History

The Order of the Red Star was instituted on April 6, 1930, and the statutes were created on May 5, 1930 and therefore this Order shares the identical statute with the Order of Lenin. It was awarded for defending the USSR during wartime, and for ensuring state security during peacetime.

It was conferred upon servicemen of the Army and Navy, Border Guards, Internal Troops, associates of the Committee of State Security USSR , and elements of the Organs of Internal Affairs. It could also be conferred upon military units, ships, enterprises, establishments, and other organizations. Prior to the Second World War, the Order of the Red Star had been awarded 21,500 times. During the war, approximately 2,860,000 were awarded. By 1991, a rough total of 4,000,000 had been awarded.

The star is made of silver, and the arms are in red enamel. The reverse of all decorations have a screwpost in the center and nearly all will have either a Goznak, Mondvor or Monetny Dvor mark. The star measures 28.5mm to 30mm between the tips of each adjacent star tip and 24.5mm to 25mm from the center to any star tip. The obverse of the decoration stays the same for the 60 years of its existence, except for the angle of the soldier. This Order has three types.

Type I was awarded between 1930 to 1936. It is hollow, and is manufactured from two pieces. The soldier in the medallion is facing forward instead of two the right. The screwpost and base are soldered to the reverse and are composed of brass. The mint mark Goznak is stamped below the screwpost and the serial number is above the screwpost. The screwback plat is larger than the commonly used ones, measuring 36mm.

Many Type I Red Stars were awarded to high ranking officers, and many of these recipients were killed during the Stalinist purges and their awards, confiscated. Therefore, Type I decorations are very rare. The serial numbers range from roughly 1-1000.

The obverse Russian inscription translates to: "Workers of the world unite!" along with the Russian letters for USSR.