Award awarded to representatives of the lower ranks of the imperial army from 1807 to 1917. For a long time, this name was unofficial, until in 1913 it was enshrined in the statute. The insignia assigned to the Order of St. George was the highest praise for the soldiers and non-commissioned officers. It was awarded for military merit and bravery on the battlefield. Today we will get acquainted with the history of the establishment and use of St. George's crosses of 4 degrees.

Idea

On January 6, 1807, in a note addressed to Alexander the First from an unknown author, the establishment of a soldier's award - the 5th class, or a special branch of the Order of St. George, was initiated. The note also suggested that it be made in the form of a silver cross, not the St. George ribbon. The emperor liked this initiative, and already on February 13 of the same year, under his manifesto, an award for "undaunted courage" was established for the lower military ranks. According to the 4th article of the manifesto, it had to be worn on the same colors as the Order of St. George. Cavaliers were ordered to always wear this sign, and take it off only if they received the Order of St. George. In 1855, it was allowed to combine soldier and officer awards.

First Cavaliers

The first soldier to be awarded the St. George Cross was Yegor Ivanovich Mitrokhin, who distinguished himself in the battle with the French on June 2, 1807. Having served until 1817, he retired with the rank of ensign. Somewhat later, ensign Vasily Berezkin was awarded the soldier George for his services in the battle with the French near Morungen, which took place on January 6, 1807, that is, before the establishment of the award.

Award practice

At the establishment of 4 degrees, St. George's crosses did not have. The number of awards to one soldier with a distinction was also not regulated. The cross was directly awarded only once, and with subsequent awards to the gentleman, his salary was increased by a third, up to a double salary. The soldier's award was minted from silver and was not covered with enamel, unlike the officer's. On July 15, 1808, a decree was adopted exempting holders of the St. George Cross from corporal punishment. The removal of the insignia from the recipient could be carried out only after the appropriate decision of the court and with the obligatory notification of the emperor.

The practice of awarding the civilian population with the St. George Cross was also widespread, but its representatives were not given the right to be called a knight. So, in 1810, Matvey Gerasimov was awarded, who managed to save his ship carrying flour from capture by English soldiers. After 11 days of captivity, Matvey Andreevich, together with his crew of 9 people, captured the enemy's prize team and forced them to surrender. There was also a case when a soldier's award was awarded to General Miloradovich for his merits in the battle with the French near Leipzig.

At the beginning of 1809, the numbering of awards and name lists were introduced. By that time, the soldiers received about 10 thousand St. George's crosses. At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1912, almost 17 thousand crosses were made by the Mint. Unnumbered insignia were awarded until 1820. Such awards were awarded mainly to representatives of non-military ranks of the army and commanders of partisan detachments.

From 1813 to 1815 Knights of the St. George Cross could be soldiers of the allied armies of Russia, opposing the French. These included: Prussians, Swedes, Austrians, British, and representatives of various German states.

In total, under Alexander the First, about 46.5 thousand people were awarded the Royal George Cross.

Statute of 1833

In 1833, in the updated statute of the Order of St. George, the provisions on the insignia were also spelled out. It was then that the wearing of the St. George Cross with a bow of an orange-black St. George ribbon was introduced, and the gentlemen were awarded full surplus salaries for repeated feats.

In 1839, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Peace of Paris, a jubilee version of the cross was established. Outwardly, it was distinguished by the presence on the upper beam of the reverse of the monogram of Alexander the First. This award was given to members of the Prussian army.

In August 1844, Nicholas I issued a decree on the establishment of a variety of the George Cross for Muslims and other non-Christians. On such awards, instead of St. George striking a snake, a double-headed black eagle was depicted.

In total, during the reign of Nicholas I, almost 59 thousand soldiers received the award. Most of the cavaliers were awarded during the Russian-Persian and Russian-Turkish wars, as well as during the suppression of the Polish rebellion and during the Hungarian campaign.

Since 1855, those holders of the distinction, who were later awarded the officer order of St. George, were allowed to wear a cross on their uniform along with the highest award.

Four degrees

In March 1856, the emperor signed a decree on the introduction of 4 degrees of St. George's crosses. So, the first two degrees were made of gold, and the second - of silver. According to the drawing, the crosses differed only in the words “1st step.”, “2nd step.” etc. A separate numbering was started for each degree. The military cross of a new level was awarded sequentially. There were cases when the degree awarded depended on the level of valor shown. For example, on September 30, 1877, General I. Popovich-Lipovats was awarded the 4th degree, and on October 23 of the same year - the St. George Cross of the 1st degree.

From 1856 to 1913 about 7 thousand soldiers were awarded three degrees of insignia except for the first. And the honor of being a full cavalier of "soldier George" (the owner of all 4 degrees of the award) was received by about two thousand military men. The largest number of awards were presented during the Russo-Japanese War, the Russo-Turkish War, the Caucasian Campaign and the Central Asian Campaigns.

Statute of 1913

In 1913, in the new insignia statute, the award became officially known as the St. George Cross. At the same time, a new numbering of signs began. Since 1913, St. George's crosses of 4 degrees were awarded only to Christians and had a characteristic image of St. George. Also in the new statute was a provision that allowed the award for military feat to be awarded posthumously.

It was also practiced to give a soldier an award of the same degree several times. For example, ensign G.I. Solomin was awarded a total of 7 crosses and became almost twice a full Knight of St. George.

After the adoption of the new statute, Kozma Kryuchkov became the first knight of the St. George Cross on August 1, 1914, who brilliantly proved himself in an unequal battle against 27 German cavalrymen on July 30 of the same year. Subsequently, Kryuchkov received the other three degrees of the award. Despite all his merits, he did not become the owner of the cross number 1. The cross with this number was left at the discretion of the emperor and was handed over only on September 30, 1914 to Peter Cherny-Kovalchuk, who captured their banner in a battle with the Austrians.

Women were repeatedly awarded with the insignia of the Military Order for bravery in battle. For example, Cossack M. Smirnova and sister of mercy N. Plaksina were awarded three St. George's crosses. More than once, foreigners who supported the Russian army were awarded. So, the French bomber Marcel Plat was awarded two crosses, and his countryman Alphonse Poiret - four, as well as the Czech Karel Vashatko.

In 1915, due to the difficulties of the war, signs of the first and second degrees began to be made from low-grade gold, in which 39.5% was silver. In total, almost 80,000 cheap crosses were minted. On such crosses, under the letter "C" they put a brand depicting a head.

From 1914 to 1917 was awarded:

1. Insignia of the 1st degree - 33 thousand.
2. Crosses of the 2nd degree - 65 thousand.
3. St. George's crosses of the 3rd degree - 290 thousand.
4. 4th degree insignia - 1.2 million.

To indicate the serial number after a million, the stamp "1 / M" was used. The rest of the numbers were placed on the sides of the cross. In September 1916, the Council of Ministers decided to remove precious metals from the George Cross. Signs began to be made from cheap "yellow" and "white" metals. Such crosses had the designation "ZhM" or "BM" under the serial number. In total, about 170,000 non-precious crosses were issued.

In the history of the St. George Cross, there are cases of awarding entire units:

1. The crew of the brig "Mercury", which in 1829 took the fight with a pair of Turkish battleships and won it.
2. 4th hundred of the second Ural Cossack regiment, which survived in an unequal battle against the Kokand people in 1865.
3. The crew of the cruiser "Varyag" together with the crew of the gunboat "Koreets", who died in an unequal battle against the Japanese squadron during the Russo-Japanese War.
4. The 2nd hundred of the first Uman regiment of the Kuban Cossack army, which made the most difficult raid in 1916 as part of the Persian campaign.
5. The Kornilov shock regiment, which broke through positions near the village of Yamshitsa in 1917.

Changes in the country

After the February coup, cases of presenting the St. George Cross for purely political reasons became more frequent. So, the non-commissioned officer Kirpichnikov, who was the leader of the rebellion of the Life Guards of the Volynsky regiment, was awarded the award. And Prime Minister Kerensky received crosses of the 2nd and 4th degrees as "the fearless hero of the Russian revolution, who tore down the banner of tsarism."

In June 1917, the Provisional Government allowed officers to be awarded the St. George Cross by decision of the soldiers' meeting. In such cases, a laurel branch made of silver was attached to the ribbons of signs of the 4th and 3rd degrees, and gold was attached to the ribbons of signs of the 2nd and 1st degrees. About 2,000 such awards were given.

On December 16, 1917, the George Cross, as well as other awards of the Russian Empire, was abolished.

Civil War

Due to the lack of a unified command and the disunity of the army, a common award system was not created during the Civil War. There was also no single approach to the presentation of pre-revolutionary awards. In all territories occupied by representatives of the White Army, St. George's crosses and medals were still awarded to ordinary soldiers, Cossacks, non-commissioned officers, cadets, volunteers and sisters of mercy.

In the south of Russia, as well as in the territories of the Don and All-Great troops, George the Victorious was portrayed as a Cossack. In the Don Army, crosses were awarded not only to soldiers, but also to officers and even generals.

On February 9, 1919, the awarding of the St. George Cross was also restored on the Eastern Front of A. Kolchak. At the same time, the presentation of awards with a laurel branch to officers was prohibited.

In the Volunteer Army, the award of distinction was allowed on August 12, 1918. It took place on the same basis as in the Imperial Army. The first award ceremony took place on October 4 of the same year. In the Russian army of Wrangel, this practice has been preserved.

Sergeant Pavel Zhadan became the last cavalier of "soldier George" during the coup d'état. He was awarded in June 1920 for a significant contribution to the defeat of D. Zhloba's cavalry corps.

1930-1950s

On September 20, 1922, the last awarding of the insignia on behalf of P. N. Wrangel dates back. It is known that in November 1930, the George Cross 4th degree was awarded to Vladimir Degtyarev for successful reconnaissance missions. In addition, the ranks of the Russian Security Corps were twice awarded the 4th degree insignia - doctor Nikolai Golubev and cadet Sergei Shaubu. Their awarding took place in December 1941. Schaub is considered the last Knight of St. George during WWII.

Years of the USSR and the Russian Federation

Contrary to popular misconception, such an award as the St. George Cross was not "legalized" by the government of the USSR or officially allowed to be worn by representatives of the Red Army. When the Second World War began, many cavaliers of the older generation who participated in WWI were mobilized. They were allowed to wear the award "on the spot".

When the Order of Glory was introduced into the system of Soviet awards, which was similar in ideology to the “soldier George”, an opinion arose about the possibility of legitimizing the old award. As a result, the authorities decided to equate the holders of the St. George Cross with the holders of the Order of Glory and allow them to wear awards in a free order. The honorary title "Full Cavalier of St. George" was given to seven heroes of the USSR.

In 1992, the government of the Russian Federation restored the Order of St. George, and with it the St. George Cross.

Notable Cavaliers

You and I already know who was awarded the George Cross. Now we note the most famous among his gentlemen:

1. N. A. Durova, known by the nickname "cavalry girl." In 1807, she saved the life of an officer in the battle of Gutstadt.
2. Non-commissioned officer Sophia Dorothea Frederica Krueger, representing the Prussian Borstell Brigade. He is also a Knight of the Prussian Iron Cross, Second Class.
3. Future Decembrists ensigns I. Yakushin and M. Muravyov, who fought at Borodino.
4. St. George's Crosses of the First World War received famous characters - Kozma Kryuchkov and Vasily Chapaev.
5. Full gentlemen of the "soldier George" were such Soviet military leaders: A. Eremenko, I. Tyulenev, K. Trubnikov, S. Budyonny. At the same time, Budyonny even received 5 awards. The fact is that the first cross of the 4th degree was taken away from him for assaulting the sergeant major, and then again given out for exploits on the Turkish front. Semyon Mikhailovich received the distinction of the first degree for 7 Turkish soldiers brought from the enemy rear along with five comrades.
6. Of the future marshals, R. Malinovsky had three crosses, and G. Zhukov and K. Rokossovsky - two crosses each.
7. Sidor Kovpak, who during the Second World War was the commander of the Putivl partisan detachment and the formation of the Sumy partisans, was awarded two "soldier Georges".
8. Maria Bochkareva, who distinguished herself with her exploits during the First World War, also became a famous holder of the St. George Cross.
9. Despite the fact that individual awards continued almost until the end of the 20th century, P. V. Zhadan is considered the last holder of the insignia of the Order of St. George, who during the Civil War, being an 18-year-old sergeant major, saved the headquarters of the second cavalry division of General Morozov.

Order of Glory- Military Order of the USSR, established by Decree Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 8, 1943. Persons of the rank and file and sergeants of the Red Army are awarded, and in aviation and persons with the rank of junior lieutenant. It was awarded only for personal merit, military units and formations were not awarded to them.

Order of Glory according to its statute and the color of the ribbon almost completely repeated one of the most revered awards in pre-revolutionary Russia - George Cross(among the differences are a different number of degrees: 3 and 4, respectively).

Indeed, almost completely, the block is repeated. The added third ribbon on the Crosses looks strange, but this is nothing - the colors are almost the same and the number of stripes matches.

You PERFECTLY see the complete coincidence and the line of succession of the awards themselves - from cross to star, this has a deep sacred meaning.

ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ORDER OF GLORY I, II AND III DEGREE

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 8, 1943 (Vedomosti of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 1943, No. 48)

The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics decides:

1. Establish for awarding private and non-commissioned officers Red Army , and in aviation and persons with the rank of junior lieutenant who distinguished themselves in battles for Soviet Motherland , Order of Glory I, II and III degree.


2. Approve the Statute of the Order of Glory I, II and III degree.


3. Approve the description of the Order of Glory 1, II and III degree.

STATUTE OF THE ORDER OF GLORY

The Order of Glory is awarded to privates and sergeants of the Red Army...

DESCRIPTION OF THE ORDER OF GLORY I, II and III DEGREE

The badge of the Order of Glory is five-pointed star the size between opposite peaks is 46 mm. The surface of the rays of the star is slightly convex.
On the front side in the middle part of the star there is a circle with a diameter of 23 mm with a relief image of the Kremlin with the Spasskaya Tower in the center. In a circle - a laurel wreath. At the bottom of the circle there is a convex inscription "Glory" on a red enamel ribbon.
On the reverse side of the order there is a circle with a diameter of 19 mm with a relief inscription in the middle "USSR".
Along the edge of the star and the steep on the front side there are convex sides.
With the help of an eyelet and a ring, the order is connected to a pentagonal block covered with a silk moiré ribbon 24 mm wide. There are five longitudinal stripes of equal width on the ribbon: three black and two orange. Along the edges of the tape has one narrow orange strip 1 mm wide.

Soldier George Cross

Insignia of the Military Order (soldier George) 4th degree
Main article: Insignia of the Military Order of Saint George
In 1807, the Insignia of the Military Order of St. George was introduced for the lower ranks, which was worn on a ribbon of the same colors as the order. Awarded for outstanding bravery in combat against the enemy.
The Insignia of the Military Order, in addition to the official one, received other names: Georgievsky Cross 5th degree, soldier's St. George's Cross, soldier's George ("Egoriy"), etc.
Since 1856, four degrees have been introduced, the awarding of which was carried out strictly sequentially from the lowest, 4th degree, to the highest.
It was worn on the chest to the right of all other awards and to the left of the badges of orders.
In 1913, the statute of the order changed again, mainly additional articles were included in it and the description of military exploits by type of troops was expanded. The "insignia of the military order" acquired the official name of the St. George Cross, and the numbering of signs from that time began anew.
Cavaliers of the 4th Art. the length of service for production to the next rank is reduced to a minimum, from one year in junior officer ranks to 4 years from major general to lieutenant general. Benefits for the Knights of St. George have been expanded: preferential travel “along the lines of communication”, an annual 2-month leave with pay and other benefits.
Abolished in 1917 after the October Revolution the Soviet government.
Despite this, it was awarded in the White armies during the civil war - For the fight against the Bolsheviks
During the Civil War of 1917-1922. in the Volunteer Army and in the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, officers were not awarded the Order of St. George, but the lower ranks were awarded St. George Crosses for distinction in battles against the Bolshevik Red Army. In 1920, General P. N. Wrangel established the Order of St. Nicholas, similar in status and form to the Order of St. George.
On the Eastern Front of the White Movement, Admiral Kolchak in December 1918 decided, as Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander-in-Chief, to resume awarding the Order of St. George. Honored with St. George 4th class. in 1915, for an operation against German troops, Kolchak himself was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd class. in April 1919, on the proposal of the St. George's Duma at the headquarters of the Siberian Army for a successful offensive against the red troops near Perm. In total, 74 officers received St. George orders in Kolchak's army, 20 of them were awarded St. George weapons, 47 were awarded the Order of the 4th Art. and 10 officers received the Order of the 3rd degree (Generals Voitsekhovsky and Kappel were awarded both degrees).
Generously awarded the Order of St. George 4th class. on the northern front. General Miller in his small army issued 19 such orders and the same number of awards with St. George's weapons, and 5 cavaliers were from among English officers.

You see, direct succession - ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ORDER OF GLORY: To establish for the awarding of privates and non-commissioned officers Red Army
On the Eastern Front of the White Movement resume awarding the Order of St. George for the successful attack against the Red troops after the abolition of the Soviet government.

Restored by Decree of the President of Russia No. 1463 of August 8, 2000 as a military award of Russia with the preservation of external signs and changes in the statute .

For some reason, when considering the issue of St. George's crosses, they don’t remember at all St. George medal.
The St. George medal was established on August 10, 1913 instead of the medal "For Courage", established in 1878, and was added to the Order of St. George. The medal was awarded to the lower ranks for courage and bravery shown in wartime or peacetime.
Unlike the St. George Cross, the medal could also be given to civilians who performed feats in battle against the enemy, exactly stipulated by the statute of the St. George Cross.
The medal, like the St. George's Cross, had four degrees, was worn on the same stocks with the St. George's ribbon as the St. George's Cross. The degrees of the medal differed in the same way as the degrees of the St. George Cross: the senior 2 degrees were made of gold; junior 2 degrees of silver; 1st and 3rd degree with a bow.
But the Order of Stalin Remember his story?

Shortly after the war, on June 22, 1945, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks received a proposal signed by five Soviet statesmen and military figures:

To the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks
We submit the following proposals for consideration by the Politburo:
1. Reward comrade. Stalin with the Order of Victory;
2. Assign com. Stalin the title of Hero of the Soviet Union;
3. Establish the Order of Stalin;
4. Build the Stalinist Victory Arch at the entrance to Moscow on the Moscow-Minsk highway.
We propose to adopt the corresponding decrees at the XII session of the Supreme Council.

22.VI.45 V. Molotov L. Beria G. Malenkov K. Voroshilov A. Mikoyan

Of the four points, the first two were implemented. In the upper left corner there is a note in pencil: "My archive. I. Stalin.

And look how these awards (and pads with ribbons) prove what a smooth transition turned out from RI, February to the USSR

with a reward system. How wonderful everything is.
And, of course, one cannot but recall the awards of our most sincere

Those interested can view the detailed presentation

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, with 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 servicemen 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 the Noble Assembly of 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 - some of the documents from the military units did not have time 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 the Cavaliers of St. George, but 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 don’t wear the St. George ribbon. 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 to the brave - 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 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 (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. The original, silver or gold, has a high quality metal - due to the practical absence of 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.

Insignia "St. George's Cross" has always been one of the most revered domestic military awards. Originally existed from 1807 to 1917, it was used as an award badge for the Order of St. George for the lower ranks. The award was given to soldiers and non-commissioned officers for outstanding bravery shown in battles with the enemy.

Many Soviet military leaders were Knights of St. George. For example, G.K. Zhukov was a holder of the St. George Crosses of the third and fourth degrees. In 1992, it was decided to restore this insignia in the Russian award system.

On the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation of March 2, 1992, it was attributed to restore the Russian military order of St. George and the sign "St. George's Cross". However, the work on drawing up the regulations and statute of the awards dragged on until 2000. The regulation on these awards and their description was adopted only on August 8, 2000 on the basis of a decree of the President of the Russian Federation.

Initially, it was planned that this award would be issued only for feats of arms shown in battles with an external enemy in the defense of the Fatherland. However, after the events of early August 2008, changes were promptly made to the statute and position of the award. In particular, since then, the award could be awarded for feats during military operations on the territory of other countries while maintaining or restoring international peace and security.

Currently, St. George's Crosses can be awarded to privates (soldiers and sailors), sergeants and senior officers, midshipmen, warrant officers and junior officers of the Russian Army. The basis for the award is the courage, bravery and dedication shown in the performance of military duty.

The modern George Cross, like its predecessor, has 4 degrees, of which the first degree is the highest. Rewarding is carried out only sequentially: from the lowest degree to the highest.

Sign "St. George's Cross" made in the form of a straight equilateral cross with rays expanding towards the ends. Its rays, slightly convex on the front side, are bordered by a narrow edging along the edges. In the center of the award is a round medallion, which contains a relief image of St. George, who strikes a snake with a spear.

On the reverse side, at the ends of the cross, the number of the award is applied, and in the center of the medallion there is a relief monogram in the form of the letters “C” and “G” intertwined. At the same time, an appropriate inscription is made on the lower beam of the cross, depending on the degree.

At the end of the upper beam of the cross there is an eye designed to fasten the badge through a ring to a standard pentagonal block. It is covered with an orange moire silk ribbon, on which there are 3 longitudinal black stripes - the well-known St. George ribbon.

The award is made of pure silver, while the signs of the second and first degrees are gilded. The size of the award is determined strictly by the distance between the ends of the rays and is 34 mm for all four degrees of the St. George Cross. The pads of all degrees also have the same dimensions, the width of the tapes on them is 24 mm. But there are also some peculiarities, so the pads for the signs of the first and third degrees of the St. George Cross also have a bow with the flowers of the Order of St. George.

Dmitry Medvedev during the presentation of state awards. Vladikavkaz August 18, 2008

The insignia "St. George's Cross" is worn on the left side of the chest. It is located after orders, but before all medals. If the recipient already has signs of several degrees, then they are located on his chest strictly in descending order. For everyday wear of the badge, special miniature copies of the award were provided.

On the uniform, the recipient may wear ribbons of the insignia of St. George on a daily basis. Such tapes are located on slats 24 mm wide and 8 mm high. In the middle part, such ribbons are covered with images in the form of golden-colored Roman numerals from one to four, the height of the numbers is 7 mm. Roman numerals indicate the degree of the George Cross, to which the bar corresponds.

The first awarding of the St. George Crosses in modern Russian history took place in August 2008. This insignia was awarded to junior military personnel who showed courage and heroism during the events of August 2008 in South Ossetia and Georgia. On August 15, on the basis of a presidential decree, the first 11 soldiers and sergeants of the Russian army received St. George's crosses of the IV degree. In total, 263 Russian servicemen were awarded the St. George Crosses for the distinctions shown during the peacekeeping operation to force Georgia to peace.

“A chest in crosses or a head in the bushes” - applicants for this award lived according to this principle, and they were sure that the honor of distinction was worth the risk. In the tsarist army, the St. George Cross was one of the most respected distinctions, despite its "soldier" status. The soldiers who received it often became celebrities. Officers who deserved a soldier's distinction were respected by their comrades and subordinates more than the owners of elite badges "on the neck". The word "George" was symbolic, and the details of the sign were disassembled into symbols already separately.

Today, the award has been restored, and its symbolic meaning is still great.

Unrelated Reward

The main feature of the St. George Cross is that it was intended exclusively for the lower ranks (soldiers and non-commissioned officers). Previously, they were not supposed to be awarded orders at all. Orders were considered exclusively a privilege of the nobility (compare: "knight's order"). Therefore, the cross was called not an order, but a "sign of the order."

But in 1807, impressed by the war with Napoleon, Tsar Alexander heeded the advice of an unknown person who recommended establishing an award for the rank and file. The first to be awarded was the soldier Yegor Mitrokhin, who distinguished himself in the battle with the French.

Cavaliers were entitled to increased salaries and exemption from corporal punishment (including the usual scuffle by officers at that time, although not officially).

The award should not be confused with the Order of St. George - "Officer George". It was intended exclusively for officers.

At the same time, the conscious part of the command staff of the Russian army valued precisely the soldier's version. The "soldiers" on the officer's tunic aroused admiration. Often they had officers who had served the rank of valor, or had previously been demoted for a duel, freethinking and other deeds that were not considered dishonorable.

It took courage to create such a reason for demotion. She also helped to earn the soldier George and quickly regain the lost rank. Soldiers also respected officers with such distinctions. It was a special chic to have both soldier and officer Georgy.

Special award conditions

The conditions for awarding the George Cross were harsh and differed significantly from the conditions provided for officer awards.

1. You can get it only for participating in hostilities.
2. She was given out only for a personal feat (capturing a useful prisoner, an enemy banner, saving the life of a commander, or another similar act). Being wounded or participating in a major campaign did not give such a right.
3. It was given only to the lower ranks. Exceptions - units.

One soldier could be awarded more than once. Accordingly, he received more privileges - his salary increased, after his retirement, an “increased pension” was assigned.

The terms of the award have changed several times.

Initially, there were no degrees, and the cross itself was issued to a soldier only once. If he had the right to claim it again, he was only noted and given the corresponding reward. In 1833, the form of wearing a sign was introduced (with the well-known to everyone).

In 1844, a variety "for the Gentiles" appeared. It had an almost secular character - the image of the saint on it was replaced by a coat of arms double-headed eagle. There are known anecdotal cases of resentment of Muslim mountaineers in the Russian service, who received these awards, and were offended because a “bird” and not a “jigit” stood on the crosses.

In 1856, 4 degrees of the award appeared. Now it should be given from the lowest (4th degree) to the highest. The St. George Cross of the 4th and 3rd degrees was made of silver, the higher degrees - of gold.

In 1913, the unofficial name of the award became official. According to the new statute, those awarded with the St. George Cross of 4 degrees received (in addition to other privileges) the right to a lifelong pension - 36 rubles a year (this is not enough), for the following degrees the amount of remuneration increased.

Initially, the award badges did not have numbers.

But in 1809, numbers were introduced, and even already issued awards were renumbered (temporarily removing them). At the same time, the compilation of nominal lists of those awarded the St. George Cross began. Some have been preserved in the archives, and even now it is not difficult to determine the owner of the award by the number.

In 1856 and 1913, the numbering began anew. But the ability to determine the owner by number has been preserved. In recent years, she has been helping to identify some of those who died in the Great Patriotic War. Not so long ago, the remains of a soldier who died near Stalingrad were identified. There were no personal items or a medallion with him, but the soldier wore “George” on his chest.

Difference for all time

Before the revolution, respect for the Cavaliers of St. George was not in doubt. They had the right and even the duty to wear awards all the time. For daily use, miniatures of the "St. George's Cross" were provided. The winners were told in the newspapers, they were "heroes of the nation."

But even during the First World War, the status of the award was omitted. For the sake of raising morale (the war was not popular), the command handed out crosses not according to the charter. So many decorations were issued and distributed in advance, as if the entire Russian army consisted of miraculous heroes (this was clearly not the case). After the February Revolution of 1917, the award completely lost its value (Kerensky received 2 pieces - he is still a soldier!).

In the White Army during the Civil War, there was an attempt to restore the practice of awarding those who distinguished themselves. But the ideological representatives of the white movement doubted the morality of such a step - to celebrate "heroism" in a fratricidal war "not sanctioned" by the monarch. However, there were awardees, and the appearance of the badge has undergone some changes.

The Don Army, for example, turned the saint into a Cossack. In the 1930s and 1940s, white emigration occasionally issued awards to leaders of the white movement and anti-Soviet agents. But it no longer evoked the respect it once had.

A lot of holders of the St. George Cross went to serve in the Red Army. There they had no privileges (abolished officially in 1918).

Part of the decorations disappeared as part of the operation "diamonds for the dictatorship of the proletariat" - the golden St. George's crosses were handed over to the state to buy food for the starving.

But there were those who were awarded, who kept them, and were not subjected to any repressions for this. Marshal Budyonny (who had an iconostasis of Soviet awards) constantly wore only a complete set of St. George.

Such actions were not encouraged, but the authorities did not pay attention when experienced older soldiers (who had already left for the second world war in their lives) allowed themselves to do this. The experience and skills of such fighters were worth more than ideological trifles.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Order of Glory appeared - the Soviet analogue of the royal soldier's order. After that, older military men were allowed to wear crosses semi-officially and the full set of Orders of Glory and the full set of St. George were equalized in rights.

The revival of the old award

After the collapse of the USSR, George officially returned to the list of Russian awards in 1992. But the creation of a new statute took time, and then immediately changes. It was assumed that, as before, they would be awarded for participating in battles for the defense of the Fatherland. But the Ossetian events of 2008 changed the situation. Now the St. George Crosses of the Russian Federation are also awarded for distinction during battles outside the country.

There is also a commemorative medal "200 years of the St. George Cross".

Post-Soviet times are a black period in the history of the award. The poverty of the first years after the collapse of the USSR led to the “putting up for auction” what cannot be traded. Orders and medals, both Soviet and tsarist, have also become commodities. It is simply immoral to openly name their "market price" - this is the same as trading in the Motherland.

But on the market now there are a lot of "St. George's crosses" of private production (the production of awards is a priority of the Mint). It is difficult to distinguish them from the originals - museum workers conduct thorough checks of the signs that come to them. But it’s better to be like this - copies of the St. George Crosses are not awards, it’s not a crime to sell them. You can at least hang a pectoral cross on a St. George ribbon - for history it will not become valuable from this.

The historical value of the award depends on the time of its release and ownership, which can be determined from the lists of the awarded. The price of the metal is not important.

Confirmation of high status

Many famous people and entire military units had St. George's crosses. In some cases, it is difficult for our contemporaries to even assume that a particular person could have them.

1. The awarding of Shurochka Azarova in the "Hussar Ballad" was not invented. This is an episode of the biography of Nadezhda Durova, the prototype of the heroine.
2. General Miloradovich, who was killed during a speech by the Decembrists, had a soldier's distinction.
3. Marshal Budyonny had not even 4, but 5 "George". The first 4 degrees were taken away from him as a punishment for a fight. But Budyonny immediately earned a new one, and then went up.
4. The famous "Vasily Ivanovich" (commander Chapaev) received a little less - 3 pieces.
5. Georgy Zhukov, Rodion Malinovsky, Konstantin Rokossovsky had 2-3 awards - it is not surprising that they became marshals of Victory!
6. The partisan general Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak had 2 "George". Then he added 2 Gold Stars to them. Only 7 heroes of the Soviet Union were at the same time full cavaliers of St. George.
7. The teams of the cruiser "Varyag" and the accompanying gunboat "Koreets" were awarded as military units.
8. During the First World War, 2 French and 1 Czech pilots were awarded.

In the lists of gentlemen come across and completely strange characters. So, search engine enthusiasts unearthed in them a certain von Manstein and a certain ... Hitler! They have nothing to do with the Third Reich and odious namesakes.

An unexpected side of fame

The George Cross is the most famous Russian award. Because of this, she is associated with Russia in general. Related to this are attempts to “appropriate” it in its entirety, as well as its individual attributes.

The authorities of the unrecognized DPR and LPR are now giving out their analogues. The status of these awards is not defined due to the uncertain position of the republics themselves.

The St. George ribbon is even more often used - the colors of the order block. Theoretically, they should symbolize "smoke and flames" (black and orange stripes). But this is of no interest to anyone - the ribbon is considered as a symbol of Russian power.

For this reason, it is used in symbolism in states friendly to Russia. Countries that have strained relations with Russia seek to ban it.

So, in Ukraine, the public use of the ribbon is even treated as a criminal offense.

Today, some orders of Russia are quoted higher than the St. George Cross. His revival is not intended to change the hierarchy of awards. This is just a tribute to the glory of the ancestors and an attempt to revive the continuity of generations where it is worth doing.

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