Order of the Great Patriotic War
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The Order of the Patriotic War , also known as the War Order of the USSR (Russian: Орден Отечественной войны ), was awarded from 1942 to fighters of the Red Army , the Soviet Navy, as well as members of the NKVD and partisan units , for "heroic wars " in the Great Patriotic ( Soviet name for the German-Soviet War ). There are two classes of this medal.
The basis for the award of the award was the statute adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 20, 1942 and later amended several times.
Description of the order in the two classes
Size between the tips of the stars: 45 mm
Diameter of the writing ring: 22 mm
On the back, the medal has a screw pin for attachment to clothing. Each class has a separate ribbon, which is 24 mm wide and in bordeaux-red with small flag-red stripes.
I. class
The order consists of three parts. A 5-pointed star, covered with raised ruby red enamel, is located on a 5-pointed star made of golden rays as a background. In the center of the red star there is a white enamel circle with the inscription "ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННАЯ ВОЙНА" (Patriotic War) in gold. The round red central field contains the gold state emblem, crossed hammer and sickle and fastened by two rivets. Between the two stars (the red one and the one formed from a halo) a saber and a Mosin-Nagant rifle with a saddle gun are visible.
- consists of 583 gold and silver
- Au: 8.329 ± 0.379 g,
- Ag: 16.754 ± 0.977 g
- Total weight: 32.34 ± 1.65 g.
- Ribbon ruby red with a 5 mm wide red stripe in the middle
II class
The order consists of two parts. In contrast to the first class, the lower halo is made of silver, the depiction of the rifle and saber is oxidized. The red enameled star is gold-plated.
- Au: 0.325 g
- Ag: 24.85 ± 1.352 g
- Total weight: 28.05 ± 1.50 g
- Ribbon ruby red with two 3 mm wide red side stripes
Some selected items from the statute for the award of the order
| Brief description of the act of war | for the order of the first class | for the Order II. Class |
|---|---|---|
| who hit or destroyed an important enemy object | ||
| Aircrew members performing a combat task for which the pilot or the helmsman |
the Order of Lenin received | the Order of Red Star has received |
| who shot down enemy aircraft in a dogfight : bomber crews |
4 planes | 3 planes |
| : Crew of long-range bombers | 5 planes | 4 planes |
| : Crew of a fighter plane | 3 planes | 2 planes |
| : Air defense | 7 planes | 6 planes |
| Participants in essential war bomber flights | from the 20th use | from the 15th use |
| Participants in long-range bomber flights that are essential to the war effort | from the 25th use | from the 20th use |
| Participants in war-important attack flights | from the 30th use | from the 25th use |
| Participants in long-range reconnaissance flights that are important for the war effort | from the 25th use | from the 20th use |
| Participant in close-up reconnaissance flights that are important for the war effort | from the 30th use | from the 25th use |
| Participants in war-essential supply flights : over own territory : over enemy territory |
from the 60th use from the 30th use |
from the 50th use from the 20th use |
| who ensured that the aircraft were always ready for action | ||
| who is under enemy fire more than | Got 10 aircraft ready for take-off on the runway | Brought 5 aircraft to the tarmac ready for takeoff |
| who is under constant enemy artillery fire | 2 heavy or medium tanks or 3 light tanks destroyed | Destroyed 1 heavy or medium tank or 2 light tanks |
| ... etc. for ship crews, riders, pioneers, ... | (Those interested in details should read the Russian Wikipedia page on this order) | |
Award
For fighters and commanders who have distinguished themselves in the battles, the medal was awarded by the local war commanders directly after the fighting after the “heroic deed” had been accomplished.
The first recipients of the First Class Order were Soviet artillerymen who, according to the Order's Statute, had destroyed a specified number of heavy, medium or light tanks: In May 1942 they had members of the 32nd and 42nd Guard Battalions in the Battle of Kharkov under their commanders Captain II Kriklij, 200 tanks of the German Wehrmacht put out of action, for which only 32 of their own were sacrificed.
There are also special features to report in the history of the Order of the First Class. For example, on July 5, 1942, the German battleship Tirpitz in the Barents Sea was shot at by torpedoes from the crew of the submarine "K-21" , and all members of the ship's crew received the First Class Order. - Another source shows that the star torpedoes did not hit at all.
In 1985, the 40th anniversary of the victory over fascism, the First Class Order was given to surviving war veterans (heroes of the Soviet Union or carriers of the Order of Victory) such as marshals, generals, admirals and war veterans by decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet - Invalids, forgiven. The Second Class Order also went to war veterans from partisan units and underground organizations, if they had not received this award earlier, as well as to participants in the Russo-Japanese War .
Based on the award criteria and the duration of the fighting in World War II, it can be deduced that tens of thousands received this medal - so it had become a "mass article".
