When war is raging everywhere, it is very difficult to direct the thoughts and forces of people in the right direction. Destruction, suffering, death - all this creates a strong effect of demotivation. Nevertheless, there is a certain type of people who are aware of the severity of the situation, but who do not give up. They deserve the highest awards, because as a result of their decisive actions the lives of many people were saved. This fact was adopted by the government of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. It was noted that people are fighting much more desperate and tougher when they know about external support. Thus, in addition to the notorious Stalinist order “Not a step back”, a large number of various awards were issued between 1941 and 1945. The purpose of their creation was nothing more than the motivation of the highest command staff and the soldiers as a whole. Of the entire array of such “incentives”, the Kutuzov Order, developed in 1943, stands out especially.
The history of the creation of the Order of Kutuzov
In the early stages of the war, the Soviet side suffered heavy losses. Therefore, a large-scale retreat of the Red Army to the deep rear was carried out on all fronts, but this process was accompanied by constant skirmishes with the enemy. There are also cases where fighters were surrounded, but did not even think of giving up. A striking example is the famous defense of the Brest Fortress.
Even taking into account the numerical superiority of the enemy forces and complete encirclement, our soldiers did not give up their positions. Naturally, such actions of the Red Army fighters could not but inspire the highest ranks of the government. In order to motivate all other soldiers to such decisive actions, it was decided to establish a special order. In the Statute of the award, its “defensive" essence is clearly traced. In other words, people were awarded not for the offensive, but for competent and courageous actions in the conditions of defense. Some experts in the field of the history of the Great Patriotic War see a small similarity of the
Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov, but there are very few real facts that would give rise to such a statement. Even the statutes of these awards present completely different requirements and principles.
The Kutuzov Order is interesting primarily because its degrees were established at different times. It is also necessary to note the date of establishment - July 29, 1942, the day after the signing of Decree No. 227 (“Not a Step Back”). Given all the above facts, we can conclude: the people who were awarded the Order of Kutuzov, had merits in the process of retreat or encirclement. Clarity regarding the criteria by which they were presented for the award is provided by the Statute of the Order.
Statute of the Order of Kutuzov
The Statute refers to a specific set of criteria according to which commanders were presented for reward. All awarded the Kutuzov Order had to carry out a certain defensive action. The degree depended on the rank that the person presented for the award had. There are only three degrees of the order, namely: I, II, III.
Degrees of the order
1. Order of Kutuzov I degree
The award was awarded to the highest army ranks: army commanders, chiefs of staff, etc. There was a list of conditions according to which a person could be given the Order of Kutuzov I degree:
- For the developed operation, as a result of which victory was achieved over the enemy.
- For an excellent retreat plan, in which massive counterattacks were carried out.
- For organizing the struggle of formations with superior enemy forces.
2. Order of Kutuzov II degree
The Kutuzov Order of the II degree was awarded to chiefs and commanders of staffs, brigades and divisions for the following services:
- Persistent and courageous resistance to advancing superior forces.
- Competent command and control in a difficult battle.
- Ability to fight in the environment.
3. Order of Kutuzov III degree
The prize was awarded to the commanders of companies, regiments and battalions:
- For the capture of a large node of the enemy’s resistance, subject to minimal losses of its own personnel.
- For competent prosecution of the enemy, coupled with the process of destroying his forces.
- For the rout of enemy rear lines.
Knights of the Order of Kutuzov
So, who was awarded such a high rank? The first 17 officers awarded the Order of Kutuzov I degree: the commander of the army of the Transcaucasian Front, General Tyulenev; Colonel General Purkayev; Lieutenant Generals Zakharov and Malinin; army commanders lieutenant generals and major generals Zhadov, Zhuravlev, Dukhanov, Galanin, Galitsky, Romanenko, Fedyuninsky, Romanovsky, Kharitonov, Trufanov, Khomenko, Gromadin, Koroteev.
Some commanders managed to get the order two or even three times. For example, Marshal Sokolovsky, Colonel General Koroteev, Colonel General Nikitin, Shtykov, Major General Vladimirsky were awarded three orders.
It is worth noting that the Kutuzov Order, an award of the highest rank of the USSR, was awarded not only to Soviet officers. To date, more than a hundred foreign troops are known who are gentlemen of the order.
Appearance
The material of manufacture depended on the degree of the order. The first was made of gold, the second and third - of silver. The Kutuzov Order of the 1st degree was completely gold, made in the form of a five-pointed star with many small rays. In the middle was a circle enameled in white. Inside it, you could see the image of Kutuzov against the backdrop of the Kremlin. The rim of the picture was made in the form of a gold laurel-oak wreath. The image of the commander is surrounded by a white enameled line, on which was the inscription: "Mikhail Kutuzov."
Order of Kutuzov today
In the Russian Federation, the order was never canceled. But until 2010, he did not have a Statute. The Union was canceled, but they did not come up with a new one. Everything changed on September 7, 2010, when the Decree of the Head of State “On measures to improve the award system” was issued. It detailed all the orders and the criteria for their award.
So, the article examined the history of the establishment of the insignia and presented people awarded the Order of Kutuzov. It is relevant in our days.