When you study history the highest Soviet military order "Victory" , be sure to ask the question: and why was the "Victory" established and handed over long before the Victory itself?

Marshal Zhukov , the first Knight of the Order, received the award on April 10, 1944. Until May 9, 1945, 9 awards were held, and 7 people managed to become knights of the order: twice - Vasilevsky, Stalin (he received the second order "Victory" after the end of World War II - June 26, 1945), again - Zhukov, and also Rokossovsky, Konev, Malinovsky and Tolbukhin.

Why did the award appear so early?

The order was established after a decisive turning point in the war, namely November 8, 1943 ... The statute said that the basis for the award could be successful conduct of military operations, as a result of which the situation at the front radically changes in favor of the Red Army... That is, the award was presented not for a global victory in the war, but for very great successes in its course.

True, later the order was awarded to several foreign commanders and statesmen. It is this fact that has slightly confused those who read the history of the order today.
By the way, the original name of the order was not "Victory" at all, but "For loyalty to the Motherland."

Total holders of the order became 17 people (more precisely, now it is already 16, but more on that later).

Most of the holders of this high award are our compatriots. In addition to the above, "Victory" was awarded to Marshals Govorov, Timoshenko, Meretskov and General Antonov (he became the only Soviet Knight of the Order who did not have the rank of Marshal, but Army General Antonov planned virtually all military operations of the Red Army, especially in the last two years of the war).

Here are all the Soviet holders of the Order of "Victory" with an indication of the reason for the award and its date:

# 1. Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov:

March 30, 1945 - "for the skillful fulfillment of the assignments of the Supreme High Command."

# 2. Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky:

No. 3. Marshal of the Soviet Union, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union (from 27.06.1945) I. V. Stalin:

July 29, 1944 - "for the liberation of the right-bank Ukraine";
June 26, 1945 - "for the Victory over Germany."

No. 4. Marshal of the Soviet Union I. S. Konev:

No. 5. Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky:

No. 6. Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky:

No. 7. Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I.Tolbukhin:

No. 8. Marshal of the Soviet Union L. A. Govorov:

No. 9. Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko:

No. 10. Army General A. I. Antonov:

No. 11. Marshal of the Soviet Union K. A. Meretskov:

September 8, 1945 - "for the successful leadership of the troops in the war against Japan."

Yet five holders of the Order "Victory" - foreigners : British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and US Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as Yugoslav Marshal Josip Broz Tito and Polish Minister of National Defense Michal Role-ymerski.

No. 12. Field Marshal of Great Britain Bernard Lowe Montgomery:

July 5, 1945 - "for outstanding successes in conducting military operations on a large scale, as a result of which the victory of the United Nations over Nazi Germany was achieved."

No. 13. General of the United States Army Dwight David Eisenhower:

No. 14. Marshal of Poland Michal Rola-ymerski:

August 9, 1945 - "for outstanding services in organizing the armed forces of Poland and for the successful conduct of military operations of the Polish Army in decisive battles against the common enemy - Nazi Germany."

No. 15. Marshal of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito:

September 9, 1945 - "for outstanding successes in conducting military operations on a large scale ..." (in general, for the same as Montgomery and Eisenhower).

The fifth foreigner deserves special attention - Romanian king Mihai I ... By the way, he is the only living holder of the Victory Order.
It should be noted that the young king of Romania did not have any special military merits. He did not conduct military operations and did not plan, and throughout most of the Second World War he was completely in the position of a prisoner on the throne, since the real power in the country belonged not to the king, but to Prime Minister Ion Antonescu. Officially, however, he was called not a prime minister, but a conductor - this is the Romanian analogue of the Italian "Duce" and the German "Fuhrer". Mihai had to endure and put up. “I learned to smile at those whom I should hate,” he said and bided his time.
This hour struck in August 1944. The Red Army at this time was approaching the Romanian border. Mihai, united in the anti-fascist opposition, arrested Antonescu and the generals loyal to him, sided with the Allies and declared war on Germany. In the USSR, the act of Mihai was considered quite dragging on the title of "a radical turning point in favor of the Red Army." However, this really seriously facilitated its advance to the west, and one should not forget that it was the Romanian oil-bearing region of Ploiesti that by 1944 remained for Germany the only source of fuel for tanks and aircraft, without which it was no longer necessary to count on any success in the war. ...

No. 16. King of Romania Mihai I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen:

As mentioned above, at first there were 16 , after - 17 , and in the end - again 16 .
Who is this mysterious 17th?

It's simple. it Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev:

During the war, he was a colonel (from November 1944 - major general). Of course, he had military merits, but not such that would correspond to the status of the Order of "Victory". Nevertheless, the secretary general emphasized in every possible way that he had played a noticeable, even outstanding role in the war.
Marshal Zhukov even had to mention Brezhnev in his "Memoirs and Reflections" (published for the first time in Brezhnev's times), indicating that he allegedly consulted with the head of the political department of the 18th Army, Colonel Brezhnev on Malaya Zemlya in 1943.

"Colonel Brezhnev on Malaya Zemlya"
(painting by D. Nalbandian):

V 1989 year, this award was canceled, and the late secretary general was excluded from the list of holders of the order. It is worth noting that the procedure for canceling the award was not formally spelled out anywhere. Gorbachev in his decree from September 21, 1989 simply stated that the award itself was contrary to the statute of the order (which, however, is true).

However, even under the conditions of the outbreak of the Cold War, it did not occur to Stalin to deprive Montgomery, Eisenhower, or Tito of the Order of Victory.
Even eccentric Khrushchev, who, by the way, ended the war as a lieutenant general, did not agree to this, and during it, being a member of the Military Councils of different fronts (albeit very unsuccessful!), Did not even think about awarding himself the Order of Victory.

However, comparing the contribution to the Victory of Brezhnev and the abovementioned figures (of course, I'm not talking about Khrushchev!) Is rather ridiculous.

Another Knight of the Order of "Victory" was supposed to be, but did not become Charles de Gaulle - the leader of the French Resistance. Its head, of course, had reason at least to claim "Victory". However, the Soviet leadership was in no hurry to receive awards.
Everything could change in 1966, when the general, who at that time was the president of the Fifth French Republic he actually founded, was going on an official visit to Moscow. It was then that the idea of ​​awarding de Gaulle "Victory" arose in the Soviet Foreign Ministry.

A corresponding appeal was written to the Central Committee of the CPSU. There, in the end, they gave the go-ahead. An order was even placed for the production of an order for de Gaulle. What happened next is unknown, but de Gaulle returned to Paris without an order.
Some historians believe that the Soviet leaders were embarrassed by the rank of general of the French president. In France, they still argue about whether this rank was awarded to de Gaulle according to all the rules, or whether he took it for himself. So, when the president resigned, the new leadership of France wrote him a colonel's pension, not a general's. The colonel for "Victory", even despite all his merits, apparently seemed too small, unless, of course, his name is not Brezhnev.

With the cancellation of the awarding of Brezhnev in 1989, the history of the order ends. Nevertheless, the insignia of the order themselves continue to exist. The whereabouts of most of them are known. The Orders of all Soviet Knights and Role-Zhimersky are in Russia, the Montgomery Order is in London, the Tito Order is in Belgrade, the Eisenhower Order is in the town of Abelin, Kansas, where the American general and president was born.

And here's what concerns Order of the Romanian King Mihai I , very similar to the mysterious detective story .

Some people argue that Mihai, who has not been the king of Romania for a long time (since December 1947), sold his order in difficult times and allegedly raised $ 4 million for it. However, in 2010, Mihai was seen wearing the Victory Order at a parade in Moscow.

Then we were together, but not much time has passed ...

This story is confusing and mysterious. There is a version that a duplicate was made for Mihai somewhere, exactly like the original. In response, the argument sounds that making a copy would have to spend an amount comparable to the 4 million that Mihai allegedly received for the sale (which is generally true: there are only rubies and blilliants that adorn the order, not counting platinum, gold and silver, of which it is made, cost quite a lot, and also the work of making an exact copy would be very expensive, given the need to keep it secret).

The former King of Romania will celebrate his 95th birthday this year:

Not so long ago, a certain "Victory" order actually appeared on the black market, which was not a fake and went into someone's private collection. That's just what it could be for the order, if the whereabouts of 19 are known, and the 20th is kept by the last living cavalier. And what is the point for a collector to buy a real Order of Victory, if anyway it can neither be shown to anyone, nor put up at an auction?

This post is based on the article Alexei Durnovo "Order of Victory" in the magazine "Dilettant" (No. 006, June 2016), errors and inaccuracies in which I have been corrected.

Sergey Vorobyov.
Thank you for attention.

Established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 8, 1943. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 18, 1944, the sample and description of the ribbon of the Order "Victory", as well as the procedure for wearing the strap with the ribbon of the order, were approved.

The Order of Victory is the highest military order of the USSR, which was awarded to the senior commanding staff of the Red Army for the successful conduct of such military operations on the scale of one or several fronts, as a result of which the situation radically changed in favor of the Red Army.

It was created according to the sketches of the artist Alexander Kuznetsov.

Order of Glory

Established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of November 8, 1943. Subsequently, the Statute of the Order was partially amended by the Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of February 26 and December 16, 1947 and of August 8, 1957.

The Order of Glory is a military order of the USSR. It was awarded to privates and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army, and in aviation and to persons holding the rank of junior lieutenant who displayed glorious feats of bravery, courage and fearlessness in the battles for the Soviet Motherland.

The statute of the Order of Glory indicated the feats for which this insignia could be awarded. It could be received, for example, by the one who first burst into the enemy's location, who in battle saved the banner of his unit or captured the enemy, who, risking his life, saved the commander in battle, who shot down a fascist plane from his personal weapon (rifle or machine gun), or destroyed up to 50 enemy soldiers, etc.

The Order of Glory had three degrees: I, II and III. The highest degree of the order was I degree. The awarding was carried out sequentially: first the third, then the second and, finally, the first degree.

The badge of the order was created according to the sketches of the chief artist of the CDKA Nikolai Moskalev. It is a five-pointed star with a relief image of the Kremlin with the Spasskaya Tower in the center. The Order of Glory is worn on the left side of the chest, in the presence of other orders of the USSR, it is located after the Order of the Badge of Honor in the order of seniority of degrees.

The badge of the Order of the 1st class is made of gold, the badge of the Order of the 2nd class is made of silver, with gilding, the badge of the Order of the 3rd class is completely silver, without gilding.

The order is worn on a pentagonal shoe covered with a St. George ribbon (orange with three black longitudinal stripes).

The right to award the Order of Glory of the III degree was granted to the commanders of divisions and corps, the II degree - to the commanders of armies and fronts, the I degree was awarded only by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The first full holders of the Order of Glory by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 22, 1944 were the soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front - the sapper corporal Mitrofan Pitenin and the scout senior sergeant Konstantin Shevchenko. The Order of Glory of the 1st degree for No. 1 and No. 2 was awarded to the soldiers of the Leningrad Front, the infantryman of the guard, senior sergeant Nikolai Zaletov, and the intelligence officer of the guard foreman Viktor Ivanov.

In January 1945, for the only time in the history of the existence of the award, the Order of Glory was awarded to the entire rank and file of the military unit. The first rifle battalion of the 215th Red Banner regiment of the 77th Guards Chernigov rifle division was awarded this honor for heroism in breaking through the enemy defenses on the Vistula River.

In total, about 980 thousand people were awarded the Order of Glory of the III degree, about 46 thousand became holders of the Order of the II degree, 2656 soldiers were awarded the Orders of Glory of three degrees (including those who were rewarded).

Four women became full holders of the Order of Glory: the gunner-radio operator of the guard foreman Nadezhda Zhurkina-Kiek, machine gunner sergeant Danute Stanilienė-Markauskienė, sanitary instructor foreman Matrena Necheporchukova-Nazdracheva and sniper of the 86th Tartu rifle division senior officer.

For subsequent special deeds, four holders of three Orders of Glory were also awarded the highest distinction of the Motherland - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Guard pilot junior lieutenant Ivan Drachenko, infantry sergeant major Pavel Dubinda, gunners senior sergeant Nikolai Kuznetsov and guard senior sergeant Andrey Aleshin.

On January 15, 1993, the law "On the status of Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and full holders of the Order of Glory" was adopted, according to which the rights of those awarded with these awards were equalized. Individuals awarded these awards, as well as their family members, were entitled to certain benefits in living conditions, in the treatment of wounds and diseases, when using transport, etc.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

The 115th anniversary of the birth of Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov has come (November 19). And today you can find such disputes between military and civilian historians - Zhukov: a genius or a villain? There are many points of view about Zhukov, about the style of his work and command and control of troops: the "butcher" did not spare the soldier, walked over the corpses; he won all his victories "on ready-made", when before him all the victories were prepared by other military leaders; Zhukov's leadership talent is a propaganda myth; Zhukov won the war - this is a lie, the soldier won it. And so on. But Zhukov is such a titan that he is not afraid of any, the most ridiculous judgments.

THROUGH THE LIGHTS OF BATTLES

Georgy Konstantinovich was born in the village of Strelkovka, Kaluga Region. He graduated from three classes of the parish school with a certificate of honor. Furling then in Moscow, at the same time he graduated from the two-year course of the city school.

From August 7, 1915 in the army. As a cavalry non-commissioned officer in the summer of 1916, he was sent to the South-Western Front in the 10th Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. For the capture of a German officer, he is awarded the St. George Cross, 4th degree. Shell-shocked. For being wounded in battle, he is awarded the 3rd degree of St. George's Cross.

The revolution eliminated the cavalry and the army in general. Seriously ill with typhus, Zhukov returns to his village. But in the summer of 1918 he entered the Red Army. The next year he becomes a member of the RCP (b). Red Army soldier Georgy Zhukov fought on the Eastern, Western, Southern fronts against the Ural Cossacks, near Tsaritsyn, with the troops of Denikin and Wrangel.

In the summer of 1919 he took part in battles with the Cossacks in the vicinity of Shipovo station, in the battles for Uralsk, for Vladimirovka, for Nikolaevsk. In the fall of 1919, between Zaplavnoye and Srednyaya Akhtuba, he was seriously wounded by shrapnel from a grenade. It is being treated. He graduated from the Ryazan cavalry courses and in the fall of 1920 was appointed platoon commander, then a squadron commander. A year later, he participates in the suppression of the peasant uprising in the Tambov region (the so-called "Antonovshchina").

It seems mystical and difficult to comprehend that death could overtake Zhukov at any moment in six years spent in more than 60 large and small battles. Each fight could be the last. And Zhukov's further military service is not replete with calmness and serenity. Here are its main milestones.

Since May 1923, Zhukov has been in command of the 39th regiment of the 7th Samara Cavalry Division. A year later he graduated from the High Cavalry School. Then - courses for the highest commanding staff of the Red Army. In 1930 he received the 2nd brigade of the 7th Samara Cavalry Division, commanded by Rokossovsky. Then he serves in the Belarusian military district under the command of I.P. Uborevich.

During the repression of 1937-1938, both military leaders will be arrested. Konstantin Konstantinovich will go through all the circles of hell, but he will not break, and Jerome Petrovich will be shot. It was at that time that a meeting of the party organization of the 6th Cavalry Corps took place, at which the statements of some political workers and commanders about "the enemy methods of Corps Commander Zhukov in training cadres" and that he "was in close relations with the enemies of the people" were examined. However, the party activist made a decision: "To limit ourselves to discussing the issue and take note of Comrade Zhukov's explanation."

Fate or Providence seemed to carefully guard their chosen one for some higher purpose. In the summer of 1939, Zhukov defeated the group of Japanese troops of General Kamatsubara on the Khalkhin-Gol River. For this operation, the corps commander was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A year later, he is already the commander of the Kiev Special Military District.

Upon certification of the command staff of the Red Army, he receives the rank of General of the Army. In this capacity, he conducts two brilliant command and staff games under the general title "Offensive Operation of the Front with the Breakthrough of Fortified Areas", demonstrating outstanding operational and tactical skill. For which Stalin is nominated for the post of chief of the General Staff.

WHO WAS IN BATTLES, THAT PAIN AND RAGE FULLY RECOGNIZED

The relationship between the leader and the military leader has never been cloudless. Here is what the Kremlin guard AT Rybin writes about this in his book "Next to Stalin":

“Not a single historian has yet been able to reveal the secret of their relationship, which was democratic, but at the same time - complex and mysterious. Until one of the theorists is able to solve them, we will try to use the experience of a person who knew both well enough. Orlov, the commandant of the nearby dacha, served with Stalin from the 37th to the 53rd year. This means that he had the right to note the most important thing in the character of the leader:

- He did not like conciliatory judgments like: As you say, we will do so.

In such cases, he usually said:

“I don’t need such advisors.

Having learned this, I sometimes argued with him, defending my point of view, Stalin grumbled in bewilderment:

- Okay, I'll think about it.

I hated it when people came to him, bending or stepped forward with their heels. It was necessary to go to him with a firm step. If necessary - at any time. The office has never been closed. Now we add the following judgment of Orlov:

- Stalin respected Zhukov for his directness and patriotism. He was Stalin's most honored guest.

Together with the gift of leadership, this, apparently, was already enough for Stalin to restrain his natural anger at Zhukov's unheard-of trick on December 4, endured the whole day of the fifth, and only at exactly midnight on high frequency asked cautiously:

- Comrade Zhukov, how is Moscow?

- Comrade Stalin, we will not surrender Moscow, - Georgy Konstantinovich assured.

- Then I'll go for two hours to rest.

- Can...

Yes, Stalin managed then to restrain himself from indignation, but he still did not forget the offense. That is why such a commander was awarded only a medal for the most difficult operation of the entire war. "

And the first time Stalin and Zhukov turned white-hot already on the seventh day of the war. This is how Mikoyan recalls that conflict:

“Stalin called Marshal Timoshenko to the People's Commissariat of Defense. However, he could not say anything concrete about the situation in the Western direction. Alarmed by this course of affairs, Stalin invited all of us to go to the People's Commissariat and investigate the situation on the spot. In the office of the People's Commissar were Tymoshenko, Zhukov and Vatutin. Stalin was calm, asking where the front command was, what was the connection with him. Zhukov reported that the connection was lost and it was not possible to restore it for the whole day. We talked quite calmly for about half an hour. Then Stalin exploded: what kind of General Staff, what kind of chief of the General Staff, who was so confused that he had no connection with the troops, did not represent anyone and did not command anyone. Since there is no connection, the General Staff is powerless to lead. Zhukov, of course, was no less worried about the state of affairs than Stalin, and such a shout from Stalin was insulting to him. This courageous man could not stand it, burst into tears like a woman, and quickly went into another room. Molotov followed him. We were all depressed. "

Here it is necessary to make a reservation: the cunning Anastas Ivanovich and the straightforward Georgy Konstantinovich never sympathized with each other, if not to say that they were secretly at enmity.

I will cite another testimony of the writer N.A. Zenkovich, who talked on this topic with V.M. Molotov:

The price of a second stroke of Marshal Zhukov's pen when accepting the surrender of Germany is a great feat of the people and the army.
“The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. in photographs and film documents ”. T. 5.M., 1989

“The quarrel broke out in the hardest, with swearing and threats. Stalin used to swear at Timoshenko, Zhukov and Vatutin, calling them mediocre, nonentities, company scribes, dressmakers. The nervous tension also affected the military. Timoshenko and Zhukov, too, said a lot of insulting words about the leader in the heat of the moment. In the end, the white-faced Zhukov sent Stalin to his mother and demanded to leave the office immediately and not interfere with their study of the situation and making decisions. Amazed by such insolence of the military, Beria tried to stand up for the leader, but Stalin, without saying goodbye to anyone, went to the exit. "

It was then that, on the steps of the Ministry of Defense, Joseph Vissarionovich uttered his famous: "Lenin left us a great legacy, and we, his heirs, are all about it! .." complex, sometimes difficult, if not completely impossible assignments. And almost never once did the commander let the leader down.

Georgy Konstantinovich was a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Deputy Supreme Commander, First Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. He commanded the fronts: Reserve, Leningrad, Western (at the same time he was commander-in-chief of the Western direction), 1st Ukrainian, 1st Belorussian. In 1942 alone, Zhukov personally conducted four major offensive operations: Moscow, Rzhev-Vyazemskaya, First and Second Rzhev-Sychevskaya.

In addition to the operational activities of Commander Zhukov, according to the version put forward by him and Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky in the memoirs, he is also a co-author (together with Vasilevsky) of the key Soviet military plan of 1942 - the plan of the strategic operation Uranus to defeat the German troops at Stalingrad. True, this plan, on which, according to the memoirs of Zhukov and Vasilevsky, their and Stalin's signatures are, has not yet been published, despite the expiration of the statute of limitations.

And here is the time for the recognition of the great commander:

“War is an extremely difficult test for the entire people. These are mass casualties, blood, disability for life. This is a severe psychological impact on all people who bear the hardships of the war. This is gold for those who trade in weapons of war. In war, there are no absolute heroes, absolutely courageous military leaders. Heroes are those who, in moments of difficult situation, managed to pull themselves together, overcome fear and not succumb to a panic mood. Young people will have to continue our business. It is very important that they learn from our miscalculations and our successes. The science of winning is not a simple science. But the one who learns, who strives for victory, who fights for the cause, in whose rightness he believes, will always win. I became convinced of this in many lessons of my own life. "

This revelation is worth a lot. In any case, it sheds a certain light on the desire of Georgy Konstantinovich to pass off as reality many of his good desires, which were left to us in his main work, "Memories and Reflections." The simplest example. Zhukov writes:

“In the morning of June 22, People's Commissar SK Timoshenko, NF Vatutin and I were in the office of the People's Commissar of Defense. At 0300 hours I received a call on HF from the commander of the Black Sea, Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky and said: The VNOS system of the fleet reports on the approach from the sea side of a large number of unknown aircraft. At 3:30 a.m. the Chief of Staff of the Western District, General V.E. Klimovskikh, reported on the German raid on the cities of Belarus. About three minutes later, the chief of staff of the Kiev district, General M.A. Purkaev, reported on the air raid on the cities of Ukraine. The People's Commissar ordered me to call J.V. Stalin. I'm calling. Nobody answers the phone. I call continuously. Finally I hear the sleepy voice of the guard general on duty:

- Who's talking?

- Chief of the General Staff Zhukov. I ask you to urgently connect me with Comrade Stalin.

- What? Now? - the head of security was amazed. - Comrade Stalin is sleeping.

- Wake up immediately, the Germans are bombing our cities!

About three minutes later, J.V. Stalin approached the apparatus. I reported on the situation and asked for permission to start retaliatory hostilities. "

In this long quote from the memoirs of the greatest commander, only the geographical names and surnames of people are accurate. Everything else is a tragic lie, which, with the light hand of a military leader, became the basis for all further distortions and frank insinuations in describing the beginning of the war.

Back at 18 hours 27 minutes on June 21, 1941, Vyacheslav Molotov delivered to the Kremlin absolutely accurate information about the exact time of the Nazi attack! This is now an indisputable historical fact! As well as the fact that in his memoirs Georgy Konstantinovich bypassed almost all his failures, miscalculations, imperfections, including the head-on assault on the famous Seelow Heights, leaving only personal ups and downs, which, of course, were the overwhelming majority.

During 1943, Zhukov coordinated the actions of the fronts in Operation Iskra when the Leningrad blockade was broken. On January 18, he was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union - the first Marshal of the USSR since the beginning of the war. From March 17, Zhukov - in the Belgorod direction of the forming Kursk Bulge. Since July 5, he has been coordinating the actions of the Western, Bryansk, Steppe and Voronezh fronts. After the death of Vatutin, Stalin ordered Zhukov to lead the 1st Ukrainian Front. In March-April 1944, Georgy Konstantinovich conducted an offensive Proskurov-Chernivtsi operation and went to the foothills of the Carpathians.

On April 10, 1944, the marshal was awarded the highest military award - the Order of Victory, number 1. In the summer of 1944, Zhukov coordinates the actions of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian fronts in Operation Bagration. At the final stage of the war, the 1st Belorussian Front, led by Marshal Zhukov, together with the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Ivan Stepanovich Konev conducted the Vistula-Oder operation, during which Soviet troops liberated Warsaw, defeated Army Group A of General J. Harpe and Field Marshal F. Scherner. For this Zhukov received the second Order of Victory, number 5.

The 1st Belorussian Front (1 million 28 thousand 900 people) lost 77 thousand 342 people (7.5%), at the same time the 1st Ukrainian Front (1 million 83 thousand 800 people) lost 115 thousand . 783 people (10.7%). So Zhukov not always "did not spare the soldiers." On May 8, 1945, in Karlshorst (Berlin), Georgy Konstantinovich received from Hitler's Field Marshal Wilhelm von Keitel the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and was appointed commander of a group of Soviet forces in Germany.

However, the greatest trust shown by the leader to the first Soviet commander was the reception of the Victory Parade of the Soviet Union over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, which took place in Moscow on Red Square. The parade was commanded by Marshal Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. This is not even a royal or royal gift - this is a record on the tablets of Eternity. Such deeds are only up to the great leaders.

Military exercises in 1940. Georgy Zhukov in 60 battles has already formed as a commander.

On September 7, 1945, the Victory Parade of the Allied Forces in World War II was held in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate. Marshal Zhukov received the parade from the Soviet Union. And these were his most important commanders' heights.

THE CITIZEN WASN'T FORGIVEN THAT HASN'T PAYED PARTNERSHIP FEE

In a peaceful life, Georgy Konstantinovich somehow immediately outlined many and rather complex problems. Accustomed for the long 1418 days of the war to be everywhere and everywhere "king, god and chief military commander", the marshal did not immediately fit into the court coordinates of the Kremlin. So, in the summer of 1946, a meeting of the Main Military Council took place, at which the "case of Marshal Zhukov based on the materials of the interrogation of A.A. Novikov" was examined.

From the statement of the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov, written in the name of I.V. Stalin:

“Concerning Zhukov, I first of all want to say that he is an exceptionally power-hungry and narcissistic person, he loves fame, honor and servility before him and cannot tolerate objections. Zhukov likes to know everything that is being done at the top, and at his request, when Zhukov was at the front, as far as I could find out, I supplied him with relevant information about what was happening at Headquarters. In this meanness in front of you, I recognize my grave guilt. So, there were cases when, after visiting Headquarters, I told Zhukov about Stalin's moods, when and for what Stalin scolded me and others, what conversations I heard there, etc. Zhukov very cunningly, subtly and in a cautious manner in conversations with me, as well as with other persons, tried to belittle the leading role in the war of the Supreme High Command, and at the same time, Zhukov, without hesitation, emphasizes his role in the war as a commander and even declares that all the basic plans for military operations were developed by him. "

Georgy Konstantinovich was accused of inflating his "victorious merits." Stalin personally formulated claims to "his own right hand":

"I took over the development of operations that I had nothing to do with."

Evidence has been cited in abundance. However, it should be noted: at that meeting, all the top military leaders, with the exception of the head of the Main Personnel Directorate F.I. Golikov, expressed their support for Zhukov. Nevertheless, members of the Politburo unanimously accused the "Marshal of Victory" of "Bonapartism." It is not excluded that the top party bosses thus "paid off" for the marshal's obstinacy and personal disrespect to them.

In June 1946, an investigation was launched into the so-called "Zhukov trophy case". It was based on the denunciation of Zhukov's adjutant Semochkin. Ostensibly Zhukov was hostile to Comrade Stalin. He spoke non-partisanly to the Allies in Frankfurt. I sold the car to the writer Slavin. He was greedy and appropriated trophy values: furs, paintings, carpets, chandeliers, gold, jewelry, sets, etc. Spent many thousands of public money for personal needs. Collected a large collection of hunting rifles. I have never personally paid party dues.

Of course, Zhukov, in a letter to the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and comrade A.A. Zhdanov, rejects most of these slanderous statements. He's writing:

“I ask the Central Committee to take into account the fact that I made some mistakes during the war without malicious intent, and in fact I have never been a bad servant of the Party, the Motherland and the great Stalin. I have always honestly and conscientiously carried out all the instructions of Comrade Stalin. I admit that I am very guilty that I did not hand over all this unnecessary junk to a warehouse somewhere, hoping that no one needs it. I take a strong oath of a Bolshevik not to allow such mistakes and nonsense. I am sure that the Motherland will still need me, the great leader Comrade. Stalin and the party. Please leave me in the party. I will correct the mistakes made and will not allow the high rank of a member of the All-Union Communist Party of the Bolsheviks to be tarnished. 01/12/1948. Member of the CPSU (b) Zhukov. "

Dismissed from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Zhukov for some time commanded the troops of the Odessa, then the Ural military districts. His every step was followed. Somehow on New Year's Eve, General Vladimir Kryukov with his wife Lydia Ruslanova and General Konstantin Telegin with his wife came to the disgraced Georgy Konstantinovich. The singer, having crossed the threshold of the commander's house, took out two shot black grouses from the package and said loudly:

"I wish you, our Great Conqueror, that all your enemies look exactly like these two birds."

After Stalin's death, Beria did everything to make the disgraced marshal become the first deputy defense minister N.A. Bulganin. They say that Georgy Konstantinovich warned his benefactor that he would soon be "tied up", but Lavrenty Pavlovich was too confident in his strength. Zhukov was also part of the group that arrested Beria.

Zhukov cannot stand in the ranks of the elite tsarist generals, since all his life he was not surrounded by highly educated officers, but in a faceless mass of obedient ones, ready at the first call of the party to betray, slander, condemn. But Zhukov was and will remain the greatest commander of all times and peoples, and no revelations, current or future, can diminish his contribution to the achievement of Victory. But that is precisely why I cannot understand and forgive the really great Zhukov that (in the last days, hours of the war) he took the Seelow Heights on his forehead - the most powerful center of resistance built by the Germans, having laid there hundreds of thousands of our soldiers.

In 1954, Zhukov personally conducted an atomic exercise at the Totsk test site. At least 45 thousand soldiers were heavily exposed to radioactive radiation. How many civilians have suffered - no one knows. And having become the Minister of Defense, Georgy Konstantinovich, by almost the first order, increased the salaries of military personnel. For the "suppression of the Hungarian fascist rebellion" and in connection with the 60th anniversary of his birth, he was awarded the fourth medal "Gold Star". But a year later, the "maize" dismissed the "Victory Marshal".

In the already mentioned memoirs, Zhukov still managed to make a very awkward curtsy to Leonid Brezhnev, thus giving rise to a flurry of stinging anecdotes, such as:

- Comrade Stalin, it's time to start Operation Bagration!

- Wait, comrade Zhukov, it will be necessary to consult with comrade Brezhnev!

“Afanasy Pavlantievich, tell us about Zhukov. Is it true that generals and marshals considered him Stalin's favorite?

- Maybe someone thought so, like the same Konev, who all his life tried to compete with his savior. After all, if Zhukov had not taken Konev as his deputy, Stalin would have slapped Ivan for sure. No, Stalin had no favorites. He simply appreciated people according to their merits. And Zhukov, no matter what they say about him now, was always the first among equals. I can't put anyone next to him. Everything was present in him: talent, and cruelty, and a fierce thirst for power. There were no other such in our army. Perhaps it never happened. And it will never be again. "

The only marshal four times Hero of the Soviet Union, the only holder of two Orders of Victory, the only Russian commander who has the largest number of military awards, whose name is most immortalized, he worthily closes the row: Macedonian, Hannibal, Caesar, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Napoleon, Suvorov, Kutuzov. In any case, the 20th century knows no other commander of this magnitude. And God willing, such military talents will never be needed anymore.

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Established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 8, 1943. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 18, 1944, the sample and description of the ribbon of the Order "Victory", as well as the procedure for wearing the strap with the ribbon of the order, were approved.

The Order of Victory is the highest military order of the USSR, which was awarded to the senior commanding staff of the Red Army for the successful conduct of such military operations on the scale of one or several fronts, as a result of which the situation radically changed in favor of the Red Army.

It was created according to the sketches of the artist Alexander Kuznetsov.

Order of Glory

Established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of November 8, 1943. Subsequently, the Statute of the Order was partially amended by the Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of February 26 and December 16, 1947 and of August 8, 1957.

The Order of Glory is a military order of the USSR. It was awarded to privates and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army, and in aviation and to persons holding the rank of junior lieutenant who displayed glorious feats of bravery, courage and fearlessness in the battles for the Soviet Motherland.

The statute of the Order of Glory indicated the feats for which this insignia could be awarded. It could be received, for example, by the one who first burst into the enemy's location, who in battle saved the banner of his unit or captured the enemy, who, risking his life, saved the commander in battle, who shot down a fascist plane from his personal weapon (rifle or machine gun), or destroyed up to 50 enemy soldiers, etc.

The Order of Glory had three degrees: I, II and III. The highest degree of the order was I degree. The awarding was carried out sequentially: first the third, then the second and, finally, the first degree.

The badge of the order was created according to the sketches of the chief artist of the CDKA Nikolai Moskalev. It is a five-pointed star with a relief image of the Kremlin with the Spasskaya Tower in the center. The Order of Glory is worn on the left side of the chest, in the presence of other orders of the USSR, it is located after the Order of the Badge of Honor in the order of seniority of degrees.

The badge of the Order of the 1st class is made of gold, the badge of the Order of the 2nd class is made of silver, with gilding, the badge of the Order of the 3rd class is completely silver, without gilding.

The order is worn on a pentagonal shoe covered with a St. George ribbon (orange with three black longitudinal stripes).

The right to award the Order of Glory of the III degree was granted to the commanders of divisions and corps, the II degree - to the commanders of armies and fronts, the I degree was awarded only by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The first full holders of the Order of Glory by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 22, 1944 were the soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front - the sapper corporal Mitrofan Pitenin and the scout senior sergeant Konstantin Shevchenko. The Order of Glory of the 1st degree for No. 1 and No. 2 was awarded to the soldiers of the Leningrad Front, the infantryman of the guard, senior sergeant Nikolai Zaletov, and the intelligence officer of the guard foreman Viktor Ivanov.

In January 1945, for the only time in the history of the existence of the award, the Order of Glory was awarded to the entire rank and file of the military unit. The first rifle battalion of the 215th Red Banner regiment of the 77th Guards Chernigov rifle division was awarded this honor for heroism in breaking through the enemy defenses on the Vistula River.

In total, about 980 thousand people were awarded the Order of Glory of the III degree, about 46 thousand became holders of the Order of the II degree, 2656 soldiers were awarded the Orders of Glory of three degrees (including those who were rewarded).

Four women became full holders of the Order of Glory: the gunner-radio operator of the guard foreman Nadezhda Zhurkina-Kiek, machine gunner sergeant Danute Stanilienė-Markauskienė, sanitary instructor foreman Matrena Necheporchukova-Nazdracheva and sniper of the 86th Tartu rifle division senior officer.

For subsequent special deeds, four holders of three Orders of Glory were also awarded the highest distinction of the Motherland - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Guard pilot junior lieutenant Ivan Drachenko, infantry sergeant major Pavel Dubinda, gunners senior sergeant Nikolai Kuznetsov and guard senior sergeant Andrey Aleshin.

On January 15, 1993, the law "On the status of Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and full holders of the Order of Glory" was adopted, according to which the rights of those awarded with these awards were equalized. Individuals awarded these awards, as well as their family members, were entitled to certain benefits in living conditions, in the treatment of wounds and diseases, when using transport, etc.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

A very important and significant award for those who resisted fascism during World War II was the Order of Victory. Few have received this award, some of them twice in their lives. With the help of this insignia, it was decided to celebrate the feat of outstanding personalities from the high command of the Red Army and not only. The awards were also worthy of five foreign allies, who made a significant contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany.

History of the appearance of the award

In November 1943, a decree was signed establishing this highest distinction. Several people worked on its creation, and the first sketch was presented by officer Neyolov. For some reason, Stalin did not accept the proposed name and sketch. The second attempt was given to Kuznetsov. This artist has already had experience in creating such awards. He presented several options, of which the one was chosen, which depicted the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin with the inscription "Victory".

The Order of "Victory" in this version was adopted. At Stalin's suggestion, the presented sketch was slightly modified (background, scale of the tower itself, etc.). After taking into account all the wishes, a test copy was made, which was approved. Thus, in November 1943, the Supreme Council described the procedure for awarding the order, described its signs, and adopted a statute.

The statute stated that the Order of Victory (see its photo below) was an award for the high command of the army. It was awarded for special merits, actions that led to an inevitable victory or an improvement in the situation for the Soviet army.

What this tall insignia looks like

The Order of Victory is the most expensive award (in monetary terms) of the Soviet Union. For its manufacture, precious metals such as platinum and gold were used, as well as precious stones - diamonds. Initially, they were going to use real rubies for these purposes, but the jewelers faced the following problem: it was impossible to choose stones in the same color scheme, they all differed in shades. As a result, it was decided to replace real stones with artificial ones.

Each Order of "Victory", a photo of which very clearly demonstrates its beauty, was made by hand by craftsmen of a jewelry and watch factory in Moscow. This, by the way, was a unique case in the entire history of the USSR, since all other orders and medals were produced at the Mint with the appropriate stamping. It was not on these models.

So what was this highest award? The order looked like a five-pointed ruby ​​star, in the center it was convex. Closer to the center of the order, the rays of the star were decorated with triangles of rubies, and a line of diamonds ran along its edges. Between them were small rays (five in each gap), which were also decorated with small transparent precious stones.

In the middle of the order there was a circle with the image on a blue background of the Kremlin, where the mausoleum is located, as well as the Spasskaya Tower. Below, on a red background, the word "Victory" was written, from which a wreath rose upward. This was done in gold color.

Forty-seven grams of platinum, two grams of gold, nineteen grams of silver were used for each order. Also, each star had five rubies (five carats each) and 174 small diamonds weighing sixteen carats.

Today the Order of Victory is considered a unique piece of jewelry, and not only a symbol of military glory and courage.

An integral part of the order - the ribbon

Those awarded this award, in addition to the order itself, had to wear the ribbon attached to it. It was much wider than the ribbons that come with other awards. So, its width was 46 millimeters. The six-color ribbon combines colors from other orders that were used among the awards of the Soviet Union.

So, the color scheme was as follows: in the center there was a wide stripe of red, on the sides of it there were stripes of green, dark blue, burgundy, light blue and orange with a black insert.

Cavaliers of the Order of "Victory" had to wear their award on the left side of the chest, below all other orders and medals (about 12-14 centimeters above the waist). The bar with the ribbon was supposed to be one centimeter higher than other awards.

How many orders exist in total and how many awarded

If we talk about how many orders of "Victory" were made, then we can say that there were twenty of them. However, to date, the awardees, who are marked on the memorial plaque, are only nineteen. Of these, three citizens of the Soviet Union were awarded the awards twice.

Eight more Soviet commanders became holders of the order during the Second World War once. There are also foreign citizens who were also awarded the award.

As for another, twentieth order, it was awarded in February 1978 to the then Secretary General and Marshal of the USSR Brezhnev. After his death, the award was canceled as not in accordance with the statute of the award. It happened in September 1989.

Cavaliers of the Order, awarded twice

There are among those who received the Order of Victory, awarded twice. They were only three people. Let's consider each of them.

Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov

He was truly a great commander of that time. He did not have a higher military education, but the lack of a theoretical basis for him was replaced by the practical experience that he received during the civil war. In addition, Zhukov had a natural talent for leading, making the right decisions in difficult times.

During the Second World War he was awarded the title of Marshal of the USSR. He was also one of the very first to receive the Order of Victory. This happened on April 10, 1944 for the fact that he carried out a successful operation to liberate the right-bank Ukraine.

The second order was received by Zhukov in 1945, on March 30. This award was given to him for the fact that he performed very well the assignments of the command, leading the troops.

Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky

This man went down in history as the greatest strategist of the Second World War. Even Zhukov noticed his unsurpassed talent as a military leader. Together they led the liberation of the right-bank Ukraine, and it was for this that Vasilevsky received the second numbered Order of Victory. This also happened on April 10, 1944.

Almost a year later, on April 19, 1945, Vasilevsky was presented for the award a second time. During this time, he directed operations in East Prussia and won victories.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin

The Commander-in-Chief of the USSR himself at that time received the award for the third order in succession. The first time this happened was on the twenty-ninth of July 1944. The award was also presented for the liberation of the right bank of Ukraine from Nazi Germany.

The second time Stalin received the order on the twenty-sixth of June 1945, as an award for the final victory over Nazi Germany.

Let us now list the Soviet military leaders who received the Order of Victory. Those awarded with this high distinction made an invaluable contribution to the victory of the Soviet Union over fascism.

• Kirill Afanasevich Meretskov. This Marshal of the Soviet Union was awarded his medal in 1945, on the eighth of September. His merits were the successful military operations during the hostilities with Japan.
• Alexey Innokentyevich Antonov. The occasion of his awarding is unique. The fact is that at the time of signing the decree, Antonov was only a general, while other holders of the Order of Victory had the rank of marshals, and were also Heroes of the Soviet Union. And nevertheless, in 1945, on the fourth of June, he was awarded this award for the tasks performed, which were entrusted to him by the main command. These were successful military operations on a large scale.
• Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko. He became a Knight of the Order in 1945, on the fourth of June. The award was given to him for planning combat operations, as well as for skillful coordination of actions on the fronts.
• Leonid Alexandrovich Govorov. Soviet marshal who participated in the liberation of Leningrad, as well as in the defeat of the fascist troops in the Baltic region. He was awarded this high award in 1945, on the thirty-first of May.
• Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin. Soviet marshal who participated in the liberation of the Austrian and Hungarian lands. For his services in 1945, on the twenty-sixth of April, he was awarded this insignia.
• Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky. He also participated in the liberation of Hungary and Austria from the Nazi invaders. Awarded the award in 1945, April 26th.
• Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The Soviet Marshal received the award on March 30, 1945. He was awarded this honor thanks to his tangible contribution to the liberation of Poland.
• Ivan Stepanovich Konev. He had the rank of Marshal at the time of receiving the award. He became a cavalier on March 30, 1945, also for the liberation of Polish lands from the Nazis.

Each of the listed commanders was worthy of this award, each deserved it with his fortitude and courage.

Among those who received the Order of the Great "Victory" were foreign citizens. We propose to find out who was awarded this honor.

• Josip Broz Tito. He is one of the Yugoslav leaders who led the country's resistance during World War II. In 1945, on September 9, for his services in the victory over Germany, for successful military operations, he was awarded the Order of "Victory". This was a very strong personality. In the post-war period, Tito was elected President of Yugoslavia, who saw his own path in governing the state.
• Michal Role-ymersky. Polish marshal, who during the Second World War was an ardent opponent of the invading Germany. He was a member of the resistance movement. He received his order in 1945, on August 9, for the successful organization of the Polish troops, as well as for the conduct of various military operations. After the war, Rolya-Zhimersky held the post of minister, and also spent some time in prison on false charges.
• Bernard Montgomery. He is an outstanding person who during the Second World War participated in many battles, and also conducted military operations on the side of the opponents of Nazi Germany. Montgomery was also one of the founders of NATO. For his services in the fight against the Nazis in 1945, on the fifth of June, he received the Order of Victory.
• Dwight Eisenhower. He was a general in the United States forces during World War II. For his merits in carrying out various operations he was awarded the honorary award of the Soviet Union. It happened in 1945, on the fifth of June. In the postwar years, Eisenhower served as President of the United States.

Each of these people made their own special contribution to the struggle against Nazi Germany, as a result of which they were awarded such an honorable award.

Rewarding the King of Romania with the Order

Among the foreign allies was the king, who was awarded the Order of Victory. To date, he is the only surviving Knight of the Order. The award took place in July 1945, for the fact that Mihai I was able to show determination and turn Romania's policy towards a break with Nazi Germany. At the time of the presentation of the award, he was only twenty-three years old.

The king, who was awarded the Soviet Order of Victory, displayed real heroism and fortitude. In August 1944, when there was still no confidence in the final victory over fascism, he opposed Germany, ordered the arrest of many members of the government (including Antonescu, the de facto ruler of Romania). After that, this country ceased hostilities on the side of the fascist invaders.

The Order of Victory of the Great Patriotic War is a very significant symbol of what happened in the distant 1941-1945 years. This is a sign of the invincibility of the Russian people, faith in victory over the fascists, as well as faith in their command. Of course, the war itself was cruel, and sometimes the decisions made by the commanders of those times were also cruel. However, not a single soldier doubted their correctness. This expressed the patriotism of the Russian people of that time, their ability to stand to the last for the good of the Motherland.

Today, despite the fact that the Order of Victory is no longer awarded, it is the most honorable award in Russia, as well as one of the highest awards, which has not yet been canceled.

Conclusion

The Soviet Order of Victory is already history today. Naturally, they are no longer awarded, and almost all copies are kept in museums.

According to some reports, one of the orders, namely the one that was awarded to the Romanian king Mihai I, was sold and is now in one of the private collections. Although the former owner himself denies this, he never wore it to various festivities, although other orders and medals were present on his chest.

The awards that were presented to the Soviet command and the Marshal of Poland are currently in Russia. Five orders are kept in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, and the rest are in Gokhran.

If we talk about the Order of the USSR "Victory", which was awarded to Eisenhower, now he is in the state of Kansas in the city of Abilene, namely in the Memorial Library.

The order, which was awarded to Marshal Tito, is currently located in the capital of Serbia - the city of Belgrade. It is kept in the May 25 Museum.

The award, which was presented to British Field Marshal Montgomery, is also in his homeland. It is kept in the Imperial War Museum in London.

We can say that every military leader who was awarded this order was worthy of it. This order symbolizes their enormous contribution to the victory over fascism, fortitude and courage in resisting what was disastrous for their people.