Order of Kutuzo

Order of Kutuzov first class (first variant)

The Kutuzov Order ( Russian Орден Кутузова / Orden Kutusowa ) was one of the highest military orders in the Soviet Union . It was named after the Russian general Kutuzov .

It was donated in the first and second grades on July 29, 1942, and in the third grade on February 8, 1943 by the Soviet government under Josef Stalin . The order of Kutuzov was only intended to be conferred on marshals, generals and officers.

The award of the order of the first class happened only to front-line and army commanders, their deputies and chiefs of staff. In order to be awarded the Kutuzo order in first class, a well-worked out and executed front-line operation had to take place, in which the enemy was defeated. The second class can be given to corps, division and brigade commanders and their chiefs of staff for being particularly tenacious in counter-attacks by a superior enemy. The Third Class Kutuzo was reserved for initiative in an ordered battle, to name but a few reasons for the award.

Design of the order

Order star

In all three classes, the sign of the order consists of a domed star with a medallion on top of which the spaces in between are filled with bundles of rays. The round picture has a diameter of 27 mm in the first and second class and a diameter of 25 mm in the third class. It shows a left-facing portrait of Kutuzov in front of the Kremlin wall . The top of a Kremlin tower can be seen above Kutozov's head, which is crowned by a red enameled star in first and second grades. The inscription reads МИХАИЛ КҮТҮЗОВ (German: Michail Kutusow). In the first and second grades, the inscription is on a white enamel ring. In contrast to the third grade, the star of the order in these two grades shows the portrait on a white enameled field. In addition, the first-class medal has a white enamel ring between the inscription and the star, on which there is a laurel wreath on the left and an oak leaf wreath on the right. Both are held in the lower part by red ribbons. The order star consists in the first class of gold (star) and silver (Kremlin and bundle of rays), in the other two classes only of silver.

First class	Second grade	Third grade

Medal clasp

The basic colors of the medal clasp ( ribbon buckle ) were blue and orange. In the first grade, the clasp had a 5 mm wide orange stripe in the middle. In the second class there were two marginal strips, each 3 mm wide. The third class had a central and two edge strips, each 2 mm wide.