The diamonds for the order, made of pure platinum, were taken from the royal treasury, but the rubies turned out to be synthetic
This was the highest award in the USSR, intended only for supreme military leaders. But Stalin, who ordered its creation, did not suspect that the Moscow jeweler Ivan Kazennov, master highly qualified, who inserted precious stones into the order, deceived him. And then he revealed this secret only before his death.
In the summer of 1943, when it became clear that the USSR was winning victory over Nazi Germany, Stalin decided to create a special award specifically for senior military leaders. The task was given to several medal-winning artists at once. Colonel Nikolai Neelov, an employee of the Red Army logistics headquarters, was the first to make a sketch of the new award, which was initially called “For Loyalty to the Motherland.” However, his project was not approved. Preference was given to the sketch of Anatoly Kuznetsov, who was already the author of the order Patriotic War. His design was a five-pointed star with a central round medallion on which bas-reliefs of Lenin and Stalin were placed.
The project was shown to Stalin. But he ordered to place an image of the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower instead of bas-reliefs. In October, Kuznetsov presented the leader with seven new sketches, of which Stalin chose one with the inscription “Victory”, giving instructions to use platinum instead of gold, enlarge the size of the Spasskaya Tower, and make the background blue. After this, an order was received to make a test copy of the order.
Master's Courage
The order was received by the Moscow Jewelry and Watch Factory (this was the first order that was not made at the Mint). But difficulties immediately arose. There were no problems with platinum; diamonds were taken from the royal fund, but the necessary rubies for the rays of the red star were not found. A highly qualified master, Ivan Kazennov, collected them from all over Moscow, but all the precious stones were of different sizes and varied in color. What to do? The master was seized with panic, because he knew about Stalin’s order to use only materials of domestic origin for the order. But where can I get the rubies needed for the order? The deadlines were strict, and there was no time left to search for them.
Then, at his own peril and risk, Kazennov decided to use synthetic rubies for the order. He didn’t tell anyone about this, and only revealed the secret to his student before his death, many years after Stalin’s death.
Then the first Order of Victory was shown to the leader, and he liked it. Stalin ordered the production of a total of 20 pieces of this award. And on November 8, 1943, a decree was issued by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the establishment of the order. It was intended as a reward “to the senior command staff of the Red Army for the successful conduct of an operation on the scale of one or several fronts, as a result of which the situation radically changed in favor of the Soviet Armed Forces.”
To make the first copy of the most beautiful and expensive order in the USSR, 170 diamonds with a total weight of 16 carats and 300 grams of pure platinum, as well as rubies, which, as we already wrote, were synthetic, were used. The jewelry was allocated by special order of the Council of People's Commissars. It was also the largest order in size in the USSR - the distance between the opposite rays of the star was 72 mm. It was to be worn on the left, not the right, side of the chest on a red ribbon with stripes of green, blue, burgundy, light blue, orange and black.
The first gentlemen
However, no one was immediately awarded the new order. Only on April 10, 1944, the names of the first three of its cavaliers became known: the owner of the order with badge No. 1 was the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov, No. 2 – Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky and No. 3 – Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal Joseph Stalin. The award was timed to coincide with the liberation of right-bank Ukraine.
Many were awarded in 1945, when Germany was defeated: Marshals Rokossovsky, Konev, Malinovsky, Tolbukhin, Govorov, Timoshenko, as well as Army General Antonov. Zhukov and Vasilevsky were awarded this order a second time in the same year. In June 1945, Stalin himself was awarded the Order of Victory for the second time, and following the war with Japan, Marshal Meretskov received the award.
Awards for foreigners
The Order of Victory was also awarded to some figures from the countries anti-Hitler coalition: to the Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslav People's Liberation Army Tito, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army General Rolya-Zhimierski, the English Field Marshal Montgomery and the American General Eisenhower. The Romanian King Mihai I also received the order.
Romania, as you know, fought on the side of Nazi Germany, however, when the Red Army approached its borders, Mihai arrested dictator Antonescu, announced Romania’s withdrawal from the war and stopped all military actions against the allies. It was for this – “the courageous act of a decisive turn in Romania’s policy towards a break with Hitler’s Germany and an alliance with the United Nations,” as stated in the resolution, that Stalin decided to reward him.
The new, seventeenth, holder of the order appeared only 30 years later. He became “our dear” Leonid Ilyich, who loved to hang himself with awards. The Order of Victory was awarded to the Secretary General in February 1978, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Army. Although Brezhnev, of course, did not have merits that would correspond to the status of this high award. However, this is precisely why he was deprived of it after his death.
Kalinin presents the Order of Victory to Stalin
Where are they now?
There are few such expensive and beautiful orders in the world. According to the recollections of Eisenhower’s adjutant, when he was awarded the Order of Victory, he spent a long time and practically counting the diamonds and stated that it was worth at least 18 thousand dollars (at prices at that time). However, American experts could not determine the value of the rubies, since they had never seen such large stones, and they did not pick them out of the order and check whether they were synthetic.
At the present time, the order is worth at least a million dollars (according to other estimates, at least four million). According to rumors, it was for this amount that King Michael I sold it to the American billionaire Rockefeller. However, the king himself never admitted to the act of sale. But when he arrived in Moscow to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Victory, he was not wearing this order, although all the king’s other awards were on his luxurious uniform.
Today the location of all other Orders of Victory is known. Awards presented Soviet military leaders, as well as the Polish marshal, are in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces. And the awards given to foreigners are in the museums of their countries.
Of the 17 holders of the highest military award of the USSR - the Order of Victory, two are directly related to the Vologda region. Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev was not only born on our land, but in 1918 he was the district military commissar in Nikolsk. Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky fought in Vologda in 1918 against deserters and anarchists.
How “For Loyalty to the Motherland” became “Victory”
A year and a half before the end of the war, on November 8, 1943, an award appeared in the award system of the Soviet Union, which then had a very bold name - the Order of Victory. Was still too strong fascist Germany, The USSR had just seized the strategic initiative.
On the days of celebrating the 26th anniversary October Revolution The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the establishment of the Soldier's Order of Glory of three degrees and the highest military award Homeland for the supreme generals of the Red Army. Almost a year later - in August 1944 - the sample and description of the ribbon of the Order of Victory, as well as the procedure for wearing the bar with the ribbon of the order, were approved.
A total of 20 Orders of Victory were awarded. 17 people became its cavaliers, three of whom were awarded the highest military award twice. One person was posthumously deprived of the Order of Victory.
In mid-1943, the country's leadership came up with the idea of establishing an award for the most distinguished commanders. Several artists were assigned to work on the sketch. Initially, the award was supposed to be called “For Loyalty to the Motherland.”
Preference was given to the sketch of the chief artist of the technical committee of the Main Quartermaster Directorate of Logistics A.I. Kuznetsov, author of the Order of the Patriotic War. The first example of the order, which was a five-pointed star with profile bas-reliefs of Lenin and Stalin in the central circle, was presented by I.V. Stalin October 25, 1943. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief expressed a wish to place an image of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in the center of the medallion.
On October 29, Kuznetsov presented several new sketches, of which Stalin chose one - with the inscription “Victory”. The artist was instructed to enlarge the size of the Spasskaya Tower and a fragment of the Kremlin wall, make the background blue, and also change the size of the diverging rays between the tops of the red star. On November 5, a trial copy of the order, made of platinum, diamonds and rubies, was ready, which was finally approved.
Not an award - a work of art!
Since platinum and gold, diamonds and rubies were needed for the production of the order, the execution of the order for the production of insignia of the order was entrusted to the craftsmen of the Moscow Jewelry and Watch Factory. “Victory” was the only one of all Russian orders not made at the Mint. It was planned to produce 30 badges of the order. By order of the Council of People's Commissars, Glavyuvelirtorg was given 5,400 diamonds, 1,500 roses and 9 kilograms of pure platinum.
The total weight of the Order of Victory is 78 grams. Platinum content in the order -
47 grams, gold - 2 grams, silver -
19 grams. Each of the five rubies weighs 5 carats. The total weight of diamonds on the sign is 16 carats.
The order ribbon combines the colors of six other Soviet orders, separated by white spaces half a millimeter wide: orange with black in the middle - the Order of Glory, blue - the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, burgundy - the Order of Alexander Nevsky, dark blue - the Order of Kutuzov, green - the Order of Suvorov, red - Order of Lenin.
All holders of the Order of Victory
The first award took place on April 10, 1944. The holder of Order No. 1 was the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. Order No. 2 was received by the Chief of the General Staff, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky. Order "Victory"
No. 3 was awarded to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union I.V. Stalin. All of them were awarded this award for the liberation of Right Bank Ukraine.
The following awards took place only a year later: on March 30, 1945, the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K., became holders of the order. Zhukov - for skillfully fulfilling the tasks of the Supreme High Command (second order), commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky - for the liberation of Poland and commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev - for the liberation of Poland and the crossing of the Oder.
By decree of April 19, 1945, the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M., was awarded the second order. Vasilevsky - for the capture of Konigsberg and liberation East Prussia.
On April 26 of the same year, the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union R.Ya., was awarded. Malinovsky and the commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin. Both were honored for their liberation in the difficult, bloody battles of Hungary and Austria.
May 31, 1945 for the defeat German troops near Leningrad and in the Baltic States, the commander of the Leningrad Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union L.A., became a holder of the order. Govorov.
On June 4, 1945, the Order of Victory for planning military operations and coordinating the actions of the fronts during the war was awarded to the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko and the Chief of the General Staff, Army General A.I. Antonov. Alexey Innokentyevich, by the way, is the only holder of the order in the USSR who did not have the rank of marshal.
Following the war with Japan, on September 8, 1945, the commander of the Order of Victory became a holder of the Order of Victory. Far Eastern Front Marshal of the Soviet Union K.A. Meretskov.
After the end of the war, it was decided to award the Order of Victory to military leaders allied forces. By decree of June 5, 1945, US Army General Dwight Eisenhower and Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery were awarded “for outstanding achievements in conducting large-scale military operations that resulted in the victory of the United Nations over Hitler’s Germany.”
On July 6, 1945, with the wording “for the courageous act of a decisive turn in the policy of Romania towards a break with Nazi Germany and an alliance with the United Nations at a time when the defeat of Germany had not yet been clearly determined” awarded the order"Victory" King Michael I of Romania of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. On August 23, 1944, he arrested members of the Romanian government who collaborated with Nazi Germany.
Marshal of Poland Michal Rolya-Zimierski was awarded the order on August 9, 1945 “for outstanding services in organizing the armed forces of Poland and for the successful conduct of military operations of the Polish Army in decisive battles against the common enemy - Nazi Germany.”
The last foreign holder of the Order of Victory was on September 9, 1945, Marshal of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito.
Ilyich was left without “Victory”
In 1966, the Order of Victory was supposed to be awarded to French President Charles de Gaulle during his visit to the USSR, but the award never took place.
But 12 years later - on February 20, 1978 - the award was presented to the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Chairman of the Defense Council of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union L.I. Brezhnev. The wording from the Decree of the Supreme Council of the USSR - “for great contribution to the victory Soviet people and its Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War, outstanding achievements in strengthening the country's defense capability, for the development and consistent implementation foreign policy peace of the Soviet state, reliably ensuring the development of the country in peaceful conditions.”
September 21, 1989 M.S. Gorbachev signed a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the abolition of awarding Brezhnev the Order of Victory with the wording “as contrary to the statute of the order.” Leonid Ilyich, indeed, did not take part in the development of operations that influenced the outcome of the war. He celebrated Victory Day with the rank of major general.
The fate of the awards
Today, all orders awarded to Soviet military leaders, as well as Marshal of Poland M. Rolya-Zhimierski, are in Russia. The Central Museum of the Armed Forces houses five Orders of Victory: two by Zhukov, two by Vasilevsky and one by Malinovsky. In the Victory Hall of this museum, copies of orders are displayed; the orders themselves are in storage. The remaining copies of the Order of Victory are in Gokhran. Order of K.K. Rokossovsky and M. Rolya-Zhimersky - in the Diamond Fund.
The Eisenhower Award is kept in the 34th President of the United States Memorial Library in his hometown Abilene (Kansas).
Field Marshal Montgomery's decoration is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.
The fate of the Order of Victory, owned by King Michael I, is unclear (he arrived without the order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Victory). According to one version, he sold it more than 30 years ago for $4 million. According to the official version, the Order of Victory is located on the estate of King Michael I in the town of Versoix, in Switzerland.
Prepared by Evgeny Starikov
How many Orders of Victory were issued and how many people were awarded them?
- The Order of Victory is an order of the Great Patriotic War, which was awarded to senior military leaders who made a significant contribution to the victory. In total, in 1944-1945 there were 19 awards with this order. Of the sixteen cavaliers (three were awarded twice), 10 were marshals of the Soviet Union, one army general and 5 foreigners.
On February 20, 1978, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree awarding the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Chairman of the Defense Council of the USSR Marshal of the Soviet Union L. I. Brezhnev, thereby grossly violating the statute of the order
List of holders of the order
Twice
Vasilevsky, Alexander Mikhailovich: April 10, 1944, April 19, 1945
Zhukov, Georgy Konstantinovich: April 10, 1944, March 30, 1945
Stalin, Joseph Vissarionovich: July 29, 1944, June 26, 1945Once
Konev, Ivan Stepanovich: March 30, 1945
Rokossovsky, Konstantin Konstantinovich: March 30, 1945
Malinovsky, Rodion Yakovlevich: April 26, 1945
Tolbukhin, Fdor Ivanovich: April 26, 1945
Govorov, Leonid Alexandrovich: May 31, 1945
Timoshenko, Semn Konstantinovich: June 4, 1945
Antonov, Alexey Innokentievich: June 4, 1945
Meretskov, Kirill Afanasyevich: September 8, 1945
Brezhnev, Leonid Ilyich (award awarded on February 20, 1978, canceled on September 21, 1989.
Foreign cavaliers
Bernard Montgomery (UK): 5 June 1945
Dwight Eisenhower (USA): June 5, 1945
Mihai I (King of Romania): July 6, 1945
Michal Rolya-Zimierski (Poland): August 9, 1945
Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia): September 9, 1945 - During the entire existence of the order, 20 copies of it were awarded to 17 of its gentlemen.
On April 10, 1944, the names of the first three holders of the Order of Victory became known. The owner of badge 1 was the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. Badge 2 was received by the Chief of the General Staff, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky. The Order of Victory 3 was awarded to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union I.V. Stalin. All of them received such high awards for the liberation of Right Bank Ukraine. The following awards came only a year later: on March 30, 1945, the commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky - for the liberation of Poland, and the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev - for the liberation of Poland and crossing of the Oder. On April 26, the list of recipients was replenished with two more names - the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky and the commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union F.I. Tolbukhin. Both were awarded for the liberation of the territories of Hungary and Austria in difficult, bloody battles. On May 31, the commander of the Leningrad Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union L. A. Govorov, became a holder of the order - for the liberation of Estonia. By the same decree, the commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov, and the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky, were awarded the Order of Victory a second time: the first - for the capture of Berlin, the second - for the capture of Koenigsberg and the liberation of East Prussia . On June 4, the Order of Victory was awarded to two “Moscow” military leaders: the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union S. N. Timoshenko, who was the People’s Commissar of Defense of the USSR on the eve of the war, and the Chief of the General Staff, Army General A. I. Antonov, the only holder of the Order of Victory "who did not have the rank of marshal, and unfortunately, never received it. Both of them were awarded the highest military order for planning combat operations and coordinating the actions of the fronts throughout the war.
By decree of June 26, 1945, the Order of Victory was awarded to I.V. Stalin for the second time (on the same day he became a Hero of the Soviet Union, and the next day - Generalissimo of the Soviet Union). As a result of the war with Japan, the commander of the Far Eastern Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union K. A. Meretskov, became a holder of the Order of Victory. Thus, the Order of Victory in the USSR was awarded to 10 marshals of the Soviet Union - 3 of them twice, and 1 army general.
In addition, in 1945, 5 foreign citizens became holders of the order:Supreme Commander of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, Marshal Josip Broz Tito;
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army (on the territory of the USSR) Marshal of Poland Michal Rolya-Zimierski:
Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Western Europe Army General Dwight David Eisenhower (USA);
Commander of the Allied Army Group in Western Europe, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery (Great Britain);
King Michael I of Romania, after being overthrown in Romania fascist regime Marshal Antonescu's troops fought on the side of the Allies.
At this point, the awards stopped and the Order of Victory became part of history. But more than 30 years after the war, another, seventeenth gentleman unexpectedly appeared: February 20, 1978, on the eve of the 60th anniversary Soviet Army And Navy This order was received by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L. I. Brezhnev. Although he bore the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and concurrently held the post of Chairman of the USSR Defense Council, his “deeds” did not in any way fall under the status of the Order of Victory.
This order has become the second rarest award of our Fatherland after the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces”, 1st degree; - for example, there were a thousand times more Heroes of the Soviet Union, and holders of the Order of St. George I degree before the revolution - almost twice as much.
When you study history highest Soviet military order "Victory" , you are sure to ask yourself: Why was “Victory” established and began to be awarded long before the Victory itself?
Marshal Zhukov , the first holder of the order, received the award on April 10, 1944. Until May 9, 1945, 9 awards were made, and 7 people managed to become holders of the order: twice - Vasilevsky, Stalin (he received the second Order of Victory after the end of the Great Patriotic War - June 26, 1945), again - Zhukov, and also Rokossovsky, Konev, Malinovsky and Tolbukhin.
Why did the reward appear so early?
The Order was established after the decisive turning point in the war, namely November 8, 1943 . The statute stated that the basis for the award could be successful conduct of military operations, as a result of which the situation at the front radically changes in favor of the Red Army. That is, the award was given not for a global victory in the war, but for very great successes during its course.
True, later the order was awarded to several foreign commanders and statesmen. It is this fact that has slightly confused those who read the history of the order today.
By the way, the original name of the order was not “Victory” at all, but “For Loyalty to the Motherland.”
In total, the holders of the order were: 17 people (more precisely, now it’s 16, but more on that a little later).
Most of the holders of this high award are our compatriots. In addition to the above, Marshals Govorov, Timoshenko, Meretskov and General Antonov were awarded “Victory” (he became the only Soviet holder of the order who did not have the rank of marshal, but Army General Antonov planned virtually everything combat operations Red Army, especially in the last two years of the war).
Here are all the Soviet holders of the Order of Victory, indicating the reason for the award and its date:
No. 1. Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov:
March 30, 1945 - "for the skillful fulfillment of tasks of the Supreme High Command."
No. 2. Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky:
April 19, 1945 - “for planning military operations and coordinating the actions of the fronts, the capture of Königsberg and the liberation of East Prussia.”
No. 3. Marshal of the Soviet Union, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union (from June 27, 1945) I. V. Stalin:
July 29, 1944 - “for the liberation of right-bank Ukraine”;
June 26, 1945 - “for Victory over Germany.”
No. 4. Marshal of the Soviet Union I. S. Konev:
March 30, 1945 - “for the liberation of Poland and crossing of the Oder.”
No. 5. Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky:
March 30, 1945 - “for the liberation of Poland.”
No. 6. Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky:
No. 7. Marshal of the Soviet Union F. I. Tolbukhin:
April 26, 1945 - “for the liberation of Austria and Hungary.”
No. 8. Marshal of the Soviet Union L. A. Govorov:
May 31, 1945 - “for the defeat of German troops near Leningrad and in the Baltic states.”
No. 9. Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko:
No. 10. Army General A. I. Antonov:
No. 11. Marshal of the Soviet Union K. A. Meretskov:
September 8, 1945 - "for successful leadership of troops in the war against Japan."
More five holders of the Order of Victory are foreigners : British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and US Army General Dwight Eisenhower, as well as Marshal of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito and Polish Minister of National Defense Michal Rolya-Zimierski.
No. 12. Field Marshal of Great Britain Bernard Law Montgomery:
July 5, 1945 - “for outstanding success in conducting large-scale military operations, which resulted in the victory of the United Nations over Nazi Germany.”
No. 13. US Army General Dwight David Eisenhower:
No. 14. Marshal of Poland Michal Rolya-Zimierski:
August 9, 1945 - “for outstanding services in organizing the armed forces of Poland and for the successful conduct of military operations of the Polish Army in decisive battles against the common enemy - Nazi Germany.”
No. 15. Marshal of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito:
September 9, 1945 - “for outstanding success in conducting large-scale combat operations...” (in general, for the same thing as Montgomery and Eisenhower).
The fifth foreigner deserves special attention - Romanian King Mihai I
. By the way, he is the only living holder of the Order of Victory.
It should be noted that the young king of Romania did not have any special military merits. He did not conduct or plan military operations, and throughout most of the Second World War he was completely in the position of a prisoner on the throne, since real power in the country belonged not to the king, but to Prime Minister Ion Antonescu. Officially, however, he was called not the prime minister, but the conductor - this is the Romanian analogue of the Italian “Duce” and the German “Führer”. Mikhai had to endure and put up with it. “I learned to smile at those I should have hated,” he said and waited in the wings.
This hour struck in August 1944. The Red Army at this time was approaching the Romanian border. Mihai, united in the anti-fascist opposition, arrested Antonescu and the generals loyal to him, sided with the Allies and declared war on Germany. Mikhai's act was considered in the USSR to be worthy of the title of "a fundamental turning point in favor of the Red Army." However, this really greatly facilitated its advance to the west, and we must not forget that it was the Romanian oil-bearing region of Ploiesti that by 1944 remained for Germany the only source of fuel for tanks and aircraft, without which it was no longer possible to count on any success in the war .
No. 16. King of Romania Michael I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen:
July 6, 1945 - “for the courageous act of a decisive turn in the policy of Romania towards a break with Nazi Germany and an alliance with the United Nations at a time when the defeat of Germany had not yet been clearly determined.”
As mentioned above, at first there were gentlemen 16
, Then - 17
, and in the end - again 16
.
Who is this mysterious 17th?
It's simple. This Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev:
During the war he was a colonel (since November 1944 - major general). He, of course, had military merits, but not those that would correspond to the status of the Order of Victory. Nevertheless, the Secretary General emphasized in every possible way that he played a noticeable, even outstanding role in the war.
Marshal Zhukov was even forced to mention Brezhnev in his “Memoirs and Reflections” (published for the first time precisely in Brezhnev’s times), indicating that he allegedly consulted with the head of the political department of the 18th Army, Colonel Brezhnev, on Malaya Zemlya in 1943.
"Colonel Brezhnev on Malaya Zemlya"
(painting by D. Nalbandyan):
February 20, 1978 year L. I. Brezhnev (by this time already a marshal and three times Hero of the Soviet Union) was solemnly awarded the Order of Victory with the wording: "For his great contribution to the Victory of the Soviet people and their Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War..." .
So Brezhnev became 17th Knight of the Order.
IN 1989 This award was cancelled, and the late Secretary General was excluded from the list of holders of the order. It is worth noting that the formal procedure for canceling the award was not spelled out anywhere. Gorbachev in his decree of September 21, 1989 simply stated that the award itself was contrary to the statute of the order (which, however, is fair).
However, even in the conditions of the beginning " cold war“It did not occur to Stalin to deprive either Montgomery, Eisenhower or Tito of the Order of Victory.
Even the eccentric Khrushchev did not agree to this, who, by the way, ended the war as a lieutenant general, and during it, being a member of the Military Councils of different fronts (though very unsuccessful!), did not even think about awarding himself the Order of Victory.
However, comparing the contribution to the Victory of Brezhnev and the above-mentioned figures (of course, I’m not talking about Khrushchev!) is quite absurd.
Should have become another holder of the Order of Victory, but never did Charles de Gaulle
- leader of the French Resistance. Its leader, of course, had grounds to at least claim “Victory”. However, the Soviet leadership was in no hurry to award the award.
Everything could have changed in 1966, when the general, who was at that time the president of the Fifth French Republic that he actually founded, was going on an official visit to Moscow. It was then that the idea arose at the Soviet Foreign Ministry to still award de Gaulle “Victory”.
A corresponding appeal was written to the CPSU Central Committee. They finally gave the go-ahead. An order was even made for the production of an order for de Gaulle. What happened next is unknown, but de Gaulle returned to Paris without the order.
Some historians believe that the Soviet leaders were embarrassed by the rank of general of the French president. In France they are still arguing about whether this rank was awarded to de Gaulle according to all the rules, or whether he took it for himself. So, when the president resigned, the new French leadership issued him a colonel's pension, not a general's. The colonel for "Victory", even despite all his merits, apparently seemed too small, unless, of course, his last name is Brezhnev.
With the abolition of Brezhnev's award in 1989, the history of the order ends. Nevertheless, the signs of the order themselves continue to exist. The location of most of them is known. Orders of all Soviet cavaliers and Rolya-Zhimersky are in Russia, the Montgomery Order is in London, the Tito Order is in Belgrade, the Eisenhower Order is in the town of Abelin, in Kansas, where the American general and president was born.
And here's what concerns Order of the Romanian King Michael I , very similar to the mysterious one detective story .
Some argue that Mihai, who has not been the king of Romania for a long time (since December 1947), difficult times sold his order and allegedly received $4 million for it. However, in 2010, Mikhai was seen wearing the Order of Victory at a parade in Moscow.
We were together then, but not much time had passed...
This story is confusing and mysterious. There is a version that a duplicate was made somewhere for Mihai, exactly similar to the original. In response, the argument is that to make a copy it would be necessary to spend an amount comparable to the 4 million that Mihai allegedly received for the sale (which is generally true: only the rubies and diamonds with which the order is decorated, not counting platinum, gold and silver, from which it is made cost quite a lot, and also the work of making an exact copy would be very expensive, given the need to keep it secret).
The former king of Romania will celebrate his 95th birthday this year:
Not so long ago, a certain Order of Victory actually appeared on the black market, which was not a fake and went into someone’s private collection. Just what kind of order could it be if the whereabouts of 19 are known, and the 20th is kept by the last living gentleman. And what is the point for a collector to buy a real Order of Victory if it can’t be shown to anyone or put up at auction anyway?
This post is based on the article Alexey Durnovo "Order of Victory" in the magazine "Diletant" (No. 006, June 2016), errors and inaccuracies in which were corrected by me.
Sergey Vorobiev.
Thank you for your attention.
In 1943, the world-famous Order of Victory was established, which is the highest order of the USSR. It was a five-pointed star with a round medallion on which you can see Spasskaya. This is not just an order, but a unique work consisting of five and 174 diamonds (16 carats). In addition, such expensive materials as gold (2 g), platinum (47 g) and silver (19 g), as well as enamel, were used for its manufacture. At the moment, the Order of Victory is one of the most expensive Soviet awards. In addition, it is considered second in rarity after the Soviet Order “For Service to the Motherland”, 1st class.
Order of Victory: history of creation, gentlemen
Initially, profile bas-reliefs of Stalin and Lenin were to be placed on the Order of Victory. However, Stalin decided to place an image of the Spasskaya Tower on it. They planned to decorate the Order of Victory with natural rubies, but since it was impossible to select specimens that would maintain a single color background, it was decided to use artificial stones. The original name of the order was also changed - “For Loyalty to the Motherland”. It was the same Stalin who renamed the award, although the author of the idea of creating this order was Colonel N. Neelov. The sketch of the order was created by the artist A. Kuznetsov.
A total of 20 copies of the Order of Victory were awarded. The first award took place in 1944. As a rule, it was awarded to senior generals for the successful conduct of large-scale military operations. Most of the holders of this order were outstanding historical figures. In particular, the Order of Victory was awarded (twice), I. Stalin (twice), I. Konev, K. Rokossovsky, A. Antonov, D. Eisenhower, B. Montgomery, I. Tito and L. Brezhnev (was deprived order in 1989). Foreign citizens were awarded as allies in the fight against Germany. There is even a memorial plaque in the Kremlin Palace, which lists the names of all the gentlemen of the described order.
How much does the Order of Victory cost??
A unique work of art, an important cultural and historical value, above Nazism - all these are the characteristics of the Order of Victory award, the value of which is almost impossible to estimate. After all, the price of the material alone is currently equal to $100 thousand.
Therefore, it is not surprising that only one Order of Victory is in a private collection. His knight was the Romanian King Mihai I. By the way, he is the only knight of the order who survived. However, in the 50s of the twentieth century, his award was sold to the Rockefeller family for $1 million. It is still unknown whether this unique award was purchased from Mihai himself (in 1947, within 48 hours, he was forced to emigrate from Romania with only one suitcase) or from the Ceausescu family, who took the regalia from the king. Mihai himself denies the sale of the order. Be that as it may, after some time the Rockefellers put up the Order of Victory at Sotheby’s auction. As a result, it was sold for $2 million.
S.S. Shishkov, an expert on Soviet awards, is confident that if the Order of Victory is put up for auction again, its value will be at least $20 million.
