Medal "For Courage" - one of the most honorable Soviet soldiers Russian awards, is a state award of the USSR, Russian Federation and Belarus. One of the few medals that, even after the collapse Soviet Union(with minor corrections) was again approved in the government awards system Russian Federation and Belarus. The medal "For Courage" was established on the basis of a decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR in October 1938. According to the statute of the award, the medal could be awarded to military personnel of the Red Army, Navy, internal and border troops for demonstrated personal courage and bravery in defending the country and performing military duty. This combat medal could also be awarded to persons who were not citizens of the USSR.
From the very moment of its appearance, the medal “For Courage” was especially popular and highly valued among front-line soldiers, since this medal was awarded exclusively for personal courage that was demonstrated during combat operations. This was the main difference between this award and some others. Soviet orders and medals, which were often awarded “for participation.” Most of medals “For Courage” were issued to privates and sergeants of the Red Army, but there were also cases of awarding them to officers (mainly junior ranks).
The author of the drawing of the medal “For Courage” was the Soviet artist S.I. Dmitriev. The first award of the new military award took place on October 19, 1939. According to the signed decree, 62 people were nominated for the medal. Among the first recipients was Lieutenant Abramkin Vasily Ivanovich. Also on October 22, 1938, border guards N. E. Gulyaev and B. F. Grigoriev were among the first awarded. On November 14, another 118 people were nominated for the medal. The next time the medal was awarded en masse was already in 1939; it was mainly awarded to soldiers and officers who distinguished themselves in battles against the Japanese at Khalkhin Gol. For the entire 1939, 9,234 people were nominated for this award.
The medal "For Courage" was the largest among Soviet medals, with the exception of the medal “50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR”. It was round, the diameter of the medal was 37 mm. On the front side of the medal “For Courage” there was image of three aircraft flying one after another, the wingspan of the first car is 7 mm, the second is 4 mm, the third is 3 mm. Directly below the flying planes was the inscription “For Courage”, which was located in two lines. Red enamel was applied to the letters. Under the inscription “For Courage” there was an image of a T-28 tank; the width of the tank was 10 mm, length - 6 mm. Under the T-28 along bottom edge The award included the inscription “USSR”; these letters were also covered in red enamel.
Along the circumferential front side of the medal there was a slightly protruding rim, 0.75 mm wide and 0.25 mm high. Using a ring and an eyelet, the medal “For Courage” was connected to a pentagonal block, which was covered with a silk moire ribbon gray, there were two blue stripes along the edges of the tape. The total width of the tape is 24 mm, the width of the strips is 2 mm. Using this pentagonal block, the medal could be attached to a uniform or other clothing.
The medal “For Courage” was the second most established military medal of the USSR after the medal “XX Years of the Red Army”. At the same time she was highest medal The USSR and when worn was strictly in front of the other medals (by analogy with the Order of Lenin in the system of orders of the USSR). Since the medal was mainly awarded for committing personal feat, it was mainly awarded to privates and sergeants of units and units, rarely to junior officers. Senior officers, and even more so generals, were practically not awarded this medal.
After 1939, the next mass awarding of the medal “For Courage” took place during the period Soviet-Finnish war. In total, until June 22, 1941, approximately 26 thousand military personnel were awarded this medal. During the Great Patriotic War The awarding of the medal “For Courage” has become widespread and very large in scope. In total, 4 million 230 thousand medals were awarded for the feats that were accomplished during the Second World War. Many Soviet soldiers were awarded several times.
Among medal recipients There were a lot of “for courage” Soviet women. There are cases when representatives of the fair sex were nominated for the medal “For Courage” several times. For example, Moiseeva Larisa Petrovna ( maiden name Vishnyakova) began the Great Patriotic War as a paramedic, and ended as a telephonist. She served in the 824th separate reconnaissance artillery battalion. During the war years, Larisa Moiseeva was awarded three medals “For Courage”; in addition, she had the Order of the Red Star.
The most young gentleman, ever awarded this award, was a graduate of the 142nd Guards rifle regiment Sergei Aleshkov, who was only 6 years old! Soldiers of the 47th Guards Division picked up the boy in the summer of 1942; they found him in the forest. Sergei's brother and mother were brutally tortured by the Nazis. As a result, the soldiers kept him in their unit, and he became the son of the regiment. In November 1942, he and the regiment entered Stalingrad. He, of course, could not fight, but he tried to help the fighters as much as possible: he brought water, bread, ammunition, and sang songs and read poetry in between battles.
In Stalingrad, Sergei Aleshkov received the medal “For Courage” for saving the regiment commander, Colonel Vorobyov. During the battle, Vorobyov was buried in his dugout, Seryozha tried to dig out the commander himself, tried to clear the rubble, but soon realized that he simply did not have enough strength for this, after which he began to call for help from the unit’s fighters. The soldiers who arrived in time were able to dig the commander out from under the rubble, and he remained alive. In the future, he became the adoptive father of Sergei Aleshkov.
Another son of the regiment, Afanasy Shkuratov, joined the 1191st Infantry Regiment at the age of 12. By the end of the Great Patriotic War, he had two medals “For Courage”. He received his first award during the battles in the Vitebsk region for the city of Surozh. Then he bandaged and delivered Major Starikov, who was seriously wounded in battle, to the medical battalion. He received his second medal for personal courage, which he showed during the fighting on the Mannerheim Line in Karelia.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the medal “For Courage” was awarded much less frequently, since the USSR was not officially at war. Despite this, in 1956 there was enough large group Soviet soldiers were awarded for the suppression of a “counter-revolutionary rebellion” on Hungarian territory. Only at 7 Guards Division Airborne awards 296 people received it. The second mass awarding of the medal “For Courage” took place already during Afghan war. Thousands of Soviet soldiers and officers who took part in this conflict, were awarded various military awards, including this medal. In total, before the collapse of the USSR, 4,569,893 awards were made.
Information sources:
http://medalww.ru/nagrady-sssr/medali-sssr/medal-za-otvagu
http://milday.ru/ussr/ussr-uniform-award/362-medal-za-otvagu.html
http://ordenrf.ru/su/medali-su/medal-za-otvagu.php
http://www.rusorden.ru/?nr=su&nt=mw1
In the history of the USSR there is a large number of badges and awards that were awarded to citizens of the state who made a personal contribution to the prosperity of the USSR. Separately, it is worth considering the awards that were awarded to the military, since the USSR throughout its existence was considered a superpower with exemplary development military-industrial complex. Also in the history of the USSR there is such difficult period, like the Great Patriotic War, in which the state and its allies managed to win Nazi Germany. As for military awards, one of the most significant is the medal “For Courage”.
Medal of Honor"
All about the reward
This medal was established in the fall of 1938, when the corresponding decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued. The medal was awarded to the military of the Red Army, the border and internal troops, as well as the military of the Navy. The award “For Courage” was received for displaying courage and bravery in the performance of military duty to the Fatherland. More precisely, the medal was awarded to ordinary soldiers and sergeants. However, there were cases when junior officers received such an award.
The first medals “For Courage” were awarded to 1,332 USSR military personnel. These soldiers showed honor, valor and courage during the defense of the Lake Khasan area. A year later, medals were awarded to 9,234 soldiers and commanders. Afterwards, the USSR military personnel participating in the Finnish war. Until 1941, over 26 thousand soldiers received the award.
During the Great Patriotic War, the awarding of the medal “For Courage” was widespread, which is understandable. At least 4 million soldiers performed such honorable military exploits. By the way, most fighters were awarded such medals several times. For example, Lance Sergeant, commander of the submachine gunner squad M. Menshov received 3 medals “For Courage”. The latter was awarded to Menshov for fighting in Gdansk, Poland.
The owner of a record number of medals (5 pieces) was S. Zolnikov, a sergeant-mortarman of the eighth separate Guards rifle brigade. This man was also awarded the Order of Glory, third degree. The first medal was received by the hero of the USSR for the battle taking place in the Sinyavinsky swamps in the fall of 1942. The fifth medal was awarded to Zolnikov in May 1945 for the battle on the Courland Peninsula.
Also, P. Gribkov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War - intelligence officer, and V. Potapova (Ippolitova) - a guard sergeant, were awarded five medals.
Among the holders of medals “For Courage” there are many women - paramedics, telephonists, etc. Awards were also presented to minor participants in the Great Patriotic War, as well as foreign citizens who contributed to the victory of the USSR over fascism.
The second wave of mass awards occurred during the War in Afghanistan. The medal was awarded to officers and soldiers who brilliantly fulfilled their military duty to their Motherland.
Medals “For Courage” exist in the following versions:
- 1938-1943: the medal itself was made of a silver alloy. The award block had the shape of a rectangle. The block itself was represented by a red ribbon. The award was attached to the clothing using a round nut located on the back of the block.
- Since 1943: the medal block began to be made in the shape of a pentagon. The medallion itself has remained virtually unchanged.
Nowadays in the Russian Federation the purchase and sale of medals “For Courage” is prohibited by law. Still, many collectors are interested in the question of the approximate cost of such an award. An idea of the price can be obtained from reports from foreign auctions and online auctions. The most valuable are the medals that were made before 1943, that is, those that had a rectangular block. The approximate cost of such a medal at a foreign auction is $100, but this is not the limit.
Medal "For Courage" and certificate
The most expensive medals, the price of which can reach $300, are those with numbers stamped on them. As for medals with pentagonal blocks, their cost ranges from 5 to 10 dollars.
Order of the Patriotic War
In the history of the Russian Federation, one can highlight not only the medal, which is called “For Courage,” but also the Order of the Patriotic War. It was the first award that appeared during the War. In addition, this is the first order in the USSR, which was divided into degrees depending on the characteristics of the military feat.
In April 1942, I. Stalin ordered Colonel General A. Khrelev (chief of the rear of the Red Army) to begin creating a new order. It was planned that it would be called “For military valor" Work on the sketches of the order was entrusted to A. Kuznetsov, a specialist in the development of military insignia.
As a result, about 30 sketches were submitted for consideration, but Stalin preferred two versions by Kuznetsov and two more by S. Dmitriev. Nevertheless, Kuznetsov’s sketch became the basic model. The new order began to be called “Patriotic War”. In addition, a system was built according to which 2 degrees of the order were distinguished. All units that made up the order:
- a relief five-pointed star with rays covered with ruby red enamel;
- a rifle and saber protrude from behind a red star;
- a red star was superimposed on a star made of genuine gold;
- the central part of the order is represented by a ruby-red circle with a hammer and sickle;
- The central part of the award badge is framed by a circle of white enamel.
As for the differences between the orders of the first and second degree, there was one. In the order of the second degree, a red star was attached to a silver star.
The statute of the order of the first degree provided for about three dozen military situations (350 thousand soldiers were awarded). The Order of the second degree, which included 25 combat situations, was awarded to about 900 thousand military personnel.
The first orders were received in 1942 by soldiers of the artillery division, commanded by Captain I. Krikliy. As a result of two-week battles, the soldiers were able to destroy over 30 units military equipment fascist troops. Among awarded the order During the Patriotic War there were many foreigners - military personnel from Czechoslovakia, Poland, France and Great Britain.
The Order of the Patriotic War was officially discontinued in 1947, but in 1985 the order was resumed as a commemorative award given to veterans of the Great Patriotic War. The Order of the Patriotic War, like other insignia of the Order of the USSR, is prohibited from being sold or bought on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The cost of the USSR medal “For Courage” in Russia today varies approximately from 590 to 59 thousand rubles. The price of a medal is determined based on many factors: the variety is taken into account, serial number and year of issue. The product is in high demand both in Russia and abroad, based on information from foreign auctions, despite the fact that the sale and purchase of medals on the territory of the Russian Federation is strictly prohibited.
Award Features
The Medal “For Courage” was established by order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1938 and was awarded to military personnel for their courage and valor during battles with the enemies of the Soviet Union. During the war, the award was popular among military personnel, as it was proof of devotion to their homeland, true heroism, and at the same time a family heirloom.
Types of medals and their costs
The award has not lost its popularity to this day, reaching quite decent prices at auction. Below is a list with the ratio of the year of issue and the approximate price of medals today:
- 1938-1940 - with handwritten number - 47300 rubles(number of medals 23500 pieces)
- 1940-1943 — made on a plank — 7100 rubles(309500 pieces)
- 1943-1956 - issued on a block with the number - 590 rubles(3844000 pieces)
- 1956-1991 - on block without number - 880 rubles(1,000,000 pieces)
Price information is exclusively informational in nature and is based on analysis of online auctions.
Products with pentagonal pads, in turn, are divided into two categories: the most valuable are considered initial options, published before 1943. Their main distinctive feature: the awards pads were covered with red ribbon. The price for such samples reaches 5900 rubles; Early examples, where the number is carved out using a graver, are even more expensive - similar orders at foreign auctions come off the tray in the area 17700 rubles.
Awards with a standard block made of a pentagon can be purchased in the range from 300 to 590 rubles, based on the overall safety of the product.
External characteristics of the product
The medal "For Courage" is made in a round shape, the diameter of which is 37 millimeters. On the obverse of the award there is an image of three aircraft, under which there is the inscription “For Courage” and an embossed soviet tank. The abbreviation “USSR” is visible below. The medal number was often indicated on the reverse, but numberless series are also found in everyday use.
The price of a product is determined, among other things, by the material - 925 silver. For example, one copy contains up to 25 grams of pure silver. The weight of the award, excluding the pads, reaches 27 grams.
Using rings, the medal is connected to a pentagonal block, whose surface is framed with a gray ribbon, and is decorated at the edges with two blue stripes. The width of the ribbon is 24 mm, the width of the stripes is 2 mm. The medal “For Courage” is supposed to be worn on the left chest; if there are other awards of the USSR, place them in front of the orders.
Who was awarded
The award was given to both soldiers and sergeants, as well as senior officers and generals. Junior officers were less likely to suffer this fate. In total, over 4 million people were awarded the medal between 1941 and 1945. Complete lists all those awarded for military merits it is difficult to compile even for prominent historians, but thanks to the services of the World Wide Web, you can find a number of resources with military orders, where many of the names and surnames of awarded people appear, as well as the degree of merit for which a particular soldier was distinguished. This, in many ways, eliminates speculation related to the forgery of military orders, and also helps to establish specific historical facts regarding unidentified medals.
To date, the USSR medal for courage is not issued or reissued. It can only be found in personal collections and at auctions. Despite the fact that experienced experts It is recommended not to purchase an award from resellers, but to complete the transaction only if you have all the necessary papers to ensure the legality and transparency of the purchase of the product.
This award, which was considered the highest medal in the USSR award system, had a special status among front-line soldiers. The medal, awarded in 1941-1942, was revered among them even higher than some orders. And all because it was given exclusively for personal courage and bravery shown in battle.
Only this medal was awarded to death row prisoners, who could atone for their guilt before the Fatherland only with blood. Remember, from Vladimir Vysotsky:
...And if you don’t catch lead in your chest,
You'll get a medal on your chest"For courage"...
During the Great Patriotic War, more than 4 million defenders of the Fatherland “caught on their chests” this medal. And behind every award is a feat!
The Medal "For Courage" was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 17, 1938. During the Great Patriotic War, this medal was awarded to privates and sergeants; it was also awarded to officers - mainly junior ranks. The award could be repeated. There are at least three known cases when the uniforms of front-line soldiers were decorated with five (!) medals “For Courage”.
You won’t believe it, but among those awarded the medal “For Courage” was... Hitler. In August 1941, he distinguished himself during the defense of the Tiraspol fortified area. Having destroyed more than a hundred fascists with a machine gun, being wounded, he did not drop his weapon and managed to get out of the encirclement with it. For this feat, Semyon Konstantinovich wanted to nominate Hitler for the Order of the Red Star, but, alas, his last name got in the way. So Semyon Hitler fought against Adolf Hitler with the medal “For Courage” on his chest. By the way, the owner of the same award was Guard Senior Sergeant Borman - Ivan Petrovich...
The medal "For Courage" was made of silver. In shape it is a circle, larger in size than other medals from the times of the Great Patriotic War. The front side depicts three aircraft. Below them is the inscription “For Courage”; the letters are covered in red enamel. Below this inscription is a picture of a T-35 tank. At the bottom of the medal is the inscription “USSR” covered in red enamel. On the reverse side is the number.
The electronic database of the Ministry of Defense “Feat of the People” helped us remember the names of the residents of Vologda, whose exploits were awarded the medal “For Courage”.
Sergeant Krotov Nikolai Vasilyevich (b. 1917) was awarded a medal for blowing up a German train with manpower in August 1942 behind enemy lines near the city of Novosokolniki.
Anti-aircraft gunner Alexey Pavlovich Zakharov (b. 1915) on August 22-23, 1942, under intense artillery fire, together with his crew, shot down 9 German planes.
In July 1942, near Voronezh, platoon commander Sergeant Major Alexander Vasilyevich Solovyov (b. 1917) twice raised his soldiers to attack by his example. During the fighting, a company of Germans, two mortar batteries with crews were destroyed, and a warehouse with ammunition was burned. For this feat, our fellow countryman was presented with the Order of Lenin. The headquarters decided to limit itself to the medal “For Courage”.
The same medal was twice awarded to a native of Vologda, a Red Army signalman of the 1176th Infantry Regiment
350th rifle division 67th Corps of the 12th Army Yuri Sergeevich Gavrikov.
He was awarded his first award in September 1943 for his participation in the Donbass offensive operation. On August 16, 1943, “in the area of the grove southwest of Hill 202.4, under heavy enemy mortar and machine gun fire, Red Army soldier Gavrikov continuously restored the broken telephone connection of the mortar battery with the observation post, eliminating 18 cable breaks on the battlefield. On the battlefield on August 18, under heavy artillery and air fire, he eliminated 24 broken telephone wires.”
Soldier Gavrikov again “caught on his chest” the medal “For Courage” in January 1944, after the completion of the Zhitomir-Berdichev offensive operation. Telephone operator Yuri Gavrikov, risking his life, from December 24, 1943 to January 16, 1944, eliminated more than a hundred cable breaks. Yuri Sergeevich was one of the first to enter the re-liberated Zhitomir on December 31, 1943. On the streets of the city, the telephone operator personally destroyed 7 enemy soldiers and an officer. In 1944 he was awarded the Order of Glory.
After the war, officer Yuri Gavrikov qualified as a lawyer. From 1971 to 1982 he was the chairman of the Vologda City People's Court. It was he who presided over the trial of Nikolai Rubtsov’s killer, Lyudmila Derbina-Granovskaya. In the 1980-1990s he taught criminal law students of the history department of the pedagogical institute, and then of the university. Among his students there are many well-known politicians in Vologda, employees law enforcement, journalists.
Honored lawyer of the RSFSR Yuri Sergeevich Gavrikov died in 2000. He was buried at the Poshekhonskoye cemetery.
Evgeniy Starikov
History of the medal "For Courage" (USSR)
| Medal of Honor" | |
 |
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| original name | |
| Motto | (((Motto))) |
| A country | USSR |
| Type | medal |
| Who is it awarded to? | |
| Reasons for the award | |
| Status | not awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Options | diameter - 37 mm, tape width - 24 mm |
| Establishment date | 17 October |
| First award | |
| Last award | |
| Number of awards | |
| Sequence | |
| Senior Award | Order of Labor Glory |
| Junior Award | Ushakov Medal |
| Compliant | |
Since its inception, the Medal “For Courage” has become especially popular and valued among front-line soldiers, since it was awarded exclusively for courage shown in battle. This is the main difference between the medal “For Courage” and some other medals and orders, which were often awarded “for participation.” Basically, the medal "For Courage" was awarded to privates and sergeants, but it was also awarded to officers (mostly junior ranks).
The Medal "For Courage" was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on October 17, 1938. The Regulations on the medal say: “The Medal “For Courage” was established to reward personal courage and bravery demonstrated in the defense of the socialist Fatherland and the performance of military duty. The medal "For Courage" is awarded to military personnel of the Red Army, Navy, border and internal troops and other citizens of the USSR."
Description of the medal "For Courage"
The medal "For Courage" has the shape of a circle with a diameter of 34 mm.
On the front side of the medal, three flying aircraft are depicted at the top. Below the planes is the inscription “For Courage” in two lines, under which a tank is depicted. All images on the medal are in relief, the inscription is pressed, covered with red enamel. The front and back sides of the medal are bordered by a border.
The medal is made of copper-nickel alloy. The medal has a number.
Using an eyelet and a ring, the medal is connected to a pentagonal block covered with a gray silk moiré ribbon with two longitudinal blue stripes along the edges. Tape width 24 mm, strip width 2 mm.
Execution options
Medal on a rectangular block
There are four main types of the medal “For Courage”:
- On a rectangular block. From the moment of its establishment (October 17, 1938) until the decree of June 19, 1943, the first type of medal “For Courage” was awarded. The medal was attached to the block rectangular shape 15x25 mm in size, covered with red moire ribbon. On the reverse side of the block there was a threaded pin with a round nut for attaching the medal to clothing.
- On a pentagonal block. After the decree of June 19, 1943 came into force appearance The medals have changed somewhat. The red ribbon block has been replaced with a pentagonal block with reverse side pin for attaching to clothing.
- On a pentagonal block, without the inscription “USSR”. In accordance with the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation “On state awards Russian Federation” dated March 2, 1992, the description of the medal was brought into line with the state symbols of the Russian Federation, and therefore the inscription “USSR” located below the tank was removed from the front side of the medal.
- On a pentagonal block, without the inscription “USSR”, with a diameter of 34 mm. In accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On State Awards of the Russian Federation” dated March 2, 1994, the medal “For Courage” was retained in the award system in the form in which it had been since March 1992 (that is, without the inscription “USSR”) , but its diameter became smaller (34 mm instead of 37 mm) and it was made from a copper-nickel alloy. By decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 1, 1995, changes were made to the description of the medal - the medal began to be made of silver.
Notes
Links
| USSR medals | |
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| for special distinction | |
| for military services | |
| for defense | |
| for liberation | |
| for taking | |
| for the victory over | |
| for work | |
| "civilian" | |
| anniversary - USSR Armed Forces |
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| anniversary - Victory in WWII |
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| anniversary - other |
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| This template was created as part of the project “USSR Awards” | |
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