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 III was only produced during a short period of time between 1941 and 1942. This type is very similar to Type II, Monetny Dvor Reverse with Screwpost base, however the center of the medallion on the obverse is attached with three rivets instead of being soldered. The serial numbers range from roughly 24,000 to 28,500. The lowest serial number observed is 24,702 and the highest is 28,263.

This type is commonly faked as illegitimate rivets are added to the reverse and the old serial number is buffed out and a new one is substituted. They are very difficult to detect.

The obverse Russian inscription translates to: "Workers of the World Unite!", along with the Russian letters for the USSR.