The title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Gold Star medal. Gold Star Medal Who owns the Gold Star medal 1

Medal "Hero" Soviet Union" - one of the highest insignia, which was awarded at the corresponding rank. It was established during the formation of the USSR, but remained an award badge in Russian Federation. Initially, the title appeared, and then it was decided to award all Heroes of the USSR with the “Gold Star”.

The title appeared in 1934. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decided that all citizens who distinguished themselves in military operations should be awarded the title of Hero of the USSR. Initially, the award and title had no common ground. Everyone who received the title was awarded another insignia - the Order of Lenin.

This went on for two years, after which it was decided that the title would receive a corresponding award, which was considered one of the most valuable. The “Golden Star” of the Union appeared in 1936; architect Miron Merzhanov participated in the development of the design.

Medal "Golden Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union

The medal was considered an additional badge; initially there was no information about how many times the title and medal could be awarded to one person. There was no information about whether the recipients should also be awarded the Order of Lenin. But later these points were clarified.

The title of Hero of the USSR could be awarded to any citizen who lived on the territory of the USSR. A hero could be awarded twice; in addition, receiving a medal and being awarded a title allowed a person to receive certain benefits and enjoy them throughout his life.

Naturally, the largest number of medals were received during the Second World War. In addition, in addition to the title, the citizen received:

Order of Lenin or Gold Star medal, depending on the year of presentation.
Certificate of honor.

In addition, a bronze bust was erected to the hero in his homeland; if a person was awarded the title twice, if three times, then a bronze bust was installed in the Kremlin.

The idea that distinguished citizens should be awarded a title was so popular with the leaders of countries under the influence of the USSR that similar awards were established in many of them.

The award badge was of particular value among collectors; today the Gold Star medal is a good exhibit for any collection. But the sale and purchase of medals from the USSR era on the territory of our country is prosecuted by law. Therefore, it is rare to find such a lot.

Considering that the title was awarded only before the collapse of the USSR, and after that the award was already called differently, it is difficult to say exactly how much it costs at auction. Assessing its market value, we can say that the price ranges from one to two thousand dollars. But collectors will likely offer a higher price.

The title is priceless and for this reason the people to whom it was awarded were entitled to a number of benefits. The title was also often combined with other awards and medals. Hero of Socialist Labor and Hero of the Soviet Union - these titles were often awarded together. Cosmonauts and pilots were especially loved by the secretaries general, so they were awarded the award more often than other representatives of military structures.

Title deprivation statistics:

a total of 72 people were deprived of the title of Hero for one reason or another, mainly criminal offenses;
15 people from this list were subsequently shot;
13 people never received the title due to the fact that the decrees on assignment were revoked, the reason for this was unjustified assignment;
61 people for one reason or another were deprived of the title of Hero, but were later restored to the title;
11 of those who were stripped of their rank and shot were subsequently rehabilitated.

The last person to receive the award was Leonid Solodkov, but at the time he was awarded the title, the Soviet Union itself no longer existed. Less than a month had passed since the collapse, so when presented, the newly-made hero, instead of answering “I serve the Soviet Union,” limited himself to only the phrase: “Thank you.”

Certificate for the medal

It is also noteworthy that four Heroes of the Soviet Union, after its collapse, received the title of Heroes of the Russian Federation. Two of them were astronauts.

During the Soviet era, only two people became Heroes four times. Only Marshal Zhukov received such an honor and, of course, Leonid Brezhnev, who had a love for orders and medals, for this reason he awarded them to himself without any apparent reason.

There were also women among the Heroes; before the start of the Great Patriotic War, three representatives of the fair sex were awarded the title. During the Second World War, the number of women among those awarded increased significantly and reached 90 people. But 47 of them were awarded the title posthumously.

Hero Medal in the USSR

The “Golden Star” of the Union did not immediately receive the name “Golden Star”, initially the medal was called similarly to the title, but due to the design and shape of the star, the award was renamed. It was considered the highest and most prestigious, awarded for special services to the Fatherland, for military exploits, courage and bravery in the performance of official or military duties.

And also the title and, accordingly, the award was awarded not only to people, but also to cities, and also to fortresses.

After the establishment of the award, it was decided to build the Palace of the Soviets, which would contain busts made of bronze of citizens - three times Heroes. In order to build a palace on the banks of the Moscow River, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was demolished, but the war intervened in the communist plans and construction was frozen. It is noteworthy that it was never resumed; the planned skyscraper with a height of more than 400 meters was never built. Therefore, all the busts of Heroes who received the medal three times were in the Kremlin.

The award badge was made of gold and had the shape of a five-pointed star (the rays are sharp, visually divided into two halves). The weight of the medal was 21.5 grams. Quite a lot, considering that high 950 gold was used to make the star.

On the reverse of the sign there was the inscription “To the Hero of the Soviet Union”; the inscription was initially written in an abbreviated version, replacing the Soviet Union with the abbreviation SS, but later it was decided to change the abbreviation. The reason for the change was the negative associations of citizens: the SS was associated with a fascist organization and occupying troops.

It was also necessary to make a mark on the star indicating which time the medal was awarded to the citizen; it was made in Roman numerals. If the award badge was lost for a good reason, then the owner was given a duplicate, it had a corresponding mark in the form of the letter “D”. The country's leadership considered military actions to be a valid reason.

If a citizen already had the title of Hero and an award badge, but at the same time he was re-awarded the title for a committed heroic act, then in addition to the Gold Star medal, the hero could be awarded the Order of Lenin.

Since the “Gold Star” is considered one of the highest and most honorable awards, it should be worn above other medals and orders on the chest on the left side. The award badge has a block and a ring; the year of presentation of the badge must be indicated on the reverse.

The rules for re-awarding did not appear immediately; clarifications regarding the possible number of awards of the title did not appear. But here are the clarifications that concerned appearance medals, awarded for the third and second time, appeared only in 1939. In addition, the mention that busts of heroes should be in the Kremlin appeared only in the 1960s.

Despite the fact that the award appeared after the title was established, its cultural and historical value is quite high. Over the years, the following citizens were awarded the Gold Star medal:

Rescuers of the sunken crew "Chelyuskin", the first name on the list was the name of the pilot S. Levanevsky, but during his lifetime he did not have time to receive the award. The pilot died while flying over the North Pole to the United States.
In the 40s of the 20th century, the awards were awarded mainly to participants in the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus.
Until 1941, about 600 people received the medal.
The cosmonauts were especially popular with the authorities: 84 people received awards.
The awarding of heroes of the Great Patriotic War continued after its end, the reason being that some citizens were unable to receive a medal for one reason or another.

Today at auctions you can find quite a lot a large number of awards made of gold. If the authenticity of the star has not been established, then its price will not exceed $20. In order to conduct a profitable transaction, it is necessary to prove the authenticity of the mark. This is done through a series of examinations, they are carried out in accordance with the rules of the auction. But by proving the authenticity of the award, its value can be significantly increased. In this case, collectors will be ready to purchase the Star at a better price.

It’s difficult to say exactly how much the insignia costs, but under unfavorable circumstances the seller may have problems with the law.

Similar auctions take place at various auctions, but do not forget that all orders and medals have an identification number by which they can be recognized by finding out information about the owner. The authorities may prevent the transaction from being completed. Particular attention is paid to rare orders and medals, as well as collected collections that are of great value as historical and cultural heritage.

Rosokhrankultura is involved in resolving issues; the organization monitors such lots. If necessary, officials may send a request to remove a lot from sale until the identity of the seller is established. The reason is that the sale of award badges is prohibited in Russia, but the ban does not apply to other countries. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, an enterprising seller may face a fine or correctional labor.

When selling an award badge on the territory of another state, it is necessary to confirm its authenticity. Only the owner can do this, but if government officials have questions about the authenticity and true owner of the medal, the lot can be withdrawn from auction until the owner is identified.

The issue is quite controversial, and if problems arise when selling a medal or putting up a lot for auction, they must be resolved in as soon as possible. Otherwise, problems with the law may arise. But this does not mean that the Gold Star medal cannot be sold or bought at auction.

Organizers of auctions do not have the right to disclose information about the owners of lots; this information is kept secret. Therefore, finding out the names of sellers is not so easy. And to establish the authenticity of award badges, you need to meet with their owners. Using identification numbers, one can obtain information about who originally owned the awards, but the authorities have no information about who is the owner of orders and medals today.

Hero of Russia

After the fall of the Union, the tradition of awarding the Gold Star medal as a badge of honor did not disappear. The country's leadership decided to continue presenting awards, but since the country of the USSR no longer existed, the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and the corresponding award appeared.

The insignia, like the title, is considered the highest award in Russia, awarded to citizens for special services to the Fatherland, bravery and courage when performing military tasks.

The appearance of the sign has remained virtually unchanged, only now it is customary to decorate the star with a ribbon in the color of the Russian tricolor. The medal also has five sharp rays, each 1.5 cm long.

The reverse of the star has a smooth, even surface, it is limited by a rim, and the inscription “To the Hero of Russia” is applied to the surface of the reverse of the sign. The medal also has an identification number that allows you to identify the owner.

The title can be awarded to one person several times; there are no restrictions on this matter in the legislation of the Russian Federation. There is a certain similarity here with the presentation of the insignia during the Soviet era.

In the upper ray of the award badge there is a mark in the form of a number; it is convex, indicating the time the badge was awarded to the citizen. And also in raised letters there is an inscription on the reverse of the medal. The weight of the star has not changed, it is also 21.5 grams.

During the Soviet era, it was customary to decorate the Kremlin with busts of heroes, and the bust had to be installed in the person’s homeland. Partially this tradition has survived to this day. Now, in order for his bronze bust to be installed in the hero’s homeland, it is necessary to receive two titles: Hero of the Russian Federation and Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation.

But to receive the title and award badge, you must have grounds. In most cases the following were noted:

combatants;
participants of the Great Patriotic War;
aircraft testers;
citizens who have distinguished themselves in the fight against terrorism;
participants of the first Chechen war;
sailors, submariners and naval equipment testers;
astronauts;
persons who distinguished themselves in saving someone else's life, including rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

If we evaluate the market value of the award, then it is not as high as that of orders and medals from the times of the USSR. Undoubtedly, the sign has a certain value, since it is made from precious metal, but its sale on the territory of Russia cannot be carried out in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. Since the insignia has an identification number, identifying the owner is not difficult.

The Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded:
- highest award USSR - order Lenin;
– a sign of special distinction – the “Gold Star” medal;
- Certificate of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In honor of the Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the 2nd Gold Star medal, a bronze bust of the Hero with the appropriate inscription was built, which was installed in his homeland.

The Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union was worn on the left side of the chest above the USSR. The Gold Star medal is a five-pointed star with smooth dihedral rays on the front side. The reverse side of the medal has a smooth surface and is limited in silhouette by a protruding narrow rim. On the reverse side, in the center of the medal, there is an inscription in raised letters “Hero of the USSR”.

This USSR medal is made of 950 gold. The medal block is made of silver. As of September 18, 1975, the gold content in the medal was 20.521 ± 0.903 grams, the silver content was 12.186 ± 0.927 grams. The weight of the medal without the block is 21.5 grams. The total weight of the medal is 34.264 ± 1.5 g.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established by the Decree of the USSR Central Executive Committee of April 16, 1934. The resolution established that “Heroes of the Soviet Union are issued a distinctive certificate.” No other attributes or insignia were introduced for the Heroes of the Soviet Union at that time.

The regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union were established on July 29, 1936. It introduced the procedure for awarding Heroes of the Soviet Union, in addition to the CEC diploma, also the Order of Lenin, the highest award of the USSR. Those who were awarded the title of Hero before the release of this Resolution were also given it retroactively; there were 11 of them. From this stage, all Heroes of the Soviet Union received almost until the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

On August 1, 1939, the “Hero of the Soviet Union” medal was established, which is awarded simultaneously with the awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the awarding of the Order of Lenin. The issuance of Gold Star medals was carried out similarly to those individuals who were awarded the title before the establishment of this medal.

On July 21, 1942, all fighters of the tank destroyer unit from the 1075th regiment of the 316th became heroes. rifle division Major General Panfilov. 27 soldiers, led by political instructor Klochkov, at the cost of their lives stopped the advanced tank units of the Germans, rushing to the Volokolamsk highway, at the Dubosekovo crossing. All of them were awarded the title posthumously, but then five of them turned out to be alive and received “Gold Stars”.

On May 18, 1943, all the soldiers of the platoon of Lieutenant P.N. Shironin were awarded the title of GSS. from the 78th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 25th Guards Rifle Division under General P.M. Shafarenko. From March 2, 1943, for five days, a platoon, reinforced with a 45-mm gun, defended a railway crossing near the village of Taranovka south of Kharkov and repeated the feat of the Panfilov men. The enemy lost 11 armored vehicles and up to a hundred soldiers. When other units came to the rescue of the Shironinites, only six heroes survived, including the seriously wounded commander. All 25 platoon soldiers were awarded the title of GSS.

On April 2, 1945, the last assignment of the title of GSS to all personnel of one unit during the Great Patriotic War took place. On March 28, 1944, during the liberation of the city of Nikolaev, 67 soldiers of the landing detachment (55 sailors and 12 soldiers), led by senior lieutenant K.F. Olshansky, performed a heroic feat. and his deputy for political affairs, Captain A.F. Golovlev. The landing force was landed in the Nikolaev port to facilitate the capture of the city by the advancing units. The Germans threw 3 infantry battalions against the paratroopers, supported by 4 tanks and artillery. Before the main forces arrived, 55 out of 67 people died, but the paratroopers managed to destroy about 700 fascists, 2 tanks and 4 guns. All dead and surviving paratroopers were awarded the title of GSS. In addition to the paratroopers, a conductor also fought in the detachment, but he was awarded the title of Hero only 20 years later.

Former Chief of Operations of the General Staff Soviet army Marshal Shtemenko provides the following data: for exploits during the Great Patriotic War, 11,603 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (as of September 1, 1948), 98 people received this honor twice, and three times.

GSS Guard Captain Nedorubov K.I. (1889-1978) – squadron commander people's militia 41st Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 11th Guards Cavalry Division of the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the North Caucasus Front. Member of the 1st World War and civil war. Full Knight of St. George. He wore the Gold Star of the Hero along with the Crosses of St. George.

Of all those awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War and the war with Japan, the largest number were ground forces soldiers - over 8 thousand (1800 artillerymen, 1142 tank crews, 650 sappers, more than 290 signalmen and 52 logistics soldiers). It must be said that in 1944 Decrees were promulgated on awarding the navigator of the fighter aviation regiment, Major N.D. Gulaev. the third “Golden Star”, and a number of other pilots with the second “Golden Star”, but none of them received awards because of the brawl they caused in a Moscow restaurant on the eve of receiving the awards. These decrees were annulled.
The number of Air Force Heroes is about 2,400 people.
In the Navy, 513 people received the title of Hero (including naval pilots and marines who fought ashore).
From among the border guards, fighters internal troops and security troops - over 150 Heroes of the Soviet Union.
234 partisans were awarded the title of GSS.
There are more than 90 representatives of the fairer sex among the Heroes of the Soviet Union. More than half of them were awarded the title of GSS posthumously.
Of all the Heroes of the Soviet Union, 35% were privates and non-commissioned officers (soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen), 61% were officers and 3.3% (380 people) were generals, admirals and marshals.
By national composition the bulk of the Heroes were Russians - 7998 people; Ukrainians - 2021 people, Belarusians - 299, Tatars - 161, Jews - 107, Kazakhs - 96, Georgians - 90, Armenians - 89, Uzbeks - 67, Mordvins - 63, Chuvash - 45, Azerbaijanis - 43, Bashkirs - 38, Ossetians – 31, Mari – 18, Turkmens – 16, Lithuanians – 15, Tajiks – 15, Latvians – 12, Kyrgyz – 12, Komi – 10, Udmurts – 10, Estonians – 9, Karelians – 8, Kalmyks – 8, Kabardians – 6 , Adygeis - 6, Abkhazians - 4, Yakuts - 2, Moldovans - 2, Tuvans - 1, etc.

On April 16, 1934, the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR established the highest degree of distinction - title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which was awarded for personal or collective services to the state associated with the accomplishment of a heroic feat.

Initially, the Heroes of the Soviet Union were awarded a diploma from the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and were separately awarded the Order of Lenin. Since 1936, the Order of Lenin was awarded simultaneously with the conferment of the title.

On August 1, 1939, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the medal “Hero of the Soviet Union” was established. No one was awarded it.

On October 16, 1939, the medal “Hero of the Soviet Union” was renamed “ Gold Star medal" The drawing and description of the medal were approved. The design of the medal was designed by artist I.I. Dubasov. Everyone who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union before October 16, 1939 was awarded a new medal (several hundred people).

Description of the medal

The Gold Star medal is made of 900-karat gold and is a five-pointed star with dihedral rays on the front side. Beam length - 15 mm.

On the reverse side of the medal there is a relief inscription “Hero of the USSR”. In the upper ray of the star is the medal number.

The order ribbon is red, 20 mm wide.

Method of fastening and wearing

The medal is connected to a rectangular silver gilded block, which is covered with a red silk moiré ribbon, using an eyelet and a link. The block has a pin fastening.

The Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union is supposed to be worn on the left side of the chest above orders and medals of the USSR.

From the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union :

“The title of Hero of the Soviet Union (GUS) is the highest degree of distinction and is awarded for personal or collective services to the Soviet state and society associated with the accomplishment of a heroic deed. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.”

From Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union dated May 14, 1973:

“A Hero of the Soviet Union who has accomplished a second heroic feat, no less than that for which others who have accomplished a similar feat are awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, is awarded the Order of Lenin and a second Gold Star medal, and in commemoration of his exploits a bronze bust of the hero is built with the appropriate inscription , established in his homeland, which is recorded in the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the award. Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Gold Star medals, for new heroic deeds similar to those previously accomplished, may again be awarded the order Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

(Until this time, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 1, 1939, the second Order of Lenin was not awarded when re-awarding.)

According to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, in addition to three “Golden Stars” and a bust in their homeland, were awarded a bronze bust in the form of a column, installed in Moscow. However, this point of the Decree was never implemented.

In 1988, the regulation from 1973 was amended, and it was established that the Order of Lenin is awarded to a Hero of the Soviet Union only upon the first award of the Gold Star medal.

For the first time the title of Hero of the Soviet Union On April 20, 1934, the following pilots were awarded: M. V. Vodopyanov, I. V. Doronin, N. P. Kamanin, S. A. Levanevsky, A. V. Lyapidevsky, V. S. Molokov and M. T. Slepnev who took part in the rescue of the crew of the icebreaker "Chelyuskin". On June 19, 1934, M.I. Kalinin presented the recipients with the Order of Lenin and a special certificate from the Central Executive Committee.

The first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union were S.I. Gritsevets and G.P. Kravchenko on August 29, 1939 for the battles at Khalkhin Gol. On February 22, 1939, for fighting in Spain, they were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union - for the first time. S. I. Gritsevets was awarded the second Gold Star medal for saving the commander of the 70th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major V. M. Zabaluev. While chasing Japanese planes over enemy territory, Gritsevets saw V. M. Zabaluev descending by parachute, whose plane was shot down. S.I. Gritsevets landed in difficult conditions and took out the major in his fighter. In the 22nd Aviation Regiment, commanded by G.P. Kravchenko, there were 11 Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Within two weeks battles near Lake Khasan 26 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Behind battles at Khalkhin Gol 70 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, of which 21 soldiers received it posthumously. Among the Heroes of Khalkhin Gol is G.K. Zhukov, later four times Hero of the Soviet Union.

The first in the Great Patriotic War By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 8, 1941, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to pilots S.I. Zdorovtsev, M.P. Zhukov and P.T. Kharitonov, who rammed German bombers.

85 Soviet pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union - made rams in the air, of which Lieutenant A. S. Khlobystov - three rams, and Senior Lieutenant B. I. Kovzan - four.

In the ground forces, the first Hero of the Soviet Union was the commander of the 1st motorized rifle division of the 20th Army, Colonel Y. R. Kreiser. During three days of defensive battles on the Berezina, his division destroyed 3 thousand enemy soldiers and officers and about 70 tanks.

The first sailor - Hero of the Soviet Union - was Senior Sergeant V.P. Kislyakov, assistant platoon commander, who distinguished himself in July 1941 during the landing in the Zapadnaya Litsa area in the Arctic.

The first Hero of the Soviet Union from the partisans was posthumously T. P. Bumazhkov - 1st Secretary of the Oktyabrsky District Committee of the Polesie Region Communist Party Belarus. During the Great Patriotic War, 190 partisans became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and commanders partisan formations S. A. Kovpak and A. F. Fedorov - twice heroes.

91 women became heroes of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, including the legendary partisans Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Liza Chaikina, snipers Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Maria Polivanova and Natalya Kovshova, pilots Marina Chechneva and Evgenia Rudneva and others.

On the Soviet-German front against the enemy, shoulder to shoulder with Soviet soldiers Anti-fascists from many countries fought. More than twenty of them became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them are French pilots from the Normandie-Niemen regiment, Czech captain Otakar Jaros and others.

On July 22, 1941, for the first time in the Great Patriotic War, the Gold Star medal was re-awarded. Her cavalier posthumously became pilot Lieutenant Colonel S.P. Suprun, commander of the 401st Special Purpose Fighter Aviation Regiment, who died in an unequal battle with six enemy fighters on July 4.

The first holder of three "Gold Stars" The hero of the Soviet Union was fighter pilot, later air marshal A.I. Pokryshkin, who flew more than 600 sorties, 156 air battles and shot down 59 enemy aircraft. Also, fighter pilot, later Colonel General of Aviation I.N. Kozhedub, who flew 330 combat missions and shot down 62 enemy aircraft, became a three-time hero of the Soviet Union.

After the war, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov became four times Hero of the Soviet Union.

For their exploits in the Great Patriotic War, more than 11,600 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

The resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR dated April 16, 1934 established the highest degree of distinction - the awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for personal or collective services to the state associated with the accomplishment of a heroic feat.

By resolution of the USSR Central Executive Committee of July 29, 1936, the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union were approved.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 1, 1939, in order to specially distinguish citizens awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and performing new heroic deeds, to establish the Gold Star medal, shaped like a five-pointed star.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 14, 1973, the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in a new edition were approved

Regulations on the medal.

Title of Hero of the Soviet Union(GSS) is the highest degree of distinction and is awarded for personal or collective services to the Soviet state and society associated with the accomplishment of a heroic feat.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded:

the highest award of the USSR - the Order of Lenin;
a sign of special distinction - the Gold Star medal;
Certificate of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

A Hero of the Soviet Union, who has accomplished a second heroic feat, no less than that for which others who have accomplished a similar feat are awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, is awarded the Order of Lenin and a second Gold Star medal, and in commemoration of his exploits, a bronze bust of the Hero is built with an appropriate inscription, established in his homeland, which is recorded in the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the award.

A Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Gold Star medals, may again be awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for new heroic deeds similar to those previously accomplished.

When a Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, he is presented with a certificate of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR simultaneously with the order and medal.

If the Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, then in commemoration of his heroic and labor exploits, a bronze bust of the Hero with the appropriate inscription is built, installed in his homeland, which is recorded in the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on conferring the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

Heroes of the Soviet Union enjoy benefits established by law.

Medal "Gold Star" The Hero of the Soviet Union is worn on the left side of the chest above the orders and medals of the USSR.

Deprivation of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union can only be carried out by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR

Description of the medal.

The Gold Star medal is a five-pointed star with smooth dihedral rays on the obverse. The distance from the center of the star to the top of the beam is 15 mm. The distance between the opposite ends of the star is 30 mm.

The reverse side of the medal has a smooth surface and is limited along the contour by a protruding thin rim. On the reverse side in the center of the medal there is an inscription in raised letters “Hero of the USSR”. The size of the letters is 4 by 2 mm. In the upper beam is the medal number 1 mm high.

The medal, using an eyelet and a ring, is connected to a gilded metal block, which is a rectangular plate 15 mm high and 19.5 mm wide, with frames in the upper and lower parts. There are slits along the base of the block; its inner part is covered with a red silk moiré ribbon 20 mm wide. The block has a threaded pin with a nut on the reverse side for attaching the medal to clothing.

The medal is made of 950 gold. The medal block is made of silver. As of September 18, 1975, the gold content in the medal was 20.521 ± 0.903 g, the silver content was 12.186 ± 0.927 g. The weight of the medal without the block was 21.5 g. The total weight of the medal was 34.264 ± 1.5 g.

History of the medal.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is the highest degree of distinction Soviet period, the most honorable title in the Soviet award hierarchy. However, to call this title rare would be wrong: there were much more Heroes of the Soviet Union than gentlemen of any degree of any “commander” order.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is the first award of its kind in the world. Although some countries had the concept of “national hero,” it was not an official award. After the end of the Second World War, in a number of socialist-oriented countries, by analogy with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, national highest degrees of distinction were established: “Hero of the Mongolian People’s Republic” (Mongolian People’s Republic), “Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic” (Czechoslovak Soviet Socialist Republic), "Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria", "Hero of Syria", etc.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established by the Decree of the USSR Central Executive Committee of April 16, 1934. The resolution established that “Heroes of the Soviet Union are given a special certificate.” No other attributes or insignia were introduced to the Heroes of the Soviet Union at that time.

The regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union were first established on July 29, 1936. It introduced the procedure for awarding Heroes of the Soviet Union, in addition to the CEC diploma, also the Order of Lenin - the highest award of the USSR. From that moment on, all Heroes of the Soviet Union received the Order of Lenin until the abolition of the USSR in 1991. Those who were awarded the title of Hero before the release of this Resolution were also given it retroactively - there were only 11 of them.

The need for a special insignia for the State Air Force appeared three years later, when there were already 122 Heroes of the Soviet Union (two of them - pilots Levanevsky S.A. and Chkalov V.P. had died by that time, and 19 titles were awarded posthumously).

On August 1, 1939, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On additional insignia for Heroes of the Soviet Union” was issued. Articles 1 and 2 of the Decree read: “For the purpose of special distinction of citizens awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the medal “Hero of the Soviet Union” is established, which is awarded simultaneously with the conferment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the presentation of the Order of Lenin.” Article 3 of the Decree introduced a major change to the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union of 1936, according to which the title of Hero of the Soviet Union could be awarded only once: “A Hero of the Soviet Union who performed a secondary heroic feat ... was awarded the second medal “Hero of the Soviet Union”, and... a bronze bust is being built in the Hero’s homeland.” The presentation of the second Order of Lenin upon re-awarding was not envisaged.

The issuance of Gold Star medals was carried out in the order in which the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded, including to those persons who were awarded the title before the establishment of the Gold Star medal, and the number of the medal corresponded to the number of the certificate of the Central Executive Committee or the Presidium of the Supreme Council.

The regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in a new edition appeared on May 14, 1973, some changes were made to it by the Decree of July 18, 1980. It stated that the title of Hero of the Soviet Union "is awarded for personal or collective services to the Soviet state and society associated with the accomplishment of a heroic feat." What was new about it was that when the Hero of the Soviet Union is repeatedly and subsequently awarded the Gold Star medal, he is awarded the Order of Lenin each time. In addition, the previous limit on the number of awards of the “Gold Star” to one person (three times) was lifted, thanks to which Brezhnev was able to become a Hero of the Soviet Union four times (Zhukov became a Hero four times in 1956, bypassing the then-current Decree of August 1, 1939).

In 1988, this provision was changed, and the procedure for awarding the Order of Lenin to a Hero of the Soviet Union was established only upon the first presentation of the Gold Star medal. There is information that after the war, copies of the Gold Star medal made of base metals for everyday wear began to be awarded to Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was first awarded on April 20, 1934 by the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR for the rescue of the polar expedition and the crew of the icebreaker "Chelyuskin" to the brave Soviet aviators M.V. Vodopyanov, I.V. Doronin, N.P. Kamanin, S.A. Levanevsky. , Lyapidevsky A.V., Molokov V.S. and Slepnev M.T. . All of them received special certificates from the Central Election Commission. In addition, they were awarded the Order of Lenin, which was not provided for by the Decree establishing the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Certificate No. 1 was awarded to A.V. Lyapidevsky. With the introduction of a special insignia, Lyapidevsky was awarded the “Gold Star” No. 1 (Order of Lenin No. 515). During the Great Patriotic War, Colonel (since 1946 - Major General) Lyapidevsky headed the aircraft plant. He was also awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War I and II degrees, two Orders of the Red Star and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Died in 1983.

The eighth title of the GSS in 1934 was awarded to to an outstanding pilot Gromov M.M., who made a record non-stop flight over a distance of 12,411 km in 75 hours. Members of his crew received only orders.

The next GSS in 1936 were pilots V.P. Chkalov, G.F. Baidukov, A.V. Belyakov, who made a non-stop flight from Moscow to the Far East.

On December 31, 1936, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was first awarded for military exploits. Eleven commanders of the Red Army - participants in the civil war in the Spanish Republic - became heroes. It is noteworthy that all of them were also pilots, and three of them were foreigners by origin: the Italian Primo Gibelli, the German Ernst Schacht and the Bulgarian Zakhari Zahariev. Among the eleven “Spanish” Heroes was Lieutenant of the 61st Fighter Squadron Chernykh S.A. In Spain he is the first Soviet pilots shot down the newest Messerschmitt Bf 109B fighter. On June 22, 1941, he commanded the 9th Mixed Air Division. On the first day of the war the division suffered huge losses(out of 409 aircraft of the division, 347 were destroyed). Chernykh was accused of criminal inaction and executed on June 27. Hero of the Soviet Union Rychagov P.V. He also received the title of GSS for his participation in Spanish events. His battle path is interesting. In the summer of 1938, during the conflict with the Japanese at Lake Khasan Rychagov, he commanded the Air Force of the Primorsky Group of the Far Eastern Front. In 1939, he was appointed commander of the 9th Army Air Force. He took part in battles in the Soviet-Finnish War, then was appointed to the Main Directorate of the Air Force. In June 1941, Rychagov was accused of treason and shot along with his wife Maria in the village of Barbysh near Kuibyshev on October 28, 1941.

For the first time in the USSR, three of the eleven “Spanish” Heroes were awarded the title of GSS posthumously. Among the three Heroes awarded the high title posthumously was Lieutenant of the Red Army Air Force Karp Ivanovich Kovtun. On November 13, 1936, Kovtun was shot down in an air battle over Madrid. The wounded pilot jumped out with a parachute, however, the wind blew him to the Franco positions. On November 15, a box containing the hero’s body was dropped by parachute onto the airfield where Kovtun’s unit was based. There was a note in the box that read, “A gift from General Franco.” The hero pilot was buried in a rural cemetery 12 km from Madrid, with Kovtun’s Spanish pseudonym “Yan” indicated on the gravestone.

In June 1937, the title of Hero was awarded to a group of people for organizing and delivering by plane to the North Pole the crew of the world's first polar drifting weather station. The heroes were the leader of the landing, Academician O.Yu. Schmidt, the head of the USSR polar aviation, M.M. Shevelev, and the head of the organized station, I.D. Papanin. and 5 pilots, including the famous Mazuruk I.P. and Babushkin M.S.

After 2 months, two more Heroes appeared - pilots Yumashev A.B. and Danilin S.A. - members of the crew of M.M. Gromov, who made a record-breaking flight from Moscow to the USA via the North Pole.

In the summer of 1937, the title of GSS was first awarded to a group of tankers led by brigade commander D.G. Pavlov. for participation in battles in Spain. Among them were lieutenants G.M. Skleznev. and Bilibin K., who were awarded the title posthumously.

During the war in Spain (1936 - 1939), the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to 59 participants. Among them were two military advisers: pilot commander Smushkevich Ya.V. and infantryman captain Rodimtsev A.I. (both of them later became twice Heroes of the Soviet Union). One of the “Spanish” Heroes - Pavlov D.G., after 3 years he was already an army general, commander of the Western (Belarusian) Military District, and a year later he was shot by order of Stalin, placing all the blame on him for the failures of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 of the year.

In March 1938, the ice drift of the crew of the North Pole station, which had been engaged in research for 274 days, ended. scientific research. To three crew members (in addition to N.D. Papanin): E.T. Krenkel, P.P. Shirshov, and E.K. Fedorov. also awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. They were the first to receive Certificates of Heroes not on behalf of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, but from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, elected shortly before.

Soon the famous pilot Kokkinaki V.K. became a Hero. for testing aircraft and setting world flight altitude records. At the same time, several Heroes appeared, awarded the title for battles in China against the Japanese invaders. The first of them was also the pilot, commander of the aviation group F.P. Polynin.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 25, 1938, the first mass conferment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union took place: it was awarded to 26 soldiers and commanders who took part in the battles with the Japanese invaders who invaded the territory of the USSR in the area of Lake Khasan near Vladivostok. For the first time, not only the command staff of the Red Army, but also ordinary Red Army soldiers (four out of twenty-six) became Heroes.

By decree of November 2, 1938, for the first time, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to women. Pilots Grizodubova V.S., Osipenko P.D. and Raskova M.M. were awarded for carrying out a non-stop flight from Moscow to the Far East on a Rodina aircraft over a distance of 5908 km. Two of them soon died in plane crashes. Osipenko died a year later, having shot down one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, pilot brigade commander A. Serov, and Raskova died in 1942, having managed to form the world’s first women’s aviation regiment before her death.

In 1939, another mass conferment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union took place. For military exploits shown in battles with Japanese invaders on the Khalkhin Gol River on the territory of the Mongolian Republic, friendly to the Soviet Union, 70 people were awarded the title of Hero (20 of them posthumously). Among the Heroes of Khalkhin Gol there were 14 infantrymen and combined arms commanders, 27 pilots, 26 tank crews and 3 artillerymen; 14 out of 70 belonged to the junior command staff (i.e., sergeants), and only 1 was a simple Red Army soldier (Evgeniy Kuzmich Lazarev), the rest were commanders. For distinction in the battles of Khalkhin Gol, among others, commander G.K. Zhukov became heroes. and second-rank army commander G.M. Stern (was shot without trial in the fall of 1941). In addition, for Khalkhin Gol, three more soldiers became twice Heroes of the Soviet Union for the first time. All three of the first two heroes were pilots: Major S.I. Gritsevets. (Awarded the title of GSS by Decrees of February 22, 1939 and August 29, 1939), Colonel G.P. Kravchenko. (Decrees of February 22, 1939 and August 29, 1939), as well as Corporal Commander Smushkevich Y.V. (Decrees of June 21, 1937 and November 17, 1939). None of these three twice-heroes lived to see the end of the Great Patriotic War.

Gritsevets shot down 12 enemy aircraft in the sky of Khalkhin Gol. He died in a plane crash on September 16, 1939 (less than a month after the award). Kravchenko, who commanded the 22 IAP (fighter aviation regiment) at Khalkhin Gol and shot down 7 Japanese aircraft during the conflict, in 1940 became the youngest lieutenant general of the Red Army (at 28 years old). He fought well on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, commanded an air division, but on February 23, 1943, he died after jumping out of a downed plane and failing to use a parachute (his pilot cable was broken by shrapnel). Smushkevich was arrested in the spring of 1941, deprived of all awards and executed in the fall of 1941 (together with Stern and another former Hero- pilot Rychagov P.V., awarded the title for the war in Spain).

The heroes of Khalkhin Gol became the first to receive the newly introduced insignia - the Gold Star medal.

At the beginning of 1940, a mass conferment of the title of Hero, unique in its kind, took place: “Golden Stars” were awarded to all 15 crew members of the icebreaking steamer “Georgiy Sedov”, which had been drifting in the ice of the Arctic Ocean for 812 days since 1937! Later, the awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the entire crew of the ship or the entire personnel of the unit was never repeated, not counting three cases of awarding combined detachments during the Great Patriotic War (see below). In addition, the boss rescue expedition on the icebreaker "I. Stalin" to remove the "G. Sedova" from the ice, Hero of the Soviet Union Papanin I.D. became a Twice Hero, and it is not entirely clear why: his activities as a boss were not at all associated with a risk to his life. Papanin became the only one of the five “pre-war” twice Heroes who was not a pilot.

Following the results of the Soviet-Finnish War (winter of 1939-1940), 412 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Among those awarded for the "Finnish" war were the commander of the troops North Western Front Army Commander 1st Rank Timoshenko S.K. and Army Commander 1st Rank G.M. Kulik, who was stripped of this rank two years later after the failures of the Red Army in Crimea. Pilot Major General Denisov S.P. for fights in Finland he received a second “Gold Star”, becoming the last of the five “pre-war” Twice Heroes.

By the end of 1940, another Hero of the Soviet Union appeared - the Spaniard Ramon Mercader, awarded this title for the murder in Mexico of the “worst enemy of communism” Trotsky L.D., the former Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the RSFSR and a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Mercader was given the title by secret decree under someone else's name, since after his murder he was arrested and kept in a Mexican prison. Only twenty years later, after leaving prison, he was able to receive his “Gold Star”. He became the last Hero of the Soviet Union in the pre-war period.

In total, before the start of the Great Patriotic War, the title of Hero was awarded to 626 people (including 3 women). By June 22, 1941, five became twice Heroes: military pilots Gritsevets S.I. (02/22/1939 and 08/29/1939), Denisov S.P. (07/04/1937 and 03/21/1940), Kravchenko G.P. (02/22/1939 and 08/29/1939), Smushkevich Ya.V. (06/21/1937 and 11/17/1939) and polar explorer I. D. Papanin (06/27/1937 and 02/03/1940). Before the war, some of the Heroes died, including Chkalov, Osipenko, Serov and twice GSS Gritsevets. Another twice Hero, Smushkevich, was under investigation as an “enemy of the people.”

The overwhelming number of Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared during the Great Patriotic War: 11,635 people (92% of the total number of people awarded this title).

During the Great Patriotic War, the first fighter pilots to be awarded the title of GSS were junior lieutenants M.P. Zhukov and S.I. Zdorovtsev. and Kharitonov P.T., who distinguished themselves in air battles with enemy bombers rushing towards Leningrad. On June 27, these pilots, using their I-16 fighters, used ramming attacks against enemy Ju-88 bombers. The title of GSS was awarded to him by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 8, 1941.

Flight commander of the 46th Fighter Regiment (IAP) of the 14th Mixed Aviation Division (SmAD), Senior Lieutenant Ivanov I.I. carried out a ramming of an enemy aircraft in the first minutes of the war. Having taken off on alert, Ivanov entered into battle with enemy aircraft in the Lutsk area. Having used up the ammunition, he damaged the tail of the German He-111 bomber with the propeller of his I-16. The enemy plane crashed, but Ivanov also died. The low altitude prevented him from using a parachute. The title of GSS was posthumously awarded to the brave pilot by Decree of August 2, 1941. However, the primacy of the ram strike in the Great Patriotic War belongs to D.V. Kokorev. from the 124th IAP (9th SMAD). Using his MiG-3 fighter, he rammed a Ju-88 bomber near the city of Zambrów at 4 hours 15 minutes, while Ivanov carried out the ram at 4 hours 25 minutes. In total, on the first day of the war, the Red Army Air Force pilots fired 15(!) rams. Of these, only one, Ivanov, became a Hero of the Soviet Union.

On July 4, 1941, the commander of the 401st Special Fighter Aviation Regiment, GSS, Lieutenant Colonel Suprun S.P., covering a group of bombers, single-handedly entered into battle with six enemy fighters, was mortally wounded and died, having managed to land the damaged fighter. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 22, 1941, for courage and heroism shown in air battles with superior enemy aviation forces, Suprun S.P. was the first to be awarded a second Gold Star medal (posthumously) during the Great Patriotic War.

By decree of August 13, 1941, the title of GSS was awarded to ten bomber pilots who participated in the first raids on Berlin and other German cities. Five of them belonged to naval aviation - Colonel E.N. Preobrazhensky, captains V.A. Grechishnikov, A.Ya. Efremov, M.N. Plotkin. and Khokhlov P.I. Five more officers represented long-range aviation - Majors V.I. Shchelkunov. and Malygin V.I., captains Tikhonov V.G. and Kryukov N.V., Lieutenant Lakhonin V.I.

The first Hero of the Soviet Union in the ground forces was the commander of the 1st Moscow Motorized Rifle Division, Colonel Kreizer Ya.G. (Decree of July 15, 1941) for organizing defense along the Berezina River.

In the Navy, the title of Hero was first awarded to a sailor of the Northern Fleet, squad commander, senior sergeant V.P. Kislyakov, who distinguished himself during the landing in Motovsky Bay in the Arctic in July 1941. The title of GSS was awarded to him by the Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated 14 (according to other sources, 13) August 1941.

Among the border guards, the first Heroes were the soldiers who entered the battle on the Prut River on June 22, 1941: Lieutenant A.K. Konstantinov, Sergeant I.D. Buzytskov, Junior Sergeant V.F. Mikhalkov. They were awarded the title of GSS by Decree of August 26, 1941.

The first Hero-Partisan was the Belarusian secretary of the district party committee T.P. Bumazhkov. - commander and commissar partisan detachment"Red October" (Decree of the USSR PVS of August 6, 1941).

In total, in the first war year, only a few dozen people were awarded the title of Hero, and all of them in the period from July to October 1941. Then the Germans approached Moscow, and the issues of rewarding soldiers were forgotten for a long time.

The awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union resumed in the winter of 1942 after the expulsion of the Germans from the Moscow region. By decree of February 16, 1942 highest degree The USSR distinction was awarded to 18-year-old partisan Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya (posthumously). She became the first of 87 women Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war years.

By decree of July 21, 1942, all 28 heroes - “Panfilov’s men”, participants in the defense of Moscow - became Heroes (see below). In total, as a result of the battle of Moscow, more than 100 people became Heroes.

In June of the same year, the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union appeared, both times awarded the high title during the war. He became the commander of the 2nd Guards Red Banner Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Northern Fleet, Lieutenant Colonel B.F. Safonov. (Decrees of September 16, 1941 and June 14, 1942, posthumously). He was also the first twice Hero among the soldiers of the Navy since the establishment of the title of Hero. Safonov died on May 30, 1942 while protecting an Allied convoy heading to Murmansk. During his short combat career, Safonov carried out about 300 combat missions, shot down 25 enemy aircraft personally and 14 in the group.

The next twice Hero of the Soviet Union during the war years was a bomber aviation pilot, squadron commander, Captain A.I. Molodchiy. (Decrees of October 22, 1941 and December 31, 1942).

In general, in 1942, the awarding of the title of Hero was almost as sparing as in 1941, not counting the aforementioned awards for participants in the Battle of Moscow.

In 1943, the first Heroes were the participants in the Battle of Stalingrad.

In 1943, 9 people were awarded the title of Hero twice. Of these, 8 were pilots: 5 from fighter, 2 from attack and 1 from bomber aircraft and were awarded one Decree of August 24, 1943. Of these eight pilots, two received the first Gold Star in 1942, and six received both Gold Stars "for several months in 1943. Among these six was A.I. Pokryshkin, who a year later became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union in history.

During the offensive operations of the Soviet Army in the second half of 1943 military units I had to fight through many water obstacles. In this regard, the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command dated September 9, 1943 is curious. In particular, it said:

"For crossing a river like the Desna in the Bogdanovo region ( Smolensk region) and rivers lower and equal to the Desna in terms of difficulty of crossing are eligible for awards:

Army commanders - to the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree.
Commanders of corps, divisions, brigades - to the Order of Suvorov, II degree.
Regimental commanders, commanders of engineering, sapper and pontoon battalions - to the Order of Suvorov, III degree.

For crossing a river such as the Dnieper River in the Smolensk region and below, and rivers equal to the Dnieper in terms of the difficulty of crossing the above-mentioned commanders of formations and units should be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union."

In October, the Red Army crossed the Dnieper - offensive operation 1943. For crossing the Dnieper and displaying courage and heroism, 2,438 people received the title of Hero (47 generals and marshals, 1,123 officers, 1,268 sergeants and privates). This amounted to almost a quarter of all Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war. One of 2438 was awarded the second “Gold Star” - the commander of the rifle division Fesin I.I., who became the first twice Hero in history not from the Air Force.

In the same year, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded for the first time to a person who was neither a soldier of the Red Army nor a citizen of the USSR. He became second lieutenant Otakar Jaros, who fought as part of the 1st Czechoslovak infantry battalion (see below).

In 1944, the number of Heroes of the Soviet Union increased by more than 3 thousand people, mostly infantrymen.

The first three times Hero of the Soviet Union was the commander of the fighter aviation division, Colonel A.I. Pokryshkin. (Decree of August 19, 1944). The commander of the fighter squadron, V.D. Lavrinenkov, attached his second Hero Star to his tunic in the summer of 1944. (awarded by Decrees of May 1, 1943 and July 1, 1944).

By decree of April 2, 1944, it was announced that the young hero Soviet Union during the Patriotic War (posthumously). He became 17-year-old partisan Lenya Golikov, who died in battle a few months before the Decree.

Back in 1941, during the defense of Kyiv, the commissar of the 206th Infantry Division, Regimental Commissar Oktyabrsky I.F., died heroically, having personally led the counterattack. Having learned about the death of her husband, Maria Vasilievna Oktyabrskaya vowed to take revenge on the Nazis. She entered a tank school, became a tank driver and heroically fought the enemy. In 1944, Oktyabrskaya M.V. posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1945, the awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union continued during the fighting and then for several months after Victory Day following the war. So, before May 9, 1945, 28 appeared, and after May 9 - 38 twice Heroes. At the same time, two of the twice Heroes were awarded the third “Gold Star”: the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. (Decree of June 1, 1945) for the capture of Berlin and the deputy commander of the air regiment, Major I.N. Kozhedub. (Decree of August 18, 1945), as the most successful fighter pilot Soviet Air Force, which shot down 62 enemy aircraft.

In the history of the Great Patriotic War, there were unique cases when the entire personnel of a unit was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Personally, I know of only three such awards.

By decree of July 21, 1942, all fighters of the tank destroyer unit from the 1075th regiment of the 316th Infantry Division of Major General Panfilov became Heroes. 27 fighters, led by political instructor Klochkov, at the cost of their lives stopped the advanced tank units of the Germans, rushing to the Volokolamsk highway, at the Dubosekovo crossing. All of them were awarded the title posthumously, but subsequently five of them were alive and received Gold Stars.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 18, 1943, all soldiers of the platoon of Lieutenant P.N. Shironin were awarded the title of GSS. from the 78th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 25th Guards Rifle Division under General P.M. Shafarenko. For five days, starting on March 2, 1943, a platoon, reinforced with a 45-mm gun, defended a railway crossing near the village of Taranovka south of Kharkov and repeated the feat of the legendary Panfilov men. The enemy lost 11 armored vehicles and up to a hundred soldiers. When other units approached the Shironinites to help, only six heroes survived, including the seriously wounded commander. All 25 platoon soldiers, including Lieutenant Shironin, were awarded the title of GSS.

By decree of April 2, 1945, the last in the history of the Great Patriotic War was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the entire personnel of one unit. During the liberation of the city of Nikolaev on March 28, 1944, 67 soldiers of the landing detachment (55 sailors and 12 army men), led by senior lieutenant K.F. Olshansky, performed a heroic feat. and his deputy for political affairs, Captain A.F. Golovlev. The landing force was landed in the Nikolaev port to make it easier for the advancing troops to capture the city. The Germans threw three infantry battalions, supported by 4 tanks and artillery, against the paratroopers. Before the main forces arrived, 55 out of 67 people died in the battle, but the paratroopers were able to destroy about 700 fascists, 2 tanks and 4 guns. All dead and surviving paratroopers were awarded the title of GSS. In addition to the paratroopers, a conductor also fought in the detachment, however, he was awarded the title of Hero only 20 years later.

For the liberation of the Czech Republic, the title of GSS was awarded 88 times, for the liberation of Poland - 1667 times, for the Berlin operation - more than 600 times.

For their exploits during the capture of Koenigsberg, about 200 people were awarded the title of GSS, and the commander of the 43rd Army, Lieutenant General A.P. Beloborodov. and guard pilot senior lieutenant Golovachev P.Ya. became Twice Heroes.

For their exploits during the war with Japan, 93 people were awarded the title of GSS. Of these, 6 people became Twice Heroes:

commander in chief Soviet troops on Far East Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasilevsky A.M.;
commander of the 6th Guards Tank Army, General Kravchenko A.G.;
commander of the 5th Army, General N.I. Krylov;
Air Chief Marshal A.A. Novikov;
commander of the cavalry mechanized group, General Pliev I.A.;
Senior Lieutenant of the Marine Corps Leonov V.N. .

In total, 11,626 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for military exploits during the Great Patriotic War. 101 people were awarded two Gold Star medals. Three became three times Heroes: Zhukov G.K., Kozhedub I.N., Pokryshkin A.I.

It must be said that in 1944, Decrees were promulgated on awarding the navigator of the fighter aviation regiment, Major N.D. Gulaev. the third "Golden Star", as well as a number of pilots with the second "Golden Star", but none of them received awards due to the brawl they staged in a Moscow restaurant on the eve of receiving the awards. These decrees were canceled.

The former head of the operational department of the General Staff of the Soviet Army, Marshal Shtemenko, provides the following data: for exploits during the Great Patriotic War, 11,603 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (as of September 1, 1948), 98 people were awarded this honor twice, and three times - three.

Among the twice Heroes were three Marshals of the Soviet Union (Vasilevsky A.M., Konev I.S., Rokossovsky K.K.), one Chief Marshal of Aviation Novikov A.I., (a year later demoted and spent 7 years in prison until death of Stalin), 21 generals and 76 officers. There were not a single soldier or sergeant among the twice-Heroes. Seven of the 101 twice Heroes received a second Star posthumously.

Of all those awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War and the war with Japan, the largest number were ground forces - over 8 thousand (1,800 artillerymen, 1,142 tank crews, 650 sappers, more than 290 signalmen and 52 rear servicemen).

The number of Heroes - Air Force warriors was significantly smaller - about 2,400 people.

There were 513 people in the GSS Navy (including naval pilots and Marines who fought ashore).

Among the border guards, internal troops and security forces there are over 150 Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The title of GSS was awarded to 234 partisans, including S. A. Kovpak and A. F. Fedorov, who were awarded two Gold Star medals.

There are over 90 women among the Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among the Heroes are women representatives of almost all branches of the military, except border and internal ones. Most of them were pilots - 29 people. During the war, the 46th Taman Guards Air Regiment, awarded with the Order of the Red Banner and Suvorov III degree, became famous, equipped with Po-2 light night bombers. The air regiment was staffed with female crews, and many female pilots were awarded Gold Stars. For example, I will name the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel E.D. Bershanskaya, the squadron commander, Major M.V. Smirnova, the navigator E. Pasko, the pilot, Senior Lieutenant N.F. Meklin. Many female heroes were underground partisans - 24 people. More than half of the women were awarded the title of GSS posthumously.

Among all the Heroes of the Soviet Union, 35% were privates and non-commissioned officers (soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen), 61% were officers and 3.3% (380 people) were generals, admirals and marshals.

In terms of national composition, the majority of Heroes were Russians - 7998 people; There were 2,021 Ukrainians, Belarusians - 299, Tatars - 161, Jews - 107, Kazakhs - 96, Georgians - 90, Armenians - 89, Uzbeks - 67, Mordvins - 63, Chuvash - 45, Azerbaijanis - 43, Bashkirs - 38, Ossetians - 31, Mari - 18, Turkmens - 16, Lithuanians - 15, Tajiks - 15, Latvians - 12, Kyrgyz - 12, Komi - 10, Udmurts - 10, Estonians - 9, Karelians - 8, Kalmyks - 8, Kabardians - 6 , Adygeis - 6, Abkhazians - 4, Yakuts - 2, Moldovans - 2, Tuvans - 1 and others.

One of the Heroes of the Soviet Union, participant in the Great Patriotic War Don Cossack K. Nedorubov, is also complete Knight of St. George: He received four soldiers' St. George Crosses during the First World War.

The titles of Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Socialist Labor were awarded to 11 people: Stalin I.V., Brezhnev L.I., Khrushchev N.S., Ustinov D.F., Voroshilov K.E., famous pilot V.S. Grizodubova. , General of the Army Tretyak I.M., 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus P.M. Masherov, chairman of the collective farm Orlovsky K.P., director of the state farm Golovchenko V.I., mechanic Trainin P.A.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is borne by four full holders of the Order of Glory: guard artilleryman senior sergeant Aleshin A.V., attack pilot junior aviation lieutenant Drachenko I.G., guard marine sergeant major Dubinda P.Kh., artilleryman senior sergeant N.I. Kuznetsov . . The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is also held by 80 holders of the Order of Glory, II degree, and 647 holders of the Order of Glory, III degree.

Five Heroes were subsequently awarded the Order of Labor Glory, III degree: captains Dementiev Yu.A. and Zheltoplyasov I.F., foreman Gusev V.V. and Tatarchenkov P.I., senior sergeant Chernoshein V.A. .

During the Great Patriotic War, more than 20 foreign citizens were awarded the title of GSS. The first of them was a soldier of the 1st Czechoslovak separate battalion, commander of the 1st company, second lieutenant (posthumously awarded the rank of captain) Otakar Yarosh. He was awarded the title of Hero on April 17, 1943 posthumously for his feat near the village of Sokolovo on the left bank of the Mzha River near Kharkov in early March 1943.

Six more Czechoslovak citizens became Heroes of the Soviet Union. In the battles for the city of Ovruch in November 1943, the commander of the Czechoslovak partisan detachment, Jan Nalepka, distinguished himself. On the approaches to the station he was mortally wounded, but continued to command the detachment. By decree of May 2, 1945, Nalepka was posthumously awarded the title of GSS. The commander of the Czechoslovak submachine gunner battalion, Lieutenant Sokhor A.A., and the commanders of the tank battalions of the tank brigade of the 1st Czechoslovak Corps, Tessarzhik R.Ya., also received Gold Stars. and Burshik I., 23-year-old tank officer Vaida S.N. (posthumously) , . In November 1965, the legendary commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Separate Battalion (and subsequently the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps), Army General Ludwig Svoboda, was awarded the title of Hero.

Three soldiers became heroes of the Soviet Union Polish Army who fought against the Nazis as part of the 1st Polish infantry division them. Tadeusz Kosciuszko (this division was formed in the summer of 1943 and was part of the 33rd Army). The names of the Polish heroes are Wladyslaw Wysocki, Juliusz Gübner and Anelja Krzywoń.

Four pilots of the French Normandie-Niemen air regiment, which fought against German troops on the Soviet-German front, were awarded Gold Star medals. Their names: Marquis Rolland de la Poype, his wingman Marcel Albert, Jacques Andre and Marcel Lefebvre.

The commander of the machine gun company of the 35th Guards Division of the Guard, Captain Ruben Ruiz Ibarruri (son of the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Spain Dolores Ibarruri) distinguished himself in battle with German tanks at the Kotluban station near the village of Samofalovka near Stalingrad. He was posthumously awarded the title of GSS.

The Bulgarian general Vladimir Stoyanov-Zaimov, an anti-fascist who had republican views and was executed in 1942, became the Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the title of Hero posthumously in 1972.

The German anti-fascist patriot Fritz Schmenkel, who fought the Nazis in a Soviet partisan detachment and died in battle, also became a Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the high rank posthumously on October 6, 1964.

The title of GSS was awarded extremely rarely from 1945 to 1953. In 1948, the second “Gold Star” was awarded to fighter pilot Lieutenant Colonel (later Air Marshal) A.I. Koldunov. for 46 fascist planes shot down during the war.

Among the few post-war Heroes of the Soviet Union, one should name the pilots of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps, who fought in the skies of North Korea in 1950 - 1953 against American and South Korean aces, jet test pilot P.M. Stefanovsky. and Fedotova I.E. (1948) and the head of the polar weather station "North Pole - 2" Samov M.M. (expedition 1950-1951). Such a high reward for the scientist is explained by the extreme importance of the polar expedition: it explored the possibilities of reaching the shores of America under the ice of the Arctic and, unlike the “Papanin” expedition of 1937, was deeply classified.

The second, post-war wave of repression also affected many Heroes of the Soviet Union. Three times Hero Zhukov G.K. in 1946, he was removed from his post as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Armed Forces and sent to command the secondary Odessa Military District. Hero of the Soviet Union, Fleet Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov, who spent the entire war as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, was also removed from his post and demoted in rank in 1947. Heroes of the Soviet Union Colonel General V.N. Gordov and Major General (until 1942 - Marshal of the Soviet Union) Kulik G.I. in the early 50s they were shot.

After Stalin's death, the first Heroes appeared in 1956, at the beginning of Khrushchev's "thaw". One of the first acts was the awarding of the USSR Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union, G.K. Zhukov in 1956. fourth "Golden Star". There are a few points to note here. Firstly, he was formally awarded on the 60th anniversary of his birth, which was not provided for by the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Secondly, this Regulation determined the awarding of one person with only three “Gold Stars”. Thirdly, he was awarded a month after the “rebellion” in Hungary, the suppression of which by the forces of the Soviet Army he personally organized, i.e. merits in the Hungarian events were the real reason for the award.

For the suppression of the rebellion in Hungary in 1956, the title of GSS was awarded posthumously. For example, in the 7th Guards Airborne Division, out of four recipients, three received the high award posthumously.

In the same 1956, Marshal K.E. Voroshilov became Hero of the Soviet Union. (Decree of February 3, 1956). In 1968, under Brezhnev, he received a second “Star” (Decree of February 22, 1968).

Marshal Budyonny S.M. Khrushchev made him a Hero twice (Decrees of February 1, 1958 and April 24, 1963), and Brezhnev continued this tradition by awarding the 85-year-old Marshal the third “Gold Star” in 1968 (Decree of February 22, 1968).

Khrushchev awarded the title of GSS to Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and a little later to the head of the Algerian government, Ahmed Ben Bell (overthrown by his own people a year later) and the communist leader of the GDR, Walter Ulbricht.

During the Khrushchev “thaw”, for the exploits performed during the war, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to people who under Stalin were branded as “traitors to the Motherland” and “collaborators of the fascists” only because they had been in captivity. Justice was restored to the defender Brest Fortress Major Gavrilov P.M., hero of the French resistance Lieutenant Vasily Porik (posthumously), Yugoslav partisan Lieutenant Huseyn-Zade M.G. (posthumously), holder of the Italian Resistance Medal Poletaeva F.A. (posthumously) and others. Former pilot Lieutenant Devyataev M.P. in 1945, he escaped from a fascist concentration camp by hijacking a bomber from an enemy airfield. For this feat, Stalin's investigators "rewarded" him with a camp term as a "traitor", and in 1957 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1964, intelligence officer Richard Sorge became a Hero (posthumously).

On the day of the twentieth anniversary of the victory, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 9, 1965, the title of GSS was posthumously awarded to Major General Rakhimov. He was the first general to emerge from among the Uzbek people. Knight of four Orders of the Red Banner, Rakhimov S.U. commanded the 37th Guards Division and died on March 26, 1945 from a direct hit by a German shell on a divisional observation post.

Under Khrushchev, there were many cases of conferring the title of Hero for exploits in peacetime. Thus, in 1957, test pilot V.K. Kokkinaki received the second “Golden Star”. (Decree of September 17, 1957), awarded the first Hero star back in 1938 (Decree of July 17, 1938). In 1953 and 1960, his fellow test pilots S.N. Anokhin became Heroes. and Mosolov G.K.

In 1962, three sailors from the nuclear submarine Leninsky Komsomol, who made a trip to North Pole under eternal ice: Rear Admiral Petemin A.I., Captain 2nd Rank Zhiltsov L.M. and captain-lieutenant Timofeev R.A.

Since 1961, the tradition of awarding the title of Hero to Soviet cosmonauts began. The first of them was cosmonaut No. 1 Yu.A. Gagarin. This tradition was maintained until the abolition of the USSR - the cosmonauts became the last Heroes of the Soviet Union in 1991 (see below).

In 1964, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee N.S. Khrushchev. for his 70th birthday. To his three gold medals “Hammer and Sickle” of the Hero of Socialist Labor, a “Gold Star” medal was also added.

Brezhnev, L.I., who took his post. continued the awards. In 1965, on the 20th anniversary of the Victory, a provision on Hero Cities appeared, according to which these cities (at that time only five) and the heroic fortress of Brest were awarded the Gold Star medal and the Order of Lenin.

In 1968, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Army, Voroshilov K.E. received the second “Gold Star”, and Budyonny S.M. - third.

Under Brezhnev, Marshals S.K. Timoshenko and I.Kh. Bagramyan became Heroes twice. and Grechko A.A., and Grechko received the first “Golden Star” also in peacetime - in 1958.

In 1978, the title of Hero was awarded to the Minister of Defense D.F. Ustinov. - a man who was at the head of the People's Commissariat of Armaments during the war, but who had never been to the front. For his work during the war and peacetime, Ustinov, by the way, was already twice awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor (in 1942 and 1961).

In 1969, the first cosmonauts appeared - twice Heroes, who received both "Stars" for space flights: Colonel V.A. Shatalov. and candidate technical sciences Eliseev A.S. They received both “Golden Stars” within one year (Decrees of January 22, 1969 and October 22, 1969).

Two years later, they were both the first in the world to make a space flight for the third time, but they were not given third “Golden Stars”: perhaps because this flight was unsuccessful and was interrupted on the second day. Subsequently, cosmonauts who made the third and even fourth flight into space did not receive a third “Star”, but were awarded the Order of Lenin.

Cosmonauts - citizens of socialist countries also became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and citizens of capitalist states who flew on Soviet technology were awarded only the Order of Friendship of Peoples.

In 1966, Brezhnev L.I., who already had the Hammer and Sickle gold medal, received the first Golden Star for his 60th birthday, and in 1976, 1978 and 1981, also on his birthdays, three more, becoming the first and only in history four times Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Socialist Labor.

Brezhnev's successors continued to award the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to cosmonauts, as well as participants in the war in Afghanistan, which began under Brezhnev. At the same time, the future first ever vice-president of the Russian Federation, A.V. Rutskoy, became Heroes from among the “Afghans”. and the future Minister of Defense of Russia P.I. Grachev.

One of the last GSS titles in the history of the USSR was awarded by Decree of the President of the USSR of May 5, 1990. By his Decree, Mikhail Gorbachev posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Ekaterina Ivanovna Zelenko (Gold Star medal No. 11611, Order of Lenin No. 460051). On September 12, 1941, Senior Lieutenant Zelenko rammed a German Me-109 fighter in her Su-2 bomber. Zelenko died after destroying an enemy plane. It was the only ram in aviation history performed by a woman.

By the same Decree of May 5, 1990, the title of GSS was awarded (posthumously) to the legendary submariner Marinesko A.I., who sank the German liner Wilhelm Gustlov with thousands of Nazis on board in January 1945 (for more details, see the article on the Order of the Red Banner ), the most successful female fighter Lidia Vladimirovna Litvyak (in total she destroyed 11 enemy aircraft and died in an air battle on August 1, 1943), a member of the underground organization "Young Guard" Ivan Turkenich (a political department officer of the 99th Infantry Division, Captain Turkenich was mortally wounded in Poland on the approaches to the Wisłoka River on August 13, 1944) and others - only about 30 people.

After the “putsch” of 1991, there was an obscure posthumous awarding of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to three participants in the events who attacked an armored personnel carrier leaving the White House. By decree of August 24, 1991, Dmitry Komar, Ilya Krichevsky and Vladimir Usov posthumously received the “Golden Stars” of the Hero with numbers 11658, 11659 and 11660. The incident is that they were awarded the highest degree of distinction of the state for an attack on the troops of this very state, who were carrying out government order. In addition, an attack on retreating units cannot in any way be qualified as “committing a heroic feat,” for which, according to the Regulations, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union should be awarded.

The last cosmonaut awarded the title of GSS was Artsebarsky A.P. - commander of the Soyuz TM-13 spacecraft. Starting on May 18, 1991, Artsebarsky, together with Krikalev S.K. and the English cosmonaut H. Sharman docked with orbital station"Mir", spent over 144 days in orbit, performed 6 missions open space. He returned to Earth on October 10, 1991, together with T.O. Aubakirov. and the Austrian F. Viebeck. Artsebarsky was awarded the title of Hero by Decree of October 10, 1991.

One of the last assignments of a high rank took place according to Decree of the President of the USSR No. UP-2719 of October 17, 1991. The title of GSS was awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Valery Anatolyevich Burkov “for the heroism and courage shown in carrying out tasks to provide international assistance to the Republic of Afghanistan and selfless actions to protect the constitutional system of the USSR.”

The last conferment of the title of GSS in the history of the Soviet Union took place according to the Decree of December 24, 1991. The last Hero of the Soviet Union was diving specialist Captain 3rd Rank Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov, who showed courage and heroism while carrying out a special command assignment to test new diving equipment.

154 people became twice Heroes. Of these, five were awarded a high rank even before the war, 103 people were awarded the second Star for exploits during the Great Patriotic War, 1 person (tank brigade commander Major General A.A. Aslanov) was awarded the second Star posthumously by Decree of June 21, 1991 , 1 person (Kokkinaki V.K.) was awarded for testing aircraft technology, 9 people became twice Heroes after the war in connection with various anniversaries, and 35 people received the high rank of GSS twice for space exploration.

In general, over the entire history of the USSR, 12,745 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

154 people became twice Heroes.

Three Gold Star medals were awarded to three people: Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budyonny. (02/01/1958, 04/24/1963, 02/22/1968), Colonel General of Aviation Kozhedub I.N. (02/04/1944, 08/19/1944, 08/18/1945) and Air Marshal A.I. Pokryshkin. (24.05.1943, 24.08.1943, 19.08.1944).

Two people were awarded four Gold Star medals: Marshal of the Soviet Union L.I. Brezhnev. (12/18/1966, 12/18/1976, 12/19/1978, 12/18/1981) and Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. (08/29/1939, 07/29/1944, 06/01/1945, 12/01/1956).

You can learn about the features and types of medals on the USSR Medals website

Approximate cost of the medal.

How much does a Gold Star medal cost? Below we give the approximate price for some rooms:

According to the current legislation of the Russian Federation, the purchase and/or sale of medals, orders, documents of the USSR and Russia is prohibited; this is all described in Article 324. Purchase or sale of official documents and state awards. You can read about this in more detail in, in which the law is described in more detail, as well as those medals, orders and documents that do not relate to this ban are described.

By resolution of the USSR Central Executive Committee of July 29, 1936, the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union were approved.

The first medal was awarded to the Hero of the Soviet Union, polar pilot A.S. Lyapidevsky. During the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilots M.P. were among the first to receive the highest degree of distinction. Zhukov. S.I. Zdorovtsev and P.T. Kharitonov, who accomplished their feats in the sky near Leningrad.

Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is the highest degree of distinction and is awarded for personal or collective services to the Soviet state and society associated with the accomplishment of a heroic feat.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The Hero of the Soviet Union is awarded:

A Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded two Gold Star medals, for new heroic deeds similar to those previously accomplished, may again be awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Heroes of the Soviet Union enjoy benefits established by law.

The “Gold Star” medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union is worn on the left side of the chest above the orders and medals of the USSR.

Deprivation of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union can only be carried out by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

More than 11,600 soldiers, officers and generals of the Red Army, partisans and underground fighters were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their feats committed during the Great Patriotic War.

The first three medals were awarded to military pilot Hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Pokryshkin.

There are many foreigners among those awarded the highest degree of distinction. Four French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen regiment received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Marcel Albert. Rolland de la Poype, Jacques Andre, Marcel Lefebvre. The title was posthumously awarded to Jan Nelspka, the commander of a partisan detachment consisting of Czechs and Slovaks.

Among the post-war Heroes of the Soviet Union were pilots of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps who fought in North Korea against American and South Korean aces.

On June 8, 1960, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the Spaniard Ramon Mercader, who arrived in the USSR from Mexico after serving a 20-year sentence for the murder of Leon Trotsky, committed in 1940 on the orders of Stalin. A year later, Fidel Castro and Egyptian President Nasser became Heroes of the USSR.

For feats accomplished during the war. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the defender of the Brest Fortress, Major P.M. Gavrilov, hero of the French Resistance Lieutenant Porik (posthumously), holder of the Italian Resistance Medal Polezhaev (posthumously). In 1945, pilot-lieutenant Devyatayev escaped from captivity by hijacking a German bomber. Instead of a reward, he was put in a camp as a “traitor.” In 1957 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1964, intelligence officer Richard Sorge became a Hero (posthumously). Under M.S. Gorbachev was awarded the title of Hero to the famous submariner Marinesko, undeservedly forgotten after the war. source

How many heroes were there in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War?

What can dry statistics tell us about the number of those awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and full holders of the Order of Glory?

Heroes of the Soviet Union of the 5th Army, awarded this title for battles in East Prussia. Photo: waralbum.ru

How many heroes of the Great Patriotic War were there in the Soviet Union? It would seem a strange question. In the survivor the worst tragedy In the 20th century, the country's hero was everyone who defended it with arms in hand at the front or at the machine tool and in the field in the rear. That is, each of its 170 million multinational people who bore the weight of the war on their shoulders.

But if we ignore the pathos and return to the specifics, the question can be formulated differently. How was it noted in the USSR that a person is a hero? That’s right, the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” And 31 years after the war, another sign of heroism appeared: full holders of the Order of Glory, that is, those awarded all three degrees of this award, were equalized with the Heroes of the Soviet Union. It turns out that the question “How many heroes of the Great Patriotic War were there in the Soviet Union?” It would be more precise to formulate this way: “How many people in the USSR were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and became full holders of the Order of Glory for exploits performed during the Great Patriotic War?”

This question can be answered with a very specific answer: a total of 14,411 people, of which 11,739 are Heroes of the Soviet Union and 2,672 full holders of the Order of Glory.

The number of Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War is 11,739. This title was awarded posthumously to 3,051 of them; 82 people were subsequently deprived of their rank by court decision. 107 heroes were awarded this title twice (seven posthumously), three three times: Marshal Semyon Budyonny (all awards occurred after the war), Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Pokryshkin and Major Ivan Kozhedub. And only one - Marshal Georgy Zhukov - became Hero of the Soviet Union four times, and he earned one award even before the Great Patriotic War, and received it for the fourth time in 1956.

Among those awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War were representatives of all branches and types of troops in ranks from private to marshal. And every branch of the military - be it infantrymen, pilots or sailors - is proud of the first colleagues who received the highest honorary title.

Pilots

The first titles of Hero of the Soviet Union were awarded to pilots on July 8, 1941. Moreover, here too the pilots supported the tradition: six pilots were the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the history of this award - and three pilots were the first to be awarded this title during the Great Patriotic War!

On July 8, 1941, it was assigned to fighter pilots of the 158th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 41st Mixed Air Division of the Air Force of the 23rd Army of the Northern Front. Junior lieutenants Mikhail Zhukov, Stepan Zdorovtsev and Pyotr Kharitonov received awards for the rams they carried out in the first days of the war. Stepan Zdorovtsev died the day after the award, Mikhail Zhukov died in January 1943 in a battle with nine German fighters, and Pyotr Kharitonov, seriously wounded in 1941 and returning to duty only in 1944, ended the war with 14 destroyed. enemy aircraft.

Infantrymen

The first Hero of the Soviet Union among infantrymen on July 22, 1941 was the commander of the 1st Moscow Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Army of the Western Front, Colonel Yakov Kreizer. He was awarded for successfully holding back the Germans on the Berezina River and in the battles for Orsha. It is noteworthy that Colonel Kreizer became the first among Jewish military personnel to receive the highest award during the war.

Tankers

On July 22, 1941, three tankmen received the country's highest awards: the tank commander of the 1st Tank Regiment of the 1st Tank Division of the 14th Army of the Northern Front, Senior Sergeant Alexander Borisov, and the squad commander of the 163rd Reconnaissance Battalion of the 104th Infantry Division of the 14th Army of the Northern Front, junior sergeant Alexander Gryaznov (his title was awarded posthumously) and deputy commander of the tank battalion of the 115th tank regiment of the 57th tank division of the 20th army of the Western Front, captain Joseph Kaduchenko. Senior Sergeant Borisov died in hospital from severe wounds a week and a half after the award. Captain Kaduchenko managed to be on the lists of the dead, was captured in October 1941, tried unsuccessfully to escape three times and was released only in March 1945, after which he fought until the Victory.

Sappers

Among the soldiers and commanders of engineer units, the first Hero of the Soviet Union became on November 20, 1941, the assistant platoon commander of the 184th separate engineer battalion of the 7th Army of the Northern Front, Private Viktor Karandakov. In the battle near Sortavala against Finnish units, he repelled three enemy attacks with fire from his machine gun, which actually saved the regiment from encirclement, the next day he led the counterattack of the squad instead of the wounded commander, and two days later he carried the wounded company commander out of the fire. In April 1942, the sapper, who lost an arm in battle, was demobilized.

Artillerymen

On August 2, 1941, the first artilleryman - Hero of the Soviet Union was the gunner of the "magpie" of the 680th Infantry Regiment of the 169th Infantry Division of the 18th Army of the Southern Front, Red Army soldier Yakov Kolchak. On July 13, 1941, in an hour of battle he managed to hit four enemy tanks with his cannon! But Yakov did not learn about the conferment of a high rank: on July 23, he was wounded and captured. He was released in August 1944 in Moldova, and Kolchak achieved victory as part of a penal company, where he fought first as a rifleman and then as a squad commander. And the former penalty box, who already had the Order of the Red Star and the medal “For Military Merit” on his chest, received a high award in the Kremlin only on March 25, 1947.

Partisans

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union from among the partisans were the leaders of the Red October partisan detachment operating on the territory of Belarus: the detachment's commissar Tikhon Bumazhkov and commander Fyodor Pavlovsky. The decree on their awarding was signed on August 6, 1941. Of the two heroes, only one survived to the Victory - Fyodor Pavlovsky, and the commissar of the Red October detachment, Tikhon Bumazhkov, who managed to receive his award in Moscow, died in December of the same year, leaving the German encirclement.

Marines

On August 13, 1941, senior sergeant Vasily Kislyakov, commander of the Northern Fleet naval volunteer detachment, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He received a high award for his actions in mid-July 1941, when he led a platoon in place of the killed commander and, first together with his comrades, and then alone, held an important height. By the end of the war, Captain Kislyakov had several landings on the Northern Front, participating in the Petsamo-Kirkenes, Budapest and Vienna offensive operations.

Political instructors

The first decree conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on political workers of the Red Army was issued on August 15, 1941. This document awarded the highest award to the deputy political instructor of the radio company of the 415th separate communications battalion of the 22nd Estonian Territorial Rifle Corps of the North-Western Front, Arnold Meri, and the secretary of the party bureau of the 245th howitzer artillery regiment of the 37th rifle division of the 19th Army of the Western Front, Sr. political instructor Kirill Osipov. Meri was awarded for the fact that, twice wounded, he managed to stop the retreat of the battalion and led the defense of the corps headquarters. In July-August 1941, Osipov actually worked as a liaison officer for the command of a division fighting in encirclement, and crossed the front line several times, delivering important information.

Doctors

Among the army doctors who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the first was the medical instructor of the 14th motorized rifle regiment of the 21st motorized rifle division of the NKVD troops of the Northern Front, Private Anatoly Kokorin. The high award was awarded to him on August 26, 1941 - posthumously. During the battle with the Finns, he was the last one left in the ranks and blew himself up with a grenade to avoid being captured.

Border guards

Although the Soviet border guards were the first to take on the enemy attack on June 22, 1941, the Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared among them only two months later. But there were six people at once: junior sergeant Ivan Buzytskov, lieutenant Kuzma Vetchinkin, senior lieutenant Nikita Kaimanov, senior lieutenant Alexander Konstantinov, junior sergeant Vasily Mikhalkov and lieutenant Anatoly Ryzhikov. Five of them served in Moldova, senior lieutenant Kaimanov - in Karelia. All six received awards for their heroic actions in the early days of the war - which, in general, is not surprising. And all six reached the end of the war and continued to serve after the Victory - in the same border troops.

Signalmen

The first Hero of the Soviet Union among signalmen appeared on November 9, 1941 - he became the commander of the radio department of the 289th anti-tank fighter regiment of the Western Front, junior sergeant Pyotr Stemasov. He was awarded for his feat on October 25 near Moscow - during the battle he replaced a wounded gunner and, together with his crew, knocked out nine enemy tanks, after which he led the soldiers out of encirclement. And then he fought until the Victory, which he met as an officer.

Cavalrymen

On the same day as the first signalman hero, the first cavalry hero appeared. On November 9, 1941, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to the commander of the 134th Cavalry Regiment of the 28th Cavalry Division of the Reserve Army of the Southern Front, Major Boris Krotov. He was awarded the highest award for his exploits during the defense of Dnepropetrovsk. How difficult those battles were can be imagined from one episode: the last feat of the regiment commander was the blowing up of an enemy tank that had broken through into the depths of the defense.

Paratroopers

The “Winged Infantry” received its first Heroes of the Soviet Union on November 20, 1941. They became the commander of the 212th reconnaissance company squad airborne brigade 37th Army Southwestern Front sergeant Yakov Vatomov and rifleman of the same brigade Nikolai Obukhov. Both received awards for their exploits in August-September 1941, when the paratroopers fought heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Sailors

Later than everyone else - only on January 17, 1942 - the first Hero of the Soviet Union appeared in the Soviet Navy. The highest award was posthumously awarded to Red Navy gunner Ivan Sivko of the 2nd volunteer detachment of sailors of the Northern Fleet. Ivan accomplished his feat, which was so highly appreciated by the country, as part of the infamous landing in the Great Western Litsa Bay. Covering the retreat of his colleagues, he, fighting alone, destroyed 26 enemies, and then blew himself up with a grenade along with the Nazis who surrounded him.

Generals

The first Red Army general to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was on July 22, 1941, the commander of the 19th Tank Division of the 22nd Mechanized Corps of the 5th Army of the Southwestern Front, Major General Kuzma Semenchenko. His division took an active part in the largest tank battle Great Patriotic War - the battle of Dubno - and after heavy fighting she was surrounded, but the general was able to lead his subordinates through the front line. By mid-August 1941, only one tank remained in the division, and in early September it was disbanded. And General Semenchenko fought until the end of the war and in 1947 retired with the same rank in which he began to fight.

VICTORY PARADE! June 24, 1945. Moscow. Red Square:

“The fight is not for glory...”

During the Great Patriotic War, there was the most honorable soldier's award - the Order of Glory. Both her ribbon and her statute were very reminiscent of another soldier’s award - the insignia of the Order of St. George, “soldier’s Egory,” especially revered in the army Russian Empire. In total, more than a million people were awarded the Order of Glory during the year and a half of the war - from its establishment on November 8, 1943 until the Victory - and in the post-war period. Of these, almost a million received the order of the third degree, over 46 thousand - the second, and 2,672 people - the first degree; they became full holders of the order.

Of the 2,672 full holders of the Order of Glory, 16 people were subsequently for various reasons were deprived of the award by court decision. Among those deprived was the only holder of five Orders of Glory - 3rd, three 2nd and 1st degrees. In addition, 72 people were nominated for four Orders of Glory, but, as a rule, did not receive an “excess” award.

The first full holders of the Order of Glory were the sapper of the 1134th Infantry Regiment of the 338th Infantry Division, Corporal Mitrofan Pitenin and the squad commander of the 110th Separate Division reconnaissance company 158th Infantry Division Senior Sergeant Shevchenko. Corporal Pitenin was nominated for the first order in November 1943 for fighting in Belarus, the second in April 1944, and the third in July of the same year. But he did not have time to receive the last award: on August 3, he died in battle. And senior sergeant Shevchenko received all three orders in 1944: in February, April and July. He ended the war in 1945 with the rank of sergeant major and was soon demobilized, returning home not only with three Orders of Glory on his chest, but also with the Orders of the Red Star and the Patriotic War of both degrees.

And there were also four people who received both signs of the highest recognition of military heroism - both the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the title of full holder of the Order of Glory. The first is the senior pilot of the 140th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 8th Guards Assault Aviation Division of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps of the 5th Air Army of the Guard, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Drachenko. He received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1944, and became a full holder of the Order of Glory after being re-awarded (double award of the Order of the 2nd degree) in 1968.

The second is the commander of the gun of the 369th separate anti-tank artillery division of the 263rd rifle division of the 43rd army of the 3rd Belorussian Front, foreman Nikolai Kuznetsov. In April 1945, he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and after being re-awarded in 1980 (double award of the Order of the 2nd degree) he became a full holder of the Order of Glory.

The third was the commander of the gun crew of the 175th Guards Artillery and Mortar Regiment of the 4th Guards Cavalry Division of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front, Senior Sergeant Andrei Aleshin. He became a Hero of the Soviet Union at the end of May 1945, and a full holder of the Order of Glory after being re-awarded (double award of the Order of the 3rd degree) in 1955.

Finally, the fourth is the foreman of the company of the 293rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 96th Guards Rifle Division of the 28th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front Guard, foreman Pavel Dubinda. He has perhaps the most unusual fate of all four heroes. A sailor, he served on the cruiser "Chervona Ukraine" on the Black Sea, after the death of the ship - in Marine Corps, defended Sevastopol. Here he was captured, from which he escaped and in March 1944 he was re-enlisted in the active army, but in the infantry. He became a full holder of the Order of Glory by March 1945, and in June of the same year he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, among his awards was the rare Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 3rd degree - a kind of “soldier’s” military order.

The Soviet Union was truly a multinational country: in the data of the last pre-war census of 1939, 95 nationalities appear, not counting the column “others” (other peoples of the North, other peoples of Dagestan). Naturally, among the Heroes of the Soviet Union and full holders of the Order of Glory there were representatives of almost all Soviet nationalities. Among the former there are 67 nationalities, among the latter (according to clearly incomplete data) there are 39 nationalities.

Number of heroes tagged highest ranks, among a particular nationality generally corresponds to the ratio of the number of fellow tribesmen to the total number of the pre-war USSR. Thus, the leaders in all lists were and remain Russians, followed by Ukrainians and Belarusians. But then the situation is different. For example, in the top ten awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are followed (in order) by Tatars, Jews, Kazakhs, Armenians, Georgians, Uzbeks and Mordovians. And in the top ten full holders of the Order of Glory, after Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, there are (also in order) Tatars, Kazakhs, Armenians, Mordovians, Uzbeks, Chuvashs and Jews.

But judging by these statistics which people were more heroic and which were less is meaningless. Firstly, many of the nationalities of the heroes were accidentally or even deliberately indicated incorrectly or were missing (for example, the nationality was often hidden by the Germans and Jews, and the option “Crimean Tatar” was simply not there in the 1939 census documents). And secondly, even today, not all documents relating to the awarding of heroes of the Great Patriotic War have been brought together and taken into account. This colossal topic is still waiting for its researcher, who will certainly confirm: heroism is a property of each individual person, and not of this or that nation.

National composition of the Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War*

Russians - 7998 (including 70 - twice, 2 - three times and 1 - four times)

Ukrainians - 2019 (including 28 - twice),

Belarusians – 274 (including 4 twice),

Tatars - 161

Jews - 128 (including 1 twice)

Kazakhs - 98 (including 1 twice)

Armenians - 91 (including 2 twice)

Georgians - 90

Uzbeks - 67

Mordva - 66

Chuvash - 47

Azerbaijanis - 41 (including 1 twice)

Bashkirs - 40 (including 1 - twice)

Ossetians - 34 (including 1 twice)

Mari - 18

Turkmens - 16

Lithuanians - 15

Tajiks - 15

Latvians - 12

Kyrgyz - 12

Karelians - 11 (including 1 twice)

Komi - 10

Udmurts - 11

Estonians - 11

Avars - 9

Poles - 9

Buryats and Mongols - 8

Kalmyks - 8

Kabardians - 8

Adygs - 7

Greeks - 7

Germans - 7

Komi - 6

Crimean Tatars - 6 (including 1 twice)

Chechens - 6

Yakuts - 6

Moldovans - 5

Abkhazians - 4

Laktsy - 4

Lezgins - 4

French - 4

Czechs - 4

Karachais - 3

Tuvans - 3

Circassians - 3

Balkars -2

Bulgarians - 2

Dargins - 2

Kumyks - 2

Finns - 2

Khakass - 2

Abazinets - 1

Adjaran - 1

Altaian - 1

Assyrian - 1

Veps - 1

Spaniard - 1

Chinese (Dungan) - 1

Korean - 1

Kurd - 1

Svan - 1

Slovak - 1

Tuvinian – 1

Tsakhur - 1

Gypsy - 1

Shorets - 1

Evenk - 1

National composition of full holders of the Order of Glory who received this title for their exploits during the Great Patriotic War**

Russians - 1276

Ukrainians - 285

Belarusians - 62

Tatars - 48

Kazakhs - 30

Armenians - 19

Mordva - 16

Uzbeks - 12

Chuvash - 11

Jews - 9

Azerbaijanis - 8

Bashkirs - 7

Kyrgyz - 7

Udmurts - 6

Turkmens - 5

Buryats - 4

Georgians - 4

Komi - 4

Mari - 3

Poles - 3

Adygs - 2

Karelians - 2

Latvians - 2

Moldovans - 2

Ossetians - 2

Tajiks - 2

Khakass - 2

Abazinets - 1

Greek - 1

Kabardian - 1

Kalmyk - 1

Chinese - 1

Crimean Tatar - 1

Kumyk - 1

Lithuanian -1

Romanian - 1

Meskhetian Turk - 1

Chechen - 1

Yakut - 1

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