A rebel sailor in a cap with a St. George ribbon. Poster for the film Battleship "Potemkin".
St. George flag- a flag that was awarded as the highest award to a ship whose crew showed exceptional courage and courage in achieving victory or in defending the honor of the naval flag.
- 1. History
- 2 Stern St. George Admiral's flag
- 3 See also
- 4 Notes
- 5 Literature
Story
Since in Patriotic Wars Since 1812 and the War of the Sixth Coalition, the Russian navy practically did not take part; in 1813, the Marine Guards crew, as part of the Guards Corps, fought as part of the ground forces. For the victory in the battle of Kulm, the Prussian king Frederick William III awarded all the guards with the Iron Cross, which was instituted on March 10, 1813. Russian Emperor Alexander I awarded the Guards crew a collective award - the St. George Banner.
On June 5 (17), 1819, the St. George flag of the admiral, the St. George boat flag of the vice admiral, the St. George boat flag of the rear admiral, the St. George pennant and the St. George braid pennant were approved for ships manned by sailors and officers of the Guards crew.
In memory of the battle of Kulm, in the last French War, having granted the St. George Banner to the Guards Crew for distinction, I command: this insignia according to the attached drawings should be placed in the flag, braid pennant and pennant, and used on braid topmasts according to ranks instead of the usual ones on ships and other ships, also on boats that will be staffed from this Crew.
The difference between the St. George flags was that in the center of the crosshairs of the St. Andrew's flag a red heraldic shield with the canonical image of St. George the Victorious was placed.
After the presentation of the St. George flag, the sailors received the right to wear the St. George ribbon on their cap. Its five black and orange stripes signified gunpowder and flame.
Stern St. George Admiral's flag
The sign of belonging to the ships of the Guards crew was the St. George pennant, and the St. Andrew's flag was used as the stern flag. Emperor Nicholas I, for exceptional feats, gave two ships the right to raise the St. George Admiral's flag as a stern flag.
- The ship "Azov" was awarded the St. George flag on December 17 (29), 1827 for the courage and courage shown in achieving victory in the Battle of Navarino.
- Brig "Mercury" - was awarded the St. George's flag on July 28 (August 9), 1829 for victory in an unequal battle with two Turkish ships.
These merits were so high that no other emperor made such an award. However, these flags were inherited by successor ships, named after these ships: “Memory of Azov” and “Memory of Mercury”.
see also
- Flag of the Armed Forces
- St. George Ribbon
- Cross of St. George (vexillology)
Notes
- 1 2 Krivko V. A. Marine flags of the fatherland. - M.: DOSAAF USSR, 1984.
- 1 2 Basov A. N. Glorious St. Andrew’s flag // History of naval flags. - M.: LLC Publishing House AST, St. Petersburg. LLC Publishing House Polygon, 2004. - pp. 67-68. - 310 s. - ISBN 5-17-022747-7, 5-89173-239-7. Circulation - 5,000.
- Turner L. N., Razygraev M. V. Ship flags, pennants and weather vanes. 1700-2006 - M.:
GEORGE BANNER
St. George's banner (in military units)
Orthographic dictionary. 2012
See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what the GEORGE BANNER is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:
- GEORGE BANNER
St. George's Banner (in military ... - GEORGE BANNER
St. George's Banner (in military... - GEORGIEVSKOE
- GEORGIEVSKOE in the Directory of Telephone Codes of Russian Cities and Mobile Operators.
- GEORGIEVSKOE
671416, Buryatia Republic, ... - GEORGIEVSKOE in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
606673, Nizhny Novgorod, ... - GEORGIEVSKOE in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
352822, Krasnodar, ... - GEORGIEVSKOE in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
161238, Vologda, ... - BANNER
(banner flag), a certain color (or colors), a cloth mounted on a pole with inscriptions, emblems, decorations, serving as the official symbol of the state (see Flag ... - BANNER
monthly literary, artistic and socio-political magazine, organ of the Union of Writers of the USSR. Published in Moscow since 1931. In 1931-32 it was published under the name "Lokaf" ... - BANNER in big Soviet encyclopedia, TSB:
military, symbol of a military unit; consists of a panel (piece of fabric) of a certain size and color, attached to a shaft with a pommel (usually metal... - BANNER SIGN
distinctive sign, used in ancient Russia instead of signatures of illiterate people; a sign of ownership displayed on the skins of animals paid in lieu of taxes, and on... - BANNER JOURN. V Encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Euphron:
weekly literary magazine, published in Moscow since 1899. Publishing house. A. D. Pustoshkina, ed. N.D.... - BANNER NEWSPAPER in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
daily newspaper, published in St. Petersburg. since 1902. Ed.-ed. P. A. Krushevan. Organ of extreme retrograde and... - BANNER in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
(Old Russian - banner, banner, ensign) - a piece of material attached to a pole with some emblematic image at the top. Everyone had Z.... - BANNER in the Modern Encyclopedic Dictionary:
- BANNER in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
(banner, flag), a certain color (or colors) cloth fixed on a pole with inscriptions, emblems, decorations, serving as the official symbol of the state (see Flag ... - BANNER in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -meni, pl. -mena, -men, -menam, cf. A wide cloth on a shaft of a certain color (or colors), belonging to a military unit, or something. organizations... - BANNER
"BANNER OF LABOR", newspaper, center. organ of the Socialist Revolutionaries, 1907-14, Russia, as well as France (Paris); came out irregularly. Daily newspaper, organ of the Left Social Revolutionaries, 1917, ... - BANNER in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
BANNER OF VICTORY, Red Banner, hoisted by the owls. soldiers on the night of May 1, 1945 over the building of the defeated Reichstag in Berlin; symbol of the victory of nations... - BANNER in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
"ZNAMYA", monthly. lit.-art. and social-political magazine, since 1931, Moscow. Founder (1998) - Labor collective editorial staff ... - BANNER in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
BANNER (banner, flag), defined. colors (or colors) a cloth mounted on a pole with inscriptions, emblems, decorations, serving as an official. symbol of the state (see ... - GEORGIEVSKOE in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
GEORGIEVSKOYE GIRL, south. branch of the Danube Delta in Romania. 109 km. ... - BANNER in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia:
(Old Russian? banner, banner, ensign) ? a piece of material attached to a shaft with some emblematic image at the top. Everyone had Z.... - BANNER in the Complete Accented Paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
zna"me, banners, znameni, banners, znameni, banners, zna"me, banners, znamen, znamen, znameni, ... - BANNER in the Dictionary of epithets:
Scarlet, crimson, crimson, immortal, fighting, all-victorious, red, red-starred, red, folk, victorious, victorious, glorified, dear, holy, glorious, Soviet, old, royal (obsolete). ... - BANNER in the Anagram Dictionary.
- BANNER in the Dictionary for solving and composing scanwords:
Red banner... - BANNER in Abramov's Dictionary of Synonyms:
badge, banner, flag, banner, standard. || hold high... - BANNER in the Russian Synonyms dictionary:
labarum, oriflamme, regalia, banner, flag, banner, ... - BANNER in the New Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
Wed 1) A wide cloth of a certain color (or combination of colors) and size, mounted on a pole, which is the official symbol of the state, smb. organizations... - BANNER in Lopatin’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
- BANNER in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
banner, -men, tv. -men, pl. -myeon,... - BANNER in the Spelling Dictionary:
zn'amya, -meni, tv. -men, pl. -myeon,... - BANNER in Ozhegov’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
a wide cloth of a certain color (or colors) on a pole, belonging to a military unit, some organization, or state Regimental z. Krasnoe z. Transitional Red... - BANNER in Modern explanatory dictionary, TSB:
military, a sign that unites a military unit and indicates its belonging to the armed forces of a given state. Available in all armies; ... - BANNER in Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
R. and d. banner, banner, banner. pl. banners, banners, cf. (book). 1. The flag, as a solemn emblem of a public, military or... - BANNER in Ephraim's Explanatory Dictionary:
banner avg. 1) A wide cloth of a certain color (or combination of colors) and size, mounted on a pole, which is the official symbol of the state, smb. ... - BANNER in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
Wed 1. A wide cloth of a certain color (or combination of colors) and size, mounted on a pole, which is the official symbol of the state, any organization, ... - BANNER in the Large Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
Wed 1. A wide cloth of a certain size and color (or combination of colors), mounted on a pole and being the official symbol of ... - GEORGIEVSKOE RUPS in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
157420, Kostroma, … - GEORGIEVSKOE GIRL in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
southern branch of the Danube Delta in Romania. 109 km. ... - GEORGIEVSKOE GIRL in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
Girlo (Romanian: Sfintul-Gheorghe), the southern of the 3 main branches of the Danube Delta, in Romania. Separates from the Danube channel at Cape Georgievsky... - WEAPON in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons:
GEORGIEVSKOE is a Russian award bladed weapon with the inscription “For Bravery”, an image of the cross of the Order of St. George and a lanyard made from a St. George ribbon. ... - in the Directory of Telephone Codes of Russian Cities and Mobile Operators.
- in the Directory of Telephone Codes of Russian Cities and Mobile Operators.
- in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
Georgievskoe, Buryatia Republic, ... - in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
Georgievskoe, Nizhny Novgorod, ... - in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
Georgievskoe, Krasnodar, ... - in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
Georgievskoye, Vologda, ...
On August 26, 2003, at the Hermitage Theater, a ceremony was held to transfer to the State Hermitage, the State Russian Museum and the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve historical and artistic treasures lost during the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars and returned to Russia in May-July 2003.
Since 1957, in London, in the barracks of the Grenadier Regiment of the Royal Guard, the St. George's Banner of the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment of the Russian Imperial Army has been kept. This banner took part in the victories of the Russian army in the Crimean and Turkish wars, in the First World War and was taken by officers of the Grenadier Regiment to Paris after the defeat of the White Army, and then transferred for storage to the Museum of the Life Guards Regiment of Great Britain.
Beginning in 1994, after the visit of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the State Hermitage began work to determine the possibility of returning the banner to its homeland.
Since 2001, this work has continued together with the Department for the Preservation of Cultural Property, which turned to the commander of the Grenadier Regiment of the Royal Guard with a request to transfer the precious relic to Russia. The command of the Grenadier Regiment of the Royal Guard responded positively to the request of the Russian side.
The St. George banner of the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment was handed over to the president Russian Federation To V.V. Putin during his official visit to the UK on June 24–27, 2003.
The St. George Banner of the Life Guards was presented to the Grenadier Regiment in 1856 by Emperor Alexander II. Under this banner, the regiment fought in the Crimean and Turkish wars, and in the First World War. After 1917, a group of regiment officers managed to take the banner and tip abroad. In 1957, the surviving officers transferred the relic to the custody of the British Grenadier Guards.
According to the director of the Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, the banner was first displayed in Russia on the yacht of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain during her official visit to Russia in 1994. At the same time, Mikhail Piotrovsky turned to the Duke of Edinburgh with a request to return the banner to Russia. Nine years later, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Great Britain in June 2003, the banner was transferred to Russia, and the president ordered it to be deposited in the Hermitage.
St. George medals
The St. George Medal was established on August 10, 1913, instead of the Medal "For Bravery", established in 1878, and was assigned to the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George.
The change in the status of the medal was caused by the peculiarities of combat on land and at sea and with the extraordinary development of military and naval technology. In addition, the medal was intended to distinguish those lower military ranks whose actions did not meet the requirements of the statute of the Cross of St. George, and persons who did not belong to the army and navy.
IN war time The St. George Medal could be awarded to:
Lower military ranks for their feats of courage and bravery in war and peace;
Persons who have not had military rank and even those who did not belong to the army and navy, but only for distinction rendered in battle against the enemy.
The St. George Medal had four degrees.
First degree: Golden medal, worn on the chest on a St. George ribbon, with a bow, on the front side of which there was an image of Emperor Nicholas II; on back side The medal indicates the degree and number of the medal, and there is also an inscription for bravery.
Second degree: the same gold medal, worn on the chest on the St. George ribbon without a bow.
Third degree: the same silver medal, worn on the chest on a St. George ribbon with a bow.
Fourth degree: the same silver medal, worn on the chest on the St. George ribbon without a bow.
The number of persons awarded the St. George Medal, according to the statute, was not limited.
The St. George medal was worn on the block to the left of all orders and to the left of the St. George Cross, but to the right of all other medals and insignia. The following acts served as the basis for the award:
Performing an excellent military feat that does not qualify for exact meaning instructions of the Statute of the St. George's Cross.
Providing outstanding bravery as part of military units that have especially distinguished themselves among other military units, to which, at the discretion of the chief military commander, a certain number of St. George medals are assigned.
Which of the lower ranks of the combat unit will stand out for the brilliant and valiant performance of his duty in battle, in circumstances of exceptional difficulty, and the latter must be specifically indicated.
Which of the lower ranks, performing auxiliary duties necessary for the success of the battle in conducting artillery, machine-gun or rifle fire, or maintaining communications between units of troops or ships of a naval detachment or squadron, will show outstanding selflessness in the performance of such.
Which of the lower ranks, under strong and real enemy fire, while working: in a position, in a fortress, at a crossing, in a workshop, laboratory, mine depot, at a railway structure, telegraph, telephone, lighting station, dock, hospital, etc. ... will show selflessness and courage.
Who, having accomplished a feat worthy of being awarded the St. George Cross, could not complete it due to injury.
Which of the paramedics and orderlies, being in the battle line throughout the entire battle, under strong and real fire, showing extraordinary selflessness, will provide assistance to the wounded or, in conditions of extreme difficulty, will carry out the wounded or killed.
In peacetime, the St. George Medal could be awarded to:
Whoever, in a skirmish with a superior number of attackers offering armed resistance, will encourage his comrades with an example of personal courage and fearlessness and thereby contribute to the successful completion of the matter.
Who, in a skirmish with armed attackers, will save the life of his boss or free him.
Whoever, in the event of an attack by a superior number of attackers, will maintain order in the team after the departure of the chief and, with his courage and diligence, will contribute to their detention.
Who, in a situation close to combat, will carry out an important official assignment, subject to extreme danger.
Who, while performing the duties of the border service, will take a smuggling ship from battle or will be the first to board one during armed resistance.
A sentry who, in the event of an armed attack on his post by a superior number of attackers, under particularly difficult conditions, will repel it by providing courageous resistance.
Who, when attacked by a superior number of attackers on the person, property or building entrusted to his protection, will repel the attack.
Whoever, during a fight with attackers, being seriously wounded, will remain in the case until its end.
Which of the lower ranks in peacetime will accomplish one of the feats that are awarded the St. George Medal in wartime.
The St. George medal should not have been complained about for those feats and merits that were provided for by the charter on the insignia of the Order of St. Anne - the Annen medal.
Persons who did not have a military rank, as well as female persons, could be awarded the St. George Medal for feats provided for by the statute of the Cross of St. George and the clause of the statute of the St. George Medal on orderlies and paramedics.
The St. George medal was awarded according to seniority, starting from the fourth degree.
The procedure for awarding the St. George Medal was established in two ways:
When one of the lower ranks or persons of non-military rank showed special personal courage. In this part, the order of awarding coincides with the order of awarding the St. George Cross in the 1913 statute.
When in a case against the enemy they will be seen to have particularly distinguished themselves: by ground forces, Commander-in-Chief or Commander of the Army - any regiment or other command, and for the fleet, the Commander-in-Chief or Commander of the Fleet - any ship.
In 1915, the composition of gold in medals of the 1st and 2nd degrees was reduced from 90–99% to 50–60%. To mint medals with a reduced gold content, an alloy of gold and silver was used, followed by surface gilding with high-grade gold. This was due to economic difficulties as a result of the outbreak of the First World War. And in 1917, according to the new regulations, medals began to be minted from base metals and the letters “Zh.M.” appeared on the medals. - in the lower left part of the reverse side, near the very edge, to the right of the serial number on all signs of the 1st and 2nd degree. On the 3rd and 4th degrees the letters “B.M.” were minted. And on the front side of such medals, instead of a portrait of the emperor, an image of St. George was minted (a rider on a horse, killing a snake with a spear).
Awards of the White Armies of Russia
After October revolution In Russia, a Civil War broke out, which lasted in the European part of the country for three years, and in Siberia and in Far East even longer. Historians usually divide the period of struggle against the Soviets, known in history as the “White War,” into three fronts: the South of Russia, the North and West, and the East of Russia. On both sides, soldiers and officers died performing feats, so the commanders of the white armies inevitably faced the question of awards: how to recognize the strong and brave and how to encourage the weak and timid to be decisive.
On different fronts Civil War this issue was resolved in different ways: in some White Guard armies they tried to make do with stocks of tsarist orders and medals - in the army of A.V. Kolchak, even the Order of St. George was awarded, which was not observed in other parts of the Civil War. All the doubts of their “comrades” white cause on this score A.V. Kolchak considered them unnecessary.
There is information about the production of St. George's crosses in Siberia; for example, in August 1919, several pounds of silver were issued “for the lithium of St. George’s crosses.” In addition, the Kolchak command had at its disposal old-style St. George crosses. After the capture of Perm by white troops and the defeat of the Red Army detachments in the winter of 1919, a generous distribution of awards began in the army of A.V. Kolchak. Baron A. Budberg wrote in his diary: “The laurels of the Perm victory turned everyone’s heads; awards started pouring in, there are already several 3rd degree cavaliers of George at the front, former staff captains became lieutenant generals.” The Southern Front stood somewhat apart, where orders (but not the Order of St. George) were given only to the Don Army.
In the Volunteer Army, and later in the United Forces of the South of Russia, they decided that it was impossible to award the old Russian orders for distinction in the battles of Russians against Russians. Therefore, the army of General A.I. Denikin did not have orders, as Baron P. Wrangel wrote in his memoirs: “In the armies of General Denikin, military exploits were awarded exclusively by ranks.” Only in certain, most intense periods of the struggle was this or that insignia established. It was not an order because it was awarded to all participants in the actions of a particular period and was similar to those medals that were complained about in Tsarist Russia for participating in any military campaign.
Such awards include, in particular, the “Badge of the 1st Kuban (Ice) Campaign”, established by A.I. Denikin in August 1918. From the first days of combat on the Don, units of the Volunteer Army, not yet completing their reorganization, were forced to participate in the fight against the Bolsheviks. But by force of circumstances, at the end of January 1918, she had to leave the Don region, although by the time she left Rostov, a well-defined plan for the upcoming campaign did not yet exist. It began only on the fifth day of the journey, and the final plan for the campaign that had already begun was to move to Kuban. The first Kuban campaign took place in difficult conditions. In addition to the differences in the views of the leaders, the Volunteer Army had to engage in battles with the troops of the Red Army during the journey.
The main supporter of the decision to go to Kuban was Adjutant General M.V. Alekseev, who wanted to equip his army with everything necessary in that region, which had always been considered the breadbasket of Russia. The first military battles, very successful for the Whites, took place near the village of Khomutovskaya, where a mounted detachment of Bolsheviks managed to approach. A few days later, the Volunteer Army fought near the village of Lezhanka, and this battle became a kind of review of its valor: the success of the battle strengthened the whites’ faith in their strength. On the twentieth of February 1918, the Volunteer Army entered the Kuban region.
The next week of the campaign, accompanied by battles and long marches, brought both joy and sorrow. On the one hand, the army was strengthened by the Cossacks who joined its ranks; on the other hand, the volunteers had to fight off the front-line Cossacks and local Bolsheviks, who saw them off in battle. The 1st Kuban campaign, nicknamed the Ice Campaign, lasted eighty days. It demanded considerable courage from its participants, and A.I. Denikin, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, established the “Sign of the 1st Kuban (Ice) Campaign” for all its participants. It was a “crown of thorns made of oxidized silver (crown diameter - 30 mm), crossed silver sword handle down." On the reverse side it indicated the serial number of the recipient. In symbolism White movement the crown of thorns was one of the most frequently encountered symbols. The crown of thorns is present on the “Badge of the Markov Artillery Division”, “Badge of the 1st Cavalry General Alekseev Regiment”, on the military order “For the Great Siberian Campaign”, “Cross of the Achinsk Cavalry Partisan Detachment”, etc. “Badge of the 1st Kuban (Ice) Campaign" was intended for all ranks who were in the ranks and took part in the fight against the Bolsheviks. It was worn on a St. George ribbon, in the center of which there was a round white, blue and red rosette. Non-combatant and civilian ranks who did not take part in battles wore the award on the ribbon of the Order of St. Vladimir and with the same rosette of national colors.
The number of those awarded the “Badge of the 1st Kuban (Ice) Campaign” was not so large - only about 4–5 thousand people. But this was the first award of the White movement, which became widely known among the Russian emigration of the first wave and their descendants.
The Don Cossacks also received their memorial cross, who, after the defeat at Novocherkassk and Rostov in February 1918, retreated to the Salsky steppes. The armed struggle of the Don Cossacks - the oldest and most numerous of the Cossacks - ended with a campaign that went down in history under the name Steppe.
The marching ataman of the Don Army, P.Kh. Popov, did not want to leave the Don and be torn away from his native places, so he did not join the Volunteer Army for a joint campaign in Kuban. The Don Cossacks headed to the wintering grounds located in the Sal steppes, where there was enough food and fodder for the horses. The task of this campaign was to, without interrupting the fight against the Bolsheviks, maintain a healthy and combat-ready core until spring, around which the Don Cossacks could again rally and raise their weapons. In addition, the Salsk steppes were far from railways, and this excluded a surprise attack by the Red Army.
All participants in the Steppe Campaign, which lasted a month and a half, received a massive iron cross “For the Steppe Campaign.”
The bright leader of the White movement was Major General M. G. Drozdovsky. He expressed his attitude towards the October Revolution in these words: “Through the death of Bolshevism to the revival of Russia - this is our only path, and we will not turn away from it.” Friends and subordinates almost idolized him, his enemies hated and feared him, and everyone without exception respected him, considering him a man of honor, duty and action, who knew how to achieve his goal, despite any obstacles.
Having received consent from the command of the Romanian Front to form volunteer detachments to send them to the Don to General L. G. Kornilov, Major General M. G. Drozdovsky addressed all Russian military personnel who served on this front with an appeal: “Russian people! In whom conscience and honor are alive, respond to our call. Our Fatherland is on the eve of destruction. The consequences of anarchy and shameful peace will be incalculable and terrible. Our lot will be slavery, even more terrible than the Tatar yoke. Anyone who does not understand this is a madman or a traitor. Only a properly organized army, unquestioningly obedient to the will of its commanders, inspired by a sense of duty and love for the Fatherland, can save our great but unfortunate people...”
On the principles of strict discipline, the 1st Brigade of Russian Volunteers is formed on the Romanian Front in the name of saving Russia. From the city of Iasi, this detachment set out to join the Volunteer Army on March 7, 1918. In “Essays on the Russian Time of Troubles,” General A.I. Denikin writes: “On April 25, the Bolsheviks from the north launched an attack on Novocherkassk... and already captured the outskirts of the city, which was experiencing hours of mortal panic. The Cossacks could not resist and began to retreat. The impulse seemed exhausted and the cause was lost. Already the residents of unfortunate Novocherkassk were imagining new horrors of bloody massacre. But at the most difficult moment, a miracle happened: unexpectedly, seven miles from Novocherkassk, at Kamenny Brod, an officer detachment of Colonel Drozdovsky with a force of up to 1000 soldiers appeared, who decided the fate of the battle. This was a new heroic fairy tale against the dark background of Russian unrest: for two months from Romania, from Yassy to Novocherkassk, more than a thousand miles, this detachment marched in battle to join the Volunteer Army. And the order of M. G. Drozdovsky himself said: “Your detachment has covered more than a thousand miles, valiant volunteers!” You have endured many hardships and hardships, you have faced many dangers face to face. But true to your word and duty, true to discipline, you walked stubbornly forward along the intended path, resignedly and without idle talk, and complete success crowned your labors and your will. And now I urge you all to look back, remember everything that happened in Iasi and Chisinau, remember all the hesitations and doubts of the first days of the journey, predictions of various misfortunes, all the whispering and intimidation of the cowardly people around us...”
For courage and determination, a medal was established for the 1st Brigade of Russian volunteers, which was a matte silver oval with two crossed swords at the ear. The obverse of the medal depicts Russia in the form of a woman in ancient Russian attire and with a sword in her outstretched hand. It stands above a cliff, and at the bottom and along the slope there is a group of Russian troops with weapons in their hands, who are climbing to the feet of Russia, personifying the desire to recreate a single, indivisible and great state. On the reverse side of the medal, in a semicircle at the top, the inscription “Campaign of the Drozdovites” is engraved, below is “Yassy - Don”, the next line is “1200 versts”, then there is a date, and on the last line the surname of the recipient with initials is indicated. This insignia was awarded to all active participants in the campaign who set out from the cities of Iasi or Dubossary, arrived on the Don and served 6 months of their subscription period of service. Those who went on a campaign, but then left their troops due to injury, shell shock or serious illness (if this was confirmed and if they then returned to duty), also received a reward on an equal basis with the rest.
The medal “Campaign of the Drozdovites” was worn on the chest to the left of all degrees of the St. George Cross and the St. George Medal, but to the right of all other insignia and medals. The medals of the deceased were passed on either to their offspring or to their closest relatives to be preserved as a souvenir, but without the right to wear them.
Among the large number of awards of the White armies of Russia there were also those that could be classified as not awarded. In December 1919, Lieutenant General A.I. Denikin, who replaced L.G. Kornilov as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Southern Russia, gave the order to the troops of the 3rd Army Corps to withdraw to the Crimea and take over the defense of the peninsula from the advancing units of the Red Army. In response, Major General Ya. A. Slashchov, the corps commander, reported that he considered the defense of Crimea “a matter of not only duty, but also honor.”
The forces available to the corps commander were small, and they were opposed by the troops of the 13th Red Army, of which 4 rifle and 2 (or even three) cavalry divisions were directly concentrated against the Crimean Isthmus. And yet, despite the inequality of forces, disorganization and confusion that reigned, despite the slander and malicious gossip that was spread around Ya. A. Slashchov by envious people and ill-wishers, the 3rd Corps managed to hold Crimea. As a result, the territory was preserved in which the remnants of Denikin’s armies, evacuated from Odessa and Novorossiysk, were able to reform and recover from defeats.
In commemoration of the merits of the 3rd Corps and its valiant leader, by order of A.I. Denikin, the corps was named “Crimean”. It would seem that at the end of the most difficult period of defense, the 3rd Corps should have expected a general reward. However, the fate of this award was affected by disagreements between Lieutenant General P. N. Wrangel, the new commander-in-chief, and Ya. A. Slashchov, which soon resulted in open hostility.
In April 1920, Baron P. N. Wrangel renamed the 3rd Corps into the “2nd Army”, after which the honorary name “Crimean” gradually disappeared from use. Stung by this circumstance, General Ya. A. Slashchov more than once turned to the commander-in-chief with a petition to establish a special award for his troops. In his memoirs, “I Demand the Court of Society and Glasnost,” he wrote: “I asked to award the corps a special cross for the defense of Crimea.”
However, as a reward, P. N. Wrangel chose not the cross that was so desirable for the Crimean general, but “an insignia for a headdress.” Nothing is said about this award even in the famous work of P. V. Pashkov “Orders and insignia of the Civil War of 1917–1920,” and the only source indicating that Slashovites were awarded this badge are articles in the White Guard press of the South of Russia.
Three articles from different newspapers contain not only different variants inscriptions on the insignia (“For the defense of Crimea”, “For the defense of Crimea”), but there is even disagreement about which units were awarded this insignia. The greatest confidence is inspired by the report written on fresh tracks about the arrival of P. N. Wrangel in Melitopol (the newspaper “Golos”).
Having exited the train and accepted General Slashchov’s report, the commander-in-chief greeted the guard and, congratulating them on the award, announced that General Slashchov’s corps would receive the inscription on their hats “For the Defense of Crimea.” But the award itself (that is, the presentation of insignia) obviously did not take place: the commander-in-chief simply announced that it would take place in the future. In Tsarist Russia, the “insignia for a headdress” was a common award for military units. Similar signs in the form of a metal “ribbon” with an inscription were worn above the cockade on caps and above the St. Andrew’s Star or the image of a double-headed eagle on shakos, helmets and hussar hats. Apparently, the award to the corps of General Ya. A. Slashchov should have looked similar. The cross, which the commander of the 3rd Corps petitioned for, would have been an individual award given to each participant heroic defense Crimea, the “ribbon” chosen by P. N. Wrangel was a collective award.
And soon, most of the units that heroically defended Crimea in the winter of 1919–1920 were reorganized during the reforms in the army. And it turned out that the “insignia for a headdress” could only be awarded to two regiments, which, moreover, already had similar awards. And of the seven regiments of regular cavalry, five were marked with the “insignia on the headdress.”
The situation was very strange: even if the awarding of ribbons with the inscription “For the Defense of Crimea” took place, there would simply be nowhere to put them on. And it turns out that P.N. Wrangel established (or wanted to establish) an award that could not be worn by the military units awarded it. If the legendary award existed, it was not widely used.
However, to crown the heroes with glory and perpetuate their deeds in the memory of descendants, new awards were needed, and Baron P. N. Wrangel established an order in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. “May the established order give new strength to all those fighting for our Holy Cause, may it honor their courage and valor with dignity, and may it strengthen our faith in the immediate liberation of tormented Russia and the Russian people.”
The new order, according to its statute, was equated to the St. George Award, although it was supposed to be worn below it. All the circumstances under which the feat was accomplished were considered by a special commission, and the final decision on the award belonged to the “Cavalier Duma,” the decisions of which came into force only after their approval by the commander-in-chief. However, in particularly exceptional cases, he had the right to award both degrees of the order without the decision of the “Cavalier Duma”.
The first degree of the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was equal in external size to the Order of St. George, III degree: this insignia was worn around the neck. The second degree of the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker corresponded in size to the Order of St. George IV degree and was worn on the chest, below the St. George award. The Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was made of iron, which made it possible to mint it even in combat conditions. There was no difference between the order insignia for officers and soldiers, and according to the order statute, each military rank of the White Army, regardless of their rank and position, could be awarded both degrees of the order for military distinctions. Soldiers could receive the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker only if they already had the St. George Cross of at least III degree.
The first holder of the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was Staff Captain L. Yarmolovich, who received the award from the hands of the commander-in-chief himself. Knights of the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker received special privileges in promotion to a subsequent rank, in the allotment of land, in the further arrangement of their fate (if they left the service), in the reduction of “length of service to receive a pension,” etc. Special “Committee of the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker » took care of the recipients and their poor families, and was in charge of all issues related to the financial support of their children.
But since the White Army left Crimea in November 1920, the Committee did not have to expand its activities. At one of its meetings in Gallipoli, the “Cavalier Duma” turned to Wrangel with a request to accept the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, II degree, for the courage and courage shown by the commander-in-chief. There were no awards of the first degree of the order.
And in Siberia at this time, in November 1918, Admiral A.V. Kolchak, the supreme ruler of Russia and its commander-in-chief armed forces, with the support of officer and Cossack units, as well as the command of the Entente troops, carried out a coup and put an end to Siberian autonomy (even if only nominal). A new coat of arms and anthem began to be created and at the same time new awards were established - the Order of the Revival of Russia and the Order of the Liberation of Siberia. The First Order was supposed to “embody the idea of the revival of Russia from the turmoil of the Civil War,” therefore, when creating its project, it was recommended to use “motifs borrowed from Russian and national treasures of ancient ornamental mysticism and modern, graphically rendered allegories.”
But not one of the dozen submitted projects received the approval of the jury, headed by art history professor V. I. Denike. The Order “Liberation of Siberia” was supposed to “embody natural forces Siberia with ornamentation depicting plant and animal forms of the country." This task was quite complex in its implementation, and many artists tried to solve it. However, the jury chose only the sketch of the artist G. A. Ilyin, the author of the Siberian coat of arms. According to the plan, the Order of the Liberation of Siberia was supposed to have 4 degrees, and the number of cavaliers of the first degree of the order should not exceed 30 people, the second degree - 100, the third - 300, and the awarding of the lower degree of the Order of the Liberation of Siberia was not limited.
The highest degree of the order was a straight gold cross, on which was superimposed a smaller cross made of malachite. In the center of the cross was the date - 1918. The cross of the Order of the Liberation of Siberia, 1st degree, was accompanied by an eight-pointed silver (gilded) star. unusual shape: its vertical and horizontal rays were longer than the others. Five chrysolites were placed on each elongated beam. The Order Cross of the 1st degree was worn on a ribbon over the right shoulder. The order badge of the 2nd degree is the same cross, but smaller in size and without a star (it was worn around the neck); III degree of the order - an even smaller cross (in the buttonhole), and on the IV degree order cross (for awarding lower ranks) green enamel was used instead of malachite. Order insignia of all degrees, awarded for military exploits, included gold Cossack checkers(sabers) of the old style, with guards. The order’s statute stated that this award was honorable and it was granted “to both citizens of Siberia and other citizens of the Russian state and subjects foreign countries, who provided undoubted services in the liberation of Siberia from the Bolsheviks both on the battlefield and in state and social construction.”
Since the liberation of Siberia did not take place, apparently, the award of the order was not carried out, although the order badges were made: one copy has survived to this day and is now in the Russian Museum.
The place of this insignia was taken by the Order “For the Great Siberian Campaign,” established in February 1920 and intended for all soldiers of the White Army who walked the retreat from the Volga to Lake Baikal. The order badge exactly repeated the “Badge of the 1st Kuban (Ice) Campaign”, only his sword was not silver, but gold. The crown of thorns itself (30 mm in diameter) was made of oxidized silver. In the Baltic states in the first half of 1919, a special Russian corps was formed from former Russian prisoners and German volunteers, commanded by Colonel P. Bermont-Avalov. After fights with Soviet troops in Latvia, the corps was transformed into the Western Volunteer Army, but then it came into conflict with the bourgeois governments of Latvia and Estonia and fought with their armies. All ranks of the army of P. Bermont-Avalov for the battles in Courland (Latvia) received the right to wear a bronze medal, on the front side of which St. George the Victorious was depicted, and on the reverse side - an eight-pointed Orthodox cross, on the sides of which was the date: 1919.
Later, already in exile, P. Bermont-Avalov established another award - a black cross with a silver border of the Maltese uniform: this award was awarded to military personnel with swords, to civilians - without swords. In 1920, Ataman G.M. Semenov, who proclaimed himself the supreme ruler after the death of A.V. Kolchak, established an unusual award for his Special Manchurian detachment - a silver cross “For Bravery”, which had a “St. George” shape. On the arms of the cross were the letters “O.M.O.” - A special Manchurian detachment, formed back in 1918.
In addition to this award, there was also the Semenov St. George Medal “For Bravery”: both awards were worn on the St. George ribbon. After defeat Northern Army went to Finland and Poland, the Siberian Army to China, and the Volunteer Army of the South of Russia ended up in Constantinople in November 1920. 136,000 Russian people gathered in Turkey, of which 70 thousand did not lay down their arms. The army was divided, and the 1st Army Corps under the command of General A.P. Kutepov was located on the Gallipoli peninsula. They were given a field covered with liquid mud, which the soldiers turned into a military camp. The fleet left for the Tunisian port of Bizerte, the Cossacks settled in the Turkish villages of Chilingir, Sanjak Tepe and Kabakja, then moved to the island of Lemnos. The command remained in Istanbul...
They lived in these camps for two years, and then fate scattered them all over white light. No matter how tightly their fellow soldiers held on, life gradually pulled them apart, but in memory of the stay of the Russian army in a foreign land, many award crosses were established, mostly similar to each other.
The first of them was the lead “Breastplate in memory of the stay of the Russian Army in a foreign land” approved by P. N. Wrangel with the inscription “Gallipoli” and the dates “1920–1921”. It was made from German shells, a warehouse of which was discovered nearby. The width of the equal cross was the size of a matchbox. There were also homemade crosses that were made from sheet iron, and later, already in Yugoslavia, the “Gallipoli Cross” was knocked out of bronze and covered with black enamel.
And even later, in France, the cross was made of silver, and a narrow white border was drawn on black enamel. Following the example of Gallipoli, the same crosses were made in other camps, the difference being only in the name and date. For those ranks of the Russian army who were not in any of the military camps, but lived in Constantinople or other places abroad, a cross without a name was erected: only the dates were written on it - “1920–1921”.
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner of the USSR (later it was called the Order of the Red Banner, the Battle Red Banner) is the oldest Soviet all-Union order. It was established on August 1, 1924. Its direct predecessor is the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR, the history of which begins much earlier.
Before the start of the Civil War, the question of new, revolutionary awards did not arise. For individual merits, the new authorities awarded weapons, watches, cigarette cases, usually personalized, and items of clothing.
For the first time, individual insignia for the Red Army was mentioned in a telegram from N. I. Podvoisky, sent on August 13, 1918 from the front to Moscow to the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Ya. M. Sverdlov. “The best revolutionary soldiers and all commanders who have cast their lot with the Soviet Republic crave republican distinctions. I strongly support the establishment of the “Badge of Hero” and “Badge of Heroism.”
In the literature, L. D. Trotsky is called the author of the idea of introducing Soviet orders. But in well-known documents, only two weeks after Podvoisky’s telegram, he proposes “the creation of an individual insignia with an inscription approximately like this: “Soviet Republic to a valiant warrior” or “Soviet Republic to a warrior of the revolution.”
Already on September 2, at a meeting of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the third item on the agenda was the question “On insignia,” on which Sverdlov spoke. His proposal to approve collective and individual military awards was adopted unanimously.
“1) The insignia is awarded to all citizens of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic who have shown special bravery and courage during direct combat activities.
2) The insignia is the Order of the “Red Banner” with the image of a red banner on it - unfolded, folded or truncated in the shape of a triangle.”
They did not announce a competition for drawing the award. The artist Vasily Ivanovich Denisov, whom the Bolsheviks knew well even before the revolution, was assigned to create a design sketch. However, Denisov was ill, and virtually all the work on creating the design of the order was done by his son Vladimir, who was familiar with engraving and minting technology.
Behind short term he prepared six versions of the design of the sign of the new order. One of them was recognized by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee commission as most accurately reflecting the essence of the military insignia: an unfolded Red Banner and a five-pointed Red Star, a plowshare, a hammer and bayonet, a crossed hammer and sickle, oak leaves of a wreath. The slogan was inscribed on the Red Banner: “Workers of all countries, unite!” At the bottom of the sign on a red ribbon were the letters “RSFSR”.
We remember the military symbols and insignia associated with this cult saint for the Russian army.
Stern St. George flag
In 1819, the St. George flag was established to reward the most distinguished ships and crews. Only two ships were awarded this award. The first was the battleship "Azov", which destroyed a Turkish battleship, three frigates and a corvette in the Battle of Navarino on October 8, 1827. The second ship was the brig "Mercury", which withstood a battle with two Turkish on May 14, 1829 battleships. The St. George flag was then transferred to ships that inherited the name of those who accomplished the feat or were named in their memory (the cruisers "Memory of Azov" or "Memory of Mercury").
St. George Ribbon
The St. George Ribbon becomes an integral part of the medals awarded for participation in successful wars or battles with an external enemy - “For bravery in Finnish waters”, “For Turkish war 1828-1829," "For the defense of Sevastopol" and many others. In addition, there were a number of awards on combined ribbons - "For the Turkish War of 1877-1878" (St. Andrew's Ribbon), "In Memory Russo-Japanese War"(Alexander-St. George Ribbon). There were also exceptional cases of awarding. Thus, Lieutenant General A. S. Lukomsky was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir on the St. George Ribbon for the excellent conduct of mobilization events in 1914.
Georgievsky battalion
Even with the establishment of the Order of St. George, there was an idea of creating a military unit, staffed by officers and lower ranks who received special distinctions. However, it found its real embodiment during the First World War, when on July 8, 1916, the “St. George Battalion to protect Headquarters...” was created. The lower ranks, marked with St. George's crosses, served in the unit. Soon five such battalions were formed. They were located in Headquarters (Mogilev), Minsk, Kyiv, Pskov and Odessa. Their task was to provide instructors for assault units and protect particularly important facilities.
St. George trumpets and horns
A number of military units were celebrated for their distinction with St. George's trumpets or horns. Count A. Ignatiev recalled funny case with Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was the chief of the Vyborg regiment: “Coming to Russia, Wilhelm always wore the uniform of this regiment. It was said that he once asked the regimental bugler why the regiment was given silver horns. “For the capture of Berlin in 1760, Your Majesty!” " - the bugler cut off.
St. George medal
On August 10, 1913, the St. George Medal was established. It was intended to reward the lower ranks of the army and navy for their feats in war or peacetime, as well as civilians for their feats in battle. Like the St. George Cross, the medal had four degrees. During the First World War, along with the St. George Cross, the St. George Medal became the most popular award for lower ranks Russian army. Initially, the first two degrees were minted from gold, and the 3rd and 4th degrees from silver. In 1916, after the ban on the manufacture of awards from precious metals, they began to be made from yellow and white metal. Since 1943, the St. George Medal was often worn by veterans of the First World War in the Red Army. On the front side there was the profile of Nicholas II - then the medal was turned over, and on the reverse there was the inscription: “For bravery,” which was completely appropriate for the era...that’s how they wore it.