When war is raging everywhere, it is very difficult to direct the thoughts and forces of people in the right direction. Devastation, suffering, death - all this creates a strong effect of demotivation. However, there is a certain type of people who are aware of the gravity of the situation, but do not give up. They are worthy of the highest awards, because as a result of their decisive actions, the lives of many people were saved. This fact was adopted by the government of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. It was noted that people fight much more desperately and tougher when they know about outside support. Thus, in addition to the notorious Stalinist order “Not a step back”, a large number of all kinds of awards were issued in the period from 1941 to 1945. The purpose of their creation was nothing more than the motivation of senior officers and soldiers in general. Of the entire array of such "encouragements", the Kutuzov Order, developed in 1943, stands out in particular.
The history of the creation of the Order of Kutuzov
In the early stages of the war, the Soviet side suffered heavy losses. Therefore, on all fronts, a large-scale retreat of the Red Army to the rear was carried out, but this process was accompanied by constant skirmishes with the enemy. There are also cases when the fighters were surrounded, but did not eventhought to give up. A striking example is the famous defense of the Brest Fortress.
Even with the numerical superiority of the enemy forces and the complete encirclement, our soldiers did not abandon their positions. Naturally, such actions of the soldiers of the Red Army could not but inspire the highest ranks of the government. In order to motivate all other soldiers to such decisive action, it was decided to establish a special order. In the Statute of the award, its "defensive" essence is clearly traced. In other words, people were awarded not for the offensive, but for competent and courageous actions in defense. Some specialists in the field of the history of the Great Patriotic War see a slight similarity between the Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov, but there are very few real facts that would give rise to such a statement. Even the Statutes of these awards present completely different requirements and principles.
The Order of Kutuzov is interesting primarily because its degrees were established at different times. It is also necessary to note the date of establishment - July 29, 1942, the day after the signing of decree No. 227 ("Not a step back"). Given all the above facts, we can conclude: the people who were awarded the Order of Kutuzov had merit in the process of retreat or encirclement. Clarity regarding the criteria according to which nominations are made is provided by the Statute of the order.
Statute of the Order of Kutuzov
The statute refers to a certain set of criteria according to which the commanders were presented for the award. All awardedOrder of Kutuzov had to carry out a certain action of a defensive nature. The degree depended on the rank that the person presented for the award had. There are only three degrees of the order, namely: I, II, III.
Degrees of the Order
1. Order of Kutuzov, 1st class
The award was awarded to the highest army ranks: army commanders, chiefs of staff, etc. There was a list of conditions according to which a person could be given the Order of Kutuzov, I degree:
- For the developed operation, as a result of which victory over the enemy was achieved.
- For an excellent retreat plan that carried out massive counterattacks.
- For organizing the struggle of formations with superior enemy forces.
2. Order of Kutuzov II degree
The Order of Kutuzov II degree was awarded to the chiefs and commanders of headquarters, brigades and divisions for the following merits:
- Stubborn and courageous opposition to the advancing superior forces.
- Competent management of troops in a difficult battle.
- Ability to fight in the environment.
3. Order of Kutuzov III degree
The award was given to commanders of companies, regiments and battalions:
- For capturing a large node of enemy resistance, subject to minimal losses of our own personnel.
- For the competent pursuit of the enemy, coupled with the process of destroying his forces.
- For defeating the rear of the enemy.
Chevaliers of the Order of Kutuzov
So, who was awardedsuch a high rank? The first 17 officers awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class: Army Commander of the Transcaucasian Front, General Tyulenev; Colonel General Purkaev; lieutenant generals Zakharov and Malinin; army commanders lieutenant generals and major generals Zhadov, Zhuravlev, Dukhanov, Galanin, Galitsky, Romanenko, Fedyuninsky, Romanovsky, Kharitonov, Trufanov, Khomenko, Gromadin, Koroteev.
Some commanders managed to get the order two or even three times. For example, Marshal Sokolovsky, Colonel General Koroteev, Colonel General Nikitin, Shtykov, Major General Vladimirsky were awarded three orders.
It is worth noting that the Order of Kutuzov - the highest ranking award of the USSR - was awarded not only to Soviet officers. To date, more than a hundred foreign military personnel are known to be holders of the Order.
Appearance
The material of manufacture depended on the degree of the order. The first was made of gold, the second and third - of silver. The Order of Kutuzov I degree was completely gold, made in the form of a five-pointed star with many small rays. In the middle was a circle enamelled in white. Inside it, one could see the image of Kutuzov against the backdrop of the Kremlin. The rim of the picture was made in the form of a golden laurel-oak wreath. The image of the commander is surrounded by a white enameled line with the inscription: "Mikhail Kutuzov".
Order of Kutuzov today
In the Russian Federation, the order was nevercanceled. But until 2010, he did not have a Statute. The union was canceled, but they didn’t come up with a new one. Everything changed on September 7, 2010, when the Decree of the Head of State "On measures to improve the award system" was issued. It detailed all the orders and the criteria for their award.
So, the article examined the history of the establishment of the insignia, and also presented people who were awarded the Order of Kutuzov. It is relevant today.
