The Order of the Patriotic War is awarded to soldiers and commanding officers of the Red Army, Navy, NKVD troops and partisan detachments who showed bravery, fortitude and courage in the battles for the Soviet Homeland, as well as military personnel who contributed to the success of combat operations of our troops by their actions.

Order of the Patriotic War

The Order of the Patriotic War is the first Soviet award that appeared during the Great Patriotic War. On April 10, 1942, I.V. Stalin instructed the head of the Main Directorate of the Rear of the Red Army, General A.V. Khrulev, to prepare a draft of a new order to award those who distinguished themselves in battles with the Nazis. Two artists were commissioned to prepare sketches of the award: S.I. Dmitriev and A.I. Kuznetsov. On May 20, 1942, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On the establishment of the Order of the Patriotic War I and II degrees" was signed. This is the first Soviet order that had a division into degrees.

The main difference between the artists' concepts was as follows: A.I. Kuznetsov's badge of the order received the shape of a star with crossed swords, and S.I. Dmitriev proposed the outlines of a badge. Dmitriev's composition combined images of the red banner, the red star, the medieval Russian shield and swords, laurel and oak wreaths. In the center of the sketch signs, both artists placed the coat of arms of the Soviet Union.