Military orders and medals of the Soviet Union. Gold Star Medal
The medal, dubbed the "Golden Star", was established according to the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 1 of the year 1939. The medal was supposed to be a distinction for those who were presented to the highest degree of distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Initially, the medal was planned to be called “Hero of the Soviet Union”, but by October 16 the name was changed to the one that later became customary for all of us. Then, on October 16, the description and drawing of the award was finally approved. From the point of view of faleristics, this award is very valuable. This is not due to a small number of awards (just over 12 thousands for the whole history) and not with the fact that it is made of pure gold. The Gold Star Medal is primarily a historical value, which preserves a part of our common heritage, the heroic deeds of people who have dedicated their lives to the prosperity of a great and powerful country, and often have lost their lives.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union (GSS), like a medal, was awarded for life, but the Supreme Council reserved the right to deprive the hero of this rank. The title of the GSS was the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was conferred for personal and collective merit to the country and society, which were associated with the accomplishment of a heroic act. In addition to the distinctive sign - the Gold Star medal - the Hero of the Soviet Union was also awarded the highest award - the Order of Lenin and a special diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
The author of the sketch of the medal was the artist I.I. Dubasov. The medal was a five-pointed star, which had smooth dihedral rays located on the front side. The distance from the center of the star to the vertices of the beam was 15 mm. The distance between the opposite ends of the star was 30 mm. The flip side of the award was smooth and was limited along the contour by a small protruding rim. In the center on the back was inscribed in convex letters “Hero of the USSR” (letters 4 on 2 mm), in the upper beam there was a serial number of the issued medal, the height of the number was 1 mm.
With the aid of the ring and the ear, the reward was attached to a metal gilded shoe. The award block had a rectangular shape with a width of 19,5 mm and a height of 15 mm, in its upper and lower parts there was a frame. The inside of the pad was covered with moire tape 20 mm wide, the color of the tape was red. On the back side of the pad there was a pin with a nut, which was intended for fastening the medal to the uniform and other clothes. The Gold Star Medal was made from pure gold 950 samples. The medal block was made of silver. The total weight of the medal for September 1975 was 34,264 ± 1,5 g. The gold content in the award is 20,521 ± 0,903 g, the silver content is 12,186 ± 0,927 g.
For the first time in the USSR, the title GSS was awarded 20 on April 1934. Soviet aviators M.V. Vodopyanov, I.V. Doronin, N.P. Kamanin, S.A. Levanovsky, A.V. Lyapidevsky, V.S. Molokov, and M. T. Slepnev were awarded for saving the polar expedition and crew of the Soviet icebreaker "Chelyuskin". After the Gold Star medal appeared in 1939, the medal No.1 went to pilot Lyapidevsky. The first assignment of the GSS title for the accomplishment of military exploits took place on December 31 1936. The heroes of the country were 11 Soviet commanders who were participants in the civil war that began in Spain. All 11 people were pilots, while three of them were foreigners by origin: German Ernst Schacht, Italian Primo Dzibelli (posthumously) and Bulgarian Zakhari Zakhariyev.
Among the 11 awarded heroes of the war in Spain was lieutenant of the 61 th Fighter Squadron S. A. Chernykh. In Spain, he became the first Russian pilot who managed to shoot down the latest German fighter Bf 109B Messerschmitt. On June 22, Black was commanded by the 9 th mixed aircraft division, which on the first day of the war suffered huge losses in technology. 409 aircraft 22 aircraft were destroyed from 347 June aircraft divisions. Subsequently, S. A. Chernykh was accused of criminal inaction and already 27 June 1941, was shot.
In total, during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939 years), 59 was awarded the title of the GSS by Soviet military personnel. One of the heroes of the hostilities was D. G. Pavlov, who made a brilliant military career — became a general of the army, was appointed commander of the Western (Belarussian) special military district. His career was crossed out by the Great Patriotic War, the general was responsible for the defeat of parts of the district in June 1941, Pavlov was shot by order of Stalin. These facts indicate that the presence of the highest degree of difference before the country was not some kind of “talisman”.
In 1939-1940, the Gold Star Medal was awarded more than 600 times. It was received by Soviet soldiers who fought on the side of the Republicans in Spain, took part in the defeat of the Japanese aggressors in the area of Lake Hassan and near the Khalkhin-Gol river, and were able to distinguish themselves during the armed conflict between the USSR and Finland in the bloody battles on the Karelian Isthmus.
The first mass assignment of the Hero of the Soviet Union titles took place on October 25 1938. On this day, it was received by 26 military personnel who were participants in the defeat of Japanese troops in the area of Lake Hassan. It was the first time that not only commanders became heroes, but also ordinary ordinary Red Army men (4 man). 2 November 1938, the title was first awarded to the fair sex. Pilot Osipenko P. D., Grizodubova V. S. and Raskova M. M. received the title of the GSS. All of them were participants of the non-stop flight Moscow-Far East with a length of 5908 km. During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, 412 people were presented for the award, among them was the first rank commander G. M. Kulik, who after 2 of the year was deprived of this high rank because of the failures of the Red Army in Crimea.
It should be noted that at the end of 1940, the next GSS appeared, which can hardly be called ordinary. We are talking about the Spaniard Ramon Mercader, who received a high award for the murder in Mexico of Leon Trotsky, who at that time was called the “worst enemy of communism”. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Mercader was conferred on the basis of a secret Decree, where he appeared under an alien name, since after the murder of Trotsky he was in a Mexican prison. Only after 20 years, after he was released, he was awarded his Gold Star medal. It was Ramon Mercader who became the last GSS in the pre-war period.
In total, before the start of the Great Patriotic War, 626 people were able to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, among them 3 women. During the war years, 11635 people were awarded such a high award, or 92% of the total number of people awarded during the entire existence of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War, the 3 incident occurred when the entire personnel of the unit was introduced to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union.
This happened for the first time on July 21, 1942, when all the fighters from the special fighter unit tanks 1075th Regiment of the 316th Rifle Division, commanded by the famous General Panfilov, became Heroes of the Soviet Union. During the Germans attack on Moscow in November 1941, 28 soldiers, led by political instructor Klochkov, at the cost of their lives were able to detain the advanced tank units of the Germans, which advanced along the Volokolamsk highway and reached the Dubosekovo junction. All the heroes were given the title posthumously, but later it was possible to establish that 5 soldiers remained alive and were able to get their medals.
On May 18, the title Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to all the rifle platoon of Lieutenant P. N. Shironin from the 1943 Guards Regiment of the 78 Guards Rifle Division. From 25 in March 2, this platoon, which was reinforced by one 1943-mm gun, defended the railway crossing near the village of Taranovka, located south of Kharkov. In fact, they repeated the feat of the Panfilovs near Moscow, holding the junction for 45 days. During the assault, the Germans lost 5 units of armored vehicles and about 11 soldiers. When other Soviet units came to the rescue of the platoon, only 100 people survived, including the seriously wounded commander. The title of the GSS and the "Golden Star" were awarded to all 6 unit fighters.
The last in the history of the Second World War the assignment of the GSS title to the entire composition of the unit took place on April 2 of the year 1945. 28 March 1944 of the year during the liberation of the city of Nikolaev in Ukraine, the heroic feat was accomplished by the 67 fighters of the landing party (12 soldiers and 55 sailors) commanded by senior lieutenant K. F. Olshansky. The landing force was landed in the port of Nikolaev, its goal was to facilitate the assault of the city by Soviet troops. Against the paratroopers, the Germans abandoned the infantry battalion 3 with the support of artillery and 4 tanks. The paratroopers managed to hold out until the main forces approached, destroying the 2 tank, the 4 guns and hundreds of Nazis, but only the 12 paratroopers survived. In addition to the paratroopers themselves, the local guide, who also received his award, but with a delay of 20 years, also fought in the squad.
In all, during the years of World War II, 11144 people were awarded this medal, 12776 people received the Golden Star in the entire history of awards, 22 people were among them, who were presented to the 1950-1953 Korean War award for feats of arms, and 86 people - participants of the war in Afghanistan 1979-1989.
Twice the gentlemen of the Gold Star medal became the 154 man, of whom 115 distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War. In the post-war period, the GSS became mainly astronauts twice. The pilots A.I. Pokryshkin, I.N. Kozhedub, as well as the Soviet marshal S.M. Budyonny were presented three times to the highest government award. Four times the Gold Star was presented to Marshal G. K. Zhukov and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU L. I. Brezhnev. Also, this government award was awarded to the hero-cities of Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Stalingrad, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, Novorossiysk, Tula, Murmansk, Smolensk, as well as the hero-fortress Brest.
Information sources:
http://ordenrf.ru/su/medali-su/medal-zolotaya-zvezda.php
http://milday.ru/ussr/ussr-uniform-award/453-medal-zolotaya-zvezda-geroya-sovetskogo-soyuza.html
http://medalww.ru/nagrady-sssr/vysshie-stepeni-otlichiya-sssr/zvanie-geroya-sovetskogo-soyuza-i-medal-zolotaya-zvezda
http://www.rusorden.ru/?nr=su&nt=s1
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union (GSS), like a medal, was awarded for life, but the Supreme Council reserved the right to deprive the hero of this rank. The title of the GSS was the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was conferred for personal and collective merit to the country and society, which were associated with the accomplishment of a heroic act. In addition to the distinctive sign - the Gold Star medal - the Hero of the Soviet Union was also awarded the highest award - the Order of Lenin and a special diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
The author of the sketch of the medal was the artist I.I. Dubasov. The medal was a five-pointed star, which had smooth dihedral rays located on the front side. The distance from the center of the star to the vertices of the beam was 15 mm. The distance between the opposite ends of the star was 30 mm. The flip side of the award was smooth and was limited along the contour by a small protruding rim. In the center on the back was inscribed in convex letters “Hero of the USSR” (letters 4 on 2 mm), in the upper beam there was a serial number of the issued medal, the height of the number was 1 mm.
With the aid of the ring and the ear, the reward was attached to a metal gilded shoe. The award block had a rectangular shape with a width of 19,5 mm and a height of 15 mm, in its upper and lower parts there was a frame. The inside of the pad was covered with moire tape 20 mm wide, the color of the tape was red. On the back side of the pad there was a pin with a nut, which was intended for fastening the medal to the uniform and other clothes. The Gold Star Medal was made from pure gold 950 samples. The medal block was made of silver. The total weight of the medal for September 1975 was 34,264 ± 1,5 g. The gold content in the award is 20,521 ± 0,903 g, the silver content is 12,186 ± 0,927 g.
For the first time in the USSR, the title GSS was awarded 20 on April 1934. Soviet aviators M.V. Vodopyanov, I.V. Doronin, N.P. Kamanin, S.A. Levanovsky, A.V. Lyapidevsky, V.S. Molokov, and M. T. Slepnev were awarded for saving the polar expedition and crew of the Soviet icebreaker "Chelyuskin". After the Gold Star medal appeared in 1939, the medal No.1 went to pilot Lyapidevsky. The first assignment of the GSS title for the accomplishment of military exploits took place on December 31 1936. The heroes of the country were 11 Soviet commanders who were participants in the civil war that began in Spain. All 11 people were pilots, while three of them were foreigners by origin: German Ernst Schacht, Italian Primo Dzibelli (posthumously) and Bulgarian Zakhari Zakhariyev.
Among the 11 awarded heroes of the war in Spain was lieutenant of the 61 th Fighter Squadron S. A. Chernykh. In Spain, he became the first Russian pilot who managed to shoot down the latest German fighter Bf 109B Messerschmitt. On June 22, Black was commanded by the 9 th mixed aircraft division, which on the first day of the war suffered huge losses in technology. 409 aircraft 22 aircraft were destroyed from 347 June aircraft divisions. Subsequently, S. A. Chernykh was accused of criminal inaction and already 27 June 1941, was shot.
In total, during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939 years), 59 was awarded the title of the GSS by Soviet military personnel. One of the heroes of the hostilities was D. G. Pavlov, who made a brilliant military career — became a general of the army, was appointed commander of the Western (Belarussian) special military district. His career was crossed out by the Great Patriotic War, the general was responsible for the defeat of parts of the district in June 1941, Pavlov was shot by order of Stalin. These facts indicate that the presence of the highest degree of difference before the country was not some kind of “talisman”.
In 1939-1940, the Gold Star Medal was awarded more than 600 times. It was received by Soviet soldiers who fought on the side of the Republicans in Spain, took part in the defeat of the Japanese aggressors in the area of Lake Hassan and near the Khalkhin-Gol river, and were able to distinguish themselves during the armed conflict between the USSR and Finland in the bloody battles on the Karelian Isthmus.
The first mass assignment of the Hero of the Soviet Union titles took place on October 25 1938. On this day, it was received by 26 military personnel who were participants in the defeat of Japanese troops in the area of Lake Hassan. It was the first time that not only commanders became heroes, but also ordinary ordinary Red Army men (4 man). 2 November 1938, the title was first awarded to the fair sex. Pilot Osipenko P. D., Grizodubova V. S. and Raskova M. M. received the title of the GSS. All of them were participants of the non-stop flight Moscow-Far East with a length of 5908 km. During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, 412 people were presented for the award, among them was the first rank commander G. M. Kulik, who after 2 of the year was deprived of this high rank because of the failures of the Red Army in Crimea.
It should be noted that at the end of 1940, the next GSS appeared, which can hardly be called ordinary. We are talking about the Spaniard Ramon Mercader, who received a high award for the murder in Mexico of Leon Trotsky, who at that time was called the “worst enemy of communism”. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Mercader was conferred on the basis of a secret Decree, where he appeared under an alien name, since after the murder of Trotsky he was in a Mexican prison. Only after 20 years, after he was released, he was awarded his Gold Star medal. It was Ramon Mercader who became the last GSS in the pre-war period.
Illustrious Soviet pilot I. N. Kozhedub
In total, before the start of the Great Patriotic War, 626 people were able to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, among them 3 women. During the war years, 11635 people were awarded such a high award, or 92% of the total number of people awarded during the entire existence of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War, the 3 incident occurred when the entire personnel of the unit was introduced to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union.
This happened for the first time on July 21, 1942, when all the fighters from the special fighter unit tanks 1075th Regiment of the 316th Rifle Division, commanded by the famous General Panfilov, became Heroes of the Soviet Union. During the Germans attack on Moscow in November 1941, 28 soldiers, led by political instructor Klochkov, at the cost of their lives were able to detain the advanced tank units of the Germans, which advanced along the Volokolamsk highway and reached the Dubosekovo junction. All the heroes were given the title posthumously, but later it was possible to establish that 5 soldiers remained alive and were able to get their medals.
On May 18, the title Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to all the rifle platoon of Lieutenant P. N. Shironin from the 1943 Guards Regiment of the 78 Guards Rifle Division. From 25 in March 2, this platoon, which was reinforced by one 1943-mm gun, defended the railway crossing near the village of Taranovka, located south of Kharkov. In fact, they repeated the feat of the Panfilovs near Moscow, holding the junction for 45 days. During the assault, the Germans lost 5 units of armored vehicles and about 11 soldiers. When other Soviet units came to the rescue of the platoon, only 100 people survived, including the seriously wounded commander. The title of the GSS and the "Golden Star" were awarded to all 6 unit fighters.
Monument 28 Panfilov heroes
The last in the history of the Second World War the assignment of the GSS title to the entire composition of the unit took place on April 2 of the year 1945. 28 March 1944 of the year during the liberation of the city of Nikolaev in Ukraine, the heroic feat was accomplished by the 67 fighters of the landing party (12 soldiers and 55 sailors) commanded by senior lieutenant K. F. Olshansky. The landing force was landed in the port of Nikolaev, its goal was to facilitate the assault of the city by Soviet troops. Against the paratroopers, the Germans abandoned the infantry battalion 3 with the support of artillery and 4 tanks. The paratroopers managed to hold out until the main forces approached, destroying the 2 tank, the 4 guns and hundreds of Nazis, but only the 12 paratroopers survived. In addition to the paratroopers themselves, the local guide, who also received his award, but with a delay of 20 years, also fought in the squad.
In all, during the years of World War II, 11144 people were awarded this medal, 12776 people received the Golden Star in the entire history of awards, 22 people were among them, who were presented to the 1950-1953 Korean War award for feats of arms, and 86 people - participants of the war in Afghanistan 1979-1989.
Twice the gentlemen of the Gold Star medal became the 154 man, of whom 115 distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War. In the post-war period, the GSS became mainly astronauts twice. The pilots A.I. Pokryshkin, I.N. Kozhedub, as well as the Soviet marshal S.M. Budyonny were presented three times to the highest government award. Four times the Gold Star was presented to Marshal G. K. Zhukov and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU L. I. Brezhnev. Also, this government award was awarded to the hero-cities of Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Stalingrad, Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, Novorossiysk, Tula, Murmansk, Smolensk, as well as the hero-fortress Brest.
Information sources:
http://ordenrf.ru/su/medali-su/medal-zolotaya-zvezda.php
http://milday.ru/ussr/ussr-uniform-award/453-medal-zolotaya-zvezda-geroya-sovetskogo-soyuza.html
http://medalww.ru/nagrady-sssr/vysshie-stepeni-otlichiya-sssr/zvanie-geroya-sovetskogo-soyuza-i-medal-zolotaya-zvezda
http://www.rusorden.ru/?nr=su&nt=s1
Information