The St. George Ribbon, on which a cross with the image of a saint was attached in the 19th - early 20th century, has symbolized the victory of our country in the Great Patriotic War for many decades. She is also the link between the heroes of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
Full Knights of St. George in our country enjoyed universal honor even in the twenties and forties, when they wanted to erase everything that was before the October Revolution from the people's memory. Among them there are those who later became the Hero of the Soviet Union, including more than once.
Backstory
The Order of St. George appeared in the list of awards of the Russian Empire in 1769. He had 4 degrees of distinction and was intended for officers. Full Knights of the Order of St. George became only 4 people:
- M. I. Kutuzov.
- M. B. Barclay de Tolly.
- I. F. Paskevich-Erivansky.
- I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky.
Institution
Currently unknown whohe was the initiator of the establishment of the Insignia of the Military Order or, as it was more commonly called, the St. George Cross. According to the surviving documents, in 1807 a note was filed in the name of Alexander the First proposing to establish a soldier's award. It was to become "a special branch of the Order of St. George." The idea was approved, and already at the beginning of February 1807, a corresponding manifesto was issued.
There are many known cases of confusion related to the fact that the order is confused with the soldier's "Egoriy". For example, if it is claimed that Colonel Zorya Lev Ivanovich, who graduated from the cadet school in 1881, is a full Knight of St. George, then one can immediately object that this is a mistake. After all, among the officers there was no one who was awarded such a cross again, and the last one who had an order of all 4 degrees was I. I. Dibich-Zabaikalsky - died in 1831.
Description
The award is a cross, the blades of which expanded towards the end. In its center is a round medallion. The obverse depicted St. George with a spear, striking a snake. On the reverse of the medallion there are letters C and G, connected in the form of a monogram.
The cross was worn on everything today by the well-known "smoke and flame" ribbon (black and orange).
Since 1856, the award began to have 4 degrees. The first and second were made of gold, and the other two were made of silver. The reverse indicated the degree of the award and its serial number.
There were also special "Muslim" insignia of the Military Order. Instead of a Christian saint, they woredepicted the Russian coat of arms. Interestingly, when people from the North Caucasus were awarded with "Egoriy", they demanded to give them the option "with a horseman", instead of the prescribed one.
In 1915, due to the difficulties caused by the war, crosses of the 1st and 2nd degrees began to be made from an alloy that consisted of 60% gold, 39.5% silver and half a percent copper. At the same time, the signs of the 3rd and 4th degrees were not changed.
Awarded
The first St. George Cross in the summer of 1807 was given to non-commissioned officer E. I. Mitrokhin. He was decorated for bravery in the battle against the French near Friedland.
There are known cases of awarding and civilians. So, in 1810, the St. George Cross was awarded to the tradesman M. A. Gerasimov. Together with his comrades, this brave man arrested the British military who captured the Russian merchant ship, and was able to bring the ship to the port of Varde. There, the prisoners were interned, and the merchants were helped. In addition, for heroism in the Patriotic War of 1812, commanders of partisan detachments from among civilians of the lower class received St. George's crosses without numbers.
Among other interesting facts related to the awarding of the St. George Cross, we can note its presentation to the famous General Miloradovich. In the battle near Leipzig, in front of Alexander the First, this brave commander got into line with the soldiers and led them into a bayonet attack, for which he received “Egoria” from the hands of the emperor, which did not rely on his status.
Full Cavaliers
The four-degree cross lasted 57 years. Over the years, in fullKnights of St. George (list) got about 2000 people. In addition, about 7,000 crosses of the second, third and fourth degrees were awarded, 3rd and 4th - about 25,000, and 4th degree - 205,336.
At the time of the October Revolution, several hundred full St. George Knights lived in Russia. Many of them joined the Red Army and rose to the highest military ranks of the USSR. Of these, 7 also became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them:
- Ageev G. I. (posthumously).
- Budyonny S. M.
- Trump M. E.
- Lazarenko I. S.
- Meshchryakov M. M.
- Nedorubov K. I.
- Tyulenev I. V.
S. M. Budyonny
The name of this legendary person thundered in parts of the Russian cavalry during the First World War, and even earlier - the Russian-Japanese. For courage on the Austrian, German and Caucasian fronts, Semyon Mikhailovich was awarded crosses and medals of all 4 degrees.
His first award was received for the capture of a German convoy and the 8 soldiers accompanying it. However, Budyonny was deprived of her because he hit an officer. This did not prevent him from getting on the list of "Full St. George Cavaliers", since on the Turkish front Semyon Budyonny earned 3 St. George's crosses during the battles for Van and Mendelid, and the last (first degree) - for capturing 7 enemy soldiers. Thus, he became the person who received 5 awards.
During the Civil War, he initiated the creation of the First Cavalry Army, and in 1935 he and four other commanders of the USSR were awarded the rank of Marshal.
During the Second World War, Semyon Budyonny did not havethe opportunity to show his abilities, as he was removed from command of the South-Western direction of the front because of a telegram in which he honestly described the danger that threatened those who were in the so-called Kiev bag.
In the post-war years, the commander was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times.
Kuzma Petrovich Trubnikov
This legendary person was a participant in three wars. For the exploits committed between 1914 and 1917, he received many awards. In particular, the list of "Full Cavaliers of St. George" also contains his last name. He showed himself no less heroically during the Second World War, organizing the defense of Tula, commanding troops during the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the units entrusted to him during the liberation of Yelnya, etc. At the Victory Parade, Trubnikov, who at that time had already been awarded the rank of colonel general, led a box of a consolidated regiment of the 2nd Belorussian Front. For his long service, the military leader was awarded 38 orders and medals of Tsarist Russia, the USSR and a number of other countries.
Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev
The future Hero of the Soviet Union was born in the family of a participant in the Russian-Turkish war. He was drafted into the army at the beginning of the First World War and ended up in a regiment, where K. K. Rokossovsky also served at that time. Starting the war as a simple soldier, Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev rose to the rank of ensign. For the heroism shown in the battles on the territory of Poland, he was awarded the George Cross four times. In the very first days of the Second World War, Tyulenev was appointed commander of the Southern Front, but inIn August he was seriously wounded, and after the hospital he was sent to the Urals to form 20 divisions. In 1942, the commander was sent to the Caucasus. At his request, the defense of the Main Range was strengthened, which in the future made it possible to stop the Nazi offensive, with the aim of capturing oil fields in the Caspian Sea region.
In 1978, for his merits in defending the Motherland and increasing the country's defense capability, I. V. Tyulenev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and he became one of the seven outstanding military men who were awarded the highest award of the USSR, having the title of Full Georgievsky World War I cavalier.”
R. Ya. Malinovsky
The future Marshal of the USSR, at the age of 11, ran away from home due to his mother's marriage and worked as a laborer until he got into the army, attributing two years to himself. The deception was revealed, but the teenager was able to persuade the command to leave him to bring ammunition to the machine gunners. In 1915, the 17-year-old soldier received his first Egoriy. Then he was sent to France as part of the Expeditionary Force, where he was twice awarded by the government of the Third Republic. In 1919, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky enrolled in the Foreign Legion, and for bravery on the German front he became a holder of the French Military Cross. In addition, by order of Kolchak's General D. Shcherbachev, he was awarded the St. George Cross of the third degree.
In 1919, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky returned to his homeland and became one of the active participants in the Civil War, and in the late 30s he was sent as a military adviser to Spain.
Invaluable and meritsthis commander during the Great Patriotic War. In particular, the troops under his command liberated Odessa, played an important role in the Battle of Stalingrad, expelled the Nazis from Budapest and took Vienna.
After the end of the war in Europe, Malinovsky was sent to the Far East, where the actions of the Trans-Baikal Front led by him finally defeated the Japanese group. For the successful implementation of this operation, Rodion Yakovlevich received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The second Golden Star was awarded to him in 1958.
Other Soviet generals awarded the St. George Cross for bravery
Before the revolution, other soldiers of the imperial army, who were destined to become famous generals of the USSR, were also awarded with the soldier's "Egoriy" before the revolution. Among them are Georgy Zhukov, Sidor Kovpak and Konstantin Rokossovsky who were awarded two crosses. In addition, the famous hero of the Civil War V. Chapaev had three such awards.
Now you know the details of the biographies of some prominent military men who can be classified as "Full Knights of St. George". The list of their exploits is amazing, and they themselves deserve the respect and gratitude of their descendants, who are not indifferent to the fate of their native country.
