progress made by the world’s first socialist country over the last seventy-odd years. This period was characterised by unexampled valour displayed by the Soviet people in the defence of their Homeland in war and by their heroic efforts in the building of a new society.
An award gives an insight into the life of the person who has received it and the feat he or she performed. An order or medal is historical evidence. It can, for instance, help estab¬lish the name of a person who was listed as missing for many years. In July 1943 Alexander Gorovets, a fighter pilot, engaged 20 Luftwaffe bombers near the town of Kursk (Central Russia). The pilot was killed in the battle, but not before he managed to shoot down nine of the Nazi planes.
Fourteen years later some collective farmers discovered the wreckage of a fighter in their field. The remains of the pilot were identified as Alexander Gorovets, Hero of the Soviet Union, only thanks to the number on the Order of the Red Banner he was wearing.
In some cases it took many years before the award could be presented to the person honoured with it. As of today the USSR Ministry of Defence has not been able to present some million and a half orders and medals, because the officers and men on whom they have been bestowed have not returned from battle or are missing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Oct 9, 2017

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Besedin

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ORDER OF LENIN

ORDER OF THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION

ORDER OF THE RED BANNER OF LABOUR

ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP OF PEOPLES

ORDER OF HONOUR

ORDER FOR PERSONAL COURAGE

ORDER OF LABOUR GLORY

ORDER OF VICTORY

ORDER OF THE RED BANNER

ORDERS OF USHAKOV AND NAKHIMOV

ORDER OF SUVOROV

ORDER OF KUTUZOV

ORDER OF BOGDAN KHMELNITSKY

ORDER OF ALEXANDER NEVSKY

ORDER OF THE PATRIOTIC WAR

ORDER OF THE RED STAR

ORDER FOR SERVICE TO THE HOMELAND IN THE ARMED FORCES OF THE USSR

ORDER OF GLORY

HERO MOTHER ORDER, GLORY OF MOTHERHOOD ORDER AND MOTHERHOOD MEDAL

GOLD STAR MEDAL

GOLD HAMMER AND SICKLE MEDAL

MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN LABOUR, LABOUR DISTINCTION MEDAL AND LABOUR VETERAN MEDAL

MEDAL FOR VALOUR AND MEDAL FOR COMBAT SERVICE

USHAKOV MEDAL AND NAKHIMOV MEDAL

PARTISAN MEDAL

MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ON THE USSR STATE FRONTIER

DISTINGUISHED MILITARY SERVICE MEDAL AND VETERAN SERVICEMAN’S MEDAL

MEDAL FOR STRENGTHENING COMBAT COOPERATION

MEDAL FOR THE RESTORATION OF IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRIES OF THE SOUTH AND MEDAL FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE COAL MINING INDUSTRIES IN THE DONBAS

MEDAL FOR RECLAMATION OF VIRGIN LANDS, MEDAL FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE BAIKAL-AMUR RAILWAY, MEDAL FOR RECLAMATION OF THE NON-BLACK SOIL REGION, AND MEDAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST SIBERIAN MINERAL DEPOSITS AND OIL-AND-GAS COMPLEX

MEDAL FOR EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC ORDER, FIRE FIGHTING MEDAL AND MEDAL FOR RESCUING PEOPLE FROM DROWNING

MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF LENINGRAD, MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF MOSCOW AND MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF KIEV

MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE CAUCASUS AND MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE SOVIET POLAR REGION

MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF ODESSA, MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF SEVASTOPOL AND MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF STALINGRAD

MEDAL FOR VICTORY OVER GERMANY IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1941-1945, MEDAL FOR VICTORY OVER JAPAN, AND MEDAL FOR ASSIDUOUS LABOUR EFFORT IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1941-1945

MEDAL FOR THE CAPTURE OF BUDAPEST, MEDAL FOR THE CAPTURE OF KOENIGSBERG, MEDAL FOR THE CAPTURE OF VIENNA, AND MEDAL FOR THE CAPTURE OF BERLIN

MEDAL FOR THE LIBERATION OF BELGRADE, MEDAL FOR THE LIBERATION OF WARSAW, AND MEDAL FOR THE LIBERATION OF PRAGUE

MEDAL IN HONOUR OF THE CENTENARY OF LENIN’S BIRTH

JUBILEE MEDALS ESTABLISHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE 20th, 30th AND 40th ANNIVERSARIES OF VICTORY IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

JUBILEE MEDALS ESTABLISHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th AND 70th ANNIVERSARIES OF THE USSR ARMED FORCES, AND JUBILEE MEDAL MARKING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOVIET MILITIA

MEDAL ESTABLISHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE 800th ANNIVERSARY OF MOSCOW, MEDAL MARKING THE 250th ANNIVERSARY OF LENINGRAD AND MEDAL IN MEMORY OF THE 1500th ANNIVERSARY OF KIEV

FOREWORD

Soviet orders and medals are milestones in the history of the USSR, a record of the progress made by the world’s first socialist country over the last seventy-odd years. This period was characterised by unexampled valour displayed by the Soviet people in the defence of their Homeland in war and by their heroic efforts in the building of a new society.

An award gives an insight into the life of the person who has received it and the feat he or she performed. An order or medal is historical evidence. It can, for instance, help establish the name of a person who was listed as missing for many years. In July 1943 Alexander Gorovets, a fighter pilot, engaged 20 Luftwaffe bombers near the town of Kursk (Central Russia). The pilot was killed in the battle, but not before he managed to shoot down nine of the Nazi planes.

Fourteen years later some collective farmers discovered the wreckage of a fighter in their field. The remains of the pilot were identified as Alexander Gorovets, Hero of the Soviet Union, only thanks to the number on the Order of the Red Banner he was wearing.

In some cases it took many years before the award could be presented to the person honoured with it. As of today the USSR Ministry of Defence has not been able to present some million and a half orders and medals, because the officers and men on whom they have been bestowed have not returned from battle or are missing.

The system of awards here in the USSR took shape over a long period of time. On November 10, 1917 the All-Russia Executive Committee and the Council of People’s Commissars issued a Decree on the Abolition of Estates and Civilian Ranks. The Decree eliminated the orders and medals of tsarist Russia. A Decree of December 16, 1917 On the Equalisation of the Rights of All Servicemen eliminated all insignia and badges. In January 1918 the new state officially abolished the Council for the Awarding of Russian