Order of Glory

The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation junior lieutenants, for bravery in the face of the enemy.
While the overwhelming majority of all Order of Glory awards was for combat valor in the Second World War (or the Great Patriotic War as it is known across the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), there are documented instances of awards of the order's lowest class - its third class - for post-war Soviet military operations. Numbering among these were Order of Glory Third Class awards authorized for Soviet operations in support of the Korean War from 1950-1953 as well as for the Soviet military intervention in Hungary in the fall of 1956. A small number of Order of Glory Third Class awards was also made in connection with armed border clashes with the People's Republic of China in 1969.
The order became defunct with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1992, the Cross of St. George was revived to serve the same purpose of recognizing enlisted personnel bravery.
Award statute.
The original statute from the 1943 decree establishing the Order stated that: "the Order of Glory is awarded to privates and sergeants of the Red Army, and to aviation junior lieutenants, who displayed glorious feats of bravery, courage and fearlessness in combat for the Soviet Motherland."
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 7, 1951 amended the ranks to read: "privates, corporals and sergeants as well as aviation junior lieutenants."
The Order of Glory, which was modelled closely after the Tsarist Cross of St. George, was divided into three distinct classes. Like the Cross of St. George, a soldier would initially be recommended for the order's lowest class - in the case of the Order of Glory its third class. Subsequent distinct acts of valor could result in the soldier being recommended for the order's two remaining classes - its second and first class - which were awarded sequentially. Soldiers who received each of the order's three classes were referred to as a "Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory" (). In Soviet society they were accorded the same rights and privileges as those granted to personnel who had received the Hero of the Soviet Union title. All told, 2,656 Red Army soldiers (including four men who were also awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title as well as four women) would attain Full Cavalier status.
The Order of Glory was worn on the left side of the chest. In the presence of other USSR orders and medals it was worn immediately after the Order of the Badge of Honor. If worn in the presence of awards of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.
Award criteria.
Below are the specific award criteria for both ground troops and aviators.
Award description.
The badge of the "Order of Glory" was a five-pointed star with a central medallion. The order's first class was made of 950 (23 karat) gold; the order's second class was made of silver with a gilt central medallion and the order's third class was made entirely of silver. The central medallion featured the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, with a red enamelled five-pointed star at its top and a red enamelled scroll at the bottom bearing the word "GLORY" (). Laurel branches on each side along the medal circumference stopped just short of the red star. The reverse had the Cyrillic inscription for "USSR" () within a ring with a raised rim. The award serial number was either stamped (first class awards) or engraved above the ring on the reverse of the star's upper arm.
The Order is suspended by a ring through the award's suspension loop to a standard Russian pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm-wide silk moiré ribbon of St George.
Recipients (partial list).
The individuals below were recipients of the Order of Glory.