Order of Glory



The Order of Glory (Орден Славы) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to junior lieutenants of the air force, for bravery in the face of the enemy. It became defunct with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1992, the Cross of St. George was revived to serve the same purpose of rewarding bravery in NCO's and enlisted service personnel.

Award statute
The original statute from the 1943 decree establishing the Order stated that: "the Order of Glory is awarded to privates and sergeants of the Red Army, and to aviation second-lieutenants, who displayed glorious feats of bravery, courage and fearlessness in the battle for the Soviet Motherland. "

The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 7, 1951 amended the ranks to read: "privates, corporals and sergeants" in lieu of "Sergeant" and "junior lieutenant" in lieu of "second lieutenant" for aviators.

The Order of Glory, which was modelled closely after the Tsarist Cross of St. George was divided into three classes. A person initially received the award third class, and would subsequently be promoted to higher classes for further acts of bravery; one who received all three classes was called a "Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory" ("полный кавалер ордена Славы"). Approximately 2600 individuals, including four women, attained the Full Cavalier status.

The Order of Glory was worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other medals of the USSR, immediately after the Order of the Badge of Honor. If worn in the presence of awards of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.

Award criteria
Below are the specific award criteria for both ground troops and aviators.

For ground troops

 * For leading the initial strike into an enemy position, and personal courage that contributed to the success of the common cause;
 * For pressing on an attack in a burning tank;
 * For saving the banner from capture by the enemy in a moment of grave danger;
 * For displayed marksmanship in the killing of from 10 to 50 enemy soldiers and officers using personal weapons;
 * For the destruction of at least 2 enemy tanks while manning an anti tank gun;
 * For the destruction of between 1 and 3 enemy tanks with hand grenades on the field of battle or behind enemy lines;
 * For the destruction of at least 3 enemy aircraft with artillery or machine gun fire;
 * For despising danger by being the first to burst into an enemy bunker (bunker, trench or dugout), for decisive actions that destroyed its occupants;
 * For leading our troops in the enemy's rear through weaknesses in his defences found as a result of personal reconnaissance;
 * For personally capturing an enemy officer;
 * For night watch action resulting in an enemy death or capture;
 * For displayed ingenuity and boldness in making ones way to the enemy position and destroying his machine gun or mortar;
 * For participation in a night raid, destroying enemy military stores and property;
 * For risking ones life while saving ones commander from imminent danger in battle;
 * For showing neglect for personal danger in the capture of an enemy banner in battle;
 * For being seriously wounded but returning to the battle after minimal medical care;
 * For downing an enemy aircraft with personal weapons;
 * For destroying enemy weapons and positions with accurate artillery or mortar fire ensuring the success of the mission;
 * For making a passage through the enemy's barbed-wire entanglements while under fire;
 * For selflessness in the rescue of the wounded during battle;
 * For carrying on in a mission in a tank with a defective main gun;
 * For quickly smashing a tank into an enemy convoy and carrying on with the mission after its destruction;
 * For crushing with ones tank one or more enemy guns or destroying at least two machine gun nests;
 * For gathering valuable intelligence from the enemy while on reconnaissance;

For aviators

 * Fighter pilot - For downing between 2 and 4 enemy fighters or 3 to 6 enemy bombers;
 * Fighter pilot - For a successful air attack that resulted in between 2 to 5 destroyed enemy tanks, or from 3 to 6 locomotives, or the destruction of an entire train, or the destruction of at least 2 enemy aircraft on their airfield;
 * Fighter pilot - For bold actions in an air battle resulting in the destruction of one or two enemy aircraft;
 * Day bomber crews - For the destruction of a railway station or marshalling yard, a bridge, ammunition dump, fuel stores, enemy headquarters or troop compound, power station, sunk enemy vessel, naval transport, launch, at least 2 enemy aircraft on their airfield;
 * Day bomber crews - Bold action in aerial combat resulting 1 or 2 enemy planes shot down;
 * Night light bomber crews - For the destruction of an ammunition dump, fuel stores, enemy headquarters, an entire train, a bridge;
 * Long-range night bomber crews - For the destruction of a railway station or marshalling yard, ammunition dump, fuel stores, port facilities, naval transports, an entire train, an important plant or factory;
 * Reconnaissance - For a highly successful reconnaissance mission which resulted in valuable intelligence about the enemy.

Award description
The badge of the "Order of Glory" was a five-pointed star with a central medallion: a golden star with a golden central medallion for the award 1st class, a silver star with a gilt central medallion for the award 2nd class, and a silver star with a silver central medallion for the award 3rd class. The central medallion featured the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, with a red enamelled five-pointed star at its top and a red enamelled scroll at the bottom bearing the word "GLORY" (СЛАВА). Laurel branches on each side along the medal circumference stopped just short of the red star. The reverse had the Cyrillic inscription for "USSR" (СССР) within a ring with a raised rim. The award serial number was etched above the ring on the reverse of the upper arm of the star.

The Order is suspended by a ring through the award's suspension loop to a standard Russian pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide silk moiré ribbon of St George.

Recipients (partial list)
The individuals below were recipients of the Order of Glory.

Full Cavaliers (all 3 classes)

 * Sergeant Major Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov
 * Guards Sergeant Alexander Stepanovich Yakovlev
 * Junior Sergeant Nicholai Evgen'evich Litvinenko
 * Sergeant Nikolay Belov
 * Sergeant Pavel Fedorovich Andreev
 * Gunner Semen Efimovich Matuschenko
 * Gunner Vladimir Andreevich Afanasyev
 * Junior Sergeant Aleksandr Mikhailovich Volkov
 * Sergeant Suleyman oglu Alesker El'darov
 * Junior Sergeant Alexander Antonovich Matveev
 * Junior Sergeant Varazdat Makarovich Kulikyan
 * Guards Junior Sergeant Yuldash Ergashev
 * Junior Lieutenant Vladimir Izrailevich Peller
 * Lieutenant Fatikh Yunusovich Dineev
 * Sergeant Major Peter Georgievich Makarov

Recipients of the Order 2nd and 3rd classes

 * Evgeniy Vasilievich Chuikov
 * Senior Sergeant Roza Georgiyevna Shanina
 * Junior Sergeant Vasily Fedotovich Yakovets
 * Lieutenant Gennady Ivanovich Barykov
 * Sergeant Alexander Varfolomeyevich Isakov
 * Guards Sergeant Major Alexei Makarovich Smirnov
 * Warrant Officer Ul'yam Aleksandrovich Rybak
 * Junior Sergeant Leonid Georgievich Babushkin
 * Guards Senior Sergeant George Ivanovich Guslyakov
 * Senior Sergeant Igor (Israel) Shapiro



Recipients of the Order 3rd class

 * Intelligence officer Mikhail Vladimirovich Mikhalkov
 * Mikhail Isaievich Tanich
 * Oleksandr Terentiyovych Honchar
 * Heinrich Schultz
 * Vladimir Aleksandrovich Teplyakov
 * Sergei Ivanovich Osipov
 * Ivan Mikhailovich Varichev
 * Yusif Haydar oglu Mammadaliyev
 * Anti-tank gun commander Genri Nikolaevich Koptev-Gomolov
 * Vladimir Vasilevich Tsibirkin
 * Vasilii Alekseevich Alisov