Order of the Red Star
Encyclopedia
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order
of the Soviet Union
, given to Red Army
and Soviet Navy
personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union
in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the USSR of April 6, 1930. The first recipient was Vasily Blyukher
in September 1930 .
The Order consisted of an enamelled red pentagonal star, with a white metal image of a soldier bearing a rifle in the center. Below the soldier are the letters "СССР" (SSSR), and surrounding him is the Communist motto, "Workers of the world, unite!
" At the bottom of the star is the hammer and sickle
. The order was worn on the right chest without ribbon; on less formal occasions a ribbon bar, dark red with a silver central stripe, may be worn instead.
The Order of the Red Star was one of the most common military decorations during the German-Soviet War, with almost 3 million awards made to more than 2 million individuals, many of whom were junior officers.
From 1944 to 1958, until the establishment of the Irreproachable Service Medal, the order was also used as a long service award, to mark fifteen years of service in the military, state security, or police.
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 Soviet Union
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....
, given to 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...
and Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union
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....
in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the USSR of April 6, 1930. 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....
in September 1930 .
The Order consisted of an enamelled red pentagonal star, with a white metal image of a soldier bearing a rifle in the center. Below the soldier are the letters "СССР" (SSSR), and surrounding him is the Communist motto, "Workers of the world, unite!
Workers of the world, unite!
The political slogan Workers of the world, unite! is one of the most famous rallying cries of communism, found in The Communist Manifesto , by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
" At the bottom of the star is the 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...
. The order was worn on the right chest without ribbon; on less formal occasions a ribbon bar, dark red with a silver central stripe, may be worn instead.
The Order of the Red Star was one of the most common military decorations during the German-Soviet War, with almost 3 million awards made to more than 2 million individuals, many of whom were junior officers.
From 1944 to 1958, until the establishment of the Irreproachable Service Medal, the order was also used as a long service award, to mark fifteen years of service in the military, state security, or police.