Order of the Red Banner
Encyclopedia
The Soviet
government of Russia
established the Order of the Red Banner (in Russian: Орден Крaсного Знамени
Orden Krasnogo Znameni), a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War
. The first recipient was Vasily Blyukher
on September 28, 1918.
The second recipient was Iona Yakir
.
During the Russian Civil War
there existed similarly named orders and decorations established by the Soviet communist governments of several other constituent and nonconstituent republics. On August 1, 1924, the Soviet Union established the all-Soviet Order of the Red Banner to deserving personnel of the Red Army
.
Other nonmilitary awards also used the phrase "Order of the Red Banner" in their title; for example, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
was presented for acts of great scientific, military (technical or logistic), manufacturing, or agricultural achievement.
As a military decoration, The Order of the Red Banner recognised heroism in combat or otherwise extraordinary accomplishments of military valour during combat operations. Before the establishment of the Order of Lenin
on April 6, 1930, the Order of the Red Banner functioned as the highest (and practically the only) military order
of the USSR. During World War II, under various titles (including the Order of the Red Banner of Military Valour and Order of the Red Banner for Maritime Valour), it was presented both to individuals and to units for acts of extreme military heroism. In some ways, the Order of the Red Banner was more prestigious, as it could only be awarded for bravery during combat operations whereas the Order of Lenin was sometimes awarded to non-military personnel and political leaders. Nearly all well-known Soviet commanders became Cavaliers of the Order of the Red Banner. However, from 1944 to 1958, it could also be awarded for length of service, with the first award for 20 years in uniform, and the second for 30.
The order consisted of a white-enamelled badge, which had a golden Hammer and Sickle
badge surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat
on a Red Star
, backed by crossed hammer, plough
, torch and a red flag
bearing the motto Proletarians (Workers) of the World, Unite!. This was surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat; at the bottom were the letters "SSSR" .
The Order was originally presented as a badge, which was worn on the left chest. A ribbon attachment was added, which consisted of a red ribbon bearing a wide white central stripe and a narrow white stripe on the edges.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
government of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
established the Order of the Red Banner (in Russian: Орден Крaсного Знамени
Orden Krasnogo Znameni), a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. The first recipient was Vasily Blyukher
Vasily Blyukher
Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher (also spelled Bliukher, Blücher, etc., , Soviet military commander, was among the prominent victims of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge of the late 1930s....
on September 28, 1918.
The second recipient was Iona Yakir
Iona Yakir
Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir was the Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II.-Early years:...
.
During the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
there existed similarly named orders and decorations established by the Soviet communist governments of several other constituent and nonconstituent republics. On August 1, 1924, the Soviet Union established the all-Soviet Order of the Red Banner to deserving personnel of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
Other nonmilitary awards also used the phrase "Order of the Red Banner" in their title; for example, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
was presented for acts of great scientific, military (technical or logistic), manufacturing, or agricultural achievement.
As a military decoration, The Order of the Red Banner recognised heroism in combat or otherwise extraordinary accomplishments of military valour during combat operations. Before the establishment of the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
on April 6, 1930, the Order of the Red Banner functioned as the highest (and practically the only) military order
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
of the USSR. During World War II, under various titles (including the Order of the Red Banner of Military Valour and Order of the Red Banner for Maritime Valour), it was presented both to individuals and to units for acts of extreme military heroism. In some ways, the Order of the Red Banner was more prestigious, as it could only be awarded for bravery during combat operations whereas the Order of Lenin was sometimes awarded to non-military personnel and political leaders. Nearly all well-known Soviet commanders became Cavaliers of the Order of the Red Banner. However, from 1944 to 1958, it could also be awarded for length of service, with the first award for 20 years in uniform, and the second for 30.
The order consisted of a white-enamelled badge, which had a golden Hammer and Sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...
badge surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
on a Red Star
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
, backed by crossed hammer, plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
, torch and a red flag
Red flag
In politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, or Communism, or sometimes left-wing politics in general. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its...
bearing the motto Proletarians (Workers) of the World, Unite!. This was surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat; at the bottom were the letters "SSSR" .
The Order was originally presented as a badge, which was worn on the left chest. A ribbon attachment was added, which consisted of a red ribbon bearing a wide white central stripe and a narrow white stripe on the edges.
Recipients
The order was awarded to individuals as well as whole formations, which then added the prefix "Red Banner" to their official designations. Naval vessels also flew a special flag. Some of the most notable are listed here:Individuals
- Major Gabriel Ilyich UrazovskyGabriel Ilyich UrazovskyGabriel Ilyich Urazovsky was a Russian soldier, born in Ukraine. He was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky № 857. And in June 1948 he was promoted to Captain.-Career:...
- Vice Admiral Vasili Arkhipov
- Official Executioner Vasili Mikhailovich Blokhin
- Chekist Gleb BokiiGleb BokiiGleb Ivanovich Bokii was an ethnic Ukrainian Communist political activist and revolutionary in the Russian Empire. Following the October Revolution of 1917, Bokii became a leading member of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police...
- Marshal Vasily BlyukherVasily BlyukherVasily Konstantinovich Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher (also spelled Bliukher, Blücher, etc., , Soviet military commander, was among the prominent victims of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge of the late 1930s....
(first recipient, in total 5 times) - Comandarm Iona YakirIona YakirIona Emmanuilovich Yakir was the Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II.-Early years:...
(3 times) - Georgy ZhukovGeorgy ZhukovMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
(3 times) - NKVD general Nikolai VlasikNikolai VlasikNikolai Vlasik was a Soviet security official and General, best known as a head of Joseph Stalin's personal security from 1931 to 1952....
(4 times) - British spy Kim PhilbyKim PhilbyHarold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
(1 time) - General David DragunskyDavid DragunskyDavid Abramovich Dragunsky was born to a Jewish family and became a Colonel General in the Soviet Army. Twice he was decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1938, he commanded a tank company during combat operations near Khasan Lake and was awarded an Order of the Red Banner...
- Ivan FedyuninskyIvan FedyuninskyIvan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky was a Soviet military leader and Hero of the Soviet Union .Fedyuninsky was born into a peasant family near Tugulym in the Urals. He finished the village school in 1913 and was apprenticed to a painter and decorator. He joined the Red Army in 1919...
(5 times) - Marshal Leonid GovorovLeonid GovorovLeonid Aleksandrovich Govorov was a Soviet military commander. An artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Academy of Red Army General Staff. He participated in the Winter War as a senior artillery officer.In...
- Mikhail Vasilyevich VodopianovMikhail Vasilyevich VodopianovMikhail Vasilyevich Vodopianov was a Soviet aircraft pilot, one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, and a Major General of the Soviet Air Force....
- Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovichYakov Borisovich Zel'dovichYakov Borisovich Zel'dovich was a prolific Soviet physicist born in Belarus. He played an important role in the development of Soviet nuclear and thermonuclear weapons, and made important contributions to the fields of adsorption and catalysis, shock waves, nuclear physics, particle physics,...
- Marshal Aleksandr VasilevskyAleksandr VasilevskyAleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
(2 times) - Marshal Rodion MalinovskyRodion MalinovskyRodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky was a Soviet military commander in World War II and Defense Minister of the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and 1960s. He contributed to the major defeat of Nazi Germany at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Budapest...
(3 times) - Private Mikhail MininMikhail MininMikhail Petrovich Minin was a Russian Soviet soldier who was the first to enter the Reichstag building on April 30, 1945 during the Battle of Berlin, and the first soldier to mount the flag on the Reichstag building at 10:40 pm.The iconic picture showing a Georgian soldier, Meliton Kantaria,...
- Sniper Vasily Zaytsev
- Sasha Fillipov
- Gayk BzhishkyanGayk BzhishkyanHayk Bzhishkyan |Russian]]: Гайк Бжишкян, also known as Guy Dmitrievich Guy, Gai Dmitrievich Gai , Gaya Gai , or Bzhishkyan, –December 11, 1937), was a Soviet military commander of the Russian Civil War and Polish-Soviet War.-Biography:Hayk was an ethnic Armenian born in Tabriz, Iran to a family...
- Marshal Semyon TimoshenkoSemyon TimoshenkoSemyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was a Soviet military commander and senior professional officer of the Red Army at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.-Early life:...
(5 times) - War Commissar Leon TrotskyLeon TrotskyLeon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
- Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
- Nina RomashkovaNina RomashkovaNina Apollonovna Ponomaryova was a Soviet/Russian discus thrower, the first Soviet Olympic Champion.She became interested in athletics since 1947, when she entered the Physical Training Faculty of the Stavropol Pedagogical Institute...
- Sergey Biryuzov
- Ios TeperIos TeperIosif Zeusovich "Ios" Teper , Soviet war veteran, was born in Odessa, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He worked on a collective farm until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, when he joined the Red Army...
- Issa PliyevIssa PliyevIssa Alexandrovich Pliyev was a Soviet military commander, Army General , twice Hero of the Soviet Union , Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic . Member of the CPSU since 1926. He was an ethnic Ossetian....
- Aleksei Grigorievich StakhanovAleksei Grigorievich StakhanovAlexey Grigoryevich Stakhanov was a miner in the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor , and a member of the CPSU . He became a celebrity in 1935 as part of a movement that was intended to increase worker productivity and demonstrate the superiority of the socialist economic system.Stakhanov was...
- Yevgeny KhrunovYevgeny KhrunovYevgeni Vassilyevich Khrunov was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on the Soyuz 5/Soyuz 4 mission.He was born in Prudy.Yevgeni Khrunov was a colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union and Kandidat of Technical Sciences ....
- Pavel DybenkoPavel DybenkoPavel Efimovich Dybenko was a Russian revolutionary and a leading Soviet officer.- Until the military service :...
(3 times) - Pavel Soloviev
- Vyacheslav Ivanovich ZofVyacheslav Ivanovich ZofVyacheslav Ivanovich Zof was a Soviet military figure and a statesman of Czech ethnicity.- Biography :...
- Ernst NeizvestnyErnst NeizvestnyErnst Iosifovich Neizvestny is a Russian sculptor. He currently lives and works in New York City. His last name in Russian literally means "unknown"....
- Polish agent Bolesław Kontrym (3 times)
- Foreign Intelligence chief Abram SlutskyAbram SlutskyAbram Aronovich Slutsky headed the Soviet foreign intelligence service , then part of the NKVD, from May 1935 to February 1938.-Biography:...
(2 times) - Croatian Communist Aleksa Dundić
- Penal Battalion Commander Alexander PylcynAlexander PylcynAlexander Vasilevich Pylcyn Was born in 1923. He was a Soviet Commander during the Great Patriotic War. Pylcyn commanded the 8th Independent Penal Battalion. During his experiences in the Soviet Army, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star...
Formations
- Baltic FleetBaltic FleetThe Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
(2 times) - Soviet Northern Fleet (1 time)
- Pacific Ocean Fleet (1 time)
- Far Eastern Military DistrictFar Eastern Military DistrictThe Far Eastern Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific Fleet and part of the Siberian Military District to form the new Eastern Military District....
- First Army
- First Guards Tank Army
- Second Guards Tank Army
- 1st Rifle Division1st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The Soviet 1st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first established in 1918, and finally disbanded in the mid 1950s...
- 6th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)6th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 6th Rifle Division was a Soviet military unit. They participated in several battles, most notably the Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919 and Estonian War of Independence. From their inception the unit saw combat and had three periods of active service...
- 24th Rifle Division24th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)style="float: right; clear: right; background-color: transparent"| The 24th Samaro-Ulyanovsk Division was a rifle, then a motor-rifle division of the Red Army of the USSR...
- 27th Guards Rifle Division
- 39th Guards Rifle Division39th Guards Rifle DivisionThe 39th Guards Rifle Division of the Workers and Peasant's Red Army was formed during the German-Soviet War as part of the 62nd Army and assigned to the defense of Stalingrad, officially arriving in the theater in August 1942...
(2 times) - 19th Motor Rifle Division
- 76th Guards Airborne Division
- 85th Rifle Division85th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 85th Leningrad-Pavlovsk Red Banner Motor Rifle Division was a infantry division of the Soviet Red Army active from 1931 and converted to a motorised formation in 1957. It is now part of the Russian Ground Forces....
- 100th Guards Rifle Division100th Guards Rifle DivisionThe 100th Guards Rifle Division was an elite Red Army airborne infantry division during World War II.-Creation:From the beginning of the war, the Soviet Army strongly emphasized the development of airborne forces and their use behind enemy lines...
- 106th Guards Tula Airborne Division
- 17th Rifle Regiment, 32nd Rifle Division32nd Rifle DivisionThe 32nd Rifle Division was first raised in 1934 at Vladivostok and organized as a Siberian Rifle Division. The division initially served Far Eastern Military District as part of the 39th Rifle Corps. It took part in a number of border skirmishes on the Manchurian border near Lake Khasan...
- 72nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)72nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)The 72nd Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. It was previously named the 29th Rifle Division and then the 72nd Guards Rifle Division of the Soviet Ground Forces.-World War II:...
- French fighter squadron Normandie-NiemenNormandie-NiemenThe Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
Trivia
- In George OrwellGeorge OrwellEric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Animal FarmAnimal FarmAnimal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
(1945), a satire on the Soviet Union, an order called the Order of the Green Banner is created.
See also
- Orders, decorations, and medals of the Soviet Union
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
- Order of the October RevolutionOrder of the October RevolutionThe Order of the October Revolution was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was awarded to individuals or groups for services furthering communism or the state, or in enhancing the defenses of the Soviet Union, military and civil...
- Order of the Red Banner of LabourOrder of the Red Banner of LabourThe Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...