The establishment of the Order of the Red Star took place in 1930, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. The purpose of the award is purely military; only those who distinguished themselves in the performance of important combat missions should be awarded it. The shape of the correct pentagram, the emblem of the armed forces of the first proletarian state, and the color corresponding to the flag of the USSR, in themselves set the target orientation of this sign.
B. K. Blucher - the first holder of the Order of the Red Star. Hero of the Civil War, who later became a marshal. He received the award not for past merits, but for very specific actions to protect the CER, which was attacked by the Chaikanshists. The order, like the exploits of past years, did not become a defense against repressions of the late 30s. Blucher was shot.
Silver and enamel have become the materials from which the order is made. In the center is a composition consisting of a figure of a Red Army soldier with a bayonet at the ready, framed in a round shape with the motto "Proletarians of all countries, unite!", the inscription of the USSR and the hammer and sickle emblem. The number of the Order of the Red Star is applied on the back, below the round nut,through which it is attached. They were awarded not only to individual heroes, but also to military units, ships and teams.
The pre-war fate of the Order of the Red Star in general terms corresponds to its purpose. The conflict on Lake Khasan, Khalkhin Gol, the successes of the Soviet aircraft designers Ilyushin and Tupolev, long-range record flights, the weapons developments of Degtyarev, Tokarev - all that the country was proud of, and that to one degree or another was connected with its defense, he noted. In 1930-1941, 21,500 people were awarded the Stars.
In 1942, a practice developed that became an unwritten rule, according to which the Order of the Red Star was awarded in cases of heroism associated with mortal risk. Decorated soldiers and officers wore it on their chest next to the badge for a severe wound. In conditions of mass heroism, the mint, which produced government awards, worked at full capacity, more than 2.8 million copies were produced.
Many holders of the Order of the Red Star found out about their award years and even decades after the victory, the presentation could be lost, such cases were not uncommon. Both in the sixties and in the seventies, articles were published in the central newspapers with catchy headlines “The award has found a hero!” The Red Star was the most massive order during the years of the battle against Nazism.
Peacetime was not calm for everyone, there were enough cases to accomplish a feat. In the early 1960s, a doctorcaught in a plane crash, assisted injured passengers, although he himself suffered from injuries received when the plane crashed. The sappers cleared the terrible fields - the legacy of the war. Then there was Afghanistan. The tasks performed by our soldiers in this country were no easier than those that fell to the lot of their grandfathers.
After the demise of the USSR, the motto of the Order of the Red Star has lost its relevance, the proletarians no longer unite. His place was taken by other awards, but the glory of the heroes who shed blood for their homeland will never be forgotten.
