For the entire period Russian history There were many different awards and medals. One of the most honored are the St. George Crosses. This award was the most massive at the time Tsarist Russia. The soldier's St. George's Cross was carefully kept in the family of the soldier who received it, and the full cavalier of the St. George's Cross was revered by the people on a par with epic heroes fairy tales. The particular popularity of this award was brought precisely by the fact that it was awarded to the lower ranks Imperial army, i.e simple soldiers and non-commissioned officers.

This award was equivalent to the Order of St. George, which was established by Catherine the Great in the 18th century. The George Cross was divided into 4 degrees:

• St. George's cross 4 degrees;
• St. George's Cross 3rd class;
• St. George's Cross, 2nd class;
• George Cross 1st class.

received this award only for the incredible valor that was shown on the battlefield. First they gave out the St. George Cross of the 4th degree, then the 3rd, 2nd and 1st degrees. Thus, the one who was awarded the St. George Cross of the first degree became a full cavalier of the St. George Cross. Performing 4 feats on the battlefield and staying alive at the same time was a manifestation of incredible military skill and luck, so it is not surprising that such people were treated like heroes.

George Crosses were awarded to soldiers for over 100 years, they appeared shortly before Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and were abolished after the First World War, during which several million people received this royal award, although few were awarded the George Cross of the first degree.

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the St. George Crosses were abolished, although even before the start of World War II, the medal "For Courage" was introduced, which somehow copied the St. George Cross. Convinced that the medal "For Courage" enjoys great respect among the military, the Soviet command decided to establish the Order of Glory three degrees, which almost completely copied the Royal George Cross.

Although most royal awards in Soviet Russia were very unpopular, and wearing them was equated almost with treason, the bosses often looked “through their fingers” at the wearing of old front-line soldiers of St. George's crosses. The following famous Soviet military leaders had St. George's crosses:

• Marshal Georgy Zhukov;
• K. Rokossovsky;
• R. Malinovsky;
• Budyonny, Tyulenev and Eremenko were full Cavaliers of St. George.

One of the most legendary wartime partisan commanders, Sidor Kovpak, also had the St. George Cross of two degrees.

In Tsarist Russia, all those awarded the St. George Cross received a cash bonus, and they were also paid a lifetime pension, the amount of which varied depending on the degree of the cross. Such an award as the George Cross gave its owner numerous tacit benefits in civil life and global respect.

History of the George Cross

Many contemporary sources do not share such awards as the Order of St. George and the George Cross, although these are completely different awards. The Order of George was established in the 18th century, and the George Cross in the 19th century.

In 1807, Emperor Alexander I received a proposal to establish some kind of award for soldiers and non-commissioned officers who distinguished themselves in the performance of combat missions. Allegedly, this will help to strengthen the courage of Russian soldiers who, in the hope of receiving the desired reward (which includes monetary rewards and a lifetime pension), will fight without sparing their lives. The emperor considered this offer quite reasonable, especially since news of the battle of Preussisch-Eylau reached him, in which Russian soldiers showed miracles of courage and endurance.

At that time there was one a big problem: a Russian soldier who was a serf could not be awarded an order, since the order emphasized the status of its owner, was, in fact, a knightly insignia. Nevertheless, the courage of the Russian soldier had to be somehow encouraged, so the Russian emperor introduced a special "insignia of the order", which in the future became the St. George soldier's cross.

"Soldier George", as he was called by the people, could only receive the lower ranks of the Russian army, who showed selfless courage on the battlefield. Moreover, this award was not handed out at the request of the command, the soldiers themselves determined which of them was worthy of receiving the St. George Cross. The George Cross was issued for the following merits:

• Heroic and skillful actions on the battlefield, thanks to which the detachment managed to win in a seemingly hopeless situation;
• Heroic capture of an enemy banner, preferably right from under the nose of a stunned enemy;
• Capture of an enemy officer;
• Heroic actions that prevent the capture of a group of their soldiers;
• A sudden blow to the rear of the superior forces of the enemy, which entailed his flight and other similar feats on the battlefield.

At the same time, wounds or contusions on the battlefield did not give absolutely no right to a reward, unless they were received in the process of carrying out heroic activity.

According to the then existing rules, it was necessary to wear the St. George's Cross on a specially St. George's ribbon, which was threaded into the buttonhole. The first soldier to become a cavalier St. George Order- non-commissioned officer Mitrokhin, who received it in the battle of Friedland in 1807.

Initially, the George Cross did not have any degrees and was issued an unlimited number of times (this is in theory). In practice, the George Cross was issued only once, and the next presentation was purely formal, although at the same time the soldier's salary increased by a third. The undoubted advantage of a soldier awarded this distinction was complete absence corporal punishment which were widely used at the time.

In 1833, the St. George Cross was included in the statute of the Order of St. George, in addition, at the same time, they entrusted the procedure for awarding soldiers to the commanders of armies and corps, which significantly accelerated the process of awarding, since it used to happen that the hero did not live up to the solemn award.

In 1844, a special George Cross was developed for soldiers who profess the Muslim faith. Instead of St. George, who is an Orthodox saint, was depicted on the cross double-headed eagle.

In 1856, the George Cross was divided into 4 degrees, while its degree was indicated on the cross. How difficult it was to get the St. George Cross of the 1st degree is evidenced by impartial statistics. According to her, there were about 2,000 full knights of the St. George Order in its entire history.

In 1913, the award officially became known as the St. George Cross, in addition, the St. George Medal for Bravery appeared, also having 4 degrees. Unlike a soldier's award, the St. George medal could be awarded civilians and military personnel in Peaceful time. After 1913, the George Cross began to be issued posthumously. In this case, the award was passed on to the relatives of the deceased and kept as a family heirloom.

During the First World War, about 1,500,000 people received St. George's Crosses. Of particular note is the first Knight of St. George of this war, Kozma Kryuchkov, who received his first cross for destruction in battle 11 German cavalry. By the way, until the end of the war, this Cossack became a full Knight of St. George.

For the first time in the history of the George Cross, it began to be awarded to women and foreigners. Due to the difficult situation of the Russian economy during the war, the awards began to be made from low-quality gold (1st and 2nd degrees) and they significantly lost weight (3rd and 4th degrees).

Judging by the fact that during the First World War more than 1,200,000 George Crosses were issued, the heroism of the Russian army was simply at the highest level.

An interesting case of receiving the St. George Cross by the future Soviet Marshal Zhukov. He received it (one of several of his crosses) for shell shock, although this award was issued only for well-defined feats, clearly indicated in the statute. Apparently, acquaintances among the military authorities in those days could easily solve such problems.

After February Revolution The George Cross could also be received by officers, if it was approved by the soldiers' meetings. During civil war White Guards were still awarded St. George's crosses, although many soldiers considered it a shame to wear orders received for the murders of their compatriots.

What did the George Cross look like?

The George Cross is called a "cross" precisely because of its shape. This is a characteristic cross, the blades of which widen at the ends. In the center of the cross there is a medallion depicting St. George slaying a snake with a spear. On the reverse side of the medallion there are the letters "C" and "G", made in the form of a monogram.

The cross was worn on the St. George ribbon (which has nothing to do with the modern St. George ribbon). The colors of the St. George ribbon are black and orange, symbolizing smoke and flame.

The most famous holders of the George Cross

During the existence of the St. George Cross, more than 3,500,000 people were awarded it, although the last 1.5-2 million are quite controversial, since they were often issued in the First World War not on merit. Many holders of the St. George Orders became famous not only for receiving this award, but are also historical figures:

• The famous Durova, or "cavalry girl", who served as the prototype of the heroine from the "Hussar Ballad", was awarded the St. George Cross for saving the life of an officer;
• The Decembrists Muravyov-Apostol and Yakushkin also had St. George's Crosses, which they received for military merit in the battle of Borodino;
• General Miloradovich received this award from the hands of Emperor Alexander, who personally saw the courage of Miloradovich in the battle of Leipzig;
• Kozma Kryuchkov, who was a full cavalier of the Order of St. George, became Russian hero in life. By the way, a Cossack died in 1919 at the hands of the Red Guards, defending the tsarist regime until the end of his life;
• Vasily Chapaev, who went over to the side of the Reds, had 3 crosses and the St. George medal;
• Maria Bochkareva, who created the women's "battalion of death", also had this award.

Despite the mass character, it is quite difficult to find St. George's crosses now. This is due to the fact that they were minted from gold (1 and 2 degrees) and silver (3 and 4 degrees). In February, the provisional government intensively collected awards "for the needs of the revolution." AT Soviet period when there was a famine or blockade, many changed their rewards for flour or bread.

The memory of the George Cross was revived in 1943, when the Order of Glory was established. At present, everyone is familiar with the St. George's Ribbon, with which people who celebrate Victory Day adorn themselves. At the same time, not everyone knows that although the ribbon symbolizes the Order of Glory, its roots go much deeper.

Or rather, the truth about her. In short, we are raking up the mess that the liars and demagogues have littered.

The other day, a man who considers himself a communist reproached me: “You replaced the symbols of Victory with your ribbon, and now you want your neighbors to swear allegiance to this fake,” it was said about.

And he cited as evidence an exemplary performance by Nevzorov, which can be considered the quintessence of all the lies about this. Below is the excerpt from the recording and the text, and full version you can read and see:

“The definition of the ribbon that people tie on themselves on May 9 as "Colorado" , according to the color of the coloring of the Colorado potato beetle, I really once gave on the air of Channel Five. Naturally, I have nothing against May 9th. But if you take it so seriously, if it is extremely important for you, then you should be extremely accurate and serious, including in symbolism .

St. George ribbon, was not known in the Soviet Army . The Order of Glory was established only in 43, not very popular, not even famous at the front , the reward must have some historical path so that she becomes popular and famous, and just the opposite, General Shkuro, General Vlasov, many the highest ranks of the SS supported the cult of the St. George ribbon . It was a tape and Vlasov, and higher ranks SS.

Understand, no matter how we treat Soviet state, but the color of victory, and we must treat this calmly and courageously, the color of victory is red . The red color has been raised banner over the Reichstag , under the red banners were people in Patriotic War, not under any others. And the one who treats this holiday attentively and with pain, probably, should be accurate in observing this symbolism too.

Now let's disassemble this nonsense. By the way, Alexander Glebovich can say “thank you” for summing up almost all the main distortions, omissions and outright lies about the St. George ribbon so briefly and sensibly.

And I know, of course, that Soviet system awards and signs there was no concept of "St. George's ribbon".

But do we want to plunge into the wilds of faleristics every time like: “the ribbon is a golden-orange silk rep moire ribbon with three longitudinal black stripes applied on it with a 1 mm wide edging”?

Therefore, for simplicity of presentation, let's conditionally call it the "St. George's Ribbon" - after all, everyone understands what we are talking about? So…

Symbol of victory

Question: when did your St. George ribbon become a symbol of Victory?

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"

It looked like this:

and like this:

Soviet naval guards at the Victory Parade

Guards ribbon on a postage stamp of the USSR ( 1973 !!!)

and, for example, like this:

Guards Ribbon on Guards naval ensign destroyer "Thundering"

Order of Glory

A. NEVZOROV:
My friend Minaev, do not forget about mine former profession. I was once a reporter, after all. That is, I must be absolutely shameless and unprincipled.

And further:

S. MINAEV:
Listen, this is amazing because you are completely cynical in answering questions around which usually everyone starts picking their fingertips and saying that it was just such a time.

A. NEVZOROV:
Yes, there was no such time. We all sat in one way or another on gold chains from various oligarchs, they boasted about us, they bought us out. We tried to leave, taking with us, if possible, the golden chain.

And finally, to dot all the "i" - one more quote:

“That Berendey hut, which was built on the ruins of my homeland, is not a shrine for me”

Therefore, listening to arguments about orders, about glory, about war and exploits, about Colorado beetles and “ serious attitude to symbolism" - do not forget (just for the sake of objectivity) WHO EXACTLY talks about all this.

"Vlasov Ribbon"

Like many inspired liars, Nevzorov, looking for figures to confirm his speculations, forgot about common sense.

He himself said that the Order of Glory was established in 1943. And the guards ribbon - and even earlier, in the summer of the 42nd. And the so-called "Russian liberation army”was only officially established six months later, and operated mainly in the years 43-44, while officially submitting to the Third Reich.

Tell me, can you imagine that the official military orders and insignia of the Wehrmacht coincide with the awards of the enemy army? To German generals created military units and officially fixed the use of insignia in them Soviet army?

It is authentically known that the "Russian Liberation Army" fought under the tricolor, and used a kind of parody of the St. Andrew's flag as symbols.

The land fleet in the steppes of Ukraine turned out to be, as you can see, not a joke at all ... :)

And it looked like this:

And that is all. They received awards from the German Wehrmacht in accordance with the regulations established by it.

Order of the Patriotic War

During the war, this order were awarded 1.276 million people , including about 350 thousand - the order of the 1st degree.

Think about it: also more than a million! It is not surprising that he has become one of the most popular and recognizable symbols of the Victory. It was this order - along with the Order of Glory and the medal "For Victory" that was almost always seen on front-line soldiers returning from the war.

It was with him that they returned (for the first time in a while Soviet power!) orders different degrees: Order of the Patriotic War (I and II degrees) and later - the Order of Glory (I, II and III degrees), which has already been discussed.

Order "Victory"

The title is speaking. And why he became one of the symbols of victory later, after the 45th year, is also understandable. One of three main characters.

His ribbon combines the colors of 6 others Soviet orders, separated by white gaps half a millimeter wide:

• Orange with black in the middle - Order of Glory (along the edges of the tape; the same colors hated by Nevzorov and some modern "communists")


• Blue - Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky


• Dark red (Bordeaux) - Order of Alexander Nevsky


• Dark blue - Order of Kutuzov


• Green - Order of Suvorov


• Red (central section), 15 mm wide - Order of Lenin (the highest award in the Soviet Union, if anyone does not remember)

Let me remind you of the historical fact that Marshal Zhukov was the first to receive this order (he was twice a holder of this order), the second went to Vasilevsky (he was also twice a holder of this order), and Stalin had only No. 3.

Today, when people like to rewrite history, it will not hurt to remember with what respect these orders, which were awarded to the allies, are kept abroad:

• Eisenhower's award is in the Memorial Library of the 34th President of the United States in his hometown of Abilene (Kansas);


• Marshal Tito's award is on display at the May 25 Museum in Belgrade (Serbia);


• Field Marshal Montgomery's decoration is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London;

You can evaluate the wording for the award from the statute of the order yourself:

“The Order of Victory, as the highest military order, is awarded to persons of the highest commanders Red Army for successful implementation such military operations on the scale of several or one front, as a result of which the situation is radically changing in favor of the Red Army.

Symbols of victory

And now let's make simple as three pennies and obvious conclusions.

Tens of millions of soldiers are returning home from the front. There is a certain percentage of senior officers, a little more of junior officers, but mostly privates and sergeants.

The medal "For Victory" in general for everyone. Many have Orders of Glory, and some also have 2-3 degrees. It is clear that full gentlemen are especially honored, it is their portraits in the press and at meetings, concerts and other public events- there they are, too, with all their orders.

The Navy Guards, too, naturally wear their insignia with pride. Like, not a bast of shields - the guard!

So what, pray tell, is it surprising that three symbols become the main, most popular and recognizable: the Order of Victory, the Order of the Patriotic War and the St. George Ribbon?

Who is not satisfied with the St. George ribbon on today's posters? Well, let's all come here, we'll watch the Soviet ones. Let's see how they "changed history."

"Arrived!"

One of the most famous posters. Drawn shortly after the Victory. And it already contains the symbolism of this Victory. There was a little backstory.

In 1944, Leonid Golovanov on his poster "Let's get to Berlin!" depicted a laughing warrior. The prototype of the smiling hero on the march was real hero- sniper Golosov, whose front-line portraits formed the basis of the famous sheet.

And in 1945, the already legendary “Glory to the Red Army!” appeared, in the upper left corner of which is quoted Previous work artist:

So, here they are - the true symbols of Victory. On the legendary poster.

On the right side the breast of a Red Army soldier is the Order of the Patriotic War.

On the left - the Order of Glory ("unpopular", yeah), the medal "For the Victory" (with the same St. George ribbon on the block) and the medal "For the Capture of Berlin".

The whole country knew this poster! He is still recognized today. More popular than him, perhaps, only "Motherland is calling!" Irakli Toidze.

Now someone will say: "It's easy to draw a poster, but it wasn't like that in real life." Okay, here you go"in life"

Ivanov, Viktor Sergeevich. Photo taken in 1945.

Here is another poster. What is the edge of the star?

Okay, this is the end of the 70s, someone will say that it’s not true. Let's take something from the Stalin years:

Well? "Vlasov Ribbon", Yes? Under Stalin? Seriously?!!

How did Nevzorov lie there? "The ribbon was not known in the Soviet Army."

Well, we see how she "was not known." Already under Stalin, it became both a symbol of the Red Army and a symbol of the Victory.

But from Brezhnev era poster:

What's on the fighter's chest? One only “an unpopular and even little known order”, as far as I can see. And nothing more. By the way, this emphasizes that the fighter is a private. There is no cult of "commanders", it was a feat of the people.
(By the way, most of the posters are clickable).

And here is another one, for the 25th anniversary of the Victory. The year 1970 is written on the poster:

And the glorious date is written "a ribbon not known in the Soviet army", which"is not a symbol of victory."

You look what's going on! What is our current government? And she reached out until 1945, and in the 60s her "Fakes" slipped, and in the 70s!

And here they are again for their own! Again "their" ribbon:

“Postcard of the USSR on May 9
"May 9 - Victory Day"
Publishing house "Planet". Photo by E. Savalov, 1974 .
Order of the Patriotic War II degree"

And here is another one again:

From the history of the award

This cross is the most famous award. The sign known in military history Russia as the "George Cross" - the most legendary, revered and massive award of the Russian Empire.

Institution.

The original name of the award was "Insignia of the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George". It was established by the Highest Order of Emperor Alexander I of February 13 (23), 1807. The task is to inspire courage lower ranks and mark them. The name of the first recipient is known - Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin, non-commissioned officer of the Cavalier Guard Regiment - for the battle near Friedland, in Prussia on December 14, 1809, "for the skillful and brave execution of orders." Friedland is the current city of Pravdinsk.

Award rules.

Unlike all other soldier's medals, the cross was awarded exclusively for a specific feat, because "this insignia is acquired only on the battlefield, during the siege and defense of fortresses, and on the waters in naval battles." The list was clearly and in detail regulated by its Statute.
It is characteristic that not only a soldier could receive an award for the feat indicated there. The future Decembrists Muravyov-Apostol and Yakushkin, who fought under Borodino in the rank of ensign, which did not give the right to an officer award, received St. George's crosses No. near Leipzig received the George Cross of the 4th degree. The vicissitudes of fate - in 1825 he was shot dead on Senate Square Decembrist Kakhovsky.

Privilege.

The lower rank - holder of the St. George Cross in the army was spared from corporal punishment. The soldier or non-commissioned officer awarded by him received a salary of a third more than usual, for each new cross the salary was increased by another third, until the salary was doubled. The surplus salary remained for life after retirement, it could be received by widows within a year after the death of the gentleman.

Award block of times Crimean War: Insignia of the military order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, medals - "For the defense of Sevastopol" and "In memory of the Crimean War of 1853 - 1854 - 1855 - 1856". The block was tied to the uniform on strings.

Degrees.

On March 19, 1856, four degrees of the award were introduced, the award was made sequentially. The signs were worn on a ribbon on the chest and were made of gold (1st and 2nd) and silver (3rd and 4th). The numbering of signs was not general, but began anew for each degree. "Either the chest in crosses, or the head in the bushes" - it's all about him.

Georgievsky Cavalier.

Full Knight of St. George - all four degrees of the cross, 1st and 3rd degree - block with a bow. Two medals on the right - "For Bravery".

The only one who received crosses 5 times is Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, moreover, because of his love for massacre. He was deprived of his first award, the St. George Cross of the 4th degree, in court for assaulting a senior in rank. I had to receive the award again, already on the Turkish front, at the end of the 14th year. George Cross 3rd degree was received by him in January 1916 for participation in the battles near Mendelidzh. In March 1916 he was awarded the 2nd degree cross. In July 1916, Budyonny received the St. George Cross of the 1st degree, for the fact that five of them brought 7 Turkish soldiers from a sortie.

Women.

Several cases of awarding women with a cross are known: this is the "cavalry girl" Nadezhda Durova, who received the award in 1807, in the lists of gentlemen she is listed under the name of the cornet Alexander Alexandrov. For the battle of Dennewitz in 1813, another woman received the George Cross - Sophia Dorothea Frederick Krueger, a non-commissioned officer from the Prussian brigade Borstell. 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, commander " women's battalion death" had two Georges.

For foreigners.

For non-believers.

From the end of August 1844, a special cross was installed to reward military personnel of a different religion, it differed from the usual topics that in the center of the medallion was depicted the coat of arms of Russia - a double-headed eagle. The first full cavalier of the cross for the Gentiles was the police cadet of the 2nd Dagestan irregular cavalry regiment Labazan Ibragim Khalil-ogly.

George Cross.

The award began to be officially called the St. George Cross since 1913, when the new Statute of the "insignia of the Military Order" was approved, the numbering of the crosses from that time began anew. The new statute also introduced life-long allowances: 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 a year, an increase for cavaliers of several degrees or the pension was paid only for the highest degree. A pension of 120 rubles in those days was quite a decent amount, the salary of a skilled worker in 1913 was about 200 rubles a year.

About numbering.

The first crosses of 1807 were not numbered. This was corrected in 1809, when it was ordered to compile exact lists of gentlemen, the crosses were temporarily removed and numbered. Their exact number is known - 9,937.

The numbering allows you to determine who the award belonged to. This cross of the 4th degree - junior non-commissioned officer of the Grenadier Corps of the engineer battalion Mikhail Bubnov, order dated July 17, 1915, No. 180, was distributed by Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich on August 27 of the same year (RGVIA archive, fund 2179, inventory 1, file 517 ).

The numbering of the crosses was resumed several times - by the different pattern of the numbering font, you can determine which of the periods the award belongs to. When during the First World War the number of awards exceeded one million, on the reverse, on the upper beam of the cross, the designation 1 / M appeared.

St. George Ribbon.

It is traditionally believed that the colors of the ribbon - black and yellow - mean "smoke and flame" and are a sign of the soldier's personal prowess on the battlefield. Another version - these colors are based on the life of St. George the Victorious and symbolize his death and resurrection: St. George went through death three times and was resurrected twice.
There is a simpler version. The colors of the ribbon at the establishment of the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George in 1769 were established by Catherine II and took the colors for the colors of the ribbon imperial standard: black and yellow-gold, excluding white.

Certificate of acceptance of the St. George Cross to the Fund for the Protection of the Fatherland


Due to the shortage of precious metals, by decree of Nicholas II in 1915, the gold content in St. George's crosses of the 1st and 2nd degrees was first reduced to 600 thousandths - crosses of the 3rd and 4th degrees continued to be made from 990 silver. In 1917, cretes began to be made from non-precious metals, and the letters ZhM (yellow metal) and BM (white metal) were minted on the crosses themselves.
At this time, the government was collecting donations to the Fatherland Defense Fund. One of these collections was the collection of awards from precious metals to the state fund. Everywhere in the army and navy, lower ranks and officers surrendered their awards of silver and gold. Documents confirming these facts have been preserved in the archives.

After February 17th.

Left: St. George's cross with a laurel branch. This was awarded after February 1917 to officers who distinguished themselves in battle. To receive the award, the decision of the assembly of the lower ranks was required. Right: Posters 1914 - 1717

After October, by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of December 16, 1917, signed by V. I. Lenin, "On the equalization of all military personnel in rights," orders and other insignia, including the St. George Cross, were canceled. But still on at least until April 1918, holders of the St. George's Crosses and medals were given a "surplus salary". It was only with the liquidation of the Chapter of Orders that the issuance of money for these awards ceased.

against the Bolsheviks.

During the years of the Civil War in the White Army, awarding military decorations was a rarity, especially in initial period- among the White Guards it was considered immoral to award Russians with military awards for exploits in the war against the Russians. General Wrangel, in order not to award the St. George Cross, established a special order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was equated with St. George.

Cross to the Great Patriotic War.

The legend claims that during the Great Patriotic War, the possibility of restoring the award and resuming the awards with the St. George Cross was considered, but was rejected because of its religious overtones. The Order of Glory, a soldier's award - a star on the block of the St. George's ribbon, has a very similar award status with the St. George's Cross.

1945 year. Demobilized soldiers who arrived in Leningrad. On the right is Private F. G. Vadyukhin, a participant in three guard wars. The famous photograph testifies to an unusual rule for the Red Army that appeared during the war - holders of the St. George's Crosses were unofficially allowed to wear these awards.

Philip Grigorievich Vadyukhin was born in 1897 in the village of Perkino, Spassky district, Ryazan province. Drafted into the Red Army on October 16, 1941 by the Vyborg RVC of the city of Leningrad. He was a shooter, then a medical instructor in the 65th Guards rifle regiment 22nd Guards Rifle Division of Riga. In addition to the George Cross and guards badge, the photo shows four stripes for wounds, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Glory of the third degree (he was awarded for assisting 40 wounded and evacuating 25 wounded under enemy fire on December 26-31, 1944 near the village of Muzikas in Latvia) and two medals "For courage."

Nowadays.

The Russian military order of St. George and the sign "St. George's Cross" were restored in Russian Federation in 1992 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation of March 2, 1992 No. 2424-I "On state awards Russian Federation". 11 people were awarded.

George Cross at the Mint

The dream of every warrior, from a simple private to the commanders of entire armies, from the smallest cog in a complex machine that protects the homeland from enemy attacks, up to its most gigantic levers and hammers, is, after returning home after a quarrelsome suffering, to bring, as a material proof of personal courage and military prowess is a silver or gold cross of St. George on a two-color, black and yellow ribbon.
Titanic wars, like the current one, involve many victims on the altar of people's love and devotion to the fatherland. But the same war will give birth to many feats, many truly heroic deeds are crowned the highest award brave men - the St. George Cross.
We are literally trying to do the impossible, Baron P. V. Klebek, head of the Petrograd Mint to satisfy with possible speed Orders given to us by the Chapter of the Orders for the manufacture of St. George's crosses and medals. The premises of the Mint are so small, so far from meeting the real needs of the present time, that the only palliative was the introduction of almost continuous work for a whole day, with the exception of those intervals that are necessary for lubricating the machinery and apparatus of the Mint.
Thanks to such intensive work, we managed to achieve the fact that there are no delays in satisfying these reinforced orders for coins, St. George's crosses and medals. During the last four months of the past year, the Mint minted one silver token for 8,700,000 rubles or more than 54,000,000 mugs; copper coins for the same period were minted for a million rubles, for this it took about 60,000,000 copper mugs to be knocked out.
For 1915, we have already received an order for the manufacture of a silver coin for 25,000,000 rubles and a copper coin for 1,600,000 rubles, which will total over 406,000,000 circles. St. George's crosses and medals are made in a special "medal" department of the Mint. Upon receipt of an order from the Chapter of Orders for the manufacture of the required number of crosses and medals, the required amount of gold and silver ingots is released from the metal treasury of the Mint to the medal department. Upon receipt of ingots in the medal department, the metals enter the smelter, where noble metals are alloyed with the required amount of pure copper in graphite crucibles.

Silver and gold, from which St. George's crosses and medals are made, are prepared very high standard, higher than gold and silver, which is used to make coins. For the latter, nine hundred parts are taken per thousand parts. noble metal and one hundred parts of copper. For the manufacture of St. George's crosses and medals, only ten parts of copper and nine hundred and ninety parts of pure electrolytic gold or silver are taken per thousand parts.
The process of ligation in the crucible takes three, three and a half hours. After that, a sufficiently molten and mixed mass of metal is poured into special forms, "moulds", cooling in which, the metal is obtained in the form of strips, about eight inches long, a square inch thick and weighing: silver strips 20 pounds, gold - 35 pounds.

These strips are rolled through special rollers into ribbons slightly wider than the width of the cross and medal. The next stage in the manufacture of crosses and medals is the cutting of the ribbon, i.e. cutting from ribbons by machine metal pieces equal to the contours of the cross and circles equal to the contours of the medal. The resulting crosses and circles are cleaned with files from burrs or burrs and enter a special department, where they are cleaned and polished with sand.

The crosses cleaned in this way go under the so-called pedal press, where the St. George crosses are minted, i.e. extrusion on both sides of the cross on one side of the image of George the Victorious, on the other side of the cipher and designation of the degree. On the medal, a portrait of the Sovereign Emperor is minted on one side, on the other "for courage" and the designation of the degree. Both crosses and medals, as you know, have four degrees. The first and second degrees of both medals are gold, the third and fourth are silver.

When chasing along the edges, flattening of the metal occurs and therefore the crosses from under the medal press are sent for cutting to a special machine, which gives the cross its final look. From under this machine, the cross falls for the final finishing and polishing of the edges with files, after which a special machine pierces the eye, which ends the machine processing of the crosses. It remains to make a knockout on each cross and medal serial number.

Before the current war, only orders granted to officers were called St. George's crosses. The lower ranks received silver and gold insignia of the military order. Medals were issued "for courage" and the name "George medals" was received only shortly before the start of the Second Patriotic War. Therefore, the numbering of all manufactured by the Mint for real war crosses in medals is conducted from the first number.
The numbers are knocked out with special manual punches, and exceptional attention is required from the master, since the error in the figure cannot be corrected and the damaged cross must, like a marriage, go back to the fusion. The renumbered crosses and medals enter the last packing compartment, in which the rings are first threaded into the ears of the crosses and medals, and then these latter are packed into special bundles, 50 pieces each, for delivery to the Chapter of the Orders. The rings inserted into the ears are made of gold and silver wire, also 990, which is drawn on special machines also in the medal department of the Mint. It is also necessary to mention the side work closely connected at the Mint with the production of St. George's crosses and medals. This is a testing of metals from which all ordered crosses and medals are made.

After the strips of metal leave the melting department, small pieces of metal are taken from the first, last and middle strips of this batch and sent to a special "assay" department of the Mint, in which department the determination of the metal sample is carried out using extremely accurate instruments. We also mention automatic stamp-cutting machines that make stamps for medals and crosses.

Head of the medal department, mining engineer N.N. Perebaskin, shared with our employee information about the progress of work.

During the entire Japanese campaign for a year and a half, we had to make only up to one hundred and thirty thousand crosses. Now, for the period of time from July 24th (the day we received the first order from the Chapter of Orders), we have ordered 266,000 St. George's crosses by January 1st. and St. George medals 350,000 pieces. Having energetically taken up the fulfillment of this order, we managed to hand over 191,000 St. George's crosses by January 1 of this year. and St. George medals 238,000 pcs. On the day for the manufacture of crosses, we melt 12 pounds. silver and up to 8 pounds. gold. A thousand gold crosses weigh 1 pood 11 pounds of metal, 1,000 silver crosses 30 pounds, 1,000 gold medals 1 pood 22 pounds, silver one pood.

Among all military awards in Russian history, the St. George Cross occupies special place. This badge of military prowess is the most famous award pre-revolutionary Russia. The soldier's St. George's Cross can be called the most massive award of the Russian Empire, because it marked the lower ranks (soldiers and non-commissioned officers).

Officially, this award was equated with the Order of St. George, established by Catherine the Great in the 18th century. The George Cross had four degrees, according to the statute of the award, receive this badge military distinction it was possible only for courage on the battlefield.

This insignia lasted a little over a hundred years: it was established in the period Napoleonic Wars, shortly before the French invasion of Russia. The last conflict in which several million people received St. George's Crosses of various degrees was the First World War.

The Bolsheviks canceled this award, and the St. George Cross insignia was restored only after the collapse of the USSR. In the Soviet period, the attitude towards the St. George Cross was ambiguous, although a huge number of St. George Knights fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War - and fought well. Among the holders of the St. George Cross are Marshal of Victory Georgy Zhukov, Konstantin Rokossovsky and Rodion Malinovsky. Full St. George Knights were soviet marshal Budyonny, commanders Tyulenev and Eremenko.

The legendary partisan commander Sidor Kovpak was awarded the cross twice.

Cavaliers of the George Cross received monetary incentives, they were paid a pension. Naturally, the largest amount paid for the first (highest) degree of the award.

Description of the George Cross

The insignia of the order was a cross with blades expanding towards the end. In the center of the cross was a round medallion, on the front side of which was depicted St. George slaying a snake. On the reverse side the medallion was marked with the letters C and G in the form of a monogram.

The crossbars of the cross on the front side remained clean, and the serial number of the award was applied on the reverse. It was necessary to wear a cross on a black and orange St. George ribbon (“colors of smoke and flame”).

The George Cross was highly respected in military environment: lower ranks, even after receiving officer rank, proudly wore it among officer awards.

In 1856 this award badge was divided into four degrees: the first and second were made of gold, the third and fourth - of silver. The degree of the award was indicated on its reverse. The distinction was awarded sequentially: from the fourth to the first degree.

History of the George Cross

The Order of St. George has existed in Russia since the 18th century, but this order should not be confused with the soldier's St. George's Cross - these are different awards.

In 1807, the Russian Emperor Alexander I was presented with a note with a proposal to establish an award for the lower ranks who distinguished themselves on the battlefield. The emperor considered the proposal quite reasonable. Just the day before it happened bloody battle at Preisisch-Eylau, where the Russian soldiers demonstrated remarkable courage.

However, there was one problem: it was impossible to award the lower ranks with orders. At that time, they were given only to representatives of the nobility, the order was not just a “piece of iron” on the chest, but also a symbol social status, he emphasized the "knightly" position of its owner.

Therefore, Alexander I went to the trick: he ordered that the lower ranks be awarded not with an order, but with the "insignia of the order." And so the award appeared, which later became the St. George Cross. According to the emperor's manifesto, only the lower ranks who showed "dauntless courage" on the battlefield could receive the George Cross. By status, a reward could be received, for example, for capturing an enemy banner, for capturing an enemy officer, or for skillful actions during a battle. A concussion or injury did not give the right to a reward if it was not associated with a feat.

The cross had to be worn on the St. George ribbon, threading it into a buttonhole.

Non-commissioned officer Mitrokhin, who distinguished himself in the battle of Friedland in the same 1807, became the first cavalier of soldier George.

Initially, the George Cross did not have degrees and could be issued an unlimited number of times. True, the badge itself was not issued again, but the salary of a serviceman increased by a third. It was impossible to apply corporal punishment to the holders of the George Cross.

In 1833, the insignia of the Military Order was incorporated into the statute of the Order of St. George. There were also some other innovations: commanders of armies and corps could now award crosses. This greatly simplified the process and reduced bureaucratic red tape.

In 1844, the George Cross for Muslims was designed, in which Saint George was replaced by a double-headed eagle.

In 1856, the George Cross was divided into four degrees. The reverse of the badge indicated the degree of the award. Each degree had its own numbering.

Over the entire history of the St. George Cross with four degrees, more than two thousand people have become its full gentlemen.

Another significant change in the statute of the Insignia of the military order took place on the eve of the First World War, in 1913. Award received official name"St. George's Cross", the St. George Medal (numbered medal for bravery) was also established. The St. George medal also had four degrees and was issued to the lower ranks, irregular troops and border guard. This medal (unlike the George Cross) could be awarded to civilians, as well as military personnel in peacetime.

According to the new statute of the insignia, now the St. George Cross could serve as a posthumous award, which was transferred to the relatives of the hero. The numbering of the award from 1913 again began anew.
In 1914 the First World War, millions were drafted into the army Russian citizens. During the three years of the war, more than 1.5 million St. George's crosses of various degrees were awarded.

The first Knight of St. George of this war was Don Cossack Kozma Kryuchkov, who (according to official version) in an unequal battle destroyed more than ten German cavalrymen. Kryuchkov was awarded "George" of the fourth degree. During the war, Kryuchkov became a full Knight of St. George.

During the First World War, women were repeatedly awarded the St. George Cross; foreigners fighting in Russian army.

changed and appearance awards: heavy war time the highest degrees of the cross (first and second) began to be made of low-grade gold, and the third and fourth degrees of the award significantly lost weight.

The Statute of 1913 significantly expanded the list of acts for which the St. George Cross was awarded. This largely negated the value of this insignia. During the First World War, more than 1.2 million people became cavaliers of Egoriy. Judging by the number of awardees, there was simply mass heroism in the Russian army. Then it is not clear why these millions of heroes soon disgracefully fled home.

According to the statute, the cross should have been issued only for feats on the battlefield, but this principle was not always followed. Georgy Zhukov received one of his St. George's Crosses for shell shock. Apparently, the future Soviet marshal already in those years knew how to find mutual language with his superiors.

After the February Revolution, the status of the St. George Cross was again changed, now it could also be awarded to officers after the corresponding decision of the soldiers' meetings. In addition, this combat insignia began to be favored for purely political reasons. For example, the cross was awarded to Timofey Kirpichnikov, who killed an officer and led a rebellion in his regiment. Prime Minister Kerensky became a cavalier of two degrees of the cross at once, for "tearing off the banner of tsarism" in Russia.

There are cases when entire military units or warships. Among others, this sign was granted to the crews of the Varyag cruiser and the Korean gunboat.

During the Civil War, in the units of the White Army, soldiers and non-commissioned officers continued to be awarded St. George's Crosses. True, the attitude towards awards among white movement was ambiguous: many considered it shameful to receive awards for participating in a fratricidal war.

On the territory of the Donskoy army, George the Victorious on the cross turned into a Cossack: he was wearing a Cossack uniform, a hat with a hood, from under which a forelock protruded.

The Bolsheviks canceled all awards Russian empire, including the George Cross. However, after the start of World War II, the attitude towards the award changed. "George" was not allowed, as many historians claim, but the authorities looked "through their fingers" at wearing this sign.

Among the Soviet awards, the Order of Glory had an ideology similar to that of a soldier.

St. George's crosses were also awarded to collaborators who served in the Russian Corps. Last award took place in 1941.

The most famous St. George knights

Over the entire existence of this award, about 3.5 million St. George's crosses of various degrees have been issued. Among the holders of this insignia there are many famous personalities who can safely be called historical.

Shortly after the appearance of the award, the famous “cavalry girl” Durova received it, the cross was granted to her for saving the life of an officer.

George Crosses were awarded former Decembrists Muraviev-Apostol and Yakushkin - they fought at Borodino in the rank of ensigns.

General Miloradovich also received this soldier's award for his personal participation in the battle of Leipzig. The cross was handed to him personally by Emperor Alexander, who witnessed this episode.

Highly famous character for his era was Kozma Kryuchkov - the first gentleman "George" of the First World War.

The famous commander of the Civil War, Vasily Chapaev, was awarded three crosses at once and the St. George medal.

The holder of the St. George Cross was Maria Bochkareva, the commander of the women's "death battalion", created in 1917.

In spite of great amount crosses issued over the entire period of the existence of this award, today this insignia is a rarity. It is especially difficult to buy the St. George Cross of the first and second degrees. Where did they go?

After the February Revolution, the Provisional Government issued a call to hand over its awards to the "needs of the revolution." So Georgy Zhukov lost his crosses. Many awards were sold or melted down during the famine (there were several during the Soviet period). Then a cross made of silver or gold could be exchanged for several kilograms of flour or even a couple of loaves of bread.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Original taken from hanzzz_muller to GEORGE'S CROSS

[From the history of awards - part I]
This cross is the most famous award. The sign, known in the military history of Russia as the "George Cross" is the most legendary, revered and massive award of the Russian Empire.

1. Institution.
The original name of the award was "Insignia of the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George". It was established by the Highest Order of Emperor Alexander I of February 13 (23), 1807. The task is to inspire the lower ranks to courage and note them. The name of the first recipient is known - Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin, non-commissioned officer of the Cavalier Guard Regiment - for the battle near Friedland, in Prussia on December 14, 1809, "for the skillful and brave execution of orders." Friedland is the current city of Pravdinsk.


These are different awards different status. And they look different.

2. Rules for awarding.
Unlike all other soldier's medals, the cross was awarded exclusively for a specific feat, because "this insignia is acquired only on the battlefield, during the siege and defense of fortresses, and on the waters in naval battles." The list was clearly and in detail regulated by its Status.
It is characteristic that not only a soldier could receive an award for the feat indicated there. The future Decembrists Muravyov-Apostol and Yakushkin, who fought under Borodino in the rank of ensign, which did not give the right to an officer award, received St. George's crosses No. near Leipzig received the George Cross of the 4th degree. The vicissitudes of fate - in 1825 he was shot dead on Senate Square by the Decembrist Kakhovsky.

3. Privileges.
The lower rank - holder of the St. George Cross in the army was spared from corporal punishment. The soldier or non-commissioned officer awarded by him received a salary of a third more than usual, for each new cross the salary was increased by another third, until the salary was doubled. The surplus salary remained for life after retirement, it could be received by widows within a year after the death of the gentleman.

Award block of the times of the Crimean War: Insignia of the military order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, medals - "For the Defense of Sevastopol" and "In Memory of the Crimean War of 1853 - 1854 - 1855 - 1856" . The block was tied to the uniform on strings.

4. Degrees.
On March 19, 1856, four degrees of the award were introduced, the award was made sequentially. The signs were worn on a ribbon on the chest and were made of gold (1st and 2nd) and silver (3rd and 4th). The numbering of signs was not general, but began anew for each degree. "Either the chest in crosses, or the head in the bushes" - it's all about him.

5. Knight of St. George.

Full Knight of St. George - all four degrees of the cross, 1st and 3rd degree - block with a bow. Two medals on the right - "For Bravery".

The only one who received crosses 5 times is Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, moreover, because of his love for massacre. He was deprived of his first award, the St. George Cross of the 4th degree, in court for assaulting a senior in rank. I had to receive the award again, already on the Turkish front, at the end of the 14th year. George Cross 3rd degree was received by him in January 1916 for participation in the battles near Mendelidzh. In March 1916 he was awarded the 2nd degree cross. In July 1916, Budyonny received the St. George Cross of the 1st degree, for the fact that five of them brought 7 Turkish soldiers from a sortie.

6. Women.
Several cases of awarding women with a cross are known: this is the "cavalry girl" Nadezhda Durova, who received the award in 1807, in the lists of gentlemen she is listed under the name of the cornet Alexander Alexandrov. For the battle of Dennewitz in 1813, another woman received the George Cross - Sophia Dorothea Frederick Krueger, a non-commissioned officer from the Prussian brigade Borstell. 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, commander of the "women's death battalion" had two Georges.

7. For foreigners.

8. For non-believers.
From the end of August 1844, a special cross was installed to reward military personnel of a different religion, it differed from the usual one in that the coat of arms of Russia, a double-headed eagle, was depicted in the center of the medallion. The first full cavalier of the cross for the Gentiles was the police cadet of the 2nd Dagestan irregular cavalry regiment Labazan Ibragim Khalil-ogly.

9. Feat "Varangian".

Award block of the lower rank of the cruiser crew. On the right - a specially established medal "For the battle of the Varangian and the Korean on January 27, 1904 - Chemulpo"

Gift address for crew members from Nobility Assembly St. Petersburg.

10. George Cross.
The award began to be officially called the St. George Cross since 1913, when a new statute of the "insignia of the Military Order" was approved, the numbering of the crosses from that time began anew. The new statute also introduced life-long allowances: 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 a year, an increase for cavaliers of several degrees or the pension was paid only for the highest degree. A pension of 120 rubles in those days was quite a decent amount, the salary of a skilled worker in 1913 was about 200 rubles a year.

11. About numbering.
The first crosses of 1807 were not numbered. This was corrected in 1809, when it was ordered to compile exact lists of gentlemen, the crosses were temporarily removed and numbered. Their exact number is known - 9,937.

The numbering will allow you to establish who the award belonged to. This cross of the 4th degree - junior non-commissioned officer of the Grenadier Corps of the engineer battalion Mikhail Bubnov, order dated July 17, 1915, No. 180, was distributed by Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich on August 27 of the same year (RGVIA archive, fund 2179, inventory 1, file 517 ).

The numbering of the crosses was resumed several times - by the different pattern of the numbering font, you can determine which of the periods the award belongs to. When during the First World War the number of awards exceeded one million, on the reverse, on the upper beam of the cross, the designation 1 / M appeared.

12. St. George ribbon.

It is traditionally believed that the colors of the ribbon - black and yellow - mean "smoke and flame" and are a sign of the soldier's personal prowess on the battlefield. Another version - these colors are based on the life of St. George the Victorious and symbolize his death and resurrection: St. George went through death three times and was resurrected twice.
There is a simpler version. The colors of the ribbon at the establishment of the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George in 1769 were established by Catherine II and took the colors of the imperial standard for the color of the ribbon: black and yellow-gold, excluding white.

13. After February 17th.

Left: St. George's cross with a laurel branch. This was awarded after February 1917 to officers who distinguished themselves in battle. To receive the award, the decision of the assembly of the lower ranks was required. Right: Posters 1914 - 1717

14. Against the Bolsheviks.
During the years of the Civil War in the White Army, awarding military decorations was a rarity, especially in the initial period - the White Guard considered it immoral to award military decorations to Russians for feats in the war against the Russians. General Wrangel, in order not to award the St. George Cross, established a special order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was equated with St. George.

15. Cross to the Great Patriotic War.
The legend claims that during the Great Patriotic War, the possibility of restoring the award and resuming the awards with the St. George Cross was considered, but was rejected because of its religious overtones. The Order of Glory, a soldier's award - a star on the block of the St. George's ribbon, has a very similar award status with the St. George's Cross.

1945 year. Demobilized soldiers who arrived in Leningrad. On the right is Private F. G. Vadyukhin, a participant in three guard wars. The famous photograph testifies to an unusual rule for the Red Army that appeared during the war - holders of the St. George's Crosses were unofficially allowed to wear these awards.
Photo at the link: http://waralbum.ru/38820/

Philip Grigorievich Vadyukhin was born in 1897 in the village of Perkino, Spassky district, Ryazan province. Drafted into the Red Army on October 16, 1941 by the Vyborg RVC of the city of Leningrad. He was a shooter, then a medical instructor in the 65th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 22nd Guards Rifle Division in Riga. In addition to the St. George Cross and the badge of the guards, the photo shows four stripes for wounds, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Glory of the third degree (awarded to him for helping 40 wounded and evacuating 25 wounded under enemy fire on December 26-31, 1944 near the village of Muzikas in Latvia ) and two medals "For Courage".

16. Archive.

Data on the awardees is currently stored in the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA) in Moscow. The data is incomplete - part of the documents from military units they did not manage to get into the archive due to the events of the 17th. After the First World War, it was planned to build a temple and a memorial dedicated to all St. George Cavaliers However, for well-known reasons, the good undertaking was never realized.

17. Nowadays.
The Russian military order of St. George and the sign "St. George's Cross" were restored in the Russian Federation in 1992 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation dated March 2, 1992 No. 2424-I "On state awards of the Russian Federation". 11 people were awarded.
No comments.

18. P. S. - a private opinion about St. George's Ribbon.
On the Victory Day I St. George ribbon I don `t wear. I don't even hit the car. The ribbon is always the badge of the recipient of the award. I did not "take away the enemy's banner or standard", I did not even "pull out our banner or standard, captured by the enemy."
And if you don’t deserve it, then you don’t deserve to wear it.

Application (for an amateur).
19. Manufacturing technology.
"GEORGE'S CROSS" - AT THE MINT.
Magazine "Spark" No. 5 of February 1 (14), 1915, pp. 5-6

The dream of every warrior, from a simple private to the commanders of entire armies, from the smallest cog in a complex machine that protects the homeland from enemy attacks, up to its most gigantic levers and hammers, is, after returning home after a quarrelsome suffering, to bring, as a material proof of personal courage and military prowess is a silver or gold cross of St. George on a two-color, black and yellow ribbon.
Titanic wars, like the current one, involve many victims on the altar of people's love and devotion to the fatherland. But the same war will give birth to many feats, many truly heroic deeds are crowned with the highest award for brave men - the St. George Cross.
“We are literally trying to do the impossible,” Baron P.V. Klebek, head of the Petrograd Mint, told our employee, “in order to satisfy as quickly as possible the orders given to us by the Chapter of Orders for the production of St. George's crosses and medals. The premises of the Mint are so small, so does not correspond to the real needs of the present time, that the only palliative was the introduction of almost continuous work for a whole day, with the exception of those intervals that are necessary for lubricating the machines and apparatus of the Mint.
Thanks to such intensive work, we managed to achieve the fact that there are no delays in satisfying these reinforced orders for coins, St. George's crosses and medals. During the last four months of the past year, the Mint minted one silver token for 8,700,000 rubles or more than 54,000,000 mugs; copper coins for the same period were minted for a million rubles, for this it took about 60,000,000 copper mugs to be knocked out.
For 1915, we have already received an order for the production of a silver coin for 25,000,000 rubles and a copper coin for 1,600,000 rubles, which will total over 406,000,000 circles. St. George's crosses and medals are made in a special "medal" department of the Mint. Upon receipt of an order from the Chapter of Orders for the manufacture of the required number of crosses and medals, the required amount of gold and silver ingots is released from the metal treasury of the Mint to the medal department. Upon receipt of ingots in the medal department, the metals enter the smelter, where noble metals are alloyed with the required amount of pure copper in graphite crucibles.
Silver and gold, from which St. George's crosses and medals are made, are made of a very high standard, higher than the gold and silver used to make coins. For the latter, nine hundred parts of noble metal and one hundred parts of copper are taken per thousand parts. For the manufacture of St. George's crosses and medals, only ten parts of copper and nine hundred and ninety parts of pure electrolytic gold or silver are taken per thousand parts.
The ligation process in the crucible takes three to three and a half hours. After that, a sufficiently molten and mixed mass of metal is poured into special molds, "moulds" (picture No. 1), cooling in which, the metal is obtained in the form of strips, about eight inches long, a square inch thick and weighing: silver strips 20 pounds, gold - 35 pounds.

These strips are rolled through special rollers into ribbons slightly wider than the width of the cross and medal. The next stage in the manufacture of crosses and medals is the cutting of the ribbon (picture No. 2), i.e. cutting from ribbons by machine metal pieces equal to the contours of the cross and circles equal to the contours of the medal. The resulting crosses and circles are cleaned with files from burrs or burrs and enter a special department, where they are cleaned and polished with sand (picture No. 3).
The crosses cleaned in this way go under the so-called pedal press, where the chasing of the St. George crosses takes place (picture No. 4), that is, the extrusion on both sides of the cross on one side of the image of St. picture no. 13). On the medal, a portrait of the Sovereign Emperor is minted on one side (picture No. 14), on the other side "for courage" and a designation of the degree (picture No. 15). Both crosses and medals, as you know, have four degrees. The first and second degrees of both medals are gold, the third and fourth are silver.

When chasing, flattening of the metal occurs along the edges, and therefore the crosses from under the medal press are sent for cutting to a special machine (picture No. 5, the assistant manager, mining engineer A.F. Hartman, is standing on the left), which gives the cross its final look. From under this machine, the cross falls for the final finishing and polishing of the edges with files (picture No. 6. On the right are: in front of the head of the Mint, Baron P.V. Klebek, behind the manager of the medal part, mining engineer N.N. Perebaskin), after which a special machine pierces the eye, which ends the machine processing of crosses. It remains to produce a serial number on each cross and medal. Pictures No. 10, 11, 12 and 13 depict the gradual stages of the development of St. George's crosses, after which a special machine pierces the eye, which ends the machine processing of the crosses. It remains to produce a serial number on each cross and medal.

After the strips of metal come out of the melting department, small pieces of metal are taken from the first, last and middle strips of this batch and sent to a special "assay" department of the Mint, in which department the metal sample is determined using extremely accurate tools (picture No. 9). Let's also mention automatic stamp-cutting machines that make stamps for medals and crosses (picture No. 8).

Head of the medal department, mining engineer N.N. Perebaskin, shared with our employee information about the progress of work: "For the entire Japanese campaign for a year and a half, we had to make only up to one hundred and thirty thousand crosses. Now, for the period from July 24th (the day we received the first order from the Chapter Orders), we were ordered 266,000 St. George's Crosses and 350,000 St. George's medals by January 1. Undertaking energetically to fulfill this order, we managed to hand over 191,000 St. George's Crosses and 238,000 St. George's medals by January 1 of this year. On the day for the manufacture of crosses, we melt 12 poods of silver and up to 8 poods of gold. A thousand gold crosses weigh 1 pood 11 pounds of metal, 1,000 silver crosses 30 pounds, 1,000 gold medals 1 pood 22 pounds, silver one pood.

20. Authentication.
1. Do the original, silver or gold, high quality metal - because practical absence alloys (only 1% copper). The silver of the cross (before 1915) practically does not darken.
2. The original cross has a clearer elaboration of details. The cross and numbering were made by the stamp method, at high pressure, while copies are made by casting. In addition, casting leaves micro-shells.
Size 3. Of course, the technology of dental prosthetics has stepped far forward, but the size of the copy, due to its cooling after casting, will be slightly smaller than the original.
4. Grooves from the mold stamp. On the side surfaces of the original cross, even after its processing, they are clearly visible. When casting, it is problematic to reproduce them.
5. The eye hole was punched with a special machine, which slightly deformed the cross. The edge of the hole is not rounded.