Why was the medal “For Courage” given? Military orders and medals of the Soviet Union. Medals "for courage": description of what they were awarded for

The moiré ribbon on the award pads is the same - steel gray in color. Only the stripes along the edge are different. The ribbon “For Courage” is blue. The one “For Military Merit” has yellow ones. Well, the medals themselves are different from each other, of course. Both externally and according to the statute.

Judge for yourself. In the first case - “for personal courage and bravery shown...”. In the second - “for skillful, proactive and courageous actions in battle, contributing to the successful completion of combat missions military unit, division...". However, it is clear that in both cases the recipients accomplished a feat. Someone - “personally”, someone - “boldly acting”...

Only one medal has survived to this day as a valid medal - “For Courage”. Visually, it has changed slightly: only the inscription “USSR” has disappeared from the obverse. And everything is the same as in 1938: above there are three planes, below there is a tank. And the inscription: “For courage.”

Up to the Great Patriotic War The Soviet authorities were stingy with awards. In the sense that they were rewarding slowly, and by that time few awards had been established. What happened before the war? Order of Lenin, Red Banner (combat and labor), Red Star and three medals: “XX years in the Red Army”, “For courage” and “For military merit”. Well, the Star of the Hero. They were extremely highly valued. If you read the newspaper lines of those years, you can see: a scientist-order bearer such and such or a commander-order bearer such and such. Be sure to emphasize...

The first awards of military medals took place immediately after their establishment. Two days after the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 168 people became holders of the medal “For Military Merit”. The battles on Lake Khasan with the Japanese did not go unnoticed in Moscow. There are still discrepancies in the materials regarding this matter as to who exactly received medal No. 1: junior commander Abdrakhmanov or state security officer Vasilevsky.

The Medal "For Courage" was initially given a little more strictly. The first medal bearers on October 19, 1938 were 62 people: the first number went to Lieutenant Abramkin. But already on October 25, the list was replenished with another 1,322 cavaliers. In total, before the start of the Great Patriotic War, 26 thousand people became winners of the award. And here the medal “For Courage” is noticeably ahead of the “ZBZ” - about four times. By the way, I didn’t come up with this very “ZBZ” for the sake of a convenient abbreviation. This is what this medal has been called in army slang for a long time.

It is clear that the Great Patriotic War provided much more reasons for awarding military medals than all the military conflicts of the late 30s with Japan and Finland. From June 1941 to September 1945, over 4 million people received the medal “For Courage”, and over 5 million received the “For Military Merit” medal. However, it would be a mistake to think that these medals, especially after going on the offensive, were scattered left and right. Yes, 4 million awards is, at first glance, a colossal number. But if we compare this number with the number of those drafted into the active army during the Second World War, it turns out that only every eleventh person received the medal “For Courage”. This is such worthy arithmetic!

History has also preserved unique cases.

The youngest recipient of all time in the USSR was the 6-year-old “son of the regiment” Sergei Aleshkov. A graduate of the 142nd Guards Rifle Regiment saved the life of the commander and received the medal “For Courage.” Two of the same medals were awarded to the 12-year-old “son” of the 1191st Infantry Regiment, Afanasy Shkuratov, in 1944 and 1945. There were record holders among women. Larisa Moiseeva (nee Vishnyakova) served as a paramedic and then as a signal operator in an artillery division. As a result - three medals “For Courage”.

Well, among the men there were two soldiers who were nominated for this medal five times! And all five times the awards took place. This is Stepan Zolnikov and Pavel Gribkov.

Interestingly, it was not possible to find information in open archives about multiple awards of the ZBZ medal. Although during the 10-year Afghan war This medal was awarded more often than its sister medal. Which in itself is a reason for a researcher interested in the features of the USSR-Russia award system.

There are cases in the history of the Great Patriotic War that are both heroic and curious at the same time. Thus, Hitler, in particular, was nominated for the medal “For Courage”. First name and patronymic - Semyon Konstantinovich, rank - Red Army soldier, year of birth - 1922. Further, I hope everything is clear. It turns out that the names of the leaders of the German Reich were not so rare. And among the Soviet citizens there were their namesakes who fought against the German invaders with more than dignity. At least this is evidenced by a copy of the award sheet dated August 19, 1941, published on the Internet.

Another curiosity is associated with the sailors from the crews of the legendary cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets". In 1954, it was 50 years since the heroic feat of the crews in the Korean port of Chemulpo at the very beginning Russo-Japanese War. At this point, 45 team members remained alive. In honor of the anniversary, the Soviet government decided to award them the Soviet medal “For Courage.” In 1955, participants in the uprising on the battleship Potemkin-Tavrichesky were honored. These sailors received the Order of the Red Star. It so happened that the fireman of the Varyag, Pyotr Polyakov, ended up serving on the Potemkin after Chemulpo and ended up there exactly during the days of the uprising. As a result, in addition to the royal awards, he received both the medal “For Courage” and the Order of the Red Star.

The last known award to be awarded unusual character, is already connected with the peace structure - with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On August 11, 2008, a decree of the President of the Russian Federation was issued on awarding the medal “For Courage” to three employees of the Russian Embassy in Iraq for the courage shown in the line of duty.

It so happened that for 13 years - from 1944 to 1957 - the medal "For Military Merit" was awarded not only for military merit, but also for length of service. Namely: for 10 years of impeccable service. In a sense, this fact moved the “ZBZ” medal away from the “For Courage” medal in the hierarchy of awards. But, seeing the award pads on the veteran’s chest, don’t get too carried away with your grades. Overwhelmingly, people wearing a gray shoe with a yellow stripe along the edge fought no less heroically than those wearing a gray shoe with a blue stripe. And if the veteran is also relatively young, then in the first case he most likely went through Afghanistan, in the second - hot spots after 1991.

Mikhail Bykov

Medal "For Courage" before the collapse Soviet Union was the highest medal in the state, and in fact was a kind of soldier’s St. George’s Cross, if these two awards can be correlated. Moreover, everyone knew that it was awarded only to those people who showed courage and bravery in battle, and did not lead the attack or defense in the rear. In the current issue of “Chronicles of War” I will talk about this award.

It all started with Hassan

The first award ceremony took place two days later: by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, these medals recognized the feat of the soldiers who fought at Lake Khasan. In total, there were 62 recipients on the list, and it was opened in alphabetical order by Lieutenant Abramkin Vasily Ivanovich, Senior Lieutenant Alekseev Fedor Alekseevich, Lieutenant of State Security Almaev Bari Usmanovich, and others...

Three more days later, the same medal was awarded to the feat of the Red Army border guards Nikolai Gulyaev and Boris Grigoriev. They were on night watch near Lake Khasan when they decided to break into our territory large group saboteurs. A shootout ensued, during which the brave border guards managed to destroy several intruders. But Nikolai and Boris were also wounded. Having hastily bandaged each other, they continued to fire accurately. Having lost several more people, the saboteurs retreated...

But 8 days after the establishment of the medal “For Courage”, it was immediately received by 1,322 soldiers and commanders who showed courage in the battles near Lake Khasan. The award ceremony was slightly less widespread after the end of the conflict on the Khalkhin Gol River. And in just 1938−1939, just over 10 thousand people received this award...

The next mass award took place during the Soviet-Finnish War, when about 26 thousand people earned the medal. But at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, honorary awards were not “thrown away” so generously, and this is understandable: we retreated...

The youngest recipient of a government award

The youngest recipient of the medal “For Courage” was the six-year-old son of the regiment, Seryozha Aleshkov. He, along with his parents and older brother, tried to break through to their own people during the Nazi offensive, but it so happened that during the bombing, only Seryozha survived from the whole family. He was picked up by soldiers who decided to take the boy out with them.

Once, during another intense bombing, a bomb exploded and destroyed the dugout in which the regiment commander and several officers were hiding. And although bombs continued to fall on their heads, Seryozha jumped up and ran to the dugout. Soldiers rushed after him and began to dig out the commanders in trouble. Almost everyone was saved, including the colonel, the regiment commander. He nominated Aleshkov for the award.

Even during the war, Seryozha was assigned to the Tula Suvorov School, and after graduating from it, he entered military school, became an officer. Until recently, he lived in Chelyabinsk, maybe he still lives there, it’s not so easy to establish...

At the age of 12, Afanasy Shkuratov became the son of a regiment. Soldiers of the 1191st Infantry Regiment picked him up in the front-line forest along with his younger sister; they were wandering alone. The girl was taken good people in one of the villages, and Afonya went on reconnaissance, mining important information about the enemy.

During the battles for the city of Surozh in the Vitebsk region, Major A. Starikov was seriously wounded. Shkuratov bandaged the wounded man, found a horse and at night transported the major to the medical battalion, where the officer’s life was saved. For this feat he was awarded the medal "For Courage".

And Afonya earned the second such medal in Karelia, when, together with everyone else, he participated in breaking through the Mannerheim line. In 1944, Corporal Shkuratov became a Suvorov soldier of the Gorky SVU, and in June 1945 he was entrusted with participating in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow. Contrary to the expectations of his comrades, he chose for himself the fate of a tank officer.

Four times "soldier's hero"

Four medals “For Courage” were awarded to V.K. Yakimshin, later a colonel of the Soviet Army.

He was presented with his first medal in August 1943, when on his first day at the front, while repelling an enemy attack west of Vyazma, he knocked out a fascist tank. A few months later, in October 1943, for courage in battles west of Smolensk, Yakimshin shot at a fascist dugout with direct fire and helped the infantry capture the fascists who had taken refuge there.

The third medal adorned the officer’s chest for successfully breaking through enemy defenses in June 1944 in Belarus. Finally, he was awarded the fourth medal in the fall of the same year for the battle near the Lithuanian town of Syntovty, when his crew destroyed an armored personnel carrier and an enemy machine gun.

Fivefold duet

Even more awards “For Courage” went to the Victory Parade participant, mortar sergeant of the 8th Separate Guards Rifle Brigade Stepan Mikhailovich Zolnikov and Pavel Iosifovich Gribkov. During the war years they were awarded five (!) medals “For Courage”.

Stepan Mikhailovich was awarded the first medal for the battle that took place on September 3, 1942 in the Sinyavinsky swamps near Leningrad. Zolnikov received his last, fifth, medal “For Courage” for the battle on the Courland Peninsula on the night of May 9, 1945.

Currently, Doctor of Medical Sciences Zolnikov lives in Moscow, and Pavel Gribkov lives in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Our proud “Varyag” does not surrender to the enemy

And I would like to end the story about the award with an interesting fact.

January 1954 marked the half-century of the heroic battle of the Russian cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets with the Japanese squadron. 50 years later, 45 more participants in that tragic battle remained alive. All of them, in recognition of their heroic feat and in connection with the half-century anniversary of this event, were awarded medals “For Courage”.

History of the medal "For Courage" (USSR)

Medal "For Courage"
Original title
Motto	(((Motto)))
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	October 17
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 silk moire ribbon gray 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”:

1. 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 a rectangular block measuring 15x25 mm, covered with a red moire ribbon. On back side The blocks had a threaded pin with a round nut for attaching the medal to clothing.
2. 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.
3. 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 of the 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 was removed from the front side of the medal tank.
4. 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

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

The Medal "For Courage" was established in October 1938. It was planned to reward military personnel of the Navy, Red Army, internal and border troops, as well as other Soviet citizens. The medal is the highest in the USSR award system.

Before Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, this medal had already been awarded to approximately 26,000 military personnel for bravery in the war with Finland and in border service. During the Second World War, over 4 million people were awarded medals.

Some fighters earned 4-5 medals. Along with the “For Courage” medal, the “” medal also appeared, which was awarded to civilians and soldiers who, in life-threatening conditions, through proactive, skillful and courageous actions, contributed to the successful outcome of military operations at the front. These two medals were the first in the Soviet Union, not counting the anniversary medal that appeared a little earlier, dedicated to the twentieth anniversary of the Red Army.

“For Courage” earned great value and love among military personnel, since it was received only by those who showed their own courage in combat conditions. Other medals were often awarded with the wording “for participation.” Usually the medal “For Courage” was awarded to sergeants and privates, but sometimes it was also awarded to officers, in most cases of junior rank.

If the owner of the medal ended up in a penal battalion, then he was deprived of it for that time, as well as other awards, and military rank. But if, while serving his sentence, he showed courage, bravery and heroism, then he could also count on a reward. Such servicemen were mainly awarded the medal “For Courage”.

1.Photo

2. General information

2.1 Statistics

• Parameters: tape width - 24 mm, diameter - 37 mm
• Establishment date: 10/17/1938
• Status: not awarded.

2.2 Sequence

• Senior award: Order of Labor Glory, III degree
• Junior award: Ushakov Medal.

3. Description

The medal has a round shape with a diameter of 37 mm, silver color and a convex side on both sides. The front medal features three flying airplanes at the top. Below them is an inscription in two lines “For courage”, covered with red enamel. In turn, under the inscription there is a stylized tank. The reverse side of the medal bears its number. It is attached with a ring to a pentagonal block decorated with a gray moire silk ribbon. This tape is bordered by two blue stripes, its width is 24 mm, and the stripes are 2 mm. First, the medal was attached to a rectangular block decorated with a red ribbon.

In 1941, a decree was issued according to which the medal was returned to the state after the death of the owner, and the relatives retained the certificate for it.

4. Execution options

The medal is made from 925 sterling silver. Total weight metal is (as of September 18, 1975) 25.802±1.3 g. The medal without a block weighs 27.930±1.52 g.

There are two main types of medals:

• On a rectangular block. It was awarded between October 1938 and June 1943. The block for it had dimensions of 15 by 25 mm and was covered with a red moire ribbon. On the reverse side there was a threaded pin with a round nut for wearing on clothing.
• On a pentagonal block. Started being awarded after June 1943. On the reverse side there was a pin for wearing on clothes.

5. Awarded five medals “For Courage”

Some of the soldiers earned five medals during the Second World War:

• Stepan Mikhailovich Zolnikov (born 1919) - sergeant-mortarman of the 8th separate Guards Rifle Brigade
• Pavel Fedorovich Gribkov (born 1922) - intelligence officer
• Ippolitova, Vera Sergeevna (by her husband - Potapova; born 1921) - guard sergeant.

6. After the collapse of the USSR

Based on the design of the medal "For Courage", medals of the same name were produced in the following recognized and unrecognized states: Belarus, Russian Federation and the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic.

The Medal "For Courage" is a state award of the USSR for rewarding personal courage and bravery shown in defending the Fatherland and performing military duty.

The medal "For Courage" was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces dated October 17, 1938 on the establishment of the medal "For Courage".

The Regulations on the medal say: “The Medal “For Courage” was established to award for personal courage and bravery displayed 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.”

“For Courage” is the highest medal in the USSR award system.

Among the first to be awarded this medal were border guards N. Gulyaev and F. Grigoriev, who detained a group of saboteurs near Lake Khasan.

Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, for courage and bravery in defending the state borders of the USSR and in Soviet-Finnish war About 26 thousand military personnel were awarded the medal.

During the Great Patriotic War, more than 4 million awards were made between 1941 and 1945.

During the Great Patriotic War, some Red Army soldiers were awarded four, five and even six (S.V. Gretsov) medals “For Courage”.

At the same time it was established Medal "For Military Merit", which was also awarded to military personnel and civilians who “in the fight against the enemies of the Soviet state, with their skillful, proactive and courageous actions, involving the risk of their lives, contributed to the success of military operations at the front.”

In fact these were the first Soviet medals, not counting the anniversary medal established somewhat earlier - for the 20th anniversary of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.

From the moment of its inception, the Medal “For Courage” became especially respected and valued among front-line soldiers, since it was awarded exclusively for personal 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).

Soldiers fighting in the penal units of the Red Army were deprived of their military rank and awards while serving their sentences, which were restored after their release. For their courage, courage and heroism, fighters from penal units could be awarded. Almost all awards received in penal units were medals “For Courage”.

In V. Vysotsky’s song “Penal Battalions” there are the lines:
"And if you don't catch lead in your chest,
You will receive a medal on your chest “For Courage”..."

In accordance with the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 7, 1941, the medal “For Courage” after the death of the recipient was returned to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The certificate for the medal could be left in the family of the recipient (resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 13, 1943).

The medal is made of 925 sterling silver. The total weight of silver in the medal (as of September 18, 1975) is 25.802±1.3 g. The total weight of the medal without a block is 27.930±1.52 g.

There are two main types of the USSR medal “For Courage”:
1.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 a rectangular block measuring 15x25 mm, covered with a 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.
2.On a pentagonal block. After the decree of June 19, 1943 came into force, the appearance of the medal changed somewhat. The block with a red ribbon was replaced with a pentagonal block, which had a pin on the reverse side for attaching to clothing.

After the collapse of the USSR
The following awards of post-Soviet states are based on the design of this medal:
- Medal “For Courage” (Russia)
- Medal “For Courage” (Belarus)
- Medal “For Courage” (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic)

The Medal “For Courage” is a state award of a number of countries. The following are known:
- Medal “For Courage” (Israel)
- Medal “For Courage” (Abkhazia)
- Medal “For Courage” (Azerbaijan)
- Medal “For Courage” (Armenia)