Russia (Soviet Union): Order of Glory III Class (775297)

Important: The unique engraved number on the reverse of the decoration indicates an award known to have been awarded circa 1975, as a retrospective gallantry award for an act or acts of bravery awarded during the Second World War

The Order of Glory was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943, as an award soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation junior lieutenants, for bravery in the face of the enemy. All awards are uniquely numbered on the reverse

The majority of Order of Glory awards were issued for combat valor in the Second World War (or the Great Patriotic War), there are documented instances of awards of the order's lowest class - third class - being awarded for post-war Soviet military operations. Numbering among these latter awards are those authorized for Soviet operations in support of the Korean War from 1950-1953 as well as for the Soviet military intervention in Hungary in the fall of 1956. A small number of Order of Glory Third Class awards was also made in connection with armed border clashes with the People's Republic of China in 1969

In 1992, the order became defunct with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1992

Numbers awarded per class are:

- 1st Class: 2656
- 2nd Class: 46473
- 3rd Class: 997815

The order was issued for very specific acts of gallantry, as specified respectively for Army & Air Force personnel. The award criteria for ground troops of the Red Army being:

- For leading the initial strike into an enemy position, and personal courage that contributed to the success of the common cause;

- For pressing on an attack in a burning tank;

- For saving the banner from capture by the enemy in a moment of grave danger;

- For displayed marksmanship in the killing of from 10 to 50 enemy soldiers and officers using personal weapons;

- For the destruction of at least 2 enemy tanks while manning an anti tank gun;

- For the destruction of between 1 and 3 enemy tanks with hand grenades on the field of battle or behind enemy lines;

- For the destruction of at least 3 enemy aircraft with artillery or machine gun fire;

- For despising danger by being the first to burst into an enemy bunker (bunker, trench or dugout), for decisive actions that destroyed its occupants;

- For leading our troops in the enemy's rear through weaknesses in his defences found as a result of personal reconnaissance;

- For personally capturing an enemy officer;

- For night watch action resulting in an enemy death or capture;

- For displayed ingenuity and boldness in making one's way to the enemy position and destroying his machine gun or mortar;

- For participation in a night raid, destroying enemy military stores and property;

- For risking one's life while saving one's commander from imminent danger in battle;

- For showing neglect for personal danger in the capture of an enemy banner in battle;

- For being seriously wounded but returning to the battle after minimal medical care;

- For downing an enemy aircraft with personal weapons;

- For destroying enemy weapons and positions with accurate artillery or mortar fire ensuring the success of the mission;

- For making a passage through the enemy's barbed-wire entanglements while under fire;

- For selflessness in the rescue of the wounded during battle;

- For carrying on in a mission in a tank with a defective main gun;

- For quickly smashing a tank into an enemy convoy and carrying on with the mission after its destruction;

- For crushing with one's tank one or more enemy guns or destroying at least two machine gun nests;

- For gathering valuable intelligence from the enemy while on reconnaissance;

The medal mounted on a contemporary pentagonal metal plate in the traditional Russian style, complete with reverse pin and clasp fittings, as issued

Condition GVF

Code: 21035