Medal gold star drawing. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Gold Star medal
The appearance of the highest degree of distinction of the USSR is directly related to the rescue of passengers and crew members of the Chelyuskin steamer.
Considering that in order to evacuate people who were on the wrecked ship, Soviet pilots carried out an operation that had no analogues in world history, the Soviet government also thought about the need to highlight this feat.
On April 16, 1934, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR established by a special decree "the highest degree of distinction - the assignment for personal or collective services to the state associated with the commission, the title of Hero Soviet Union».
It should be especially noted that no insignia for the Heroes of the Soviet Union was originally intended. The assignment of the title was marked exclusively by the presentation of a special diploma of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR.
The first assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union took place on April 20, 1934, when the pilots who participated in the rescue of the Chelyuskinites were awarded with it: Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov, Nikolai Kamanin, Mauritius Slepnev, Mikhail Vodopyanov and Ivan Doronin.
Pilots in the USSR in the 1930s were held in high esteem. No wonder that the first 11 Heroes of the Soviet Union represented exactly aviation.
Initially, the Heroes of the Soviet Union received only a diploma. Photo: Public Domain
Order and medal
The tradition, along with the awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, to present the Order of Lenin actually developed by itself. The fact is that the first 11 Heroes, along with the title, received the order, which was the highest award of the USSR.
In July 1936, this practice was legalized by the decision of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR - from now on, the Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the diploma, automatically received the Order of Lenin.
The number of Heroes grew - along with the "Stalin's falcons", the military who fought in Spain, as well as participants in the battles on Lake Khasan, were noted.
The more Heroes became, the more the need grew for the appearance of some kind of distinctive sign by which anyone could recognize an outstanding person.
This is how the Gold Star medal appeared, the author of the sketch of which was architect Miron Merzhanov. The Gold Star medal as an insignia of the Heroes of the Soviet Union was approved on August 1, 1939, and the first Heroes to receive both the Gold Star and the Order of Lenin were participants in the battles near the Khalkhin Gol River.
Medal "Golden Star". Photo: Public Domain
Zhukov, Brezhnev and Savitskaya
In total, from 1934 to 1991, 12,776 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the vast majority of awards were awarded to those who distinguished themselves in the battles of the Great Patriotic War: more than 91 percent of all those awarded.
The absolute champions in "heroism" are Georgy Zhukov and Leonid Brezhnev. Both the outstanding commander and the Secretary General are four times Heroes of the Soviet Union. At the same time, Brezhnev also has the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. However, Brezhnev's awards have always been treated with a fair amount of humor. Suffice it to say that three titles of the Hero of the Soviet Union were awarded to Brezhnev in the period from 1976 to 1981, when the country's leader was rapidly losing his ability to work and be critical of the surrounding reality.
Oddly enough, but despite the heroism Soviet women, only one of them was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union twice. However, we are talking about a more than worthy person - a pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya, the first woman to walk in outer space.
Pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya. Photo: www.russianlook.com
Just thank you"
The most recent Hero of the Soviet Union was an extremely unusual person - diving specialist, captain 3rd rank Leonid Solodkov. The decree on conferring the title for participation in a diving experiment simulating long-term work at a depth of 500 meters under water was signed on December 24, 1991.
The newly-minted Hero was invited to the Kremlin on January 16, 1992 to receive the award. The situation was extremely strange - the state, the Hero of which was Leonid Solodkov, by this moment had not existed for more than three weeks. But the most interesting thing is that, according to the military regulations, Solodkov, as an officer, had to say “I serve the Soviet Union!”.
It is impossible to quickly change the Charter, and Solodkov decided to act on his own. After Marshal Shaposhnikov presented the Hero with an award, he simply answered: “Thank you!”. This “Thank you” ended the history of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, who did not live three years before his 60th birthday.
Many at that moment believed that there would be no more Heroes in our country. Like, nowhere, except for the USSR and the countries of the socialist bloc, such a system of distinction was practiced, despite the fact that it exists in almost all countries of the world.
Tradition is stronger than ideology
However, tradition turned out to be stronger than ideological changes in society. Already on March 20, 1992, the Supreme Soviet of Russia approved the establishment of the title of Hero Russian Federation.
The fundamental difference between the title of Hero of Russia and the Soviet predecessor is that it is awarded only once.
At the same time, the continuity of the two highest degrees of distinction is confirmed by the fact that four Heroes of the Soviet Union at once became Heroes of the Russian Federation - this astronauts Sergei Krikalev and Valery Polyakov, polar scientist Artur Chilingarov and military pilot Nikolay Maidanov.
Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union were representatives of many nationalities of a large country - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Tatars, Jews, Azerbaijanis, Chechens, Yakuts and many others.
No wonder that in many republics former USSR that became independent states, a similar title was established. Including Russia, it exists in 11 out of 15 states in the expanses of the former USSR.
Medal Golden Star- what we need to know and what is the significant difference between the "Gold Star" and the medal "Hero of the Soviet Union".
The highest degree of distinction in the USSR was the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. It was awarded to citizens who accomplished a feat during military operations or distinguished themselves by other outstanding services to the Motherland. As an exception, it could be assigned in peacetime.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established by the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of April 16, 1934.
Later, on August 1, 1939, as an additional insignia for the Heroes of the USSR, the Gold Star medal was approved, in the form of a five-pointed star fixed on a rectangular block.
At the same time, it was established that those who performed the feat again, worthy of the title Hero, are awarded the second Gold Star medal. When the award was repeated in the homeland of the hero, his bronze bust was installed. The number of awards with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was not limited.
More than 90 percent of the total number of Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared in the country during the Great Patriotic War. This high title was awarded to 11,657 people, 3,051 of them posthumously. This list includes 107 fighters who became twice heroes (7 were awarded posthumously), also in total number 90 women were also awarded (49 posthumously).
On the picture: Three times Heroes of the Soviet Union (from left to right) Major General of Aviation Pokryshkin A.I., Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. and Major General of Aviation Kozhedub I.N. during a meeting in Moscow. The photo was provided by Igor Bozhkov.
How the Pskov peasant repeated the feat of Susanin
The attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR caused an unprecedented rise in patriotism.
The Great War brought a lot of grief, but it also opened up the heights of courage and firmness of character, it would seem, of ordinary ordinary people.
So, who would have expected heroism from the elderly Pskov peasant Matvey Kuzmin. In the very first days of the war, he came to the military registration and enlistment office, but they dismissed him there - he was too old: "go, grandfather, to your grandchildren, we'll figure it out without you."
Meanwhile, the front moved inexorably to the east. The Germans entered the village of Kurakino, where Kuzmin lived.
In February 1942, an elderly peasant was unexpectedly summoned to the commandant's office - the battalion commander of the 1st mountain rifle division found out that Kuzmin was an excellent tracker who knew the area perfectly and ordered him to assist the Nazis - to lead a German detachment to the rear of the forward battalion of the Soviet 3rd shock army .
“If you do everything right, I’ll pay well, and if not, blame yourself ...”. “Yes, of course, of course, don’t worry, your honor,” Kuzmin pretended to whine.
But an hour later, the cunning peasant sent his grandson with a note to ours: “The Germans ordered a detachment to be brought to your rear, in the morning I will lure them to a fork near the village of Malkino, meet me.”
That same evening, the fascist detachment set off with its guide. Kuzmin led the Nazis in circles and deliberately exhausted the invaders: he forced them to climb steep hillsides and wade through thick bushes. “What can you do, your honor, well, there is no other way here…”.
At dawn, tired and frozen Nazis were at the fork in Malkino. "All right, guys, come." "How did you come!?" “Well, let’s rest here, and then we’ll see…”. The Germans looked around - they walked all night, but moved away from Kurakino only a couple of kilometers and now stood on the road in an open field, and twenty meters in front of them was a forest, where, now they understood it for sure, there was a Soviet ambush.
“Oh, you…” - the German officer pulled out a pistol and discharged the entire clip into the old man. But at the same second, a rifle salvo burst out of the forest, then another, Soviet machine guns chirped, a mortar hooted. The Nazis rushed about, shouted, fired randomly in all directions, but not one of them left alive.
The hero died and took 250 Nazi invaders with him. Matvey Kuzmin, born three years before the abolition of serfdom, became the oldest Hero of the Soviet Union. At that time he was 83 years old.
Matvey Kuzmin
There are many such examples. True patriotism is inherent in each of us, regardless of age. More about patriotism in Russia
The highest rank of the USSR - The hero of the USSR- was established on April 16, 1934. According to the Regulations, “The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is the highest degree of distinction and is awarded for personal or collective merit to Soviet state and society associated with the accomplishment of a heroic feat. The uniqueness of this award was that it was neither an order nor a title.
For the first time, the highest rank of the country was awarded three days later to the pilots who distinguished themselves in rescuing the crew of the Chelyuskin icebreaker - Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov, Nikolai Kamanin, Mauritius Slepnev, Mikhail Vodopyanov and Ivan Doronin. The fates of the first Heroes were for the most part successful. Only Levanevsky went missing in 1937 during an attempt to make a non-stop flight to the United States on the latest DB-A bomber (numerous attempts to find the missing aircraft have so far failed). Slepnev and Doronin died shortly after the Great Patriotic War. Vodopyanov (died in 1980), Molokov (1982), Lyapidevsky (1983, he died after catching a cold at Molokov's funeral) and Kamanin (1984) lived to a ripe old age.
Initially, the Heroes were entitled only to a special certificate of honor from the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. But from July 29, 1936, when the Regulations on the title of Hero were issued, their holders were also automatically awarded the country's highest award - the Order of Lenin. Thus, the external differences in the Hero of the Soviet Union of the sample of 1934-36. there were none, and the Hero of the Soviet Union of the sample of 1936 did not differ in appearance from the "ordinary" gentleman highest order USSR.
In the same year, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded for the first time for a military feat. On December 31, 1936, 11 commanders of the Red Army who distinguished themselves in Spain received it. Among them was the first foreigner-Hero of the Soviet Union - Bulgarian Volkan Goranov (real name Zachary Zahariev). Subsequently, he became commander of the Bulgarian Air Force and in 1974 was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. At the same time, the title was awarded posthumously for the first time, it was awarded to three pilots who died in Spain.
The fate of some heroes from this "Spanish" cohort of 1936 was tragic. So, Lieutenant S.A. Chernykh, one of the first Soviet pilots, who shot down the latest Messerschmitt-109 in the skies of Spain, at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he commanded the 9th mixed air division, which was practically destroyed on the airfields on the very first day of the war (out of 409 aircraft, 347 were killed). The Hero, accused of criminal inaction, was shot on June 27, 1941.
On October 25, 1938, the first mass conferment of the title of Hero took place: 26 people received it for their bravery shown in the battles near Lake Khasan. It was then that for the first time not only commanders, but also four ordinary soldiers of the Red Army became Heroes. And soon after that, on November 2, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was first given to women - pilots Valentina Grizodubova, Polina Osipenko and Marina Raskova, who were awarded for a non-stop flight from Moscow to the Far East.
1939 was marked by an important innovation. In order to outwardly distinguish the Heroes of the Soviet Union, of which there were already 122, from ordinary holders of the Order of Lenin, On August 1, 1939, a special medal "Hero of the Soviet Union" was established. However, already on October 16 of the same year, it was renamed medal "Gold Star". At the same time, it was clarified that it could be awarded repeatedly, but not more than three times. Moreover, the Order of Lenin was issued only with the first star, but not with subsequent ones. The first presentation of the "Gold Star" took place on November 4, 1939, then the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 1 Lyapidevsky received the Star No. 1.
The description of the medal reads as follows: "Medal "Gold Star" is a five-pointed star with smooth dihedral rays on the front side. The distance from the center of the star to the top of the beam is 15 mm. The distance between opposite ends of the star is 30 mm. The reverse side of the medal has a smooth surface and is limited along the contour by a protruding thin rim. On the reverse side in the center of the medal there is an inscription in raised letters "Hero of the USSR". The size of the letters is 4 by 2 mm. In the upper beam is the number of the medal with a height of 1 mm. The medal is connected with an eyelet and a ring to a gilded metal block, which is a rectangular plate 15 mm high and 19.5 mm wide, with frames in the upper and lower parts. There are slits along the base of the shoe; its inner part is covered with a red silk moiré ribbon 20 mm wide. The shoe has a threaded pin with a nut on the reverse side for attaching the medal to clothing.
It must be said that the block of the medal measuring 15 by 19.5 mm existed for a very short time - from August 1, 1939 to June 19, 1943. About a thousand of these "Gold Stars" were awarded (the maximum number now known is 717). From June 19, 1943, until the collapse of the USSR, the size of the block on which the medal was worn was already 26 by 21.5 mm. The medal was made of 950 gold and weighed 34.2 grams together with the block.
For participation in the battles on the Khalkhin Gol River, 70 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 20 of them posthumously. And on August 29, 1939, the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared in the country. These were military pilots Major Sergei Gritsevets and Major (later the youngest lieutenant general in the Red Army) Grigory Kravchenko. They did not live up to the Victory: less than a month after the award, Gritsevets died in a plane crash, and Kravchenko died in battle in February 1943.
In 1940, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to 15 crew members of the Georgy Sedov icebreaking steamer, which drifted in the ice for 812 days. This award remained unique - no other ship's entire crew has ever received this title. Following the results of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-40. 412 people became heroes.
In total, until June 22, 1941, 626 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, including three women. Five people became twice Heroes - pilots S.I. Gritsevets, S.P. Denisov, G.P. Kravchenko, Ya.V. Smushkevich and polar explorer I.D. Papanin.
It is easy to see that the vast majority of pre-war Heroes were military pilots, among whom were real legends - Valery Chkalov, Mikhail Gromov, Vladimir Kokkinaki ... This was easily explained - in the 1930s, the profession of a pilot was surrounded by a halo of romance, they were genuine folk idols. And it is not surprising that the pilots also became the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War: junior lieutenants M.P. Zhukov, S.I. Zdorovtsev and P.T. enemy bombers. The high rank was awarded to them on July 8. The first twice Hero during the war was also the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel S.P. Suprun, who was mortally wounded in an unequal air battle on July 4, 1941 and received the second title of Hero posthumously on July 22.
In the ground forces, the first Hero was the commander of the 1st Moscow motorized rifle division, Colonel Ya.G. Kreizer, who received the title on July 15, 1941 for organizing defense on the Berezina River. The first partisan who was awarded the highest rank of the country was the commander and commissar of the Belarusian detachment "Red October" T.P. Bumazhkov (August 6). The first sailor - Hero of the Soviet Union fought in the Northern Fleet, it was senior sergeant V.P. Kislyakov, who distinguished himself during the landing (the title was awarded on August 14). But the border guards Lieutenant A.K. Konstantinov, Sergeant I.D. Buzytskov and Lance Sergeant VF Mikhalkov, who bravely met the enemy on the very first day of the war, June 22, 1941, received the well-deserved "Gold Stars" only on August 26. The first woman to be awarded a high rank during the war (posthumously) was Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya on February 19, 1942.
During 1942, the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared, who received both titles during the war: pilots Lieutenant Colonel B.F. Safonov and Captain A.I. Molodchiy. The following year, 1943, there were already nine Heroes twice. The assignment of this title for crossing the Dnieper became massive - then 2438 people became Heroes, of which 1268 privates and sergeants, 1123 officers and 47 generals and marshals. In 1943, the first Hero of the Soviet Union appeared - a foreigner who was neither a citizen of the USSR nor a soldier of the Red Army. It was a second lieutenant of the Czechoslovak army, Otakar Yarosh, who was awarded the title posthumously on April 17.
On August 19, 1944, in the USSR, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded for the first time for the third time - to fighter pilot Colonel A.I. Pokryshkin. Two more people became three times Heroes after the war. These are Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, who received the third Gold Star on June 1, 1945, and fighter pilot Major I.N. Kozhedub (awarded on August 18, 1945). one three times Hero - the third most effective pilot after Kozhedub and Pokryshkin, pilot Major N.D. Gulaev, but having learned about the upcoming award, he went on a spree in a Moscow restaurant for joy that he was stripped of his title, without even receiving the Gold Star, and so and remained twice a Hero ...
In the entire history of the Great Patriotic War, there were only three cases when the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to all soldiers of one unit. July 21, 1942 28 Panfilov heroes from 1075 became heroes rifle regiment, May 18, 1943 - a platoon of the 78th Guards Rifle Regiment under the command of Lieutenant P.N. Shironin, and on April 2, 1945 - paratroopers of the detachment of Senior Lieutenant K.F. Olshansky, who courageously fought during the liberation of the city of Nikolaev.
Children were repeatedly awarded the title of Hero for their exploits on the battlefield. - 14-year-old Marat Kazei and Lenya Golikov, 16-year-old Sasha Chekalin, 17-year-old Zina Portnova. The last young Hero who received this title for a feat accomplished in the war was a minder separate detachment semi-gliders of the 1st Bobruisk brigade of river ships of the Dnieper military flotilla Red Navy sailor Vladimir Cherinov. He died during the storming of the German capital on April 24, 1945 with the words: "Tell my mother that I still reached Berlin."
The fate of the Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war sometimes turned out to be very unusual. Such was the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 1733 (the title was awarded on October 10, 1943), Guards Senior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Datsenko, commander of the 10th Long-Range Aviation Regiment. The official biographical guide "Heroes of the Soviet Union" says that he "did not return from a combat mission on April 12, 1944." However, in reality, Datsenko managed to jump with a parachute, landed on enemy territory and was able to cross the front line, after which he was arrested and sent to a filtration camp. On the way, Datsenko fled and later emigrated to Canada, where he married the daughter of an Indian chief and in the end ... he himself became the leader of the tribe.
During the Great Patriotic War, the vast majority of all Heroes of the Soviet Union received their titles - 11,657 people, or 91 percent of 100. Among them, 2,400 pilots, 1,800 artillerymen, 1,142 tankers, about 650 sappers, 513 sailors, more than 290 signalmen, 234 partisans and underground, more than 150 border guards, officers and soldiers internal troops, 52 rear fighters. 3051 people were awarded the high rank posthumously.
Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union in 1941-45. 107 people became (seven - posthumously) , of which four Marshals of the Soviet Union (G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky, I.S. Konev and K.K. Rokossovsky), one Chief Air Marshal, 21 generals and 76 officers. And three times as a Hero, as already mentioned, only A.I. Pokryshkin ended the war.
Most of all among the holders of the Golden Star there were officers - 61 percent, then there were privates and sergeants (35 percent, and twice Heroes - not a single one), but there were very few generals, admirals and marshals among the Heroes - 380 people, or more than 3 percent. During the war years, the high rank was awarded to 90 women (49 - posthumously) and 18 foreign citizens, including one woman.
At the end of 1945, the number of Heroes of the Soviet Union in the USSR increased by 93 people. They received the highest title of the country for the feats committed during the war with Japan, and six people were awarded this title twice.
During 1945-53. the title of Hero of the Soviet Union again, as before the war, was awarded very infrequently and only for outstanding military exploits. 22 people received the title for the war in Korea, among them was pilot Major S.P. Subbotin, who in 1951 for the first time in the world performed a successful ramming on a MiG-15 jet fighter. However, there was no noise around these exploits in the USSR. For example, if on the radio they said that Subbotin was a Hero of the Soviet Union, they immediately specified that he was awarded the title in ... 1944.
After the death of I.V. Stalin, the attitude towards the title of Hero of the Soviet Union among the ruling elite of the country began to gradually change. Now it was assigned not only for outstanding military exploits, but for a variety of reasons. So, on February 3, 1956, the Golden Star was awarded for the first time ... on his birthday. On his 75th birthday, the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov received it. And already on December 1 of the same year, the first four times Hero of the Soviet Union appeared in the USSR. In honor of his 60th birthday, the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union and three times Hero of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov received the heroic title. Thus, the Regulations on the rank of 1939 were violated, which clearly indicated maximum amount There are three possible awards. In addition, along with the fourth "Gold Star" Zhukov also received the Order of Lenin, and he, according to the rules of 1939, was awarded only with the first medal, but not with the subsequent ones.
In the future, after these precedents, cases of conferring the highest title of the country as a "gift" for anniversaries or anniversaries honored military leaders and statesmen have become more frequent and have practically become the norm. So, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov received his second "Gold Star" on the eve of his 50th birthday Soviet army, February 22, 1968. And Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budyonny overtook Voroshilov in the number of "gift" "Gold Stars", becoming the fourth Hero in the history of the USSR three times (February 1, 1958, April 24, 1963 and February 22, 1968) The initiator of this practice The first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, N.S. Khrushchev, did not forget himself either: on his 70th birthday, he added to the three stars he already had the Hero of Socialist Labor and the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union ...
Khrushchev's reign was also marked by the fact that the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, in addition to the "jubilee", also became a "diplomatic" award. It was generously distributed the right people» of very different political orientations. Among these Heroes of the Soviet Union are Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ben Bell, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Egyptian President and Vice President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Amer Abdel Hakim. Of the heads of European states, six became Heroes of the Soviet Union - Walter Ulbricht and Erich Honecker (GDR), Janos Kadar (Hungary), Ludwik Svoboda and Gustav Husak (Czechoslovakia), Todor Zhivkov (Bulgaria). The assignment of heroic titles to them evoked quite understandable feelings among the people - from irony to outright indignation. The general opinion was expressed in the song by Vladimir Vysotsky:
Losing my true faith
It hurts me for our USSR:
Take the order from Nasser,
Not suitable for the Order of Nasser!
You can even obscene from the podium,
Giving gifts at random
To call Nasser our brother
But to give a Hero - come on!
Why is there no gold in the country?
They gave away, you bastards, they gave away.
It would be better if they gave in the war,
And the Nasser would forgive us afterwards!
The "secret" assignments of the high rank also continued. Ramon Ivanovich Lopez became such a “secret” Hero of the Soviet Union No. 11 089 on May 31, 1960 - under this name Ramon Mercader was known in the USSR, who received this award for the murder of L.D. Trotsky in 1940.
During the 1960s and 70s The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded more than once to foreigners who proved themselves during the Great Patriotic War. In 1964, it was awarded to Wehrmacht soldier Friedrich Schmenkel, who during the war went over to the side of the USSR, fought in a partisan detachment, was captured by the Nazis and executed. In 1972, General of the Bulgarian Army Vladimir Zaimov became a Hero posthumously, in 1938-42. who actively cooperated with Soviet intelligence and was shot for this. And in general, in the 1960s and 70s in the USSR, they actively tried to “catch up” for lost time, conferring posthumously high ranks on heroes underestimated in the past. Among them, scout R. Zorge, who made a daring escape from enemy captivity M.P. Devyataev, defender Brest Fortress major P.M. Gavrilov, partisan in Italy F.A. Poletaev, underground fighter M.T. Kislyak. The Pskov peasant M.K. Kuzmin, who repeated the feat of Ivan Susanin during the war and was awarded the "Gold Star" posthumously in 1965, became the oldest holder of this title (he accomplished the feat at the age of 83). By the way, the youngest Hero of the Soviet Union, 14-year-old partisan Valya Kotik, also received the title posthumously, in 1958.
Since 1961, the Golden Stars of the Heroes of the Soviet Union have been invariably awarded to all Soviet cosmonauts, starting with Yuri Gagarin. The first cosmonauts - twice Heroes appeared in 1969, they were V.A. Shatalov and A.S. Eliseev, and both "Gold Stars" were earned by them within one year (January 22 and October 22, 1969) Only twice 35 cosmonauts became heroes. However, later, when the cosmonauts who made the third and fourth flights appeared, they were no longer awarded the heroic title for these feats, the award in this case was the Order of Lenin. Cosmonauts from the socialist countries who flew together with the Soviet ones were also awarded the heroic title, but the “capitalist” cosmonauts received the youngest Soviet order - the Friendship of Peoples.
By the twentieth anniversary of the Victory, in 1965, the title "Hero City" was established in the USSR, intended for cities whose population distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War. Such cities were awarded the "Gold Star" and the Order of Lenin. In total, 12 cities and one fortress received this title, the last assignment of the title took place in 1985 (Smolensk and Murmansk).
May 14, 1973 Regulations on the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union" was revised. AT new edition it was indicated that from now on the title could be awarded an unlimited number of times, and the Order of Lenin was now awarded to each Golden Star, and not just to the first. In the "Brezhnev era", which was marked by a large number of "anniversary" awards, such clarifications were most welcome. Anniversary "Heroes" (in this case, writing the word in quotation marks is quite justified) were, for example, the Ministers of Defense of the USSR Marshals of the Soviet Union A.A. Grechko (1958 and 1973) and D.F. Ustinov (1978), Marshals of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko (1965) and N.V. Ogarkov (1977), Air Marshal I.I. Pstygo (1978), General of the Army I.S. , already in the midst of "perestroika", in December 1987, the Minister of State Security of the GDR, Erich Mielke, became the Hero of the Soviet Union in connection with the 80th anniversary). But outdone everyone, of course, General Secretary The Central Committee of the CPSU L.I. Brezhnev, who received as many as four (!) titles of Hero of the Soviet Union in peacetime, and all of them on his birthdays. "Gold Stars" were awarded to him on December 18, 1966, December 18, 1976, December 19, 1978 and December 18, 1981 - respectively on the 60th, 70th, 72nd and 75th anniversaries. Of course, no one took such awards seriously - everyone in the country perfectly understood what was happening. But the fact that the very title of Hero of the Soviet Union is rapidly devaluing with each such anniversary award, that each such “Gold Star” offends those who paid for their award with blood, and defames the memory of those whose feat was immortalized posthumously, it seems, few people thought.
The last military campaign for which the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded was the Afghan one. 86 people became "Afghan" heroes, the first in 1980 was Sergeant Nikolai Chepik, who blew himself up along with the dushmans surrounding him. Among the "Afghan" Heroes of the Soviet Union are two soldiers from the legendary 9th company - Vyacheslav Aleksandrov and Anatoly Melnikov, who received the title posthumously in June 1988. In the same year in last time the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to a foreigner - Afghan cosmonaut Abdul Momand.
On the eve of Victory Day on May 5, 1990, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to a large group of war heroes whose exploits were not appreciated at the time. So, the commander of the S-13 submarine A.I. Marinesko, who torpedoed the German liner “Wilhelm Gustlov” in 1945, the pilots - E.I. Zelenko, who rammed an enemy aircraft at the cost of her life, and L.V. Litvyak, shot down 11 enemy fighters, a member of the underground organization "Young Guard" I.V. Turkenich and others. By the same decree, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the sanitary instructor of the marine battalion E.I. She became the last woman in the history of the USSR to be awarded the Golden Star.
A prime example What happened to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union towards the end of its existence can be the posthumous awarding of the "Gold Stars" to the participants in the August 1991 events in Moscow. Then Dmitry Komar, Ilya Krichevsky and Vladimir Usov became Heroes of the Soviet Union. These three young people were chosen as "icons of democracy" solely because they died due to their own negligence at the moment when they tried to prevent the withdrawal of the column military equipment. What exactly the “heroic feat” consists of here, all the more directed against the army of one’s own country, is now difficult to understand, but then, in 1991, it was clear to everyone that conferring the heroic title on the dead simply “requires a political moment.”
The last Hero of the Soviet Union on December 24, 1991 was a sailor - a 33-year-old diving specialist captain of the 3rd rank Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov, who showed courage and heroism in carrying out a special task of the command to test new diving equipment. He received the "Gold Star" No. 11664. Moreover, the award was presented to him only on January 16, 1992, when the USSR no longer existed.
The total title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1934-91. 12,776 people were awarded, including 154 - twice, 3 - three times and 2 - four times. There are 95 women among the Heroes of the Soviet Union (one, pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya, became a Hero twice in 1982 and 1984).
44 foreigners became holders of the highest title of the USSR, including 9 Czechs, 5 Germans, French and Bulgarians, 4 Poles, two Spaniards, Cubans, Hungarians and Egyptians and one Italian, Romanian, Mongol, Vietnamese, Indian, Syrian and Afghan .
The total number of those awarded does not include 73 people deprived of their titles, and 13, according to which the Decree on awarding was canceled as unreasonable. Of the 73 stripped of the title, 55 were subsequently reinstated in it. 15 Heroes of the Soviet Union were executed, 11 of them were later rehabilitated and reinstated in rank. That is, the total number of Heroes of the Soviet Union is 12,862 people.
The title of "Hero of the Soviet Union" ceased to exist along with the collapse of the USSR. However, it served as a prototype for numerous similar titles that arose mainly in the socialist and post-Soviet states. And now the existing medals "Hero of the Russian Federation" and "Hero of Belarus" even outwardly repeat the design of the Gold Star medal.
Vyacheslav Bondarenko
By a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of July 29, 1936, the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union were approved.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 1, 1939, in order to distinguish citizens awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and performing new heroic deeds, establish the Gold Star medal, which has the shape of a five-pointed star.
The first medal was awarded to the Hero of the Soviet Union, polar pilot A.S. Lyapidevsky. During the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilots M.P. were among the first to receive the highest degree of distinction. Zhukov. S.I. Zdorovtsev and P.T. Kharitonov, who accomplished their feats in the sky near Leningrad.
Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is the highest degree of distinction and is awarded for personal or collective services to the Soviet state and society associated with the accomplishment of a heroic deed.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
The Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded:
A Hero of the Soviet Union who has accomplished a heroic feat for the second time, no less than the one for which others who have accomplished a similar feat are awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, is awarded the Order of Lenin and the second Gold Star medal, and in commemoration of his exploits a bronze bust of the Hero is erected with the appropriate inscription, installed in his homeland, which is recorded in the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the award.
Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two medals "Gold Star", for new heroic deeds, similar to those previously accomplished, can be again awarded the order Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
When a Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, he is simultaneously presented with the Order and Medal by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
In the event that the Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, then in commemoration of his heroic and labor deeds, a bronze bust of the Hero with an appropriate inscription is erected in his homeland, which is recorded in the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on conferring the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
Heroes of the Soviet Union enjoy the benefits established by law.
The medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union is worn on the left side of the chest above the orders and medals of the USSR.
Deprivation of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union can only be done by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
More than 11,600 soldiers, officers and generals of the Red Army, partisans and underground fighters were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their heroic deeds committed during the Great Patriotic War.
The first three medals were awarded to military pilot Hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Pokryshkin.
There are many foreigners among those awarded the highest degree of distinction. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was given to four French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen regiment: Marcel Albert. Rolland de la Puap, Jacques André, Marcel Lefebvre. The title was posthumously awarded to Jan Nelspke, commander partisan detachment consisting of Czechs and Slovaks.
Among the post-war Heroes of the Soviet Union were pilots of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps, who fought in North Korea against American and South Korean aces.
On June 8, 1960, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the Spaniard Ramon Msrkader, who arrived in the USSR from Mexico after serving a 20-year sentence for the murder of Leon Trotsky, committed by him in 1940 on the orders of Stalin. A year later, Fidel Castro and Egyptian President Nasser became Heroes of the USSR.
For feats accomplished during the war years. the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the defender of the Brest Fortress, Major P.M. Gavrilov, hero French Resistance Lieutenant Porik (posthumously), holder of the Italian medal of Resistance Polezhaev (posthumously). Pilot Lieutenant Devyatayev in 1945 escaped from captivity by stealing a German bomber. Instead of a reward, he was sent to the camp as a "traitor". In 1957 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1964, the scout Richard Sorge became a hero (posthumously). Under M.S. Gorbachev was awarded the title of Hero by the famous submariner Marinesko, undeservedly forgotten after the war. source
How many heroes were in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War
What dry statistics can tell about the number of those awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and full holders of the Order of Glory
Heroes of the Soviet Union of the 5th Army, awarded this title for battles in East Prussia. Photo: waralbum.ru
How many heroes of the Great Patriotic War were in the Soviet Union? It seemed like a strange question. In a country that survived the terrible tragedy of the 20th century, everyone who defended it with arms in hand at the front or at the bench and in the field in the rear was a hero. That is, each of its 170 million multinational people, who bore the brunt of the war on their shoulders.
But if we ignore the pathos and return to the specifics, then the question can be formulated differently. How was it noted in the USSR that a person is a hero? That's right, the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union." And 31 years after the war, another sign of heroism appeared: they equalized with the Heroes of the Soviet Union full cavaliers Order of Glory, that is, awarded all three degrees of this award. It turns out that the question "How many heroes of the Great Patriotic War were in the Soviet Union?" more precisely formulated as follows: "How many people in the USSR were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and became full holders of the Order of Glory for the exploits committed during the Great Patriotic War?".
You can get a very specific answer to such a question: a total of 14,411 people, of which 11,739 are Heroes of the Soviet Union and 2,672 are full holders of the Order of Glory.
The number of Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for exploits during the Great Patriotic War is 11,739. This title was awarded posthumously to 3,051 of them; 82 people were stripped of their titles in the future by a court decision. 107 heroes were awarded this title twice (seven posthumously), three - three times: Marshal Semyon Budyonny (all awards occurred after the war), Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Pokryshkin and Major Ivan Kozhedub. And only one - Marshal Georgy Zhukov - became four times Hero of the Soviet Union, and he earned one award even before the Great Patriotic War, and received it for the fourth time in 1956.
Among those awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War were representatives of all branches and types of troops in ranks from private to marshal. And each branch of the military - whether it be infantrymen, pilots or sailors - is proud of the first colleagues who received the highest honorary title.
Pilots
The first titles of Hero of the Soviet Union were awarded to pilots on July 8, 1941. And here, too, the pilots maintained the tradition: six pilots were the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the history of this award - and three pilots were the first to be awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War!
On July 8, 1941, it was assigned to fighter pilots of the 158th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 41st Mixed Air Division of the Air Force of the 23rd Army of the Northern Front. Second lieutenants Mikhail Zhukov, Stepan Zdorovtsev and Pyotr Kharitonov received awards for ramming made in the first days of the war. Stepan Zdorovtsev died the day after the award, Mikhail Zhukov died in January 1943 in a fight with nine German fighters, and Pyotr Kharitonov, seriously wounded in 1941 and returned to duty only in 1944, ended the war with 14 destroyed enemy aircraft.
Foot soldiers
On July 22, 1941, the commander of the 1st Moscow Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Army became the first Hero of the Soviet Union among infantrymen. Western Front Colonel Yakov Kreizer. He was awarded for the successful containment of the Germans on the Berezina River and in the battles for Orsha. It is noteworthy that Colonel Kreizer was also the first among the Jewish soldiers who received the highest award during the war years.
Tankers
On July 22, 1941, three tankmen received the highest awards of the country at once - tank commander of the 1st tank regiment of the 1st tank division of the 14th army of the Northern Front, senior sergeant Alexander Borisov, squad leader of the 163rd reconnaissance battalion of the 104th Rifle Division of the 14th Army of the Northern Front, Junior Sergeant Alexander Gryaznov (he was awarded the title posthumously) and the deputy commander of the tank battalion of the 115th Tank Regiment of the 57th Tank Division of the 20th Army of the Western Front, Captain Iosif Kaduchenko. Senior Sergeant Borisov, a week and a half after the award, died in the hospital from severe wounds. Captain Kaduchenko managed to be on the list of the dead, in October 1941 he was captured, unsuccessfully tried to escape three times and was released only in March 1945, after which he fought until the Victory.
sappers
Among the fighters and commanders of sapper units, on November 20, 1941, the assistant platoon commander of the 184th separate sapper battalion of the 7th Army of the Northern Front, Private Viktor Karandakov, became the first Hero of the Soviet Union. In the battle near Sortavala against the Finnish units, he repulsed three enemy attacks with fire from his machine gun, which actually saved the regiment from encirclement, the next day he led the counterattack of the squad instead of the wounded commander, and two days later he carried the wounded company commander out of the fire. In April 1942, a sapper who lost his arm in battle was demobilized.
Artillerymen
On August 2, 1941, the first artilleryman - Hero of the Soviet Union was the gunner of the "magpie" of the 680th Infantry Regiment of the 169th Infantry Division of the 18th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier Yakov Kolchak. On July 13, 1941, in an hour of battle, he managed to hit four enemy tanks from his cannon! But Jacob did not learn about the assignment of a high rank: on July 23 he was wounded and taken prisoner. He was released in August 1944 in Moldova, and Kolchak reached victory as part of a penal company, where he fought first as a shooter, and then as a squad leader. And the former penalty box, on whose chest was already adorned with the Order of the Red Star and the medal "For Military Merit", received a high award only on March 25, 1947.
partisans
The first Heroes of the Soviet Union from among the partisans were the leaders of the Red October partisan detachment operating on the territory of Belarus: the commissar of the detachment Tikhon Bumazhkov and commander Fyodor Pavlovsky. The decree on their award was signed on August 6, 1941. Of the two heroes, only one survived to the Victory - Fedor Pavlovsky, and the commissar of the Red October detachment Tikhon Bumazhkov, who managed to receive his award in Moscow, died in December of the same year, leaving the German encirclement.
Marines
On August 13, 1941, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the commander of the branch of the naval volunteer detachment of the Northern Fleet, senior sergeant Vasily Kislyakov. He received a high award for his actions in mid-July 1941, when he led a platoon instead of the killed commander and, first, together with his comrades, and then alone held an important height. By the end of the war, Captain Kislyakov had several landings on the Northern Front, participation in the Petsamo-Kirkenes, Budapest and Vienna offensive operations.
Politruks
The first decree on awarding the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to political workers of the Red Army was issued on August 15, 1941. With this document, the highest award was awarded to the deputy political instructor of the radio company of the 415th separate battalion communications of the 22nd Estonian Territorial rifle corps Arnold Meri of the Northwestern Front and Secretary of the Party Bureau of the 245th Howitzer Artillery Regiment of the 37th Infantry Division of the 19th Army of the Western Front Senior Political Officer Kirill Osipov. Meri was awarded for the fact that, twice wounded, he managed to stop the retreat of the battalion and led the defense of the corps headquarters. Osipov in July-August 1941 actually worked as a liaison command of the division that fought in encirclement, and several times crossed the front line, delivering important information.
Medics
Among the army doctors who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the first was the sanitary instructor of the 14th motorized rifle regiment 21st motorized rifle division of the NKVD troops of the Northern Front, Private Anatoly Kokorin. The high award was awarded to him on August 26, 1941 - posthumously. During the battle with the Finns, he was the last in the ranks and blew himself up with a grenade so as not to be captured.
border guards
Although the Soviet border guards were the first to take the enemy strike on June 22, 1941, the Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared among them only two months later. But six people at once: junior sergeant Ivan Buzytskov, lieutenant Kuzma Vetchinkin, senior lieutenant Nikita Kaimanov, senior lieutenant Alexander Konstantinov, junior sergeant Vasily Mikhalkov and lieutenant Anatoly Ryzhikov. Five of them served in Moldova, senior lieutenant Kaimanov - in Karelia. All six received awards for their heroic actions in the early days of the war - which, in general, is not surprising. And all six reached the end of the war and continued to serve after the Victory - in the same border troops.
Signalers
The first Hero of the Soviet Union among signalmen appeared on November 9, 1941 - he was the commander of the radio department of the 289th anti-tank regiment of the Western Front, junior sergeant Pyotr Stemasov. He was awarded for his feat on October 25 near Moscow - during the battle he replaced a wounded gunner and, together with the crew, knocked out nine enemy tanks, after which he led the soldiers out of the encirclement. And then he fought until the Victory, which he met as an officer.
cavalrymen
On the same day as the first signalman hero, the first cavalry hero appeared. On November 9, 1941, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to Major Boris Krotov, Commander of the 134th Cavalry Regiment of the 28th Cavalry Division of the Reserve Army of the Southern Front. He was awarded the highest award for his exploits during the defense of Dnepropetrovsk. How difficult those battles were can be imagined from one episode: the last feat of the regimental commander was to undermine an enemy tank that had broken through into the depths of defense.
Paratroopers
The Winged Infantry received its first Heroes of the Soviet Union on November 20, 1941. They were the commander of the reconnaissance company of the 212th airborne brigade 37th Army Southwestern Front Sergeant Yakov Vatomov and shooter of the same brigade Nikolai Obukhov. Both received awards for heroic deeds in August-September 1941, when the paratroopers fought hard battles in eastern Ukraine.
Sailors
Later than all - only on January 17, 1942 - the first Hero of the Soviet Union appeared in the Soviet Navy. Posthumously, the highest award was awarded to the shooter of the 2nd volunteer detachment of sailors of the Northern Fleet, Red Navy sailor Ivan Sivko. Ivan accomplished his feat, which was so highly appreciated by the country, as part of the infamous landing in the bay of Bolshaya Zapadnaya Litsa. Covering the retreat of his colleagues, he, already fighting alone, destroyed 26 enemies, and then blew himself up with a grenade along with the Nazis who surrounded him.
generals
On July 22, 1941, the commander of the 19th Panzer Division of the 22nd Mechanized Corps of the 5th Army of the Southwestern Front, Major General Kuzma Semenchenko, became the first general of the Red Army to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His division took an active part in the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War - the battle of Dubno - and after heavy fighting was surrounded, but the general was able to withdraw his subordinates across the front line. By mid-August 1941, only one tank remained in the division, and in early September it was disbanded. And General Semenchenko fought until the end of the war and in 1947 he retired in the same rank in which he began to fight.
VICTORY PARADE! June 24, 1945. Moscow. Red Square:
"The fight is not for glory..."
During the Great Patriotic War, there was the most honorable soldier's award - the Order of Glory. Both her ribbon and her statute were very reminiscent of another soldier's award - the insignia of the Order of St. George, "soldier Yegoriy", which was especially revered in the army Russian Empire. In total, over a year and a half of the war - from the moment of its establishment on November 8, 1943 until the Victory - and in the post-war period, more than a million people were awarded the Order of Glory. Of these, almost a million - the order of the third degree, over 46 thousand - the second, and 2672 people - the first degree, they became full holders of the order.
Of the 2672 full cavaliers of the Order of Glory, 16 people were subsequently deprived of their awards for various reasons by a court decision. Among the deprived was the only holder of five Orders of Glory - 3rd, three 2nd and 1st degrees. In addition, 72 people were presented to the four Orders of Glory, but, as a rule, did not receive an "excessive" award.
The first full cavaliers of the Order of Glory were the sapper of the 1134th Infantry Regiment of the 338th Infantry Division, Corporal Mitrofan Pitenin and the commander of the 110th Separate reconnaissance company 158th Infantry Division Senior Sergeant Shevchenko. Corporal Pitenin was presented to the first order in November 1943 for battles in Belarus, to the second - in April 1944, and the third - in July of the same year. But he did not manage to receive the last award: on August 3 he died in battle. And senior sergeant Shevchenko received all three orders in 1944: in February, April and July. He ended the war in 1945 with the rank of foreman and was soon demobilized, returning home not only with three Orders of Glory on his chest, but also with the Orders of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War of both degrees.
And there were four people who received both signs of the highest recognition of military heroism - both the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the title of full cavalier of the Order of Glory. The first is a senior pilot of the 140th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 8th Guards Assault Aviation Division of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps of the 5th air army Guard Senior Lieutenant Ivan Drachenko. He received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1944, and became a full holder of the Order of Glory after being re-awarded (double awarding the Order of the 2nd degree) in 1968.
The second - the commander of the guns of the 369th separate anti-tank artillery battalion of the 263rd rifle division of the 43rd army of the 3rd Belorussian Front foreman Nikolai Kuznetsov. In April 1945, he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and after being re-awarded in 1980 (double awarding the Order of the 2nd degree), he became a full holder of the Order of Glory.
The third was the commander of the gun crew of the 175th Guards Artillery and Mortar Regiment of the 4th Guards Cavalry Division of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front, Senior Sergeant Andrei Aleshin. He became a Hero of the Soviet Union at the end of May 1945, and a full holder of the Order of Glory after being re-awarded (double awarding the Order of the 3rd degree) in 1955.
Finally, the fourth is foreman of the company of the 293rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 96th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front of the Guards, Petty Officer Pavel Dubinda. He has, perhaps, the most unusual fate of all four heroes. A sailor, he served on the cruiser "Chervona Ukraine" on the Black Sea, after the death of the ship - in marines, defended Sevastopol. Here he was taken prisoner, from which he escaped and in March 1944 was again enrolled in the army, but already in the infantry. He became a full holder of the Order of Glory by March 1945, and in June of the same year he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, among his awards was a rare Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 3rd degree - a kind of "soldier" military order.
The Soviet Union was indeed a multinational country: in the data of the last pre-war census of 1939, 95 nationalities appear, not counting the column "others" (other peoples of the North, other peoples of Dagestan). Naturally, among the Heroes of the Soviet Union and the full holders of the Order of Glory were representatives of almost all Soviet nationalities. Among the first - 67 nationalities, among the second (according to obviously incomplete data) - 39 nationalities.
The number of heroes marked with the highest ranks among one or another nationality generally corresponds to the ratio of the number of fellow tribesmen to the total number of the pre-war USSR. So, the leaders in all lists were and remain Russians, followed by Ukrainians and Belarusians. But then the situation is different. For example, in the top ten awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are followed (in order) by Tatars, Jews, Kazakhs, Armenians, Georgians, Uzbeks and Mordovians. And in the top ten full cavaliers of the Order of Glory, after Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, there are (also in order) Tatars, Kazakhs, Armenians, Mordovians, Uzbeks, Chuvashs and Jews.
But judging by these statistics which people were more heroic and which were less, is meaningless. Firstly, many nationalities of the heroes were accidentally or even deliberately indicated incorrectly or were absent (for example, the nationality was often hidden by the Germans and Jews, and the options " Crimean Tatar” was simply not in the 1939 census documents). And secondly, even today far from all the documents relating to the awarding of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War have been brought together and taken into account. This colossal topic is still waiting for its researcher, who will surely confirm: heroism is a property of everyone. individual person and not this or that people.
The national composition of the Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War *
Russians - 7998 (including 70 - twice, 2 - three times and 1 - four times)
Ukrainians - 2019 (including 28 - twice),
Belarusians - 274 (including 4 - twice),
Tatars - 161
Jews - 128 (including 1 - twice)
Kazakhs - 98 (including 1 - twice)
Armenians - 91 (including 2 - twice)
Georgians - 90
Uzbeks - 67
Mordva - 66
Chuvash - 47
Azerbaijanis - 41 (including 1 - twice)
Bashkirs - 40 (including 1 - twice)
Ossetians - 34 (including 1 - twice)
Mari - 18
Turkmen - 16
Lithuanians - 15
Tajiks - 15
Latvians - 12
Kyrgyz - 12
Karely - 11 (including 1 - twice)
Komi - 10
Udmurts - 11
Estonians - 11
Avars - 9
Poles - 9
Buryats and Mongols - 8
Kalmyks - 8
Kabardians - 8
Adygs - 7
Greeks - 7
Germans - 7
Komi - 6
Crimean Tatars - 6 (including 1 - twice)
Chechens - 6
Yakuts - 6
Moldovans - 5
Abkhazians - 4
Laks - 4
Lezgins - 4
French - 4
Czechs - 4
Karachays - 3
Tuvans - 3
Circassians - 3
Balkars -2
Bulgarians - 2
Dargins - 2
Kumyks - 2
Finns - 2
Khakas - 2
Abaza - 1
Adzharians - 1
Altai - 1
Assyrian - 1
Veps - 1
Spaniard - 1
Chinese (Dungan) - 1
Korean - 1
Kurd - 1
Svan - 1
Slovak - 1
Tuvan - 1
Tsakhur - 1
Gypsy - 1
Shorets - 1
Evenk - 1
The national composition of the full cavaliers of the Order of Glory, who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War**
Russians - 1276
Ukrainians - 285
Belarusians - 62
Tatars - 48
Kazakhs - 30
Armenians - 19
Mordva - 16
Uzbeks - 12
Chuvash - 11
Jews - 9
Azerbaijanis - 8
Bashkirs - 7
Kyrgyz - 7
Udmurts - 6
Turkmen - 5
Buryats - 4
Georgians - 4
Komi - 4
Mari - 3
Poles - 3
Adygs - 2
Karely - 2
Latvians - 2
Moldovans - 2
Ossetians - 2
Tajiks - 2
Khakas - 2
Abaza - 1
Greek - 1
Kabardian - 1
Kalmyk - 1
Chinese - 1
Crimean Tatar - 1
Kumyk - 1
Lithuanian -1
Romanian - 1
Meskhetian Turk - 1
Chechen - 1
Yakut - 1
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"To establish the highest degree of distinction - the award for personal or collective services to the state associated with the accomplishment of a heroic deed, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union."
In April 1934, 85 years ago, the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR established the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. It was awarded for special merits or feats before the country and people. Until now, there are those among us who, not sparing their lives, defended the right of our great country to exist, defended it and accomplished a feat. And as long as we have the opportunity to talk with living heroes or talk about them, we should cherish this and use this opportunity.
The first heroes of the USSR - polar pilots
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org
A special resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, and since 1937 - a resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, established special rules for awarding and conferring the honorary status of Hero of the Soviet Union. It is interesting that initially there were no insignia that are familiar to us now, that is, such as the Golden Star or, were not provided. The recipient was given only a certificate of honor from the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, which contained a description of the feat and the name of the hero.
Nevertheless, with the very first award, a year before the official introduction of the title, there was interesting case. All seven famous pilots who participated in the rescue of the crew of the Chelyuskin ship received the Order of Lenin. Especially for them, the provision on awarding was approved, according to which it was supposed to issue the Order of Lenin to all awarded the title of Hero. Moreover, they became Heroes back in 1934, when there was no official position and resolution. Pilots A. Lyapidevsky, M. Vodopyanov, V. Molokov, I. Doronin, M. Slepnev, N. Kamanin and S. Levanevsky became not only the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, they became truly folk heroes. Thousands of young men and women, following their example, went to flying clubs and aircraft manufacturing to help the country conquer such an inaccessible sky.
The first female heroes. Source: https://www.pnp.ru
Participants were awarded the following civil war in Spain. The USSR then actively helped the Republicans, and 60 people were awarded. Among them appeared the first foreign soldiers who fought in the ranks of the Soviet units - the Italian Primo Gibelli and the Bulgarian Volkan Goranov.
There were also conflicts on the eastern borders of the USSR. The Japanese militarists tested the power of our country and tasted the Soviet bayonet on and. As a result of these battles, the Japanese were defeated, and the number of Heroes of the USSR increased by 70 people, and the first twice Heroes appeared. However, despite this, the Golden Star that we all know has not yet appeared.
Birth of a Star
On August 1, literally a month before the start of the armed Japanese provocation on the Khalkhin Gol River in September 1939, a special distinguishing sign for the Heroes of the Soviet Union was introduced by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR - the Gold Star medal. The resolution of August 16, 1939 approved her appearance. The first awards with new medals were made after the end of the conflict with the Japanese on the Khalkhin Gol River. Then 421 soldiers of the Red Army received the Star for distinction during the Soviet-Finnish War.
Order of Lenin and Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Source: https://www.pinterest.ru
The medal is a gold five-pointed star with smooth dihedral rays on the front side. With the help of an eyelet and a ring, a golden star is connected to a gilded rectangular plate, which is covered with a red moiré ribbon. The plate has on the reverse side a threaded pin with a nut for attaching to clothing. On the reverse side of the medal there is an inscription "Hero of the USSR". All those heroes who got their honorary titles before the star was introduced, they received it, and those who did not have the Order of Lenin received it. Since that moment, a stable and unchanging tradition of honorary presentation of the highest award has appeared in our country. The star could be awarded several times, but the Order of Lenin was issued only at the first award. At subsequent awards, the numbers on reverse side the medals were not in a row, but corresponded to the serial numbers of the stars produced. When the award was repeated in the homeland of the hero, a bronze bust was installed. And since 1967, the government of the USSR established special benefits in Everyday life for the awardees. Of course, most of the awards fall on the period of the Great Patriotic War.
Heroes of the Fatherland
Heroes are victorious. Source: https://pinterest.com
By the beginning, 626 people were listed as Heroes of the Soviet Union, among them were three women - Marina Raskova, Valentina Grizodubova and Polina Osipenko. Five people became Heroes twice. When the enemy attacked our homeland, all the people rose to its defense. The exploits of such heroes as Gastello, Maresyev, Matrosov are on everyone's lips ... Pilots, tankers, artillerymen, sappers and sailors - perhaps there was not a single branch of the army that would not have distinguished itself with a whole galaxy of its heroes. Lots of civilians and partisans were also awarded this high award. No wonder the period of the war accounts for 91% of all awards with the title of Hero in the entire history of the award. A total of 11,657 people received the medal during the war years, over 3,000 of them posthumously. Over 100 of them were awarded this title twice, and Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin - three times.
44 people from the armies allied to us, including 4 French pilots, also became heroes. Particularly distinguished 167 twice Red Banner rifle division. In its ranks, there were the most awarded the honorary title of hero - 108 people.
Astronaut heroes.