History

The Order of Glory was established on November 8, 1943. The Order was conferred upon enlisted ranks and Air Force junior lieutenants in recognition of gallantry during combat. The Order of Glory was created as the highest soldier's award, and the Order of Victory was established as the highest officer's award. The Order was originally to be called the Order of Bagration, after the famous Russian General from the early 1800s, however, Stalin changed the name to "Glory."

The third class was the first to be awarded, and if a person distinguished themselves further they would be awarded the second class, then the first. Individuals who were awarded all three classes of the Order of Glory were known as a "Cavalier" and had the same privileges and status as the Hero of the Soviet Union. Four women and four men were designated cavaliers of all three orders.

There is only one type of I class, three types of II class, and two types of III class. There are several variations in each type. The order is a five-pointed star with a depiction of the Spassky Tower in the center medallion. All Orders of Glory measure 24-25mm from the center of the award to any point on the star. There are no mint marks on the order because it is a two sided order.

The II Class could be awarded by army and front commanders. By 1989, 46,473 people were awarded the second class.

The Type III, II Class is much thicker than the Type II, measuring 1.75-2mm in thickness. Most have hand-engraved serial numbers, however some later examples have been seen with rotating tool numbers with a 'frosted' looking reverse. The serial numbers range from roughly 19000-45000.

The obverse Russian inscription translates to: "Glory". The reverse features the Russian letters of the USSR.