The Order of the Red Banner

The Order of the Red Banner (until 1932 -- the "Red Banner" Order) descended from the "Red Banner" Order of RSFSR, established in 1918. This was the first order established in USSR (in 1924). It remained the highest military decoration of the country for almost 20 years, until the Order of Victory appeared in 1943. All versions of the order's Statute read that the order is a decoration for "conspicuous bravery, selflessness, and courage exhibited in the defense of the socialist Motherland". According to its Statute, it could be awared to servicemen, employees of "secret services", and other citizens of USSR, military units, warships, and formations, as well as persons who are not citizens of USSR.

During the Great Patriotic War the order remained an "elite" decoration: it was usually given to commanders of formations, regiments, battalions, as well as to pilots for shot down aircraft and successfull bombings and strafings. Junior officers of the ground forces, much less NCOs and privates, were very rarely decorated with the order.

In all, from 1924 to 1991, the Order of the Red Banner was awared 580 thousand times, and some received it 5, 6, or 7 times. The first holder of the Order with the number "7" on the front was the Air Force Major General M.I.Burtsev in 1967. Later, one out of more than 10 cavaliers of the order with the number "7" became the renowned pilot, thrice the Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Force Marshal I.N.Kozhedub.