- Time Period: Second World War
- Year of Institution: 8 November 1943
- Country: Russia & USSR
The Order of Victory (or Орден Победа in Russian) was the highest military decoration awarded for World War II service in the Soviet Union, and one of the rarest orders in the world.
The Order of Victory was awarded only to Generals and Marshals for successfully conducting combat operations involving one or more army groups and resulting in a “successful operation within the framework of one or several fronts resulting in a radical change of the situation in favor of the Red Army.” The Order has only been awarded twenty times to twelve Soviet leaders and five foreign leaders, with one revocation (that of Leonid Brezhnev, revoked posthumously in 1989 for not meeting the requirements for the award).
The order was also bestowed to top commanders of the Allied forces. Every order was presented during or immediately after World War II. Unlike all other Soviet orders, the Order of Victory had no serial number on it, the number was only mentioned in the award certificate. After a holder of the Order of Victory died, the award was to be given back to the state.
The Order of Victory Design
The Order of Victory measures 72 mm in diameter and is made out of platinum in the form of a pentangular star with rays between the arms.
On October 25, 1943, artist A. I. Kuznetsov, who was already the designer of many Soviet orders, presented his first sketch to Stalin. The sketch of a round medallion with portraits of Lenin and Stalin was not approved by the Supreme Commander. Instead, Stalin wanted a design with the Spasskaya Tower in the centre. Kuznetsov returned four days later with several new sketches, of which Stalin chose one entitled “Victory”. On the 5th of November a prototype was finally approved.
The star is studded with 174 diamonds weighing a total of 16 carats (3.2 g), while the arms of the star are made out of ruby. In the center of the star is a silver medallion, with the Moscow Kremlin wall, the Spasskaya Tower, and Lenin’s Mausoleum depicted in gold surrounded by bands of laurel and oak also colored in gold. The laurel and oak are bound with a red banner. The sky in the background is inlaid with blue enamel.
Against the sky, the letters “СССР” (USSR) appear in gold centered on the top of the medallion, while the word “Победа” (Victory) is displayed on the red banner at the bottom. The total mass of the order is 78g, which consists of 47g of platinum, 2g of gold, 19g of silver, 25 carats of ruby and 16 carats of diamond.
Instead of being made at a mint, each Order was made in a jeweler’s workshop. The ribbons of various Soviet orders have been combined to create the Order Ribbon. The total length of the ribbon is 44 mm and it is mostly worn on the field uniform.
