07-24-2004, 09:13 PM
Rick-
I have vague memories about this being discussed ages ago... Perhaps Tal or Eddie (the archive experts)
can find that thread for us.
Until then, it was basically up to the unit or higher commander, depending on the award. When the Patriotic War order first came out, it was considered a VERY prestigious award, and I've seen research on PW's come back that were originally nominations for Red Banners, Lenins, etc. By the end of the War, PW's were more common, and from my experience were used less and less for combat valor/leadership. Likewise for the Red Star - before it was a long service award, most of them were for combat actions, but after the point at which it started being awarded for long service, I've seen fewer combat action citations.
Another consideration was the "political" aspect. A well-liked unit commander may be nominated for a high-end award such as a Suvorov or Kutuzov, whereas a less-liked one may only be nominated for a PW. The same goes for the enlisted. The troops weren't dumb... They knew that going home with a Nevsky on the chest versus a PW 2 had quite a bit more "clout" for a young officer! I have one group in my collection that has fantastic citations nominating the officer for the Hero of the USSR TWICE as well as a nomination for a Suvorov 3rd. The actual awards? A PW, Nevsky and a Red Banner!
Hope that helps!
--Dave
I have vague memories about this being discussed ages ago... Perhaps Tal or Eddie (the archive experts)
can find that thread for us.Until then, it was basically up to the unit or higher commander, depending on the award. When the Patriotic War order first came out, it was considered a VERY prestigious award, and I've seen research on PW's come back that were originally nominations for Red Banners, Lenins, etc. By the end of the War, PW's were more common, and from my experience were used less and less for combat valor/leadership. Likewise for the Red Star - before it was a long service award, most of them were for combat actions, but after the point at which it started being awarded for long service, I've seen fewer combat action citations.
Another consideration was the "political" aspect. A well-liked unit commander may be nominated for a high-end award such as a Suvorov or Kutuzov, whereas a less-liked one may only be nominated for a PW. The same goes for the enlisted. The troops weren't dumb... They knew that going home with a Nevsky on the chest versus a PW 2 had quite a bit more "clout" for a young officer! I have one group in my collection that has fantastic citations nominating the officer for the Hero of the USSR TWICE as well as a nomination for a Suvorov 3rd. The actual awards? A PW, Nevsky and a Red Banner!
Hope that helps!
--Dave
