Order of the Red Star
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Order of the Red Star
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 Badge |
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Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star (Russian: Орден Краснoй Звезды) was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace." The first recipient was Vasily Blyukher in September 1930 [1], who was later executed in Stalin's purges on November 9, 1938.
The Order consisted of an enamelled red pentagonal star, with a white metal image of a soldier bearing a rifle in the center. Below the soldier are the letters "CCCP" (USSR), and surrounding him is the Communist motto, "Workers of the world, unite!" At the bottom of the star is the hammer and sickle. The order was worn on the right chest with out ribbon; on less formal occasions a ribbon bar, dark red with a silver central stripe, may be worn instead.
The Order of the Red Star was one of the most common military decorations during the Great Patriotic War, with almost 3 million awards made to more than 2 million individuals, many of whom being junior officers.
The order was also used as a long service award, until the establishment of the Irreproachable Service Medal in 1958.
[edit] References
- ^ Great Russian Encyclopedia (2005), Moscow: Bol'shaya Rossiyskaya enciklopediya Publisher, vol. 3, p. 618.
