When the war rages everywhere, it is very difficultto direct the thoughts and forces of people in the right direction. Ruin, suffering, death - all this creates a strong demotivation effect. Nevertheless, there is a certain type of people who are aware of the severity of the situation, but do not surrender. They are worthy of the highest awards, because their decisive actions have saved the lives of many people. This fact was adopted by the government of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. It was noted that people are fighting much more desperately and tougher when they know about outside support. Thus, in addition to the notorious Stalin's order "Not a step back," in the period from 1941 to 1945, a large number of all kinds of awards were issued. The goal of their creation was nothing more than the motivation of the top command staff and soldiers in general. Of all the array of such "rewards", the Order of Kutuzov, developed in 1943, stands out.
In the early stages of the war, the Soviet side carriedlarge losses. Therefore, a large-scale retreat of the Red Army was conducted on all fronts in the rear, but this process was accompanied by constant skirmishes with the enemy. There are also cases when the fighters were surrounded, but they did not even think about giving up. A vivid example is the famous defense of the Brest Fortress.
The Order of Kutuzov is interesting primarily becausehis degrees were established at different times. It should also be noted 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: people who were awarded the Order of Kutuzov, had merit in the process of retreat or encirclement. Clarity with respect to the criteria according to which they were presented for the award, provides the Statute of the Order.
The Statute is a certain set of criteria,according to which the commanders were presented to the award. All those awarded the Order of Kutuzov had to carry out a certain defensive action. The degree depended on the rank that the person presented to the award had. There are only three degrees of the order, namely: I, II, III.
1. Order of Kutuzov I degree
The award was awarded to the highest military ranks: the commander of the armies, the chiefs of staffs, etc. There was a list of conditions under which a person could be awarded the Order of Kutuzov I degree:
- For the developed operation, as a result of which a victory over the enemy was achieved.
- For an excellent plan of retreat, in which massive counterattacks were carried out.
- For organizing the struggle of the formations with superior enemy forces.
2. Order of Kutuzov II degree
The Order of Kutuzov of the II degree was awarded to the chiefs and commanders of staffs, brigades and divisions for the following services:
- Persistent and courageous resistance to the advancing superior forces.
- Competent management of troops in a difficult battle.
- Ability to fight in the environment.
3. Order of Kutuzov III degree
The award was awarded to the commanders of the companies, regiments and battalions:
- For the capture of a large enemy resistance unit, subject to a minimum loss of its own personnel.
- For the competent pursuit of the enemy, coupled with the process of destruction of his forces.
- For the defeat of the enemy's rear.
So, who was awarded such a high rank? The first 17 officers, awarded the Order of Kutuzov I degree:commander of the army of the Trans-Caucasian Front, General Tyulenev; Colonel General Purkaev; Lieutenant-General Zakharov and Malinin; army commanders lieutenant-general and major general Zhadov, Zhuravlev, Dukhanov, Galanin, Galitsky, Romanenko, Fedyuninsky, Romanovsky, Kharitonov, Trufanov, Khomenko, Gromadin, Koroteev.
Some commanders succeeded in obtaining the ordertwo or even three times. For example, Marshal Sokolovsky, Colonel-General Koroteyev, Colonel-General Nikitin, Shtykov, Major-General Vladimirsky were awarded three orders.
It is worth noting that the Order of Kutuzov - the USSR awardhigher rank - was awarded not only to Soviet officers. To date, more than one hundred foreign servicemen who are Knights of the Order are known.
The material of production depended on the degree of the order.The first was made of gold, the second and the third - from silver. Order Kutuzov I degree was completely gold, executed in the form of a five-pointed star with many small rays. In the middle was a circle enameled in white. Inside it one could see Kutuzov's image against the background of the Kremlin. The rim of the picture was made in the form of a golden laurel-oak wreath. The picture of the commander is surrounded by a white enameled line, on which was inscribed: "Mikhail Kutuzov."
In the Russian Federation the order was never canceled.But until 2010, the Statute was not. The union was canceled, but a new one was not invented. Everything changed on September 7, 2010, when the President issued a decree "On measures to improve the award system." It detailed all the orders and the criteria for their award.
So, in the article the history of the establishment of the distinction sign was considered, as well as people awarded with the Order of Kutuzov. It is still relevant today.
