Order of the Red Banner

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Order of the Red Banner

The government of Soviet Russia founded the Red Banner Fighting Order , better known as the Order of the Red Banner ( Russian Орден Красного Знамени Orden Krasnovo Znamani ) on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War . It later existed as an award from the government of the USSR , which donated it on August 1, 1924. The medal was awarded until 1991.

history

Ribbon buckle of the Order of the Red Banner

With the Order of the Red Banner, military exploits were recognized. Before the foundation of the Order of Lenin on April 6, 1930, the Order of the Red Banner functioned as the highest (and practically only) military order in the USSR. Almost all known Soviet commanders were (in some cases multiple) bearers of the Order of the Red Banner.

During the Second World War , the Order of the Red Banner was awarded as a special honor for valor for heroic individual deeds or for military service in combat over a longer period of time. It was thus the Soviet equivalent of the German Iron Cross 1st class. It was not until mid-1944 that the Order of the Red Banner was also awarded for long periods of service in the Soviet armed forces (20 years) and its reputation was therefore significantly devalued. Multiple awards were possible; the medals of multiple awards received a co-embossed, white enamelled coat of arms with a golden multiple award number in the lower third. The highest multiple award number produced is '8', the highest known number of multiple awards is '7'.

Although initially it was officially intended that only the medal with the highest multiple award number should be worn on the uniform, most of the entrusted also wore all previously awarded Red Banner medals.

The order consisted of a red and white enameled badge on which the golden hammer and sickle emblem, surrounded by two golden ears of wheat , on a red star , behind which crossed a hammer, plow, torch and a red flag with the motto Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! ( Proletarians of all countries, unite! ) Were depicted; At the bottom, the Cyrillic letters РСФСР ( transcribed RSFSR) for 'Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic' and later the Cyrillic letters СССР (transcribed SSSR) for 'Union of Soviet Socialist Republics' could be seen on the red ribbon.

The medal was originally awarded as a medal on screw with a screw washer, which was worn on the left side of the chest. A medal clasp with an applied ribbon was added in 1943 as part of a regulation change. The ribbon was made of red silk moiré with a wide white stripe in the middle and a thin white stripe on the edges.

Bearer of the Order of the Red Banner (selection)

Other medals

During the Russian Civil War, other similarly named orders existed, donated by other constituted and non-constituted Soviet republics.

On December 28, 1920, Soviet Russia founded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for Labor and Civil Service. The all-Soviet equivalent is dated September 7, 1928.

See also

Web links

Commons : Order of the Red Banner  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Neues Deutschland , December 23, 1969, p. 4.
  2. ^ At the International Congress of Friends of the Soviet Union in Moscow on November 12, 1927 - cf. The Congress of Friends of the Soviet Union (November 10-12, 1927 in Moscow); Protocol , Berlin 1928, p. 96 and Armin T. Wegner: Letter to Max Hölz ​​from Moscow, in Five Fingers over Dir , Stuttgart 1930, p. 85.