The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
military decoration
Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medal ...
. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
by decree of the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee
The All-Russian Central Executive Committee ( rus, Всероссийский Центральный Исполнительный Комитет, Vserossiysky Centralny Ispolnitelny Komitet, VTsIK) was the highest legislative, administrative and r ...
. It was the highest award of
Soviet Russia
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, subsequently the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, until the
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
was established in 1930. Recipients were recognised for extraordinary heroism, dedication, and courage demonstrated on the battlefield. The Order was awarded to individuals as well as to military units, cities, ships, political and social organizations, and state enterprises. In later years, it was also awarded on the twentieth and again on the thirtieth anniversary of military, police, or state security service without requiring participation in combat (the "Long Service Award" variant).
Award history
The Russian Order of the Red Banner was established during the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
by decree of the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee
The All-Russian Central Executive Committee ( rus, Всероссийский Центральный Исполнительный Комитет, Vserossiysky Centralny Ispolnitelny Komitet, VTsIK) was the highest legislative, administrative and r ...
of September 16, 1918.
The first recipient was
Vasily Blyukher
Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher ( rus, Васи́лий Константи́нович Блю́хер, Vasiliy Konstantinovich Blyukher; 1 December 1889 – 9 November 1938) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Earl ...
on September 28, 1918. The second recipient was
Iona Yakir
Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (russian: Ио́на Эммануи́лович Яки́р; 3 August 1896 – 12 June 1937) was a Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II. He was an ear ...
.
During the Civil War, there existed similarly named orders and decorations established by the Soviet communist governments of several other constituent and nonconstituent republics. The August 1, 1924, decree of the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee
The All-Russian Central Executive Committee ( rus, Всероссийский Центральный Исполнительный Комитет, Vserossiysky Centralny Ispolnitelny Komitet, VTsIK) was the highest legislative, administrative and r ...
established the all-Soviet Order of the Red Banner for deserving personnel of the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
.
Other nonmilitary awards also used the phrase "Order of the Red Banner" in their title; for example, the
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...
was presented for acts of great scientific, military (technical or logistic), manufacturing, or agricultural achievement.
![Stamp Soviet Union 1933 438A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Stamp_Soviet_Union_1933_438A.jpg)
From 1918 till the late 1930s there was also a Soviet collective variant – the
Revolutionary Red Banner of Honor
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.
...
. This was in the form of a special military color awarded to distinguished
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
,
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
, and
Soviet Navy units. It was older than the Order of the Red Banner, having been established on August 3, 1918, a month and several weeks before.
Award statute
As a military decoration, the Order of the Red Banner recognised heroism in combat or otherwise extraordinary accomplishments of military valour during combat operations.
Before the establishment of the
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
on April 5, 1930,
the Order of the Red Banner functioned as the highest (and practically the only)
military order Military order may refer to:
Orders
* Military order (religious society), confraternity of knights originally established as religious societies during the medieval Crusades for protection of Christianity and the Catholic Church
Military organi ...
of the USSR. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, under various titles (including the Order of the Red Banner of Military Valour and Order of the Red Banner for Maritime Valour), it was presented to both individuals and military units for acts of extreme military heroism. In some ways, the Order of the Red Banner was more prestigious, as it could only be awarded for bravery during combat operations whereas the Order of Lenin was sometimes awarded to non-military personnel and political leaders. Nearly all well-known Soviet commanders became recipients of the Order of the Red Banner.
When the Order was awarded to whole formations, the prefix "Red Banner" was added to their official designations. Naval vessels also flew a special
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
.
Long service award
The Order of the Red Banner was also used as a "long service award" between 1944 and 1958 to mark twenty and thirty years of service in the military, state security, or police.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 14, 1957,
emphasised the devaluation of certain Soviet high military Orders used as long service awards instead of their originally intended criteria. This led to the joint January 25, 1958, decree of the Ministers of
Defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense industr ...
, of
Internal Affairs, and of the Chairman of the
Committee on State Security of the USSR establishing the
Medal "For Impeccable Service," putting an end to the practice of awarding long service variants of the Order of the Red Banner.
Award description
The Order, made of silver, consisted of a white-enamelled badge, which had a golden
Hammer and Sickle
The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") zh, s=锤子和镰刀, p=Chuízi hé liándāo or zh, s=镰刀锤子, p=Liándāo chuízi, labels=no is a symbol meant to represent proletarian solidarity, a union between agricultural and industri ...
badge surrounded by two golden panicles of
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
on a
Red Star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...
, backed by crossed hammer,
plough
A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...
, torch, and a
red flag bearing the motto ''Proletarians (Workers) of all countries, Unite!''. The whole was surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat; at the bottom were the letters "
SSSR" (russian: СССР).
Additional awards of the Order bore a white enamelled shield with a silver sequence number at the bottom of the
obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...
. A recipient of multiple Orders of the Red Banner would wear a basic badge of the Order with a numeral corresponding to the sequence of the award on a
cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the fea ...
over the wheat at the bottom of the badge.
The early variants of the Order were screw back badges to allow wear on clothing. Later variants (from 1943) hung from a standard Soviet pentagonal mount with a ring through the suspension loop. The mount was covered with an overlapping 24mm wide red silk
moiré ribbon with 1.5mm wide white edge stripes and a 7mm wide white central stripe.
The Order of the Red Banner was worn on the left side of the chest and when in the presence of other Orders and medals of the USSR, was placed immediately after the
Order of the October Revolution
The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...
.
If worn in the presence of Orders or medals of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, the latter have precedence.
Notable recipients (partial list)
Individuals
*
Hendrik Allik
*
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (, uk, Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, ''Klyment Okhrimovyč Vorošylov''), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (russian: link=no, Клим Вороши́лов, ''Klim Vorošilov''; 4 Februa ...
(6 times)
*
Vasily Arkhipov
Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov ( rus, Василий Александрович Архипов, p=vɐˈsʲilʲɪj ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ arˈxʲipəf, 30 January 1926 – 19 August 1998) was a Soviet Naval officer credited with preventing a ...
*
Joseph Beyrle
Joseph R. Beyrle (russian: Джозеф Вильямович Байерли; romanized: ''Dzhozef Vilyamovich Bayyerli''; August 25, 1923 – December 12, 2004) is the only known American soldier to have served in combat with both the United Stat ...
, US Army POW
*
Sergey Semyonovich Biryuzov
*
Vasili Mikhailovich Blokhin (2 times)
*
Vasily Blyukher
Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher ( rus, Васи́лий Константи́нович Блю́хер, Vasiliy Konstantinovich Blyukher; 1 December 1889 – 9 November 1938) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Earl ...
(first recipient, in total 5 times)
*
Gleb Boky
Gleb Ivanovich Bokii ( ukr, Гліб Іванович Бокій; russian: Глеб Иванович Бокий; 21 June 1879 – 15 November 1937) was a Ukrainian Communist political activist, revolutionary, and paranormal investigatorZnamenski, ...
*
György Lukács
György Lukács (born György Bernát Löwinger; hu, szegedi Lukács György Bernát; german: Georg Bernard Baron Lukács von Szegedin; 13 April 1885 – 4 June 1971) was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher, literary historian, critic, and ae ...
*
Hayk Bzhishkyan
Hayk Bzhishkian ( hy, Հայկ Բժշկյան, Persian هایک پزشکیان, Russian: Гайк Бжишкян, also known as Guy Dmitrievich Guy, Gai Dmitrievich Gai (Гай Дмитриевич Гай), Gaya Gai (Гая Гай), or Bzhishky ...
(2 times)
*
Volodia Dubinin
1380 Volodia (Minor planet provisional designation, ''prov. designation'': ) is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 16 March 1936, by French astronomer Louis Boyer (astronomer), Loui ...
*
Irina Dryagina
Irina Viktorovna Dryagina (russian: Ирина Викторовна Дрягина; 31 March 1921 – 9 June 2017) was botanist and veteran of the Second World War. During the conflict, she served as a squadron commissar in the 46th Guards Night ...
*
Aleksa Dundić
Aleksa Dundić or Oleko Dundich (russian: Олеко Дундич, sr, Алекса Дундић, originally Serbian ''Томо Дундић / Tomo Dundić'') (April 13, 1896 – July 8, 1920) was a Croatian''Мілорад Драгович.' ...
*
Pavel Dybenko
Pavel Efimovich Dybenko (russian: Павел Ефимович Дыбенко), (February 16, 1889 – July 29, 1938) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a leading Soviet officer and military commander.
Prior to military service
Pavel Dybenko was b ...
(3 times)
*
Evdokia Zavaliy
*
Ivan Fedyuninsky
Ivan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Федю́нинский; July 30, 1900 – October 17, 1977) was a Soviet military leader and Hero of the Soviet Union (1939).
Early life
Fedyuninsky was born into a peasant fa ...
(5 times)
*
Ivan Ivanovich Pstygo
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
(7 times)
*
Ivan Kozhedub
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub (Russian: Иван Hикитович Кожедуб; Ukrainian: Іван Микитович Кожедуб; 8 June 1920 – 8 August 1991) was a Soviet World War II fighter ace. Universally credited with over 60 solo vict ...
(7 times)
*
Leonid Govorov
Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov (russian: Леони́д Алекса́ндрович Го́воров; – 19 March 1955) was a Soviet military commander. Trained as an artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several ...
*
Alexander Gorbatov
Alexander Vasilyevich Gorbatov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Горба́тов; 21 March 1891 – 7 December 1973) was a Russian and Soviet officer who served as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army during the Fi ...
*
Irina Sebrova
Irina Fyodorovna Sebrova (russian: Ирина Фёдоровна Себрова; – 5 April 2000) was a flight commander in the women's 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, also known as the Night Witches, during the Second World War ...
(3 times)
*
Bolesław Kontrym
Lieutenant Bolesław Kontrym (Zatruka, Russian Empire, 27 August 1898 – 20 January 1953, Warsaw, Poland), also known by codenames ''Żmudzin'', ''Biały'', ''Bielski'' and ''Cichocki'', was a Polish Army officer, a Home Army soldier, participant ...
(3 times)
*
Max Hoelz
Max Hoelz (14 October 1889 – 15 September 1933) was a German Communist, most known for his role as a 'Communist Bandit' in the Vogtland region.
Early life
Hoelz was born the son of a day labourerKuhn, G. (eds) ''All Power to the Councils! A Doc ...
*
Ursula Kuczynski
Ursula Kuczynski (15 May 1907 – 7 July 2000), also known as Ruth Werner, Ursula Beurton and Ursula Hamburger, was a German Communist activist who spied for the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s, most famously as the handler of nuclear sc ...
*
Konstantin Krasavin
Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Alekseyevich Krasavin (russian: Константин Алексеевич Красавин) (May 20, 1917 – January 18, 1988) was a Russian flying ace and fighter pilot of the Great Patriotic War, during which he fle ...
(3 times)
*
Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (russian: Родио́н Я́ковлевич Малино́вский, ukr, Родіо́н Я́кович Малино́вський ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander. He was Marshal of the Sovi ...
(3 times)
*
Vasily Zaytsev (2 times)
*
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
*
Mikhail Petrovich Minin
*
Semyon Nomokonov
Semyon Danilovich Nomokonov (; 12 August 1900 – 15 July 1973) was a Soviet sniper during World War II credited with 367 kills. An ethnic Hamnigan Evenk, Nomokonov was among the indigenous peoples of Russia who fought in the war. He received th ...
*
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1 January 191211 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secr ...
*
Sergei Mironovich Kirov
*
Issa Pliyev
Issa Alexandrovich Pliyev (also spelled as ''Pliev''; os, Плиты Алыксандры фырт Иссæ; russian: Исса Александрович Плиев; — 2 February 1979) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Pliyev wo ...
(3 times)
*
Alexander Pylcyn
*
Naum Shusterman
Naum Semyonovich Shusterman (18 August 1912 – 25 April 1976) was a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Union, who served as the chief engineer of the 43rd Soviet Fighter Aviation Regiment during the Great Patriotic War.
Biography
Early life
Shuste ...
*
Abram Slutsky
Abram Aronovich Slutsky (russian: Абра́м Аро́нович Слу́цкий) (July 1898 – 17 February 1938, Moscow) was a Soviet intelligence officer who headed the Soviet foreign intelligence service ( INO), then part of the NKVD, fr ...
(2 times)
*
Pavel Soloviev
Dr. Pavel Aleksandrovich Solovyov (russian: Павел Александрович Соловьёв; June 26, 1917 – October 13, 1996) was a Soviet engineer born in Alekino in Kineshemsky District of Ivanovo Oblast. He specialised in the des ...
*
Ios Teper
*
Semyon Timoshenko
Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (russian: link=no, Семён Константи́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko''; uk, Семе́н Костянти́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semen Kostiantyno ...
(5 times)
*
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
*
Philipp Mishelevich Tseitlyn
*
Gabriel Ilyich Urazovsky
*
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky ( ru , Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Василе́вский) (30 September 1895 – 5 December 1977) was a Soviet career-officer in the Red Army who attained the rank of Marshal of the Soviet ...
(2 times)
*
Alexander Vekman
Alexander Karlovich Vekman () (July 31, 1884 - April 10, 1955) was a Soviet military leader and vice admiral.
Alexander Vekman was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriot ...
(2 times)
*
Nikolai Vlasik
Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik (russian: Никола́й Си́дорович Вла́сик; May 22, 1896 – June 18, 1967) was a ranking Soviet state security (NKVD-NKGB- MGB) officer, Lieutenant-General, best known as head of Joseph Stalin's p ...
(4 times)
*
Mikhail Vodopyanov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Vodopyanov (russian: Михаил Васильевич Водопьянов; – 11 August 1980) was a Soviet aircraft pilot, one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, and a Major General of the Soviet Air Force. Togeth ...
*
Iona Yakir
Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (russian: Ио́на Эммануи́лович Яки́р; 3 August 1896 – 12 June 1937) was a Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II. He was an ear ...
(second recipient, in total 3 times)
*
Mikhail Grigoryevich Yefremov
Lieutenant General Mikhail Grigoryevich Yefremov (russian: Михаи́л Григо́рьевич Ефре́мов; March 11 1897, Tarusa, Kaluga Governorate – April 19 1942, Vyazemsky District) was a Soviet military commander. He took part ...
*
Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev
Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev (russian: Николай Владимирович Затеев) (c. June 30, 1926 – 28 August 1998) was a Russian submariner and a Captain First Rank in the Soviet Navy, notable as the commander of the ill-fated ...
(for actions during K-19 crisis, 4 July 1961)
*
Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...
(3 times)
*
Vyacheslav Ivanovich Zof
*Flight attendant
Nadezhda Kurchenko
Nadezhda Vladimirovna Kurchenko (29 December 1950 – 15 October 1970) was a Soviet flight attendant who tried to prevent the hijacking of Aeroflot Flight 244. Having warned the crew, Kurchenko sought to block the entrance to the cockpit, which at ...
*Flight attendant
Tamara Zharkaya
*
Clara Zetkin
Clara Zetkin (; ; ''née'' Eißner ; 5 July 1857 – 20 June 1933) was a German Marxist theorist, communist activist, and advocate for women's rights.
Until 1917, she was active in the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She then joined the ...
*
Hoang Van Thai
Huang (; ) is a Chinese surname that originally means and refers to jade people were wearing and decorating in ancient times. While ''Huáng'' is the pinyin romanization of the word, it may also be romanized as Hwang, Wong, Waan, Wan, Waon, Hwon ...
*
Vasily Ignatenko
Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko ( uk, Василь Іванович Ігнатенко; be, Васіль Іванавіч Ігнаценка; russian: Василий Иванович Игнатенко; 13 March 1961 – 13 May 1986) was a Soviet Un ...
*
Zinoviy Kolobanov
*
Nina Lobkovskaya
Nina Alexeyevna Lobkovskaya (russian: Нина Алексеевна Лобковская; born 8 March 1925) served as a sniper for the Red Army and attained the rank of Lieutenant in a separate sniper unit of the 3rd Shock Army during World War I ...
*
Mikhail Golovatov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Golovatov (russian: Михаил Васильевич Головатов; 23 August 1949 – 1 August 2022) was a Russian intelligence officer.
In 1965, Golovatov enrolled at the N. N. Godovikov Moscow Aviation College. He ...
Formations
*
Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
(twice)
*
Soviet Northern Fleet
Severnyy flot
, image = Great emblem of the Northern Fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Northern Fleet's great emblem
, start_date = June 1, 1733; Sov ...
*
Pacific Ocean Fleet
*
Far Eastern Military District
The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...
*
First Army
*
First Guards Tank Army
*
Second Guards Tank Army
*
1st Rifle Division
*
6th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 6th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army. Formed twice, it participated in several battles, most notably the Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the Estonian War of Independence. The division's fi ...
*
24th Rifle Division
*
45th Rifle Division (awarded 1919)
*
27th Guards Rifle Division
*
39th Guards Rifle Division (twice)
*
19th Motor Rifle Division
*
76th Guards Airborne Division
*
85th Rifle Division
*
100th Guards Rifle Division
The 100th Guards Rifle Division was an elite Red Army airborne infantry division during World War II. The division fought in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive and the Vienna Offensive. Postwar, it was designated as an airborne division and dis ...
*
106th Guards Tula Airborne Division
*17th Rifle Regiment,
32nd Rifle Division
*
*
Groupe de Chasse 3 Normandie "Niémen" (France)
Individual feats
Feats of valour worthy of the award of the Order of the Red Banner were as much against internal as against external enemies of the USSR, as detailed below:
*Stalin's Chief Executioner (and eventually NKVD Major General)
Vasili Mikhailovich Blokhin was awarded his Order in 1941 for leading a company of executioners that performed and supervised
numerous mass executions during Stalin's reign, including more than 7,000 Poles over the course of several consecutive days.
*
Pavel Dybenko
Pavel Efimovich Dybenko (russian: Павел Ефимович Дыбенко), (February 16, 1889 – July 29, 1938) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a leading Soviet officer and military commander.
Prior to military service
Pavel Dybenko was b ...
won three Orders of the Red Banner, his first in the 1921 bloody suppression of the
naval rebellion in Kronstadt, his two other Orders in 1922 in the suppression of peasants uprisings.
*
Sasha Fillipov received his posthumous Order in 1944 for spying on, and being executed by, the Germans during the
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
.
*Private
Mikhail Minin
Mikhail Petrovich Minin (russian: Михаил Петрович Минин; July 29, 1922 – January 10, 2008) was a Russian Soviet Union, Soviet soldier who was the first to enter the Reichstag building on April 30, 1945, during the Battle o ...
was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for being the first to enter the
Reichstag building on April 30, 1945, during the
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II.
After the Vistula– ...
, and the first soldier to mount the red flag on its roof at 10:40 pm.
*Major General
Mikhail Vasilyevich Vodopyanov was awarded two of his four Orders of the Red Banner for his leadership of long-range bomber groups during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, often personally leading the missions.
*Captain
Vasily Zaytsev, won his Order as a
sniper
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
during the
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
in Nov–Dec 1942, killed over 200 enemy soldiers, including 11 enemy snipers.
Media
*In
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
's ''
Animal Farm
''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...
'' (1945), a satire on the Soviet Union, an order called the Order of the ''Green'' Banner is created.
*
William Craig's nonfiction book, ''
Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad'' (1973), based partially on and depicting the exploits and successful tactics of Zaytsev, was made into a feature-length film, ''
Enemy at the Gates
''Enemy at the Gates'' (''Stalingrad'' in France and ''L'Ennemi aux portes'' in Canada) is a 2001 war film directed, co-written, and produced by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on William Craig's 1973 nonfiction book '' Enemy at the Gates: The Batt ...
'', (2001), starring
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...
as Zaytsev. Zaytsev's tactics are required reading for US snipers.
See also
*
Orders, decorations, and medals of the Soviet Union
Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union are decorations from the former Soviet Union that recognised achievements and personal accomplishments, both military and civilian. Some of the awards, decorations, and orders were discontinued after the ...
*
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
*
Order of the October Revolution
The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...
*
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...
References
External links
Legal Library of the USSROriginal Order of the Red Banner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Banner, Order of The
Military awards and decorations of the Soviet Union
Courage awards
Awards established in 1918
Awards established in 1924
Awards disestablished in 1991
1991 disestablishments in the Soviet Union
1924 establishments in the Soviet Union