The Order of Glory was established in November 1943, in one of the most glorious periods of the Great Patriotic War, when it became clear that the offensive initiative was finally assigned to the Red Army.
Behind were hundreds of battles and clashes, as a result of which the Soviet people managed to contain the German blitzkrieg and force yesterday's invaders to retreat to the western borders of the country. Of course, the Order of Glory was not the only significant state award associated with military merit. However, the idea of this particular regalia was that it was to be awarded to enlisted and junior officers for heroic deeds performed directly on the battlefields. Initially, it was supposed to be called the Order of Bagration, but in the end the award received exactly the name that exists today.
Insignia positions
In fact, the Order of Glory was an award to the lower ranks of the army, those who directly went on the attack and risked their lives, repelling the attacks of the enemy. He was, as he was later called by the people, a soldier's order. The Order of Glory was awarded to soldiers for the following merits:
- Destruction of several enemy tanks.
- Destruction orcausing serious damage to enemy equipment and manpower.
- Capture enemy trenches and fortifications among the first fighters, with the destruction or capture of enemy soldiers.
- Capturing an enemy officer.
- Implementation of a successful reconnaissance operation, during which valuable information was obtained about the activities and location of enemy units and units.
- Saving the banner of our own combat unit in a moment of danger.
The above merits are only a part of the heroic deeds for which the fighters were awarded this distinction. Cavaliers of the Order of Glory received the right to an extraordinary promotion in rank - from foreman to lieutenant.
Appearance of the award
Regalia is a slightly convex five-pointed star. On its front side there is a round medallion depicting the Spasskaya Tower and the Kremlin, framed by a laurel wreath around the circumference. At the bottom of the medallion, again, the inscription “Glory” is made around the circumference. There are three degrees of the order. The difference between these products lies in the material of manufacture. So, the Order of Glory of the 3rd degree is made of silver. In the order of the 2nd degree, the central medallion is gilded, and
1st class item cast in pure gold.
History of the award
The first heroes assigned to the regalia appeared already in November 1943. I would like to note that today it is not known exactly who exactly became the first owner of the order in question, sincevarious wartime documents somewhat contradict each other on this point. Over the entire period of its existence, more than one million people have been assigned to the insignia. Of these, full gentlemen - more than 2,500 heroes. Interestingly, unlike many other orders and medals that could be awarded collectively to military units and units, the Order of Glory was awarded to soldiers only for their personal courage and services to the Fatherland.
