This article contains statistics on Heroes of the Soviet Union. The main attention is paid to the pre-war period and the WW2 period. This does not include statistics on cosmonaut pilots and Heroes of the USSR awarded this title after WW2.
In August 1933, the Chelyuskin steamship set out, carrying an Arctic expedition. On February 13, 1934 at 15:30, the Chelyuskin, crushed by ice, sank. There were 111 people left on the ice floe.
In difficult conditions of the polar winter, with enormous risk to life, Soviet pilots found and rescued the distressed polar explorers. On April 13, the rescue pilots received a telegram from the leaders Communist Party and the Soviet government: “We are delighted with your heroic work to save the Chelyuskinites. We are proud of your victory over the forces of nature. We are glad that you have justified the best hopes of the country and turned out to be worthy sons of our homeland... We enter a petition to the Central Executive Committee of the USSR:
1.About establishment highest degree distinctions associated with the manifestation of heroic deeds - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union..." This telegram was published in the most widespread newspaper "Pravda", 1934, April 17.
On April 20, 1934, the first Decree of the USSR Central Executive Committee was issued on awarding the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On June 19, 1934, in the Kremlin, M.I. Kalinin presented seven pilots with the country's highest award - the Order of Lenin and a special Certificate of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. After the establishment of the medal in August 1939 Golden Star"Medal No. 1 was awarded to A.V. Lyapidevsky.
| Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished in the pre-war years | ||||
|
Compound |
When saving people, testing new technology, Arctic exploration | When defending the borders of the USSR | When fulfilling international duty | Total |
| Total people | 45/1 | 438/1 | 143/3 | 625*/5 |
| communists | 28/1 | 293/1 | 118/3 | 439/5 |
| Komsomol members | 4 | 86 | 20 | 110 |
| Russians | 37/1 | 303 | 106/1 | 446/2 |
| Ukrainians | 3 | 90/1 | 20 | 113/1 |
| Belarusians | - | 13 | 7/1 | 20/1 |
| other nationalities | 5 | 32 | 10/1 | 47**/1 |
| up to 20 years | - | 3 | - | 3 |
| up to 25 years | 1 | 132 | 25 | 158 |
| up to 30 years old | 13 | 132 | 64/2 | 209/2 |
| up to 40 years (incl.) | 28 | 153/1 | 53/1 | 234/2 |
| over 40 years old | 3/1 | 18 | 1 | 22/1 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen*** | - | 142 | 27 | 169 |
| junior officers | 5 | 247 | 93 | 345 |
| senior officers | 6/1 | 41 | 16/2 | 63/3 |
| senior officers | 5 | 8/1 | 7/1 | 20/2 |
| without military rank | 29 | - | - | 29 |
In total, 412 people were awarded the title of GSS for the courage and bravery shown in the Soviet-Finnish war, including 282 communists and 74 Komsomol members. Troop commanders awarded the highest degree of distinction to the Motherland Northwestern Front Army Commander 1st Rank S.K. Timoshenko, Commander of the 7th Army Army Commander 2nd Rank K.A. Meretskov, Commander of the 50th Rifle Corps Divisional Commander F.D. Gorelenko, commander of the 136th rifle division brigade commander S.I. Chernyak. Among the GSS there are representatives of all types Armed Forces, military branches and special forces: 154 rifle troops, 75 aviators, 75 tank crews, 64 artillerymen, 19 sailors, 10 warriors engineering troops, 1 cavalryman, 13 border guards and 1 pilot of the Civil Air Fleet.
In the pre-war years of this high rank awarded for exemplary performance of military duty in defense Soviet borders and providing international assistance to other nations warriors Soviet army and the Navy, participants in high-latitude expeditions, testers of new equipment - 597 people (including 5 people twice), or 95.4% of the total number of Heroes of the USSR. Among them: soldiers of the Ground Forces - 68.8%, Air Force - 27.1%, Navy - 4.1%.
Communists made up 70.1% of the total number of the GSS, Komsomol members - 17.6%.
Among the GSS of the pre-war years there were representatives of various nations and nationalities. Of these: 71.2% are Russians, 18.1% are Ukrainians, 3.2% are Belarusians, 7.5% are representatives of other nationalities. Most of them are young people, under the age of 40 - 96.5%.
On July 8, 1941, the first Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was broadcast over the radio.
By the end of 1941, the list of Heroes of the USSR was replenished with another 126 names.
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Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished in the first period of the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War |
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|
Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Air defense | Navy | Total |
| Total people | 241 | 286/1 | 28 | 70*/1 | 625**/2 |
| communists | 159 | 253/1 | 25 | 60/1 | 497/2 |
| Komsomol members | 28 | 29 | 2 | 6 | 65 |
| Russians | 159 | 210 | 20 | 55/1 | 444/1 |
| Ukrainians | 41 | 60/1 | 6 | 6 | 113/1 |
| Belarusians | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| other nationalities | 37 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 54*** |
| up to 20 years | 13 | 24 | - | 3 | 40 |
| up to 25 years | 76 | 128 | 8 | 17 | 229 |
| up to 30 years old | 69 | 78 | 18 | 29/1 | 194/1 |
| up to 40 years (incl.) | 70 | 56/1 | 2 | 19 | 147/1 |
| over 40 years old | 13 | - | - | 2 | 15 |
| 110 | 9 | - | 13 | 132 | |
| junior officers | 101 | 232 | 27 | 46 | 406 |
| senior officers | 26 | 44/1 | 1 | 6/1 | 77/2 |
| senior officers | 4 | - | - | 2 | 6 |
| without military rank | - | 1 | - | 3 | 4 |
* Including 3 Merchant Navy sailors
** In addition, 18 partisans and underground fighters (see Table 7)
*** Including: Georgians - 7 people; Jews and Kazakhs - 5 people each; Avars, Azerbaijanis, Kyrgyz, Estonians - 2 people each; Abkhazian, Adyghe, Balkar, Buryat, Kalmyk, Komi, Lezgin, Mari, Mordvin, Turkmen, Uzbek, Finn, Chechen.
For the courage shown in battles in the first period of the Second World War, 625 people - representatives of all branches of the Armed Forces - were awarded the highest degree of distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The largest number of those who received the rank of GSS were Air Force servicemen - 286 people, or 45.8%. Among them are 144 fighter aircraft, 55 bomber aircraft, 49 long-range aircraft, 32 attack aircraft, 6 reconnaissance aircraft and aviation special purpose.
A significant number of GSS were in Ground forces- 241 people, or 38.6% of the total. They bore the brunt of the fight against the enemy. Among them are 163 soldiers of rifle troops, 6 artillerymen, 3 cavalrymen, 45 soldiers of armored and mechanized troops, 5 engineers, 3 airborne troops, 1 railway, 15 border and internal troops.
In the Navy, the number of GSS is 70 people, or 11.2% of the total. 30 of them are soldiers of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, 10 - of the Northern Fleet, 27 - Black Sea Fleet, 3 - Marine Merchant Fleet. 44 GSS - aviators, 9 - marines, 7 - sailors of surface ships, 5 - submariners, 2 - coastal defense soldiers, 3 - sailors of the cargo ship "Old Bolshevik".
Among the GSS, more than half were commanders of platoons, companies, battalions and equal units; 21.1% - privates and sergeants. GSS communists made up 79.5%, Komsomol members - 10.4%.
Among the GSS there are representatives of 28 nationalities, Russians - 71%.
In terms of age composition, the GSS are mostly young people. 74.1% are under the age of 30, 23.5% are under 40, and only 15 people are over 40.
Until the fall of 1941, all awards were made only by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
On October 22, 1941, the right to award orders and medals on behalf of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was granted to the military councils of fronts and fleets, and from November 10, 1942 - also to the military councils of armies and flotillas, commanders of corps, divisions, brigades and regiments. The awarding of the Order of Lenin and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union continued to be carried out by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which now had the opportunity to resolve such issues more quickly.
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Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for exploits accomplished in the second period of the Great Patriotic War |
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|
Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Air defense | Navy | Total |
| Total people | 3052/1 | 478/8 | 43 | 85 | 3658*/9 |
| communists | 1723/1 | 454/7 | 42 | 73 | 2292/8 |
| Komsomol members | 505 | 11/1 | 1 | 6 | 523/1 |
| Russians | 2121/1 | 354/4 | 31 | 70 | 2576/5 |
| Ukrainians | 509 | 94/4 | 10 | 12 | 625/4 |
| Belarusians | 50 | 13 | 2 | - | 65 |
| other nationalities | 372 | 17 | - | 3 | 392** |
| up to 20 years | 610 | 12 | - | 1 | 623 |
| up to 25 years | 874 | 224/2 | 27 | 28 | 1153/2 |
| up to 30 years old | 637 | 175/4 | 10 | 22 | 844/4 |
| up to 40 years (incl.) | 723/1 | 67/2 | 6 | 28 | 824/3 |
| over 40 years old | 208 | - | - | 6 | 214 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen | 1633 | 5 | - | 19 | 1657 |
| junior officers | 1091 | 395/4 | 29 | 54 | 1569/4 |
| senior officers | 282/1 | 77/4 | 14 | 12 | 385/5 |
| senior officers | 46 | 1 | - | - | 47 |
* In addition, 30 partisans and underground fighters (see Table 7).
** Including: Tatars - 63 people; Jews and Kazakhs - 41 people each; Uzbeks - 34 people; Mordvins - 33 people; Armenians - 27 people; Bashkirs - 22 people; Georgians - 20 people; Chuvash - 17 people; Ossetians - 12 people; Azerbaijanis - 11 people; Turkmens - 8 people; Poles and Tajiks - 6 people each; Mari - 5 people; Kabardians, Udmurts and Czechs - 4 people each; Karelians, Lithuanians - 3 people each; Avars, Buryats, Kalmyks, Komi, Khakassians, Estonians - 2 people each; Abkhaz, Adyghe, Assyrian, Greek, Dargin, Dungan, Spaniard, Karachay, Kyrgyz, Kumyk, Lak, Lezgin, Circassian, Chechen, Evenk, Yakut.
2,438 people were awarded the title of GSS (in 1943 - 1,622 people, in 1944 - 816 people). In addition, for crossing the Dnieper and other rivers, for feats accomplished in subsequent years, another 56 people were awarded the title of GSS.
This was the largest GSS detachment since the beginning of the Second World War. The main burden of the battles during the crossing of the Dnieper and holding bridgeheads fell on the shoulders of the soldiers of the Ground Forces. Warriors of this branch of the Armed Forces, awarded the title of GSS, make up the majority - 94.7%, of which about 70% are infantrymen.
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Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished during the final liberation of Soviet land (December 1943 - October 1944) |
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Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Air defense | Navy | Total |
| Total people | 1718/5 | 811/11 | 9/1 | 268/3 | 2806/20 |
| communists | 1089/5 | 762/11 | 8/1 | 207/3 | 2066/20 |
| Komsomol members | 255 | 27 | 1 | 27 | 310 |
| Russians | 1175/1 | 621/9 | 7/1 | 193/2 | 1996/13 |
| Ukrainians | 335/2 | 127/2 | 1 | 49/1 | 512/5 |
| Belarusians | 50/2 | 37 | - | 5 | 92/2 |
| other nationalities | 158 | 26 | 1 | 21 | 206* |
| up to 20 years | 438 | 66/1 | - | 18 | 522/1 |
| up to 25 years | 516 | 475/5 | 8 | 112 | 1111/5 |
| up to 30 years old | 335 | 202/4 | 1/1 | 84/1 | 622/6 |
| up to 40 years (incl.) | 335/4 | 68/1 | - | 52/2 | 455/7 |
| over 40 years old | 94/1 | - | - | 2 | 96/1 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen | 829 | 5 | - | 77 | 911 |
| junior officers | 682 | 677/11 | 8/1 | 157 | 1524/12 |
| senior officers | 179/4 | 129 | 1 | 34/3 | 343/7 |
| senior officers | 28/1 | - | - | - | 28/1 |
* Including: Tatars - 32 people; Georgians - 22 people; Armenians - 21 people; Jews - 18 people; Kazakhs - 15 people; Uzbeks - 11 people; Chuvash - 10 people; Mordvins - 9 people; Azerbaijanis - 8 people; Komi and Ossetians - 5 people each; Adyghe and Udmurt - 4 people each; Bashkirs, Kyrgyz, Latvians, Tajiks, French and Estonians - 3 people each; Karelians, Lezgins, Mari - 2 people each; Avar, Altaian, Greek, Kalmyk, Korean, Kumandin, Kumyk, Moldavian, Lithuanian, Nanai, Nogai, Pole, Svan, Tuvan, Gypsy, Circassian, Chechen and Yakut.
The largest number of GSS at this stage of the war was in the Ground Forces - 1718 people, which is 61.2%, including 5 people who were awarded the second Gold Star medal. More than 1,000 of them served in the rifle troops, over 300 in the armored and mechanized troops, about 200 in the artillery and mortar troops, and 30 in the airborne troops.
There were 811 people in the GSS Air Force, or 28.9%. Among them, 382 served in attack aircraft, 193 in fighter aircraft, 112 in long-range aircraft, 72 in bomber aircraft and 52 in reconnaissance and special-purpose aircraft. 11 people were awarded the title of GSS for the second time.
In the Navy, 268 people became GSS, or 9.6%. 134 of them served in naval aviation, 78 in Marine Corps, 33 - on surface ships, 15 - in river military flotillas and 8 - submariners. 3 people were awarded the second Gold Star medal.
It is significant that 1895 GSS, or 67.5%, are commanders and political workers. Of these, 18.1% are senior officers and almost 1.5% are senior officers. 8.7% are communists and Komsomol members.
Of the total number of those awarded the title of GSS, 80.4% were under the age of 30, of which 18.6% were under 20 years old. Among the GSS there are representatives of 43 nationalities: 71.1% are Russians, 18.2% are Ukrainians, 3.3% are Belarusians, other nationalities are 7.4%.
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Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished during battles in Europe (1944 - 1945) |
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|
Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Air defense | Navy | Total |
| Total people | 3396/34 | 756/40 | 12 | 38/2 | 4202/76 |
| communists | 2427/34 | 662/39 | 12 | 23/2 | 3124/75 |
| Komsomol members | 447 | 62/1 | - | 8 | 517/1 |
| Russians | 2389/19 | 564/28 | 6 | 29/1 | 2979/48 |
| Ukrainians | 614/10 | 125/8 | 4 | 3 | 746/18 |
| Belarusians | 53/1 | 32/1 | 2 | 3 | 90/2 |
| other nationalities | 349/4 | 35/3 | - | 3/1 | 387*/8 |
| up to 20 years | 688 | 95 | - | 4 | 788 |
| up to 25 years | 1073/3 | 406/27 | 7 | 9 | 1495/30 |
| up to 30 years old | 709/2 | 162/7 | 4 | 5/2 | 880/11 |
| up to 40 years old | 670/6 | 90/5 | 1 | 18 | 779/11 |
| over 40 years old | 256/23 | 2/1 | - | 2 | 260/24 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen | 1231 | 4 | - | 13 | 1248 |
| junior officers | 1421/2 | 581/13 | 11 | 17 | 2030/15 |
| senior officers | 602/9 | 151/23 | 1 | 7/2 | 761/34 |
| senior officers | 142/23 | 20/4 | - | 1 | 163/27 |
* Including: Tatars - 62 people; Jews - 43 people; Georgians - 42 people; Armenians - 38 people; Kazakhs - 35 people; Uzbeks - 22 people; Azerbaijanis - 21 people; Mordvins - 17 people; Bashkirs - 14 people; Chuvash - 13 people; Ossetians - 11 people; Mari - 10 people; Turkmens - 9 people; Kyrgyz - 6 people; Tajiks - 5 people; Abkhazians, Dungans, Kabardians, Kalmyks, Karelians, Latvians and Lithuanians - 3 people each; Komi, Poles, Udmurts and Estonians - 2 people each; Altaian, Bulgarian, Buryat, Kurd, Lak, German, Finn, French, Czech and Yakut.
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Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished in the third period of the Great Patriotic War |
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Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Air defense | Navy | Total |
| Total people | 5114/39 | 1567/51 | 21/1 | 306/5 | 7008*/96 |
| communists | 3516/39 | 1424/50 | 20/1 | 230/5 | 5190/95 |
| Komsomol members | 702 | 89/1 | 1 | 35 | 827/1 |
| Russians | 3555/20 | 1185/37 | 13/1 | 222/3 | 4975/61 |
| Ukrainians | 949/12 | 252/10 | 5 | 52/1 | 1258/23 |
| Belarusians | 103/3 | 69/1 | 2 | 8 | 182/4 |
| other nationalities | 507/4 | 61/3 | 1 | 24/1 | 593**/8 |
| up to 20 years | 1125 | 162/1 | - | 22 | 1309/1 |
| up to 25 years | 1590/3 | 881/32 | 15 | 121 | 2607/35 |
| up to 30 years old | 1044/2 | 364/11 | 5/1 | 89/3 | 1502/17 |
| up to 40 years old | 1005/10 | 158/6 | 1 | 70/2 | 1234/18 |
| over 40 years old | 350/24 | 2/1 | - | 4 | 356/25 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen | 2060 | 9 | - | 90 | 2159 |
| junior officers | 2103/2 | 1258/24 | 19/1 | 174 | 3554/27 |
| senior officers | 781/13 | 280/23 | 2 | 41/5 | 1104/41 |
| senior officers | 170/24 | 20/4 | - | 1 | 191/28 |
* In addition, 201 people are partisans, underground fighters and members of the Resistance movement.
** Including: Tatars - 94 people; Georgians - 64 people; Jews - 61 people; Armenians - 59 people; Kazakhs - 50 people; Uzbeks - 33 people; Azerbaijanis - 29 people; Mordvins - 26 people; Chuvash - 23 people; Bashkirs - 17 people; Ossetians - 16 people; Mari - 12 people; Kyrgyz and Turkmens - 9 people each; Tajiks - 8 people; Komi - 7 people; Latvians and Udmurts - 6 people each; Karelians and Estonians - 5 people each; Adyghe, Kalmyk, Lithuanian and French - 4 people each; Abkhazians, Dungans, Kabardians and Poles - 3 people each; Altaians, Lezgins and Yakuts - 2 people each; Avar, Bulgarian, Buryat, Greek, Korean, Kumandin, Kumyk, Kurd, Lak, Moldavian, Nanai, Nogai, German, Svan, Tuvan, Finn, Gypsy, Circassian, Czech and Chechen.
In the Ground Forces, out of the total number of the GSS, more than 3,000 people served in the rifle troops, over 900 - in the armored and mechanized troops and 500 - in the artillery and mortar troops, the rest - in the airborne, cavalry, engineering and signal troops.
Among the GSS who served in the Air Force, 706 were from attack aircraft, 463 from fighter aircraft, 183 from bomber aircraft, 137 served in long-range aviation and 78 in reconnaissance and special forces.
Almost all offensive operations 1944-1945 were carried out with the direct participation naval fleets, river and lake flotillas. Representatives of the Navy made up 4.4% of the total number of GSS. Among them, 144 people served in naval aviation, 78 in the marine corps, 37 on surface ships, 32 in river and lake flotillas, and 15 people were submariners.
If in the first period of the Second World War there were 6 people among the senior officers of the State Civil Service, in the second - 47, then in the third period - 191 people, including 28 people who were awarded the Gold Star medal twice.
Communists and Komsomol members accounted for almost 86%. Among the GSS there are representatives of 54 nationalities. Compared to previous periods of the war, the number of soldiers under the age of 20 awarded the title of GSS has increased significantly. If in the first period of the GSS there were 40 people under 20 years old, in the second - 623, then in the third there were already 1309 people.
| Heroes of the Soviet Union - partisans, underground fighters and participants in the European Resistance movement | ||||
|
Compound |
Partisans | Underground workers | Members of the resistance movement | Total |
| Total people | 172/2 | 61 | 16 | 249/2 |
| communists | 133/2 | 32 | 13 | 178/2 |
| Komsomol members | 22 | 25 | - | 47 |
| pioneers | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Russians | 87 | 20 | 7 | 114 |
| Ukrainians | 36/2 | 25 | 3 | 64/2 |
| Belarusians | 37 | 8 | 1 | 46 |
| other nationalities | 12 | 8 | 5 | 25* |
| up to 20 years | 13 | 2 | - | 15 |
| up to 25 years | 12 | 21 | - | 33 |
| up to 30 years old | 48 | 12 | 6 | 66 |
| up to 40 years old | 68 | 13 | 6 | 66 |
| over 40 years old | 31/2 | 13 | 4 | 48/2 |
* Including: Lithuanians - 8 people; Latvians - 4 people; Germans - 3 people; Azerbaijani; Vepsian, Jew, Kalmyk, Karelian, Karachay, Mordvin, Tatar, Uzbek and Czech.
249 people - partisans, underground fighters, members of the Resistance movement - were awarded the highest degree of distinction of the Motherland - the title of GSS. An analysis of the figures given in the table shows that the majority of Parisian Heroes is 69.1%, underground fighters - 24.5%, members of the Resistance movement and intelligence officers - 6.4% of the total number of GSS - participants in the fight behind enemy lines.
Among partisans, underground fighters, members of the resistance movement. who became GSS, 71.5% were communists, 18.9% were Komsomol members. Among them are 16 secretaries of underground regional committees, city committees and district committees of the CPSU (b) and 14 commissars partisan detachments and connections. Among the GSS, Russians made up 45.8%, Ukrainians - 25.7%, Belarusians - 18.5%, in total - representatives of 16 nationalities aged from 13 to 83 years.
Among them, more than 30% are workers and about 40% are collective farmers, many young people, including pioneers, about 10% are women.
| Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished during the Great Patriotic War | ||||||
|
Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Air defense | Navy | Partisan formations and underground organizations | Total |
| Total people | 8447/44 | 2332/61 | 92/1 | 513/7 | 249/2 | 11633/115 |
| communists | 5434/44 | 2132/59 | 87/1 | 406/7 | 178/2 | 8237/113 |
| Komsomol members | 1238 | 129/2 | 4 | 53 | 47 | 1471/2 |
| Russians | 5861/23 | 1750/42 | 64/1 | 393/5 | 114 | 8182/71 |
| Ukrainians | 1507/13 | 406/15 | 21 | 74/1 | 64/2 | 2072/31 |
| Belarusians | 159/3 | 90/1 | 5 | 11 | 46 | 311/4 |
| other nationalities | 920/5 | 86/3 | 2 | 35/1 | 25 | 1068/9 |
| up to 20 years | 1750 | 198/1 | - | 27 | 15 | 1990/1 |
| up to 25 years | 2542/3 | 1233/34 | 50 | 172 | 33 | 4030/37 |
| up to 30 years old | 1758/2 | 617/15 | 33/1 | 154/5 | 66 | 2628/23 |
| up to 40 years old | 1810/11 | 281/9 | 9 | 143/2 | 87 | 2330/22 |
| over 40 years old | 687/28 | 3/2 | - | 17 | 48/2 | 655/32 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen | 3810 | 23 | - | 134 | - | 3967 |
| junior officers | 3304/2 | 1885/28 | 75/1 | 295/1 | 5 | 5564/32 |
| senior officers | 1098/14 | 401/28 | 17 | 74/6 | 15 | 1605/48 |
| senior officers | 235/28 | 22/5 | - | 7 | 7/2 | 271/35 |
| without military rank | - | 1 | - | 3 | 222 | 226 |
Among the GSS awarded this title during the Second World War, soldiers, sergeants and foremen accounted for 34.1%, junior officers - 47.8%, senior officers - 2.3%.
71% were communists and about 13% were Komsomol members.
People under 25 years old accounted for 51.8%, over 40 years old - 5.6%.
| Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title for feats accomplished during the period Soviet-Japanese war | ||||
|
Compound |
Ground troops | Air Force | Navy | Total |
| Total people | 40/4 | 1/1 | 52/1 | 93/6 |
| communists | 36/4 | 1/1 | 43/1 | 80/6 |
| Komsomol members | 3 | - | 6 | 9 |
| Russians | 26/2 | 1/1 | 46/1 | 73/4 |
| Ukrainians | 8/1 | - | 4 | 12/1 |
| Belarusians | 2 | - | 1 | 4 |
| other nationalities | 4/1 | - | - | 4*/1 |
| up to 20 years | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| up to 25 years | 2 | - | 6 | 8 |
| up to 30 years old | 8 | - | 14/1 | 22/1 |
| up to 40 years old | 12 | - | 36 | 38 |
| over 40 years old | 16/4 | 1/1 | 5 | 22/5 |
| soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen | 7 | - | 12 | 19 |
| junior officers | 9 | - | 21/1 | 30/1 |
| senior officers | 9 | - | 15 | 24 |
| senior officers | 15/4 | 1/1 | 4 | 20/5 |
The largest number of GSS, 52 people, are representatives of the Navy: 44 people - from the Pacific Fleet, 7 - from the Red Banner Amur Flotilla and People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov. Among the heroic sailors, 14 served in the Marine Corps, 15 in the Air Force. Pacific Fleet, 22 - on surface ships. The fact that more than half of the GSS participants in the war with Japan are sailors is explained by the conditions of the theater of military operations.
The largest number of GSS who served in the Ground Forces and were awarded this title for their exploits in the Far Eastern Company, 26 soldiers from the infantry troops, 6 from the armored forces, 4 from the artillery, 2 from the engineering troops, one soldier served in the cavalry.
Among the GSS are representatives of the High Command (including the commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky), commanders of fronts (fleets), armies (flotillas); commanders of corps, divisions, brigades, ships, regiments, battalions; headquarters officers, commanders of companies, platoons, squads, crews of tanks and aircraft, gun crews; rank and file. In particular, among the GSS there are 20 marshals, generals and admirals, 54 officers, 19 foremen, Red Army soldiers and Red Navy men.
Among the GSS - participants in the battles with Japan, communists and Komsomol members accounted for 95.7%.
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Heroes of the Soviet Union, awarded this title twice or more times (1934 - 1984) |
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Compound |
In the pre-war years | During the Great Patriotic War | IN post-war years | Total |
| Total people | 5 | 115 | 30 | 150 |
| communists | 5 | 113 | 30 | 148 |
| Komsomol members | - | 2 | - | 2 |
| Russians | 2 | 71 | 25 | 98 |
| Ukrainians | 1 | 31 | 3 | 35 |
| Belarusians | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| other nationalities | 1 | 9 | 1 | 11* |
| up to 25 years | - | 38 | - | 38 |
| up to 30 years old | 2 | 23 | 2 | 27 |
| up to 40 years old | 2 | 22 | 19 | 43 |
| over 40 years old | 1 | 32 | 9 | 42 |
| junior officers | - | 32 | 9 | 42 |
| senior officers | 3 | 48 | 17 | 68 |
| senior officers | 2 | 36 | 4 | 42 |
| without military rank | - | - | 8 | 8 |
* Including: Armenians and Jews - 2 people each; Bashkir, Karelian, Kazakh, Ossetian, Pole, Tatar, Chuvash.
The topic is not slippery, in my opinion the topic is controversial.... since nationality is not always clear...
ABOUT VALOR, ABOUT FEATURES, ABOUT GLORY
To mark the publication of Lev Yarutsky’s brochure “Greeks - Heroes of the Soviet Union”
Peoples of the former Soviet Union who participated in the defeat Hitler's Germany, still scrupulously
counting how many Gold Star holders they promoted from their ranks. These names are rightly
a source of pride for the nations inhabiting the post-Soviet space.
For a long time it was believed that among the Greeks only one person received the highest award for military valor -
Ilya Fedorovich Takhtarov. Ten years ago, when Lev Yarutsky’s brochure “Outstanding Greeks” was published
Mariupol", among its twenty characters there were already three Heroes: Takhtarov was joined by K.Ya. Talakh and
G.Ya.Bakhchivandzhi. And in the new book of the famous local historian there are already 16 of them (!), and among them one is a four-time Hero
Soviet Union, two were awarded Golden Stars twice, and one was not only a recipient of the Golden Star, but also
full holder of the Order of Glory. True, the author did not limit himself only to the Mariupol Greeks, but covered
all their fellow tribesmen who inhabited the former Soviet Union.
It will surprise many, and some may be shocked, that the brochure “Greeks - Heroes of the Soviet Union” is opened
an essay about the famous Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. How, was the great Russian commander
Greek?!
Yes, Georgy Konstantinovich’s father was called Kostya the Greek in the village of Strelkovka, the marshal himself spoke about this. AND
Although very scanty biographical information has reached us about Konstantin Zhukov, the author of the brochure convincingly
argues why he opens the list of Greek Heroes with an essay about the four-time Hero of the USSR.
IN Soviet time the word “Greek” in the notorious fifth column of the questionnaire threatened with all sorts of restrictions in
civil rights. It was an obstacle to admission to prestigious university, to graduate school, slowed down
professional growth and promotion. Under these conditions, the passports of people with pronounced
With Greek surnames, the word “Ukrainian” or “Russian” appeared in the “nationality” column. In a number of cases there were
however, there are legal grounds for this: persons born from mixed marriages avoided the nationality of the “second
varieties”, and they chose one of the parents of the “advantageous” nationality.
This happened to Pavel Khristoforovich Dubinda, Hero of the Soviet Union and full holder of the order
Glory. In the encyclopedia "Heroes of the Soviet Union" he is identified as Ukrainian - through his mother. But his father was Greek, and
P.H. Dubinda is the son of two peoples - Ukrainian and Greek.
Lev Yarutsky, based on documents published in the last decade, restored the original
nationality of the Heroes. For example, the world-famous polar explorer I.D. Papanin, brothers V.K. and K.K.Kokkinaki,
purebred Greeks, but in the directory they are listed as Russians. Army General is also recorded as Russian
V.Ya. Kolpakchi, and Anatoly Ratfopullo, who repeatedly asserted both orally and in print that he was Greek, is also ranked among
"elder brother"
Like the previous eleven books by Lev Yarutsky, the brochure “Greeks - Heroes of the Soviet Union” was written
freely and uninhibitedly, in a lively and figurative literary language.
Victory in the Great Patriotic War was achieved only thanks to heroism Soviet people(not only Russian, as is often presented in the modern press), many nations lost their sons at the fronts and in Nazi camps. Is there a way to recognize and appreciate every single person for their heroism and bravery. In the USSR, the highest award was the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During the Second World War, 11,302 people were awarded the Hero's Star. But here’s what’s strange: when official sources indicate which nations’ representatives were nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as a rule, it is written: Russians - 7998 people, Ukrainians - 2021 people, Belarusians - 299 people and other nations - 984 people. But why did other nations forget?
The USSR was a single country of friendly and equal peoples, but then why in official statistics most of the peoples are indicated as others. After all, the Heroes of the Soviet Union were: 161 Tatars, 107 Jews, 96 Kazakhs, 90 Georgians, 89 Armenians, 67 Uzbeks, 63 Mordvins, 45 Chuvash, 43 Azerbaijanis, 38 Bashkirs, 31 Ossetians, 18 Mari, 16 Turkmen, 15 Lithuanians, 15 Tajiks , 12 Latvians, 12 Kyrgyz, 10 Komi, 10 Udmurts, 9 Estonians, 8 Karelians, 8 Kalmyks, 6 Kabardians, 6 Adygeans, 4 Abkhazians, 2 Yakuts, 2 Moldavians, 1 Tuvan. But even in this list one can see the absence of representatives of repressed peoples - Chechens and Crimean Tatars.
What really causes bewilderment is the question of attitude towards representatives of peoples who, for some reason, became undesirable, and with one stroke of the pen they were crossed out from. In fairness, it should be noted that 6 Chechens and 5 Crimean Tatars became Heroes of the Soviet Union (Ametkhan Sultan - twice). These people committed heroic deeds, for which they were awarded the highest government award of the USSR. In 1942, by order of Beria, the conscription of representatives of the Chechen-Ingush Republic to the front was stopped. This was at the beginning of the year, and by the end of summer, when the Nazis invaded the territory of the Soviet Caucasus, it was decided to allow volunteers from Checheno-Ingushetia to participate in the battles. 18.5 thousand volunteers and conscripts from Checheno-Ingushetia fought on the fronts of the Second World War; they fought to the death on the outskirts of Stalingrad as part of a separate Checheno-Ingush regiment.
Some of the most famous Chechen heroes were machine gunner Khanpasha Nuradilov and sniper Abukhazhi Idrisov. Nuradilov distinguished himself in a battle near the village of Zakharovka, when he destroyed 120 Nazis, in total the hero destroyed 920 enemy soldiers, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - posthumously. Idrisov killed 349 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers with his sniper rifle.
No less important role Representatives of the Jewish people also played in WWII. For many years, everyone talked about Jews only as traders and intellectuals, but the terrible time of war came, and they proved that their Motherland was not an empty phrase for them and they would defend it to the last drop of blood.
As part of the Soviet troops, more than 200 thousand Jews were presented with various state awards, and 107 were presented with highest award- Hero of the Soviet Union. Some sources indicate the number - 150, but for the most part this is due to the fact that during the difficult years of the war, nationality did not always play a decisive role and only after the war it was established that, for example, Mikhail Plotkin, the legendary pilot, was not Russian, but a Jew, and there are a lot of such examples, but nevertheless this does not diminish the merit of this or that people. The great merit of the representatives of the Jewish people was that the Nazis were never able to break the proud spirit of Odessa. It was the Jewish partisans who forced the enemy to live in constant fear. And if we talk about the exploits of the Jews, how can we not remember the legendary intelligence officer Yankel Chernyak, who organized a magnificent network consisting of agents included in the top management fascist Germany. It was Chernyak’s group that was able to gain access to the secret developments of the Tiger and transmit this information to Moscow. As a result, when, according to the Nazis, their best tank was delivered to the front, Soviet tanks were already ready for this.
Representatives of the then young Soviet republics - Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia - also took an active part in the war. Representatives of Western Ukraine did not stand aside either; many heroes were subsequently repressed for possible connections with the UPA, but the fact remains that there were heroes not only in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, but also in other republics.
Unfortunately, those years when the USSR was united and powerful are in the past. Fewer and fewer of those who stood at the origins of the victory and who created it are left alive. After all, now even those who were born in 1930 and took part in the partisan movement as teenagers are already 81, and this is a very respectable age, considering what these people had to endure. And the fewer veterans remain alive, the fewer eyewitnesses there are who can tell the truth about the war. There is already an attempt to change or, more simply put, rewrite history. War heroes are called into question, many events are spoken of as not real, but only fictitious for the purpose of propaganda. Yes, there was propaganda, but it was propaganda calling for confrontation with the enemy who occupied our Motherland.
At the front, a Russian, a Chechen, an Uzbek, a Ukrainian stood side by side, and there was not a shadow of doubt that a comrade would not leave him to die on the battlefield. No, these people had no nationality, they were Soviet, and perhaps this is where the strength lies, when teenagers don’t point their fingers at a representative of another nationality walking down the street or when a Chechen guy doesn’t raise
During the Great Patriotic War, the sons and daughters of all republics and all peoples of the USSR fought shoulder to shoulder at the front. Each nation had its own heroes in this war.
Nations with the most heroes
During the Great Patriotic War, 7998 Russians, 2021 Ukrainians, 299 Belarusians became Heroes of the Soviet Union. The next largest number of heroes are Tatars - 161, Jews - 107, Kazakhs - 96, Georgians - 90, Armenians - 89.
Other peoples
Not much behind the Georgians and Armenians are the Uzbeks - 67 heroes, Mordvinians - 63, Chuvash - 45, Azerbaijanis - 43, Bashkirs - 38, Ossetians - 33. Next come the Mari, Turkmen, Lithuanians, Tajiks, Latvians, Kyrgyz, Komi, Udmurts, who gave the country has from 10 to 18 Heroes of the Soviet Union. 9 heroes each came from German (we are, of course, talking about Volga Germans) and Estonian peoples, 8 each from Karelians, Buryats and Mongols, Kalmyks, Kabardians. The Adygs gave the country 6 heroes, the Abkhaz - 4, the Yakuts - 2, the Moldovans - also 2, the Tuvans -1. And finally, representatives of repressed peoples, such as the Chechens and Crimean Tatars, fought no less bravely than the rest. 5 Chechens and 6 Crimean Tatars were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
About “inconvenient” nationalities
At the everyday level, there were practically no ethnic conflicts in the USSR, everyone lived peacefully side by side, and treated each other, if not like brothers, then like good neighbors. However, at the state level there were periods when some peoples were considered “wrong”. These are, first of all, repressed peoples, and Jews. Anyone who is even slightly interested in the issue of the Crimean Tatars knows the name of Ametkhan Sultan, the legendary ace pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Representatives of the Chechen people also performed feats. As you know, in 1942 the conscription of residents of the Chechen-Ingush Republic to the front was stopped, but by the end of the summer of this year, when the Nazis invaded North Caucasus, it was decided to call volunteers from among the Chechens and Ingush to the front. 18.5 thousand volunteers showed up at recruiting stations. They fought to the death on the outskirts of Stalingrad as part of a separate Chechen-Ingush regiment.
There is often an opinion about Jews that representatives of this ancient people are capable, first of all, of intellectual work and to commerce, but the warriors from them are so-so. And that's not true. 107 Jews became during the Great Patriotic Heroes Soviet Union. The Jews have made a huge contribution, for example, in organizing partisan movement in Odessa.
From “natural” numbers - to percentages
7998 Russians became Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war. At first glance, this number is much larger than 6 - that’s exactly how many Heroes of the Soviet Union are from the Circassians. However, if you look at the percentage of heroes to population, you get a completely different picture. The 1939 census showed that 99,591,520 Russians lived in the country. Adygov - 88115. And it turns out that the percentage of heroes per “capita” of the small Adyghe people is even slightly higher than that of the Russians - 0.0068 versus 0.0080. The “percentage of heroism” among Ukrainians is 0.0072, among Belarusians - 0.0056, among Uzbeks 0.0013, among Chechens - 0.0012, and so on. It is clear that the number of heroes in itself cannot be considered an exhaustive characteristic of the national spirit, but the ratio of the number of heroes and the total population says something about the people. If you look at these statistics using the example of the peoples of the USSR, it will become clear that during the war years, each of our peoples contributed their share to the overall victory, and singling out someone would be a blatant injustice.
During the Great Patriotic War, the sons and daughters of all republics and all peoples of the USSR fought shoulder to shoulder at the front. Each nation had its own heroes in this war.
During the Great Patriotic War, 7998 Russians, 2021 Ukrainians, 299 Belarusians became Heroes of the Soviet Union. The next largest number of heroes are Tatars - 161, Jews - 107, Kazakhs - 96, Georgians - 90, Armenians - 89.
Other peoples
Not much behind the Georgians and Armenians are the Uzbeks - 67 heroes, Mordvinians - 63, Chuvash - 45, Azerbaijanis - 43, Bashkirs - 38, Ossetians - 33. Next come the Mari, Turkmens, Lithuanians, Tajiks, Latvians, Kyrgyz, Komi, Udmurts, who gave the country has from 10 to 18 Heroes of the Soviet Union.
9 heroes each came from the German (we are, of course, talking about the Volga Germans) and Estonian peoples, 8 each from the Karelians, Buryats and Mongols, Kalmyks, Kabardians. The Adygs gave the country 6 heroes, the Abkhaz - 4, the Yakuts - 2, the Moldovans - also 2, the Tuvans -1. And finally, representatives of repressed peoples, such as the Chechens and Crimean Tatars, fought no less bravely than the rest. 5 Chechens and 6 Crimean Tatars were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
About “inconvenient” nationalities
At the everyday level, there were practically no ethnic conflicts in the USSR, everyone lived peacefully side by side, and treated each other, if not like brothers, then like good neighbors. However, at the state level there were periods when some peoples were considered “wrong”. These are, first of all, repressed peoples, and Jews.
Anyone who is even slightly interested in the issue of the Crimean Tatars knows the name of Ametkhan Sultan, the legendary ace pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Representatives of the Chechen people also performed feats. As you know, in 1942 the conscription of residents of the Chechen-Ingush Republic to the front was stopped, but by the end of the summer of this year, when the Nazis invaded the North Caucasus, it was decided to call up volunteers from among the Chechens and Ingush to the front. 18.5 thousand volunteers showed up at recruiting stations. They fought to the death on the outskirts of Stalingrad as part of a separate Chechen-Ingush regiment.
There is often an opinion about Jews that representatives of this ancient people are capable, first of all, of intellectual work and commerce, but they are only so-so warriors. And that's not true. 107 Jews became Heroes of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. The merit of the Jews, for example, in organizing the partisan movement in Odessa is enormous.
From “natural” numbers - to percentages
7998 Russians became Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war. At first glance, this number is much larger than 6 - that’s exactly how many Heroes of the Soviet Union are from the Circassians. However, if you look at the percentage of heroes to population, you get a completely different picture. The 1939 census showed that 99,591,520 Russians lived in the country. Adygov - 88115. And it turns out that the percentage of heroes per “capita” of the small Adyghe people is even slightly higher than that of the Russians - 0.0068 versus 0.0080. The “percentage of heroism” among Ukrainians is 0.0072, among Belarusians - 0.0056, among Uzbeks 0.0013, among Chechens - 0.0012, and so on. It is clear that the number of heroes in itself cannot be considered an exhaustive characteristic of the national spirit, but the ratio of the number of heroes and the total population says something about the people. If you look at these statistics using the example of the peoples of the USSR, it will become clear that during the war years, each of our peoples contributed their share to the overall victory, and singling out someone would be a blatant injustice.
