History

The I and II Class of Order of Kutuzov were established on July 29, 1942 by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The III Class was established on February 9, 1943 and has a separate statute. The order was designed by N.I. Moskalyov.

This Order was established as a high-ranking award for officers. It was named after the Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745-1813), who fought against Napoleon. The name was used to inspire Russian patriotism during the Second World War. Nearly all Orders of Kutuzov were conferred during the Second World War, however several were awarded for the 1956 invasion of Hungary.

The I Class medal was conferred upon army and front commanders, deputies, and chiefs of staff, for a number of different criteria, which were: for an executed front or well-developed army level operation that resulted in the destruction of the enemy; for a plan that forced the retreat of enemy units; or an organized operation of several units against enemy forces, leading to the exhaustion of the enemy's forces and materials. The I Class was awarded to 672 individuals and 3 units.

The Type II, I Class obverse is identical to the Type I, I Class. The suspension loop at the top of the decoration has been removed, and the reverse presents a silver screwpost soldered to the center. The Monetny Dvor is stamped in one line at the top of the reverse. There are three variations.

Variation I features a small hole in the reverse which measures 24mm in diameter and employs the same three rivets that Type I uses. The only serial number that has been observed is 138.

Variation II has a larger hole in the reverse which measures 29mm in diameter and employs the same three rivets that Type I and Variation I use. The lowest serial number is 261 and the highest is 593.

Variation III has the same size hole in the reverse as Variation II, and only differs because it employs five rivets instead of three. The lowest serial number is 688 and the highest, 870.

The obverse Russian inscription reads: "Mikhail Kutuzov".