Hero of the Soviet Union
Encyclopedia
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (Russian
: Герой Советского Союза, Geroy Sovyetskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union
, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.
. The first recipients of the title originally received only the Order of Lenin
, the highest Soviet award, along with certificate (грамота, gramota) describing the heroic deed from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
of the USSR. Because the Order of Lenin could be awarded for deeds not qualifying for the title of hero, and to distinguish heroes from other Order of Lenin holders, the Gold Star medal was introduced on August 1, 1939. Earlier heroes were retroactively eligible for these items.
A hero could be awarded the title again for a subsequent heroic feat with an additional Gold Star medal and certificate. An additional Order of Lenin was not given until 1973. The practice of awarding the title multiple times was abolished by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1988 during perestroika
.
Many foreign citizens were awarded the title.
The title was also given posthumously, though often without the actual Gold Star medal given.
The title could be revoked only by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
(11,635 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 101 twice Heroes, 3 three time Heroes, and 2 four-time Heroes). Sixty-five people were awarded the title for actions related to the Soviet-Afghan War, which lasted from 1979 until 1989. http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/medals/afghan/af_hsu.html
The first recipients of the award were the pilots Anatoly Liapidevsky
(certificate number one), Sigizmund Levanevsky
, Vasily Molokov, Mavriky Slepnyov
, Nikolai Kamanin
, Ivan Doronin
and Mikhail Vodopianov
, who participated in the successful aerial search and rescue of the crew of the steamship Cheliuskin, which sank in Arctic
waters, crushed by ice fields, on February 13, 1934. Valentina Grizodubova
, a female pilot, was the first woman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union (November 2, 1938) for her international women's record for a straight-line distance flight. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya
, a Soviet partisan, was the first woman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II (February 16, 1942), posthumously.
101 people were to receive the award twice. A second award entitled the recipient to have a bronze bust of his/her likeness with a commemorative inscription erected in his home town.
Two famous Soviet fighter pilots, Aleksandr Pokryshkin
and Ivan Kozhedub
were three Heroes of the Soviet Union. A third award entitled the recipient to have his/her bronze bust erected on a columnar pedestal in Moscow, near the Palace of the Soviets, but the Palace was never built.
After his release from serving a 20-year sentence in a Mexican prison for the assassination of Leon Trotsky
, Ramon Mercader
moved to the Soviet Union in 1961 and was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union medal from the then head of the KGB Alexander Shelepin
.
The only individuals to receive the title four times were Marshal Georgy Zhukov
and Leonid Brezhnev
. The original statute of the Hero of the Soviet Union, however, did not provide for a fourth title; its provisions allowed for a maximum of three awards regardless of later deeds. Both Zhukov and Brezhnev received their fourth titles under controversial circumstances contrary to the statute, which remained largely unchanged until the award was abolished in 1991. Zhukov was awarded a fourth time "for his large accomplishments" on the occasion of his 60th birthday on December 1, 1956. There is some speculation that Zhukov's fourth Hero medal was for his participation in the arrest of Beria
in 1953, but this was not entered in the records.
Brezhnev's four awards further eroded the prestige of the award because they were birthday gifts, on the occasions of his 60th, 70th, 72nd and 75th birthdays. Such practices halted in 1988 due to a decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which formally ended it.
By the 1970s, the award had been somewhat devalued. Important political and military persons had been awarded on the occasions of their anniversaries rather than for any immediate heroic activity.
All Soviet cosmonauts, starting from Yuri Gagarin
, as well as foreign citizens who participated in Soviet cosmic program as cosmonauts, received Hero award for each flight (but no more than twice).
Apart from individuals, the title was also awarded to twelve cities (Hero City
) as well as the fortress of Brest
(Hero-Fortress
) for collective heroism during the War.
The last recipient of the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was a Soviet diver
, Captain of the 3rd rank
Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov on December 24, 1991 for fulfillment of a special diving task. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this title was succeeded in Russia by the title "Hero of the Russian Federation
", in Ukraine by "Hero of Ukraine
" and in Belarus by "Hero of Belarus
". Azerbaijan's successor order is that of National Hero of Azerbaijan and Armenia's own hero medal is that of National Hero of Armenia
, both modeled on the Soviet one.
The medal appears as a charge in the arms of The Hero City
of Sevastopol
.
- Egyptian military officer and political leader Gamal Abdel Nasser
– president of Egypt
(1954–1970) Abdul Ahad Mohmand
– the first Afghan cosmonaut Ahmed Ben Bella
– the first president of Algeria
Zahari Zahariev - International Brigades pilot under Pseudonym Turk Halil Ekrem awarded #22 30 December 1936 Georgi Ivanov
– The first Bulgarian Cosmonaut Todor Zhivkov
– Communist president of Bulgaria Aleksandar Panayotov Aleksandrov - The second Bulgarian Cosmonaut Vladimir Zaimov - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death in 1972 Fidel Castro
– leader of the Cuban communist government Arnaldo Tamayo – the first Hispanic and Cuban cosmonaut Josef Buršík – for heroism during the liberation of Kiev
, awarded on December 21, 1943, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia he gave the award back Otakar Jaroš
– for heroism in the Third Battle of Kharkov
, awarded in memoriam on April 17, 1943 as the first foreign soldier Ján Nálepka (Slovak
) – awarded in memoriam on May 2, 1945 Vladimír Remek
– the first Czech in space and the first cosmonaut who wasn't a citizen of USSR or USA Antonín Sochor – for heroism during the liberation of Hyev, awarded on December 21, 1943 Ludvík Svoboda
– communist president of Czechoslovakia and army general, commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps
Gustáv Husák
– communist president of Czechoslovakia Stěpan Vajda (Rusyn
) – for heroism during the liberation of Poland
, awarded in memoriam on August 10, 1945 Richard Tesařík
– for heroism during the liberation of Hyev, awarded on December 21, 1943 Jean-Loup Chrétien
the first French astronaut Marcel Albert
– decorated WWII fighter pilot
(Normandie-Niemen
) Jacques André – decorated WWII fighter pilot
(Normandie-Niemen
) Roland de La Poype
– decorated WWII fighter pilot
(Normandie-Niemen
) Marcel Lefèvre – decorated WWII fighter pilot
(Normandie-Niemen
) Sigmund Jähn
– the first German cosmonaut Walter Ulbricht
– East German leader Erich Honecker
– East German leader Erich Mielke
– East German head of the Stasi
Bertalan Farkas
– the first Hungarian cosmonaut János Kádár
– Hungarian politician Rakesh Sharma
– the first Indian cosmonaut Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa – the first Mongolian cosmonaut Władysław Wysocki - Polish officer from the battle of Lenino
Juliusz Hibner - Polish communist and officer from the battle of Lenino
Aniela Krzywoń
- Polish soldier Mirosław Hermaszewski – the first citizen of Poland
to travel into space Ramón Mercader
– assassinated Leon Trotsky
in 1940 Rubén Ruiz Ibárruri
– son of the Spanish communist leader Dolores Ibárruri Gómez, killed in the Battle of Stalingrad
while fighting for the Red Army
Muhammed Faris
– the first Syrian cosmonaut Phạm Tuân – the first Vietnamese cosmonaut
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Герой Советского Союза, Geroy Sovyetskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.
Overview
The award was established on April 16, 1934, by the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet UnionCentral Executive Committee of the Soviet Union
The Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union was the highest governing body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, existed from 1922 until 1938, when it was replaced by the Supreme Soviet of first convocation....
. The first recipients of the title originally received only the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, the highest Soviet award, along with certificate (грамота, gramota) describing the heroic deed from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was a Soviet governmental institution – a permanent body of the Supreme Soviets . This body was of the all-Union level , as well as in all Soviet republics and autonomous republics...
of the USSR. Because the Order of Lenin could be awarded for deeds not qualifying for the title of hero, and to distinguish heroes from other Order of Lenin holders, the Gold Star medal was introduced on August 1, 1939. Earlier heroes were retroactively eligible for these items.
A hero could be awarded the title again for a subsequent heroic feat with an additional Gold Star medal and certificate. An additional Order of Lenin was not given until 1973. The practice of awarding the title multiple times was abolished by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1988 during perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
.
Many foreign citizens were awarded the title.
The title was also given posthumously, though often without the actual Gold Star medal given.
The title could be revoked only by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
History
The total number of persons who were awarded this title is 12,745 (twenty people have been stripped of this title due to various circumstances). The great majority of them received it during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(11,635 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 101 twice Heroes, 3 three time Heroes, and 2 four-time Heroes). Sixty-five people were awarded the title for actions related to the Soviet-Afghan War, which lasted from 1979 until 1989. http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/medals/afghan/af_hsu.html
The first recipients of the award were the pilots Anatoly Liapidevsky
Anatoly Vasilyevich Liapidevsky
Anatoly Vasilyevich Liapidevsky was a Soviet aircraft pilot and the first to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union . He reached the rank of Major-General of the Soviet Air Force....
(certificate number one), Sigizmund Levanevsky
Sigizmund Levanevsky
Sigizmund Aleksandrovich Levanevsky was a Soviet aircraft pilot of Polish origin and a Hero of the Soviet Union .-Life and career:...
, Vasily Molokov, Mavriky Slepnyov
Mavriky Slepnyov
Colonel Mavrikiy Trofimovich Slepnyov was a Soviet polar aviator, Hero of the Soviet Union....
, Nikolai Kamanin
Nikolai Kamanin
Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin was a Soviet aviator, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1934 for the rescue of SS Chelyuskin crew from an improvised airfield on the frozen surface of the Chukchi Sea near Kolyuchin Island.In World War II he successfully commanded air brigade, air division...
, Ivan Doronin
Ivan Doronin
Colonel Ivan Vasilyevich Doronin was a Soviet aircraft pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union ....
and Mikhail Vodopianov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Vodopianov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Vodopianov was a Soviet aircraft pilot, one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, and a Major General of the Soviet Air Force....
, who participated in the successful aerial search and rescue of the crew of the steamship Cheliuskin, which sank in Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
waters, crushed by ice fields, on February 13, 1934. Valentina Grizodubova
Valentina Grizodubova
Valentina Stepanovna Grizodubova , 1993 in Moscow) was a one of the first female pilots in the Soviet Union and was awarded titles Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Socialist Labour.-Early life and pre-war career:...
, a female pilot, was the first woman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union (November 2, 1938) for her international women's record for a straight-line distance flight. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya
Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya
Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya, alternatively Romanised as Kosmodem'yanskaya was a Soviet partisan, and a Hero of the Soviet Union...
, a Soviet partisan, was the first woman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II (February 16, 1942), posthumously.
101 people were to receive the award twice. A second award entitled the recipient to have a bronze bust of his/her likeness with a commemorative inscription erected in his home town.
Two famous Soviet fighter pilots, Aleksandr Pokryshkin
Aleksandr Ivanovich Pokryshkin
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was a Marshal of the Soviet Air Force. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three separate occasions ....
and Ivan Kozhedub
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
Marshal of Aviation Ivan Mykytovych Kozhedub was a Soviet Ukrainian military aviator and a World War II fighter ace. Arguably Kozhedub, as he revealed in his memoires, took a part in the Korean War as fighter pilot, whilst being a commander of Soviet aviation Corps. in Korea. He is credited with...
were three Heroes of the Soviet Union. A third award entitled the recipient to have his/her bronze bust erected on a columnar pedestal in Moscow, near the Palace of the Soviets, but the Palace was never built.
After his release from serving a 20-year sentence in a Mexican prison for the assassination of Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
, Ramon Mercader
Ramón Mercader
Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río Hernández was a Spanish communist who became famous as the murderer of Russian Communist ideologist Leon Trotsky in 1940, in Mexico...
moved to the Soviet Union in 1961 and was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union medal from the then head of the KGB Alexander Shelepin
Alexander Shelepin
Alexander Nikolayevich Shelepin was a Soviet state security officer and party statesman. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its Politburo and was the head of the KGB from 25 December 1958 to 13 November 1961.Shelepin was born in Voronezh...
.
The only individuals to receive the title four times were Marshal Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
and Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
. The original statute of the Hero of the Soviet Union, however, did not provide for a fourth title; its provisions allowed for a maximum of three awards regardless of later deeds. Both Zhukov and Brezhnev received their fourth titles under controversial circumstances contrary to the statute, which remained largely unchanged until the award was abolished in 1991. Zhukov was awarded a fourth time "for his large accomplishments" on the occasion of his 60th birthday on December 1, 1956. There is some speculation that Zhukov's fourth Hero medal was for his participation in the arrest of Beria
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....
in 1953, but this was not entered in the records.
Brezhnev's four awards further eroded the prestige of the award because they were birthday gifts, on the occasions of his 60th, 70th, 72nd and 75th birthdays. Such practices halted in 1988 due to a decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which formally ended it.
By the 1970s, the award had been somewhat devalued. Important political and military persons had been awarded on the occasions of their anniversaries rather than for any immediate heroic activity.
All Soviet cosmonauts, starting from Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, as well as foreign citizens who participated in Soviet cosmic program as cosmonauts, received Hero award for each flight (but no more than twice).
Apart from individuals, the title was also awarded to twelve cities (Hero City
Hero City
Hero City is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the German-Soviet War of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress...
) as well as the fortress of Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
(Hero-Fortress
Hero-Fortress
Hero-Fortress is the honorary title awarded to the Soviet Brest Fortress, now in Brest, Belarus in 1965 for the defence of the frontier stronghold during the very first weeks of the German-Soviet War of 1941 to 1945...
) for collective heroism during the War.
The last recipient of the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was a Soviet diver
Underwater diving
Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
, Captain of the 3rd rank
Corvette Captain
Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette . The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and USA is lieutenant commander...
Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov on December 24, 1991 for fulfillment of a special diving task. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this title was succeeded in Russia by the title "Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
", in Ukraine by "Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine
Hero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...
" and in Belarus by "Hero of Belarus
Hero of Belarus
Hero of Belarus is the highest title that can be bestowed on a citizen of Belarus. The title is awarded to those "who perform great deeds in the name of freedom, independence and prosperity of the Republic of Belarus". The deed can be for military performance, economic performance or great service...
". Azerbaijan's successor order is that of National Hero of Azerbaijan and Armenia's own hero medal is that of National Hero of Armenia
National Hero of Armenia
National Hero of Armenia is the highest title in the Republic of Armenia. The law on the title has been in effect since April 22, 1994. The highest title is awarded for outstanding services of national importance to the Republic of Armenia in defense and strengthening of the state system and...
, both modeled on the Soviet one.
Heraldry
Hero City
Hero City is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the German-Soviet War of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress...
of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
.
Single award
- Nikolai MelnikNikolai MelnikNikolai Melnik is a former Soviet pilot known for placing radiation sensors at the Chernobyl's Nuclear Power Plant, Reactor 4, after the 1986 explosion. For his work, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union....
- Soviet pilot known for placing radiation sensors at the Chernobyl's Nuclear Power Plant, Reactor 4, during the 1986 explosionChernobyl disasterThe Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. - Ivan IsakovIvan IsakovHovhannes Stepani Isakov -Early life:Ivan Isakov was born Hovhannes Ter-Isahakyan in the family of an Armenian railway worker in the village of Hadjikend in the Kars Oblast, then a part of the Russian Empire...
- Navy Admiral. - Hamazasp BabadzhanianHamazasp BabadzhanianHamazasp Khachaturi Babadzhanian was Chief Marshal of the Mechanized Forces of the USSR and Hero of the Soviet Union.-Biography:Babadzhanian was born in the family of an Armenian peasant, in the village of Chardakhlu near Yelizavetpol , then part of the Russian Empire, attending school there...
– led a brigade in the retaking of the river DniesterDniesterThe Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
during WWII. - Lavrenty Beria – former NKVD and MVD chief.
- Mikhail Devyataev – escaped from a forced-labor camp at PeenemündePeenemündeThe Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
with crucial intelligence on GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
rocket programs. - Pavel GrachevPavel GrachevPavel Sergeyevich Grachev , sometimes transliterated as Grachov, is a retired Russian Army General and the former Defence Minister of the Russian Federation; in 1988 he was declared the Hero of the Soviet Union...
- Military Leader, division commander in Afghanistan, Minster of Defense of the Russian Federation. - Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
– cosmonaut and the first human to fly in space. - Ivan GolubetsIvan GolubetsIvan Karpovich Golubets was a Soviet sailor with the Black Sea Fleet. He was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union.-Biography:...
– saved lives aboard the Soviet ship SK-0121 in 1942. - Vladimir KonovalovVladimir KonovalovRear Admiral Vladimir Konstantinovich Konovalov, Владимир Константинович Коновалов was a Soviet Navy distinguished submarine commander during World War II....
– submarine commander; sank the GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
ship GoyaGoya (ship)The Goya was a German transport ship sunk by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea, near the end of the Second World War, while carrying wounded Wehrmacht troops and civilians who were fleeing the advance of Soviet forces. Most of the crew and passengers died...
. - Zoya KosmodemyanskayaZoya KosmodemyanskayaZoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya, alternatively Romanised as Kosmodem'yanskaya was a Soviet partisan, and a Hero of the Soviet Union...
– the first wartime female recipient (posthumously); demonstrated bravery during her capture and execution by the Nazis. - Nikolai Gerasimovich KuznetsovNikolai Gerasimovich KuznetsovNikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov was a Soviet naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union and served as People's Commissar of the Navy during The Second World War....
– A Soviet naval officer and People's Commissar of State for the Navy during World War II. Also Commander in Chief and Flag Officer of the Soviet Navy, made Fleet Admiral in July 1945 and Fleet Admiral of the Soviet Union in July 1955 and again (posthumously) in 1988 due to his wartime and postwar roles in the Navy. - Nikolai KuznetsovNikolai Ivanovich KuznetsovNikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov was a Soviet intelligence agent and partisan who operated in Nazi-occupied Ukraine during World War II. He used several pseudonyms during his intelligence operations: e.g...
– intelligence officer responsible for the kidnappings and assassinations of several high-ranking Nazis. - Lydia LitvyakLydia LitvyakLydia Vladimirovna Litvyak Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (Лидия Владимировна Литвяк, (Moscow, August 18, 1921 – Krasnyi Luch August 1, 1943), also known as Lydia Litviak or Lilya Litviak, was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II...
– WWII fighter pilot and the world's top female ace, posthumously awarded. - Alexander MatrosovAlexander MatrosovAlexander Matveyevich Matrosov , born in Yekaterinoslav was a famous Soviet infantry soldier during World War II....
posthumously awarded for blocking an enemy machine-gun with his own body. - Ivan PanfilovIvan PanfilovNot to be confused with Major General Alexei Pavlovich Panfilov, who is known for negotiating the creation of the Anders Army.In Allen Paul's book Katyn: Stalin's Massacre and the Triumph of Truth , page 172, it is written that the name of the assistant chief of the General Staff of the Red Army...
- Soviet general. Killed in action during the Battle of MoscowBattle of MoscowThe Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
. The 8th Guards Rifle Division8th Guards Rifle DivisionThe 8th Guards Panfilov Division originally the 316th Rifle Division, is a motorized infantry division of the Military of Kyrgyzstan,...
of the Red Army was named in his honor. - Yakov PavlovYakov PavlovYakov Fedotovich Pavlov was a Soviet Red Army soldier awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his role in defending "Pavlov's House" during the Battle of Stalingrad.-Biography:...
– commanded the defenders of the building named after himPavlov's HousePavlov's House became the name of a fortified apartment building during the Battle of Stalingrad from 27 September, 1942 to February 2, 1943...
during the Battle of StalingradBattle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. - Suren Petrosyan (1916 - ) - the commander of the 3rd battalion of the 5th guards landing brigade, participated in the forced crossing of the River Dnepr.
- Otto SchmidtOtto SchmidtOtto Yulyevich Schmidt was a Soviet scientist, mathematician, astronomer, geophysicist, statesman, academician, Hero of the USSR , and member of the Communist Party.-Biography:He was born in Mogilev, Russian Empire...
– scientist and explorer of the ArcticArcticThe Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. - Andrey Shestopalyko - In 1941 assisted his unit in breaking out of the Kiev pocketBattle of Kiev (1941)The Battle of Kiev was the German name for the operation that resulted in a very large encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during World War II. It is considered the largest encirclement of troops in history. The operation ran from 23 August – 26 September 1941 as part of Operation...
. - Lyubov ShevtsovaLyubov ShevtsovaLyubov Shevtsova was a Soviet partisan and a member of the Young Guard, an underground anti-Nazi organization in Krasnodon during World War II....
- resisted Nazi occupation in WWII. - Ivan SidorenkoIvan SidorenkoIvan Mikhaylovich Sidorenko was a Red Army officer, who served during World War II. He was one of the top Soviet snipers in the war, with over five hundred confirmed kills.-Early years:...
- One of the top snipers of WWII, with over 500 kills. Was also a highly regarded sniper trainer. - Lyudmila PavlichenkoLyudmila PavlichenkoLyudmila Mykhailivna Pavlichenko was a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with 309 kills, and is regarded as the most successful female sniper in history.-Early life:...
- Prolific female sniper in the Red Army's 25th Rifle Division, credited with 309 kills before retirement. She also became the first Soviet citizen to be received by a U.S. President when Franklin Roosevelt welcomed her at the White House. - Natalya Meklin Female Bomber pilot in Great Patriotic war. She completed 980 missions during the war as a Soviet Air Force officer.
- Pyotr ShirshovPyotr ShirshovPyotr Petrovich Shirshov was a Ukrainian Soviet oceanographer, hydrobiologist, polar explorer, statesman, academician , and Hero of the Soviet Union .Pyotr Shirshov graduated from the Odessa Public Education Institute in 1929...
, Evgeny FedorovEvgeny FedorovEvgeny Fedorov is a Russian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk of the Kontinental Hockey League ....
, Ernst KrenkelErnst KrenkelErnst Teodorovich Krenkel was a Soviet Arctic explorer, doctor of geographical sciences , and Hero of the Soviet Union ....
and Ivan PapaninIvan PapaninIvan Dmitrievich Papanin was a Russian Polar Explorer, Scientist,Counter Admiral, twice Hero of the Soviet Union awarded nine Orders of Lenin...
- Scientists who worked on the first drifting ice stationSoviet and Russian manned drifting ice stationsSoviet and Russian manned drifting ice stations are important contributors to exploration of the Arctic. The stations are named North Pole Soviet and Russian manned drifting ice stations are important contributors to exploration of the Arctic. The stations are named North Pole Soviet and...
. - Richard SorgeRichard SorgeRichard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
– Soviet spy, reported from JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese information the exact date that Operation BarbarossaOperation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
would begin, and the fact that the Japanese would not attack Russia in 1941. This led Georgy ZhukovGeorgy ZhukovMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
to move several Siberian divisions from the Far East to Moscow, contributing to the Soviet victory at the Moscow counteroffensiveBattle of MoscowThe Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
. Awarded posthumously. - Valentina TereshkovaValentina TereshkovaValentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the first woman in space. She was selected out of more than four hundred applicants, and then out of five finalists, to pilot Vostok 6 on the 16 June, 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in...
– cosmonaut and the first woman to fly in space. - Arnold MeriArnold MeriArnold Meri was an Soviet Red Army veteran of World War II and Hero of the Soviet Union who was charged with genocide for his role in the deportation of women and children to the inhospitable regions of the USSR. He was the cousin of former President of Estonia, Lennart Meri...
– decorated WWII (1941). - Leen KullmanLeen KullmanHelene Kullman was an agent of Soviet military intelligence during World War II. Joining the Red Army in January 1942, she originally served as a nurse; in April 1942, she was transferred to intelligence. In September 1942, she was inserted behind German lines near Tartu...
– Soviet spy (1965). - Anna YegorovaAnna YegorovaLt. Anna Alexandrovna Timofeyeva-Yegorova was a pilot in the Red Army Air Force during the Second World War. She learned to fly and became a flight instructor before the war, then volunteered for the front when Germany invaded...
– WWII ground-attack Il-2 pilot. - Michael TsiselskyMichael TsiselskyMichael Petrovich Tsiselsky ; May 20, 1909 – November 3, 1989) was a Soviet naval pilot during World War II .-Biography:Michael Tsiselsky was born May 20, 1909 in village Stoykovo in peasant family. He is Ukrainian.He finished incomplete secondary school and specialized technical school...
- Soviet naval pilot during World War II (1945). - Vasily Zaytsev – sniper who killed 225 at the Battle of StalingradBattle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
; his achievements are dramatized in the film Enemy at the GatesEnemy at the GatesEnemy at the Gates is a 2001 war film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins and Ed Harris set during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II....
. - Owen Brazil - Notable World War II pilot.
- Boris YegorovBoris YegorovBoris Borisovich Yegorov was a Soviet physician-cosmonaut and he became the first physician to make a space flight.Yegorov came from a medical background, with his father a prominent heart surgeon, and his mother an ophthalmologist. He also selected medicine as a career and graduated from the...
- first physician in space. - Endel PuuseppEndel PuuseppEndel Puusepp or Endel Pusep was a Soviet Estonian World War II pilot who successfully completed over 30 night-time long-range bombing missions against Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union award for flying a high-ranking Soviet delegation over the front line from...
- Soviet WWII bomber pilot. - Alexi InauriAlexi InauriAlexi Inauri was a Soviet Georgian commander who headed the Georgian KGB for over 30 years and made it one of the most effective of the KGB's regional Soviet branches...
- chief of Georgian KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. - Fyodor OkhlopkovFyodor OkhlopkovTimur Matveyevich Okhlopkov , was a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with as many as 429 kills. He was born in the village of Krest-Khaldzhay of what is now Tomponsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russian Federation....
- YakutYakutYakut may refer to:* Yakuts, the Turkic people associated with the Sakha Republic* Yakut language, a Turkic language also known as Sakha.* Ruby in Turkish language* Yakut , a breed from Russia*Yakut Pony, horse breed from Siberia, Russia...
sniper during the Great Patriotic War. 2nd best sniper in the Soviet Union. - Ekaterina Mikhailova-DeminaEkaterina Mikhailova-DeminaEkaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova-Demina is the only woman who served in front-line reconnaissance in the Soviet marines during World War II. She carried hundreds of men off the battlefield and was seriously wounded three times during her career as a medic with the marines...
- Saved hundreds of lives during World War II
Twice awarded
- Alexander Ivanchenko- Russian Cosmonaut
- Semyon TimoshenkoSemyon TimoshenkoSemyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was a Soviet military commander and senior professional officer of the Red Army at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.-Early life:...
– military commander and senior professional officer of the Red ArmyRed ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, Marshal of the Soviet Union and People's Commissar of State for National Defense. - Ivan KonevIvan KonevIvan Stepanovich Konev , was a Soviet military commander, who led Red Army forces on the Eastern Front during World War II, retook much of Eastern Europe from occupation by the Axis Powers, and helped in the capture of Germany's capital, Berlin....
– Marshal of the Soviet Union, commander of the First Ukrainian Front. - Azi AslanovAzi AslanovAzi Agadovich Aslanov , commonly described as A. A. Aslanov, known as Hazi Aslanov or Hezi Aslanov in the Republic of Azerbaijan; January 22, 1910, Lankaran — January 24, 1945, Latvia) was an Azerbaijani Major-General of the Soviet armoured troops during World War II...
– Major-General of armoured troops during WWII; participated in the 1944 Soviet offensives in Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic countries. - Ivan Baghramian – military commander; took part in the great 1944 Soviet offensive in Belarus and Lithuania (Operation Bagration).
- Konstantin RokossovskyKonstantin RokossovskyKonstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
– Marshal of the Soviet Union, Commander of the First Belorussian Front, Marshal of Poland and Polish Minister of National Defense, Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander of the Transcaucasian Military District, Chief Inspector of the Soviet Ministry of Defense. - Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
- General SecretaryGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionGeneral Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the title given to the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. With some exceptions, the office was synonymous with leader of the Soviet Union...
of the Communist PartyCommunist Party of the Soviet UnionThe Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
(1922–1953) and Head of Government as Prime Minister of the USSR (1941–1953). - Nelson StepanyanNelson StepanyanNelson Gevorgi Stepanyan was a Soviet Armenian dive bomber pilot during the second World War in the Red Air Force. He was twice awarded with the military title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest title in the former USSR.-Education:...
– WWII dive bomber pilot. - Vladimir KokkinakiVladimir KokkinakiVladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki was a test pilot in the Soviet Union, setting twenty-two world records and serving as president of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.-Life and career:...
- Famous test pilot and record breaker. - Sydir KovpakSydir KovpakSydir Artemovych Kovpak , June 7, 1887December 11, 1967) was a prominent Soviet partisan leader in Ukraine.-Biography:Kovpak was born to a poor peasant family in Ukrainian village near Poltava . For his military service in the World War I he was awarded two Crosses of St...
– partisan leader in Ukraine. - Amet-Han SultanAmet-Han SultanAmet-khan Sultan was a Soviet fighter and test pilot whose mother was Crimean Tatar and father was an ethnic Lak. Alternative spellings of his name include Ahmed Khan Sultan, Amet-Han Soultan, Ahmet-Han Sultan, Amet-Han Sultan, and Sultan Amet-Han....
– WWII-era fighter and test pilot. - Alexei FyodorovAlexei FyodorovAlexei Fyodorovich Fyodorov , one of the leaders of Soviet partisan movement during the second world war...
– organized underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. - Issa PliyevIssa PliyevIssa Alexandrovich Pliyev was a Soviet military commander, Army General , twice Hero of the Soviet Union , Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic . Member of the CPSU since 1926. He was an ethnic Ossetian....
– military commander. - Vasily ChuikovVasily ChuikovVasily Ivanovich Chuikov was a Russian lieutenant general in the Red Army during World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union , who after the war became a Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Early life and career:Born into a peasant family in the village of Serebryanye Prudy, he joined the Red Army during...
– A General responsible for the victory at Stalingrad and attacking Berlin. Made Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1955. - Sergey GritsevetsSergey GritsevetsSergey Ivanovich Gritsevets was a Soviet major, pilot and twice recipient of the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union....
– fighter pilot with 40 credited kills. - Mikhail KatukovMikhail KatukovMarshal of the Armored Troops Mikhail Efimovich Katukov served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as one of the most talented Soviet armor commanders.-Pre-War:...
– Marshal of the Soviet Union, 1st Guards Tank Army Commander. - Vasily Petrov Guards Artillery Major during the second World War, for Dnepr crossing 1943 (No. 3504) where he lost both hands, and defense of an Oder bridgehead 1945 (No. 6091).
- Viktor Leonov – Soviet Naval Scout (Commando), fought in both European and Pacific Theatres in World War II.
- Aleksandr VasilevskyAleksandr VasilevskyAleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
- Marshal of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of State for Defense during World War II. - Aleksei LeonovAleksei LeonovAlexey Arkhipovich Leonov is a retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and Air Force Major General who, on 18 March 1965, became the first human to conduct a space walk.-Biography:...
- cosmonaut who made the world's first spacewalk in 1965. - Pavel PopovichPavel Popovich- Biography :He was born in Uzyn, Kiev Oblast of Soviet Union . to Roman Porfirievich Popovich and Theodosia Kasyanovna Semyonov. He had two sisters and two brothers ....
- cosmonaut (Vostok 4 and Soyuz 14) - Ivan Yakubovsky - tank commander during World War II. Made Marshal of the Soviet Union, First Deputy Minister of Defense, and Supreme Commander of the Warsaw PactWarsaw PactThe Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
in 1967. - Vladimir KomarovVladimir KomarovVladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov was a Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer and cosmonaut in the first group of cosmonauts selected in 1960. He was one of the most highly experienced and well-qualified candidates accepted into "Air Force Group One"....
- Pilot cosmonaut (Voskhod 1 and Soyuz 1) - Artem Mikoyan - famed aircraft designer of the MiG-series of fighter planes.
- Alexander MolodchyAlexander MolodchyAlexander Ignatyevich Molodchy , was a famous pilot of the Soviet Long Range Aviation. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on two separate occasions . Molodchy was the most effective pilot of Long Range Aviation in the Soviet Union during the World War II. He conducted 311 combat flights...
- famous WWII pilot of the Soviet Long Range AviationLong Range AviationLong Range Aviation was the branch of the Soviet Air Forces tasked with long-range bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, it was the counterpart to the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force....
.
Three times awarded
- Ivan KozhedubIvan Nikitovich KozhedubMarshal of Aviation Ivan Mykytovych Kozhedub was a Soviet Ukrainian military aviator and a World War II fighter ace. Arguably Kozhedub, as he revealed in his memoires, took a part in the Korean War as fighter pilot, whilst being a commander of Soviet aviation Corps. in Korea. He is credited with...
– highly decorated WWII fighter pilot; is considered the Allied "Ace of Aces" with 62 victories, more than any other Allied pilot. - Aleksandr PokryshkinAleksandr Ivanovich PokryshkinAlexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was a Marshal of the Soviet Air Force. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three separate occasions ....
– WWII fighter pilot. - Semyon BudyonnySemyon BudyonnySemyon Mikhailovich Budyonny , sometimes transliterated as Budennyj, Budyonnyy, Budennii, Budenny, Budyoni, Budyenny, or Budenny, was a Soviet cavalryman, military commander, politician and a close ally of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.-Early life:...
– Military Commander, 1st Cavalry Army in the Civil War and later of the Army Cavalry Commands, also Marshal of the Soviet Union and from 1937 to 1940, Commanding Officer, Moscow Military District.
Four times awarded
- Georgy ZhukovGeorgy ZhukovMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
— Military commander and politician credited with many of the most significant Soviet victories of WWII, Commander of the First Belorussian Front and Marshal of the Soviet Union. - Leonid BrezhnevLeonid BrezhnevLeonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
— First Secretary (later General Secretary) of the CPSU (1964–1982), and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1964–1982); this last feat was the subject of numerous Russian jokes. Also Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Foreign recipients (all single awards)
Abdel Hakim AmerAbdel Hakim Amer
Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amer was an Egyptian general and political leader. Born in Astal, Samallot, in the Al Minya Governorate in 1919, he served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, took part in the 1952 Revolution and commanded the Egyptian Army in the Suez Crisis, the North Yemen Civil War and the...
- Egyptian military officer and political leader Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
– president of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(1954–1970) Abdul Ahad Mohmand
Abdul Ahad Mohmand
Abdul Ahad Momand is a former Afghan Air Force aviator who became the first Afghan in space when he spent nine days aboard the Mir space station in 1988 as a Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut...
– the first Afghan cosmonaut Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bella
Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella was a soldier and Algerian revolutionary, who became the first President of Algeria.-Youth:...
– the first president of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
Zahari Zahariev - International Brigades pilot under Pseudonym Turk Halil Ekrem awarded #22 30 December 1936 Georgi Ivanov
Georgi Ivanov
Major general Georgi Ivanov Kakalov is a retired Bulgarian military officer and the first Bulgarian cosmonaut. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in 1990.-Early life and military career:...
– The first Bulgarian Cosmonaut Todor Zhivkov
Todor Zhivkov
Todor Khristov Zhivkov was a communist politician and leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989....
– Communist president of Bulgaria Aleksandar Panayotov Aleksandrov - The second Bulgarian Cosmonaut Vladimir Zaimov - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death in 1972 Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
– leader of the Cuban communist government Arnaldo Tamayo – the first Hispanic and Cuban cosmonaut Josef Buršík – for heroism during the liberation of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, awarded on December 21, 1943, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia he gave the award back Otakar Jaroš
Otakar Jaroš
Otakar Jaroš was a Czech officer in the Czechoslovak forces in the Soviet Union. He was killed in the Battle of Sokolovo and became the second foreigner decorated with the highest Soviet decoration, Hero of the Soviet Union.-Early life:...
– for heroism in the Third Battle of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
, awarded in memoriam on April 17, 1943 as the first foreign soldier Ján Nálepka (Slovak
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
) – awarded in memoriam on May 2, 1945 Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek is the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. As of 2004, with the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union Vladimír Remek is considered to be the first astronaut from the EU...
– the first Czech in space and the first cosmonaut who wasn't a citizen of USSR or USA Antonín Sochor – for heroism during the liberation of Hyev, awarded on December 21, 1943 Ludvík Svoboda
Ludvík Svoboda
thumb|Svoboda and [[I Corps |I Czechoslovak Army Corps]]Ludvík Svoboda was a Czechoslovak general and politician...
– communist president of Czechoslovakia and army general, commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps
I Corps (Czechoslovakia)
I Czechoslovak Army Corps was a unit of the Czechoslovak army in exile on the Eastern Front fighting alongside the Soviet Red Army, which was created on the April 10, 1944 at Chernivtsi and moved to Krosno area soon after....
Gustáv Husák
Gustáv Husák
Gustáv Husák was a Slovak politician, president of Czechoslovakia and a long-term Communist leader of Czechoslovakia and of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia...
– communist president of Czechoslovakia Stěpan Vajda (Rusyn
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
) – for heroism during the liberation of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, awarded in memoriam on August 10, 1945 Richard Tesařík
Richard Tesarík
Richard Tesařík was a Czechoslovakian general and war hero. Holder of the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.Czech athlete Štěpán Tesařík is his grandson.-External links:*...
– for heroism during the liberation of Hyev, awarded on December 21, 1943 Jean-Loup Chrétien
Jean-Loup Chrétien
Jean-Loup Jacques Marie Chrétien, is a French engineer, a retired Général de Brigade in the Armée de l'Air , and a former CNES astronaut. He flew on two Franco-Soviet space missions and a NASA Space Shuttle mission...
the first French astronaut Marcel Albert
Marcel Albert
Marcel Albert was a French World War II pilot. He was born in Paris.-Background:Albert grew up in a working-class family. He became a mechanic, building gearboxes for Renault, and was accepted for pilot training in the French Armée de l'Air in May 1938...
– decorated WWII fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
(Normandie-Niemen
Normandie-Niemen
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
) Jacques André – decorated WWII fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
(Normandie-Niemen
Normandie-Niemen
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
) Roland de La Poype
Roland de la Poype
Roland Paulze d'Ivoy de la Poype is a World War II fighter ace, member of the Normandie-Niemen fighter group that fought on the Soviet front...
– decorated WWII fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
(Normandie-Niemen
Normandie-Niemen
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
) Marcel Lefèvre – decorated WWII fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
(Normandie-Niemen
Normandie-Niemen
The Normandie-Niemen Regiment was a fighter squadron, later regiment of the French Air Force. It served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army...
) Sigmund Jähn
Sigmund Jähn
Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn is a German pilot who became the first German to fly in space as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program.-Biography:Jähn was born in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, in the Vogtland district of Saxony, Germany...
– the first German cosmonaut Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971 , he played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany and later in the early development and...
– East German leader Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1971 until 1989, serving as Head of State as well from Willi Stoph's relinquishment of that post in 1976....
– East German leader Erich Mielke
Erich Mielke
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke was a German communist politician and Minister of State Security—and as such head of the Stasi —of the German Democratic Republic between 1957 and 1989. Mielke spent more than a decade as an operative of the NKVD during the rule of Joseph Stalin...
– East German head of the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
Bertalan Farkas
Bertalan Farkas
Bertalan Farkas was the first Hungarian cosmonaut and the first Esperantist in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade...
– the first Hungarian cosmonaut János Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
– Hungarian politician Rakesh Sharma
Rakesh Sharma
Wing commander Rakesh Sharma, AC, is a former Indian Air Force test pilot, and Cosmonaut aboard Soyuz T-11 as part of an Intercosmos Research Team...
– the first Indian cosmonaut Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa – the first Mongolian cosmonaut Władysław Wysocki - Polish officer from the battle of Lenino
Battle of Lenino
The Battle of Lenino was a tactical World War II engagement that took place between October 12 and October 13th, 1943, north of the village of Lenino in the Mogilev region of Byelorussia...
Juliusz Hibner - Polish communist and officer from the battle of Lenino
Battle of Lenino
The Battle of Lenino was a tactical World War II engagement that took place between October 12 and October 13th, 1943, north of the village of Lenino in the Mogilev region of Byelorussia...
Aniela Krzywoń
Aniela Krzywon
Aniela Krzywoń was a Polish soldier. She joined the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie in 1943; that year she saved important documents from the flames but died due to sustained injuries. For that she received the highest Polish military decoration, Virtuti Militari, and high Soviet decorations - Order of...
- Polish soldier Mirosław Hermaszewski – the first citizen of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to travel into space Ramón Mercader
Ramón Mercader
Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río Hernández was a Spanish communist who became famous as the murderer of Russian Communist ideologist Leon Trotsky in 1940, in Mexico...
– assassinated Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
in 1940 Rubén Ruiz Ibárruri
Rubén Ruiz Ibárruri
Rubén Ruíz Ibárruri was the son of Spanish communist leader Dolores Ibárruri and a posthumous Hero of the Soviet Union.-Early life:...
– son of the Spanish communist leader Dolores Ibárruri Gómez, killed in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
while fighting for the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
Muhammed Faris
Muhammed Faris
Muhammed Ahmed Faris is a Syrian military aviator. He was the first Syrian and the second Arab in space.Born in Aleppo, Syria, he was a pilot in the Syrian Air Force with the rank of a colonel...
– the first Syrian cosmonaut Phạm Tuân – the first Vietnamese cosmonaut
See also
- Awards of the Soviet UnionAwards and decorations of the Soviet UnionAwards and decorations of the Soviet Union are decorations from the Former Soviet Union that recognised achievements and personal accomplishments, both military and civilian. Some of the awards, decorations and orders were discontinued after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, while others still...
- Hero of Socialist LaborHero of Socialist LaborHero of Socialist Labour was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture...
- Hero of the Russian FederationHero of the Russian FederationHero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
- Hero of BelarusHero of BelarusHero of Belarus is the highest title that can be bestowed on a citizen of Belarus. The title is awarded to those "who perform great deeds in the name of freedom, independence and prosperity of the Republic of Belarus". The deed can be for military performance, economic performance or great service...
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
- Hero of UkraineHero of UkraineHero of Ukraine is the highest state decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the Government of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of August 25 2011 the total number of awards is 265. The award is divided into two classes of distinction:...