The situation when real heroes are left without military awards or are awarded very modestly, and persons close to the authorities and material values are hung with orders and medals like a Christmas tree with toys, probably, as eternal as the war itself.
It is no coincidence that a bitter joke was born in the tsarist army: "Why do you have a" Vladimir "with a bow - I was an adjutant at the headquarters." The famous journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky fought in a team of plastuns during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78. In our time, they would be called special forces. Plastuns did not prepare for regular battles in the infantry formation. Silently sneak up on the Turkish post, destroy it as silently as possible, capture a prisoner - the "tongue", track down the Turkish intelligence creeping into the Russian rear - these were the tasks of the scouts, which they successfully carried out. But the time has come to receive awards: “According to the views of the authorities, it was some kind of semi-war. Our daredevils learned this with chagrin only when they sent us silver medals on St. George's ribbons instead of St. George's crosses for real military distinctions … captured and killed in battles bashi-bazouks, for our losses wounded and killed, we were sent eight medals, which we distributed among the most brave … ". Veterans of the Afghan and both Chechen wars could tell many similar stories.
Government awards were promised for tailoring boots
And during the Great Patriotic War, alas, not always the awards found true heroes. For example, on July 7, 1944, the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Marshal Vasilevsky signed an order on cases of incorrect awards and abuse in the 2nd Guards Airborne Proskurov Division. During the check, outrageous facts were revealed.
Was awarded the Order of the Red Star P., the former head of the AHP, "who did not show himself at work, except for sycophancy, and did not participate in battles." The former chief of staff of the division, Colonel N., after awarding the chief of the AHCh, wrote him a note: "I promised to give you a Zvezdochka, and I gave you, but you promised two cans of fuel, and you won't." It is very curious - what kind of "fuel" are we talking about?
Senior Lieutenant K., assistant chief of staff for accounting of the 5th Guards Airborne Regiment, compiled award lists for himself and was twice awarded the Order of the Red Star. But K. got carried away too much - when for the third time he presented himself to the Order of the Red Star, he pointed out in his report that he allegedly saved the regiment's battle banner, which in fact did not exist.
At the same time, he not only provided himself with awards, but also “the right people”. K., for example, promised the shoemaker S. that if he sewed boots for him, he would receive a medal "For Military Merit". The order stated: "Government awards were promised by the staff of the headquarters for certain services: for sewing boots, issuing a new suit, for issuing fuel, for cohabitation."
The temporary chief of staff of the division, Major P., upon the arrival of the new commander of the division, Colonel Ch., Slipped him to approve the award material for Sergeant Major S. - "undisciplined, rude in dealing with officers and having no military merit at all."
Sergeant Major S., having learned that by order of the division commander, he was awarded not an order, but a medal "For Courage", said to the chief of the division's personnel department: "You can take it for yourself, since I don't need a medal."
Why was Sergeant Major S. so useful to Major P. that he could afford such blatant arrogance?
And where were the officers that the sergeant commanded the company?
At the same time, the really distinguished soldiers and officers could be left without well-deserved awards. The award list for the guard of Lieutenant ID Antipov, who personally shot down an enemy plane with a rifle, did not pass.
Major G. imposed a resolution: "It is better to present the report, to highlight in it the previously accomplished merits and deeds." Sergeant I. M. Kalinin was not awarded, who led the company after the commander was wounded and led it to the attack five times. The resolution was as follows: "And where were the officers that the sergeant commanded the company?" The idea that the officers were out of action due to injury or death did not occur to Major G..
In the order of Marshal Vasilevsky, punishments were announced for the outrages committed. Thus, Senior Lieutenant K., assistant chief of staff for accounting of the 5th Guards Airborne Regiment, was removed from office, demoted to lieutenant, and appointed with a demotion. Major G. became a captain.
For that time, the punishment cannot be called particularly severe, there was no meeting of a military tribunal. But senior lieutenant K., for example, who presented himself three times to the Order of the "Red Star", the penal battalion could help to understand at what cost military awards real soldiers get.
Of course, in no case should we generalize the above examples and assume that the awards in the Great Patriotic War were obtained by the method of senior lieutenant K. Most of their owners were awarded for real deeds.
But, as they say, such ugly facts also took place. The Soviet command punished those guilty of this for "fake" awards and deprivation of well-deserved awards, although the punishments could have been stricter …
