As already mentioned in the first part of the article, the Order of St. George took an exceptional position in the Russian award system and retained it until the end of its existence. Historian E. P. Karnovich wrote that in pre-revolutionary Russia “the appearance of the Knight of St. George in society very often draws the attention of those present to him, which does not happen in relation to the holders of other orders, even the star-bearers,” that is, those awarded with orders of the highest degrees.
The highest authority of the Military Order in the army and the people led to the widespread use of its symbols.
A kind of continuation of the Order of St. George is the five military gold officer's crosses worn on the St. George ribbons, established between 1789 and 1810. They complained to the officers nominated for the Order of St. George or St. Vladimir, but did not receive them:
• "For service and courage - Ochakov was taken in December 1788".
• "For excellent bravery - Ishmael was taken on December 11, 1790".
• "For work and courage - Prague was taken on October 24, 1794".
• “Victory at Preussisch-Eylau, 27th genv. 1807.
• "For excellent bravery when taking Bazardzhik by storm on May 22, 1810".
A gold pectoral cross was worn on the St. George ribbon, which was awarded to military priests. The pectoral cross on the St. George ribbon was a high award for persons of clergy. It was used to mark the priests who performed feats in the face of immediate danger to their own lives. The cross was awarded only for distinction under enemy fire, and therefore any clergyman could receive it, regardless of previously received spiritual or secular awards. The cross on the St. George ribbon could not be served, and it was not included in the list of regular awards, even in wartime. He complained to the Sovereign Emperor, in agreement with the Holy Synod, and was issued from the Cabinet of His Majesty. Since military priests, by virtue of their position, more often than diocesan ones endangered their lives, there were more of them and were awarded. There were cases of rewarding with a pectoral cross and diocesan priests. For example, during the Crimean War, several hieromonks of the Solovetsky Monastery were awarded pectoral crosses on the St. George ribbon.
Over the period from 1787 to 1918, more than three hundred military clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church were awarded such an award.
Insignia of the Military Order
On the chest of the lower ranks, the St. George ribbon appeared much earlier than the establishment of the famous Insignia of the Military Order. On October 18, 1787, the lower ranks of Count Suvorov's detachment, who especially distinguished themselves when repelling the Turks from the Kinburn Spit, were awarded silver medals with the inscription “Kinburn, October 1, 1787” worn on the St. George ribbon. Then, on the St. George ribbon, the following medals were awarded to the lower ranks:
• "For bravery on the waters of Ochakovskie, June 1, 1788", • "For the courage shown during the capture of Ochakov, December 6 days 1788", • "For bravery on the Finnish waters, August 13, 1789", • "For bravery in the attack of the Swedish batteries in 1790 at Heckfors", • "For excellent bravery in the capture of Ishmael, December 11, 1790", • "For work and courage in the capture of Prague, October 24, 1794".
All these medals were given only to the distinguished lower ranks, and by no means to all those who participated in the battles. So, the yellow-black ribbon began to penetrate into the Russian village, and in the old soldier who wore it, fellow villagers got used to seeing a hero.
Emperor Alexander I continued the tradition of awarding the lower ranks with awards on the St. George ribbon, assuming the throne, he declared: "With me everything will be like with my grandmother": in 1804, the lower ranks who participated in the seizure of Ganja by attack were awarded silver medals on the St. George ribbon with the inscription: "For work and courage in the capture of Ganja Genvar 1804". But this medal was given not only to those who distinguished themselves, but also to all those who were at the storming of the fortress.
In January 1807, a note was presented to Alexander 1, which argued the need to establish a special award for soldiers and lower officers. At the same time, the author of the note referred to the experience of the Seven Years War and the military campaigns of Catherine II, when medals were handed out to soldiers, where the place of the battle in which they participated was recorded, which undoubtedly increased the soldier's morale. The author of the note suggested making this measure more effective by distributing insignia “with some legibility,” that is, taking into account real personal merit.
As a result, on February 13, 1807, the Highest Manifesto was issued, which established the Insignia of the Military Order, which would later be called the Cross of St. George: “In an expression of special Imperial mercy to the army and in great proof of Our attention to the merits of this, which from time immemorial was marked in all cases by a little experience of love to the fatherland, loyalty to the Emperor, jealousy for service and fearless courage."
It should be especially noted that the Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George and the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order are different awards with different status.
The Manifesto stipulated the appearance of the award - a silver sign on the St. George ribbon, with the image of St. George the Victorious in the center.
The cross was worn on the St. George's black and yellow ribbon on the chest. The rules regarding the insignia stated: “It is acquired only on the battlefield, during the defense of fortresses and in the battles of the sea. They are awarded only to those of the lower military ranks who, serving in the land and sea Russian troops, really show their excellent bravery in the fight against the enemy."
It was possible to earn the insignia only by performing a military feat, for example, capturing an enemy banner or standard, capturing an enemy officer, breaking into an enemy fortress during an assault or boarding a warship first. The one who saved the life of his commander in battle could also receive this award.
Other nuances of the new award were also stipulated in the manifesto. The lower ranks awarded them received many advantages. They were excluded from the taxable estate, could not be subject to corporal punishment, they were given a monetary allowance, and a pension was assigned upon retirement. Such a democratic measure was adopted as the right of lower ranks in some cases to elect the worthy ones themselves to receive a silver cross. In the first years of the existence of this award, after hostilities, a certain number of crosses were assigned to a company, ship or other military unit, and the soldiers or sailors themselves decided who was more worthy of the award. Subsequent exploits of the holders of the Badge of Distinction were awarded with an increase to the content of the third part of the salary, up to its doubling.
Awards were handed out to new cavaliers by the commanders in a solemn atmosphere, in front of the front of the military unit, in the navy - on the quarterdecks under the flag.
The Insignia of the Military Order was instituted by Emperor Alexander Pavlovich exactly seventeen days after Preussisch-Eylau, a battle in which the Russian troops showed an example of courage and resilience. However, the Badge of Distinction was awarded to those who distinguished themselves in the battles that took place even before its establishment. So, in the battle near Morungen on January 6, 1807, the ensign of the 5th Jaeger Regiment Vasily Berezkin captured the banner of the 9th Light Regiment. This banner was presented to him in 1802.by Napoleon himself for the difference in the battle of Marengo. For this feat, Berezkin received the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order and was promoted to officer.
However, the first in the list of those who received the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order was a non-commissioned officer of the Cavalry Regiment Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin (or, according to other sources, Mityukhin), who was awarded for his distinction in the battle with the French near Friedland on June 2, 1807.
The reason for this was that those initially awarded with the Badges of Distinction were not recorded in any way, there was not a single list or numbering of their signs. When the number of awardees became very significant, the Military Collegium finally decided to include them in one list, however, it was not drawn up in chronological order, i.e. by the time of awarding, and by the seniority of the regiments.
As a result, it turned out that Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin was the first on the list. The next six names of those awarded were also from the Cavalry Regiment. Then the list included 172 lower ranks of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, followed by 236 Life Guards of Gusarsky, etc. The list was numbered and served as the beginning of the Eternal List of Knights of the Military Order. According to official figures, 9,000 lower ranks received awards without a number until October 1808. After that, the Mint began to issue signs with numbers.
From the very moment of its establishment, the order received several more unofficial names: St. George's Cross of the 5th degree, the soldier's George ("Egoriy") and others. Soldier George No. 6723 was awarded to the famous "cavalry girl", the heroine of the war with Napoleon Nadezhda Durova, who began her service as a simple lancer.
In 1833, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, a new statute of the Order of St. George was adopted. It included a number of innovations, some of which related to the awarding of crosses to lower ranks. Of these, the most important ones should be noted.
So, for example, all the powers in the awarding of awards have now become the prerogative of the Commanders-in-Chief of the armies and the commanders of individual corps. This played a positive role, since it greatly facilitated the process of awards, thus eliminating many bureaucratic delays. Another innovation was that all soldiers and non-commissioned officers who, after the third award, received the maximum increase in salary, received the right to wear a cross with a bow from the St.
In 1844, changes were made to the appearance of the crosses awarded to Muslims, and subsequently to all non-Christians. It was ordered to replace the image of St. George on the medallion with the coat of arms of Russia, the two-headed imperial eagle. This was done in order to give the award a more “neutral”, in a confessional sense, character.
114,421 people were marked with badges without degree, of which 1176 received badges returned to the Chapter of Orders after the death of their former cavaliers.
In 1839, 4,500 signs were minted for the soldiers - veterans of the Prussian army who participated in the battles with Napoleonic troops in 1813-1815. On them, in contrast to the usual St. George's awards on the reverse side, the monogram of Alexander I is depicted on the upper beam of the cross. Such signs, which had a special numbering, were awarded 4264, the remaining 236 were melted down.
The next major change in the statute of the order, related to the St. George awards for lower ranks, occurred in March 1856 - it was divided into 4 degrees. 1 and 2 tbsp. were made of gold, and 3 and 4 were made of silver.
The awarding of degrees was to be carried out sequentially, with its own numbering introduced for each degree. For visual distinction, a bow from the St. George ribbon was added to the 1st and 3rd degrees.
After numerous awards for the Turkish War of 1877 - 1878, the stamps used at the Mint for minting crosses were updated, with the medalist A. A. Griliches made some changes, and the awards have finally acquired the form that survived until 1917. The image of the figure of St. George in the medallion has become more expressive and dynamic.
In 1913, a new statute for the St. George Awards was adopted. It was from this moment that the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order for awarding the lower ranks began to be officially called the St. George Cross. For each degree of this award, a new numbering was introduced. Also, a special award for the Gentiles was abolished, and a sign of the usual pattern began to be presented to them.
The new statute also introduced lifelong monetary incentives to the knights of the St. George Cross: for the 4th degree - 36 rubles, for the 3rd degree - 60 rubles, for the 2nd degree - 96 rubles and for the 1st degree - 120 rubles per year. For holders of several degrees, an increase or pension was paid only for the highest degree. It was possible to live a normal life on a pension of 120 rubles, the salary of industrial workers in 1913 was about 200 rubles a year. The Cavalier of the 1st degree also complained about the title of ensign, and the Cavalier of the 2nd degree received such a title only when he was discharged into the reserve.
During the years of the civil war, the actual absence of a unified command and the territorial disunity of the white armies led to the fact that a common reward system was not created. There was no unified approach to the issue of the admissibility of awarding pre-revolutionary awards. As for the soldier's St. George Crosses and medals, the awarding of them to ordinary soldiers and Cossacks, volunteers, non-commissioned officers, cadets, volunteers and sisters of mercy took place in all territories occupied by the White armies.
In difficult years for Russia, the people, driven by a sense of patriotism, massively stood up to defend the Fatherland, which reflects the number of soldier's St. George awards. The largest number of the 1st degree insignia issued before 1913 was 1825, 2nd - 4320, 3rd - 23,605, 4th - 205,336.
In 1914, with the outbreak of World War II, the number of awards with the St. George's Crosses increased dramatically. By 1917 (already with a new numbering), the 1st degree was issued about 30 thousand times, and the 4th - more than 1 million!
In connection with the large minting of St. George's crosses from precious metals, which took place in difficult economic conditions, in May 1915 it was decided to reduce the sample of gold used for these purposes. Military awards of the highest degrees began to be made from an alloy with a pure gold content of 60 percent. And from October 1916, precious metals were completely excluded from the manufacture of all Russian awards. The St. George cross began to be minted from tombak and cupronickel, with the designation on the beams: ZhM (yellow metal) and BM (white metal).
Naturally, it is not possible to list all the knights of St. George. Let's restrict ourselves to a few examples. There are several known cases of awarding the Military Order Badges and the Crosses of St. George to entire units:
• 1829 - the crew of the legendary brig "Mercury", which took and won an unequal battle with two Turkish battleships;
• 1865 - Cossacks of the 4th hundred of the 2nd Ural Cossack regiment, who stood in an unequal battle with the many times superior forces of the Kokand people near the village of Ikan;
• 1904 - the crews of the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets, who died in an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron;
• 1916 - Cossacks of the 2nd hundred of the 1st Uman koshevoy chieftain Golovatov of the regiment of the Kuban Cossack army, which, under the command of Esaul V. D. Gamalia made the hardest raid in April 1916 during the Persian campaign. [16]
• 1917 - soldiers of the Kornilov shock regiment for breaking through the Austrian positions near the village of Yamnitsa.
Among the most famous knights of the soldier George is the famous character of the First World War, the Cossack Kozma Kryuchkov and the hero of the Civil War Vasily Chapaev - three St. George's crosses (4th Art. No. 463479 - 1915; 3rd Art. No. 49128; 2nd Art.. No. 68047 October 1916) and the St. George Medal (4th degree No. 640150).
Soviet commanders A. I. Eremenko, I. V. Tyulenev, K. P. Trubnikov, S. M. Budyonny. Moreover, Budyonny received the St. George's crosses even 5 times: the first award, the St. George's Cross of the 4th degree, Semyon Mikhailovich was deprived of the court for assault on the senior in rank, the sergeant-major. Again he received the cross of the 4th century. on the Turkish front, at the end of 1914. St. George Cross 3rd Art. was received in January 1916 for participating in the attacks at Mendelidge. In March 1916, Budyonny was awarded the 2nd degree cross. In July 1916, Budyonny received the 1st degree cross of St. George for bringing 7 Turkish soldiers from a sortie to the enemy's rear with four comrades.
Of the future marshals, the lower rank Rodion Malinovsky was awarded three times (of which two times a 3rd degree cross, one of which became known after his death), and NCO Georgy Zhukov and junior NCO Konstantin Rokossovsky had two crosses … The future Major General Sidor Kovpak had two crosses, during the Great Patriotic War - the commander of the Putivl partisan detachment and the formation of partisan detachments of the Sumy region, which later received the status of the First Ukrainian partisan division.
Among the Knights of St. George there are also women. The following cases of women being awarded the cross are known: this is the previously mentioned "cavalry maiden" Nadezhda Durova, who received the award in 1807, in the lists of cavaliers she appears under the name of the cornet Alexander Alexandrov. For the battle of Dennewitz in 1813, another woman received the St. George Cross - Sophia Dorothea Frederick Kruger, a non-commissioned officer from the Prussian Borstella brigade. Antonina Palshina, who fought in the First World War under the name of Anton Palshina, had St. George's crosses of three degrees. Maria Bochkareva, the first female officer in the Russian army, the commander of the "women's battalion of death" had two Georges.
The new history of the St. George Cross began on March 2, 1992, when the insignia "St. George's Cross" was restored by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation.
St. George medal for bravery.
The word "courage" was repeated several times on the award medals of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In the first half of the 19th century, award medals appeared, minted in gold and silver, with the inscription: "For bravery." These medals were intended as a reward for military exploits to local residents of the Caucasus and Asian Russia, as well as to persons who did not have a military rank, but who showed courage on the battlefield, for example, orderlies. Women could also receive this insignia.
So, on the personal instructions of Admiral P. S. Nakhimov, during the defense of Sevastopol, the sailor's widow Daria Tkach was awarded the silver medal "For Bravery" on the St. George ribbon for her distinction in the defense of the Black Sea stronghold. The twelve-year-old son of the sailor Maxim Rybalchenko, who brought cannonballs to Russian artillery positions under enemy fire, also earned a medal.
From 1850 to 1913, she was included in the list of awards intended for the indigenous people of the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and other Asian territories of the Russian Empire, who were not in regular troops and did not have officer and class ranks. She was awarded for distinctions in battles against the enemy on the side of the Russian army, for feats shown in battles with violators of public order, with predatory animals, both in peacetime and in wartime, in connection with which the natives of the Caucasian Territory predominated among the awarded.
The medal was worn on the St. George ribbon. She had four degrees of merit:
• a silver medal of a smaller size (28 mm, 30 mm) to be worn on the chest;
• the same gold medal for wearing on the chest;
• a silver medal of a larger size (50 mm) to be worn around the neck;
• the same gold medal for wearing around the neck.
The awards were gradual: from a silver breastplate (of lesser dignity) to a gold necklace. However, for distinctions that went beyond the ordinary, it was allowed to award medals of higher dignity in addition to the lower ones. Medals (both small breast and large neck) had no numbers; surplus wages and pensions were not supposed to be paid for them.
The medal "For Bravery" was deservedly below the Military Order, but higher than all other medals, but for some time (in 1852-1858) a gold neck medal with the inscription "For Bravery" in the system of awards established for residents of the Asian suburbs was above the Insignia of the Military Order. Over the years, the award's status and appearance have changed several times.
The same awards continued to be given for military merit to persons who did not have a military rank. A gold neck medal was awarded in the Crimean War to the mayor of Yeisk "for active orders under enemy fire while saving state property and the sick during the bombing of the city by the Anglo-French squadron" in 1855.
In 1878, Emperor Alexander II instituted a separate award to award the lower ranks of the border guards and the supporting army and navy units for military distinctions in the performance of the duties of the border and customs service - a medal with the inscription “For Bravery”. The medal had four degrees. 1st and 2nd degree of this medal were gold, 3rd and 4th - silver. Medals of all degrees had the same, smaller, size (28 mm), worn on the chest, on the St. George ribbon, with the 1st and 3rd degrees - with a bow from the same ribbon. The gradual awarding was observed: from the 4th (lowest) degree to the 1st (highest).
On the obverse of the medal was the profile of the reigning emperor, on the reverse - the inscription "For courage", the degree of the medal and its number. This award was equated to the Insignia of the Military Order and was higher than all other medals, including Anninskaya. According to the new statute of 1913, the medals "For Bravery" of four degrees received the official name "Georgievsky" and could be issued to any lower rank of the army and navy for heroic deeds in war or peacetime. A medal could also be awarded to civilians for military distinctions in wartime. Since 1913, a new numbering of the St. George medals began, separately for each degree, like the St. George crosses.
Sister of mercy Henrietta Viktorovna Sorokina, who saved the banner of the 6th Libau regiment, became a full holder of the St. George medals. During the battle at Soldau, while working at the dressing station, Henrietta was slightly wounded in the leg. The flag bearer of the Libau regiment, seriously wounded in the stomach, tore off the banner from the pole, rolled it up and quietly said: "Sister, save the banner!" and with these words he died in her arms. Soon, the sister of mercy was again wounded, she was picked up by German orderlies and taken to the hospital, where a bullet was removed from her foot. Henrietta lay there until she was recognized as subject to evacuation to Russia, keeping the banner.
The Tsar awarded his sister Sorokina with the St. George medals of the 1st and 2nd degree. But, given the significance of the feat, the command presented Sorokin to be awarded medals and other degrees. The 1st and 2nd degree medals were numbered "1".
Award order weapon.
Russian soldiers who distinguished themselves in battles with expensive and beautiful weapons were awarded in the old days. And it happened so long ago that military scientists and specialists even find it difficult to answer when it happened for the first time. Among the first awards are usually called V. Shuisky's broadsword, D. M. Pozharsky and B. M. Khitrovo. On the strip of the last saber, now kept in the Tsarskoye Selo Museum, the inscription is drawn in gold: "Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke of All Russia Mikhail Fedorovich granted this saber to Stolnik Bogdan Matveyevich Khitrovo."
In the Russian Empire, officers were awarded only white (that is, cold steel) weapons for military exploits. For the first time, officers of the regular units of the Russian army began to be awarded with melee weapons by Peter I, and subsequently only broadswords, swords, sabers (and half-sabers), checkers and daggers complained from the tsars.
It was divided into two categories of insignia - award edged weapons, which were given for military distinctions to officers of the regular army and navy, and award granted weapons for military personnel of the irregular troops. The second group of award weapons existed without any special changes until the first quarter of the 19th century.
Admiral F. M. Apraksin - for the liberation of the Vyborg fortress from the Swedes.
For the victory over the Swedish fleet off the island of Grengam, General Prince M. M. Golitsyn "as a sign of his military labor, a golden sword with rich diamond decoration was sent."
Until 1788, only generals received award swords, and weapons were always adorned with precious stones. In the course of hostilities at the end of the 1780s, officers were also awarded this award, with the only difference that they received swords without expensive jewelry. Instead, the inscription "For courage" appeared on the hilt of the officer's award sword.
Back in 1774, Empress Catherine II introduced the “Golden Weapon” with the inscription “For Bravery” to be honored for military exploits. The first to receive this honorary award was Field Marshal Prince A. A. Prozorovsky, in 1778 Catherine II granted the sword to G. A. Potemkin for the battles in the Ochakovsky estuary.
At the same time, gold award swords were made to award officers, but without diamonds. On eight of them the inscription was engraved: "For the courage shown in the battle on July 7, 1778 at the Ochakovsky estuary", on the other twelve the date was not indicated. Along with the award weapon for those who distinguished themselves in the sea battle, fourteen more "golden swords with the inscription" For Bravery "" were made.
The last known case of awarding a golden weapon dates back to 1796, when the famous ataman M. I. Platov was awarded a gold saber with diamonds for the Persian campaign "For Bravery". This campaign was interrupted in connection with the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul I and a change in Russia's foreign policy.
Emperor Paul I canceled the awarding of a golden weapon with the inscription "For Bravery", replacing it with the "Anninsky weapon". A red cross of the Order of St. Anne III degree was attached to the hilt of the award melee weapon. Since 1797, the insignia of the III degree, which was attached to the cup of the sword, received the shape of a circle with a red enamel ring along the edge and the same cross in the middle.
The awarding of golden weapons resumed from the reign of Alexander I, and from that time in Russia they began to award two types of cold weapons for military merits - gold and Anninsky. On September 28, 1807, officers awarded with golden weapons with the inscription "For Bravery" began to be ranked among the holders of Russian orders. Their names were entered in the lists of holders of Russian orders of all names, which were published annually in the "Court Calendars".
Foreign allies were also awarded with Russian weapons. General-Field Marshal of Prussia G. L. Blucher, English Duke A. W. Wellington, Austrian prince K. F. Schwarzenberg received from Emperor Alexander I golden swords with diamonds and the inscriptions "For Bravery."
General M. D. Skobelev, one of the most talented Russian military leaders, was awarded three times with weapons: in 1875 for the capture of Andijan - with a sword with the inscription "For courage", for the Kokand campaign - a golden saber with the same inscription, at the end of the 1870s - a golden saber decorated diamonds.
Throughout the 19th century and until 1913, formally, all golden weapons were supposed to have hilts of gold, first of the 72nd test, and from April 3, 1857 - of the 56th test. But in the collection of the State Historical Museum there are copies of golden weapons issued in 1807, 1810, 1877 and later, the hilts of which are only gilded. According to the provisions, repeatedly confirmed, golden weapons, both decorated with diamonds and without them, were given out to the recipient free of charge. Only a gold weapon with a St. George's cross, worn instead of a weapon with diamonds, was acquired by the recipients themselves.
In 1913, when the new statute of the Order of St. George, the golden weapon assigned to this order received a new official name - the St. George weapon and the St. George weapon, decorated with diamonds. On the general's arms the inscription: "For bravery" was replaced by an indication of the feat for which the award was bestowed. Since that time, the hilt of the St. George weapon is officially not gold, but only gilded.
St. George's weapon could not be "complimented as another military award or for participation in certain periods of campaigns or battles, without the presence of an undoubted feat."
During the First World War, thousands of soldiers and officers were awarded the Georgievsky and Anninsky weapons. Among those awarded were generals who later became the leaders of the White movement. This is the creator of the Volunteer Army M. V. Alekseev, Chief of Staff of the Headquarters and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front A. I. Denikin, the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral A. V. Kolchak, Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front N. N. Yudenich, Don chieftains (A. M. Kaledin, P. N. Krasnov, P. A. Bogaevsky), chieftain of the Orenburg Cossack army A. I. Dutov and others.
The tradition of rewarding officers of the army and navy with cold weapons began to be used at the end of the Civil War and in the Red Army. The decree establishing the "Honorary Revolutionary Weapon" was issued by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on April 8, 1920, but they began to be awarded back in 1919, especially those who distinguished themselves received golden checkers, which used to belong to Russian officers. In such cases, the insignia of the Order of St. Anne IV degree and white crosses of the Order of St. George were torn off from the award weapon, and instead of them, the sign of the Order of the Red Banner was imposed. Such awards were received by 21 people, among them - S. S. Kamenev, M. N. Tukhachevsky, I. P. Uborevich, M. V. Frunze, F. K. Mironov, G. I. Kotovsky and others.
In December 1924, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR adopted a regulation "On awarding the highest command personnel of the Red Army and the Navy with Honorary Revolutionary Weapons." This document as an honorary one, in addition to a checker and a dagger, also established a firearm - a revolver. The Order of the Red Banner and a silver plate with the inscription: "To an honest soldier of the Red Army from the Central Executive Committee of the USSR" were attached to its handle. The first to receive this award were S. S. Kamenev and S. M. Budyonny.
The tradition of awarding with melee weapons and firearms has been preserved in modern Russia, even a special resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation "On awarding weapons to citizens of the Russian Federation" was adopted.
Banners
The wars between Russia and France gave a solid impetus to the development of the Russian award system, especially with regard to collective awards. In 1799, during the Swiss campaign of A. V. Suvorov, the Moscow Grenadier Regiment distinguished itself. On March 6, 1800 he received a banner with the inscription “For taking the banner at the Trebbia and Nura rivers. 1799 g. Also for the Alpine campaign, the Arkhangelsk and Smolensk infantry regiments received the award banners, and the Tauride regiment - for participating in the expedition to Bergen in Holland. All for the capture of enemy banners. These banners became the prototype of the banners of St. George.
The first “Georgievskie” banners were bestowed by the Imperial Order on November 15, 1805 for the distinction in the battle on November 4 at Shengraben rendered to: Pavlograd hussar - standard, Chernigov dragoon - standard, Kiev grenadier, musketeer Azov, Podolsk, two and one battalions of Novgorod Narvsky - the banners, the Don Cossack Sysoev and Khanzhenkov - one banner each, all with the image of the signs of the Military Order, and an inscription about the feat, and the 6th Jaeger - silver trumpets with the same inscription.
By the highest order on November 15, 1805granted to the regiments “for the difference in the battle on November 4 at Shengraben given to: Pavlograd hussar - standard, Chernigov dragoon - standard, Kiev grenadier, musketeer Azov, Podolsk, two battalions of Novgorod and one Narvsky - banners, Don Cossack Sysoev - one and Khanzhenkov, all with the image of the insignia of the Military Order, and an inscription about the feat, and to the 6th Jaeger - silver trumpets with the same inscription."
The drawings of new banners and standards were presented to the Emperor by the Adjutant General Count Lieven for approval on July 13, 1806. Of these drawings, stored in the Moscow department. arch. It can be seen from the General Staff that in the center of the banner, in an orange circle bordered with laurel branches, there was an image of St. George the Victorious riding on a white horse, striking a dragon with a spear. Under this image is a wriggling St. Andrew's ribbon with an inscription on it about the feat. In the entire panel there is a cross of St. George, white silk, the center of which is the aforementioned image. The corners of the banners are in the colors of the regiments. The standards are oblong, green silk. In the upper left corner there is a large officer's cross of St. George in a golden glow. In the lower right corner there is a golden double-headed eagle on the St. Andrew's ribbon with the inscription on the last about the feat. At the corners of the monogram of Emperor Alexander I on green shields. Along the edges of the canvas, slightly departing from them, a wide ribbon of the Order of St. George. In the spear of each banner and standard, instead of an eagle, there is an officer's cross of St. George in a gilded laurel wreath. The brushes were hung on ribbons of St. George.
The inscription on the banners, standards and silver trumpets was drawn up by the Emperor himself: "For the exploits at Schengraben on November 4, 1805, in the battle of the 5 thousandth corps with the enemy, out of 30 thousand." This project remained as if unknown to Viskovatov, who does not mention it in his major work.
But not all regiments were honored to receive these first St. George's banners in Russia. In the battle of Austerlitz, the Azov regiment lost three banners, Podolsk 5, Narva 2. The Novgorod regiment, although it saved all its banners, according to Kutuzov: "did not hold out a little."
July 13, 1806 Gr. Lieven wrote to the Emperor: “But as from among these regiments, Azov, Podolsk and Narva, banners were lost in the battle on November 20, and two battalions of Novgorod were punished, then, on the basis of Your Majesty's will, so that such regiments would not be given banners again, these they are not assigned now."
Then there was a change in the number of assigned banners and in their designs. On September 20, 1807, Pavlograd Hussar - 10 St. George's standards, Chernigov Dragoon - 5, Kiev Grenadier - 6 St. George banners, Don Cossack one, and 6th Jaeger - 2 silver trumpets were awarded. Drawings of all these differences are known from Viskovatov.
As for the regiments that were disgraced by the tsar, they did not take into account the fact that the officers and soldiers kept in captivity 3 banners of the Azov regiment (among them the famous banner of Starichkov), 4 banners of Narva and 1 Podolsky, among which were all regimental banners (white). The Podolsk regiment was disbanded, while the Azov and Narvsky regiments had to earn the lost banners again in military service. For the distinction in the Swedish War, in 1809, the Azov regiment received new, but simple banners, while the Narva regiment, which distinguished himself in the assault on Bazardzhik, was awarded the same distinction in 1810. But these regiments had to wait for the banners of St. George for many more years. Azov received them for Sevastopol, and Narvsky only for the Turkish War of 1877-1878.
It goes without saying that the banners of St. George were held in high esteem in the army and they were not given easily, at the suggestion of the St. George Duma, always by the personal decision of the Monarch, at the end of the campaign. There were, of course, exceptions to this rule. So, in 1813, after the Battle of Kulm, Emperor Alexander I personally announced to the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments that they would be awarded the St.
The St. George flag for ships was an ordinary St. Andrew's flag, in the center of which, in a red shield, was depicted the figure of St. George striking a serpent with a spear.
The honorary award for the naval crews was the St. George banners. They had a St. George cross on the pole, the banner brushes were worn on the St. George ribbon, and the inscription on the banner indicated for which battle they were received. For the first time in the fleet, the St. George banner was received by a guards crew for participating in the war of 1812-1814. On the banner was the inscription: "For the deeds rendered in the battle of August 17, 1813 at Kulm."
George pipes
Some types of troops (for example, artillery or sappers) did not have banners. On the other hand, pipes, horns and drums served as a necessary accessory for almost all military units, which sent signals on campaigns. And so the custom arose to reward the units that distinguished themselves in battles with silver pipes, which later came to be called St. George's silver pipes.
In 1762, Catherine II, having received the throne of the Russian Empire and wanting to win over the army, ordered to make silver pipes for the regiments that distinguished themselves during the capture of Berlin. An inscription was made on them: “With haste and courage the capture of the city of Berlin. September 28, 1760.
Gradually, a certain order was established in the receipt of award pipes. In the cavalry, silver pipes were long and straight, and in the infantry - figured and bent several times. The infantry received two trumpets per regiment, and the cavalry had one in each squadron and one for the headquarters trumpeter.
St. George's silver trumpets appeared in 1805. Both those and others were entwined with a St. George ribbon with tassels of silver gimp, and the sign of the Order of St. George was also strengthened on the bell of the St. George trumpets. The first Georgievsky pipes were received by the 6th Jaeger Regiment (in the future - the 104th Infantry Ustyug).
Most of the pipes had inscriptions, sometimes rather lengthy ones. The last inscription of the overseas campaign of the Russian army on the pipe of the 33rd Jaeger Regiment was the following: "Difference during the storming of Montmartre on March 18, 1814".
Some branches of the armed forces (for example, the navy) were assigned signal horns throughout the state. Instead of trumpets, they received St. George's silver horns, decorated with a white cross and a ribbon, as a reward for military exploits.
Georgievsk regiments
In the winter of 1774, an original attempt was made to gather officers of the Order of St. George in one regiment. On December 14, the following decree of the Empress followed:
“Most mercifully we deign to call the 3rd cuirassier regiment henceforth the cuirassier regiment of the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, instructing our general and vice-president of the Military Collegium Potemkin to appoint all the headquarters and chief officers in this regiment of the cavaliers of this order, and on other regiments, in the same way that he, having made samples of the uniform and ammunition of that regiment, according to the colors of this order, should present to Us for approbation."
It turned out to be impossible in practice to replenish the cuirassier Military Order regiment exclusively with the Knights of St. George, but the regiment, until the end of its existence, retained its original name, "13th Dragoon Military Order", and uniforms corresponding to the order colors. It was the only regiment of the Russian army that wore the St. George's star on the helmet and on the officer's bag.
Another attempt was made in 1790, when on May 16 the Little Russian Grenadier Regiment was named the Horse Grenadier Regiment of the Military Order, but Pavel 1 on November 29, 1796 renamed this regiment into the Little Russian Cuirassier.
Order of St. George and the Cross of St. George, due to its high authority and wide popularity, influenced the emergence, appearance and status of a number of other awards that arose after the fall of the Russian Empire.
• Order of St. George of the Special Manchurian Detachment of Ataman G. M. Semyonov.
• Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1920) of the Russian army of General P. N. Wrangel.
• The Order of the Cross of Freedom is the first state award of independent Finland, established during the Finnish Civil War in 1918 to reward the supporters of the National Finland in the fight against the Reds. The Order of the Lion of Finland - the appearance of the cross of the order, designed by the artist Oskar Peel and established on September 11, 1942, almost literally reproduces the Russian Order of St. George.
During the Great Patriotic War, continuing the military traditions of the Russian army, on November 8, 1943, the Order of Glory of three degrees was established. Its statute, as well as the yellow and black color of the ribbon, reminded of the St. George Cross. Then the St. George ribbon, confirming the traditional colors of Russian military valor, adorned many soldier's and modern Russian award medals and signs.
