K. Nedorubov - Hero of the Soviet Union and full Knight of St. George

Traditionally, on Saturdays, we publish for you the answers to the quiz in the “Question - Answer” format. We have a variety of questions, both simple and quite complex. The quiz is very interesting and quite popular, we are simply helping you test your knowledge and make sure that you have chosen correct option answer, out of four proposed. And we have another question in the quiz - Who became the first full Knight of St. George in Russia?

• Kutuzov
• Golitsin
• Suvorov
• Menshikov

Correct answer A. KUTUZOV

Cavaliers of the order had the right to enter the “court and all public celebrations” of the order of the first two degrees with major generals. In 1833, they were equated to the most privileged part of the guard - the cavalry guards. According to the order of the III and IV degrees - with colonels, “at least they were in the ranks of colonel and below.”

The period from 1769 to 1833, when the new statute was adopted, dates back to the awarding of all four of its degrees. There have only been four such recipients in Russian history. The first of them was Field Marshal Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov-Smolensky. He received the fourth degree of the order back in 1774 for his victory over the Tatars near the village of Shumy, between Sudak and Yalta. Third degree - in 1789 for participation in the capture of the fortresses of Akkerman and Bendery. Second degree - in 1791 for active participation in achieving victory over Turkish army and Machina. And the first degree - December 12, 1812 to commemorate the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia.

The names and surnames of the St. George Knights were immortalized by recording them on marble plaques both in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, and in those educational institutions in which they were brought up. In the St. George's Hall, lists of gentlemen began to be kept in 1849. The Duma itself was initially located in Chesma at the Church of John the Baptist, where it had a house, an archive, a press and a special treasury, and since 1811 the place of its meetings became the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace.

Prince MIKHAIL ILLARIONOVICH KUTUZOV - SMOLENSKY, 1745-1815, came from the ancient noble family of the Golenishchevs - Kutuzovs, was the only son of Illarion Matveevich, lieutenant general and senator, married to Beklemisheva, and the nephew of the director of the Naval Cadet Corps Ivan Logginovich Golenishchev - Kutuzov; born September 5, 1745. Begins in 1765 fighting career Mikhail Ilarionovich, first in Poland, then in the army of gr. Rumyantsev, at Larga and Kagul 1770 where he served as a quartermaster. IN next year Kutuzov was transferred to the Crimean Army for various mischief. Vasily Dolgoruky, and here, in 1774, during the capture of Shuma, near Alushta, he received his famous first wound in the right eye; was awarded for this deed St. George 4th century. The wound forced Kutuzov to undergo serious treatment abroad, in Berlin and Vienna, where he had the opportunity to be introduced to King Frederick the Great and Field Marshal Loudon. Beginning in 1776, Kutuzov was almost constantly under Suvorov; in 1788, under Ochakov, he was again wounded in the head, but the treatment of this wound was as successful as the first time; in 1789 and 1790 Kutuzov acted very successfully against the Turks. Suvorov expressed himself this way about Kutuzov’s exploits near Izmail: “Kutuzov provided new experiments in military art and his personal courage. He walked on my left wing, but was mine right hand"; regarding the same case, Suvorov said his famous phrase that “Kutuzov and Ribas will not deceive.” ( Order of St. George 3rd class.) The following year, 1791, Kutuzov came under the command of Prince I.V. Repnin and, together with Prince S.V. Golitsyn and Prince G.S. Volkonsky, participated in the defeat of the Turks at Manchin. For this deed, all three generals were awarded St. George 2 tbsp., according to the presentation of Prince Repnin. After the Peace of Jassy, ​​Kutuzov was sent by the Empress as ambassador extraordinary to Constantinople. In 1794, after the death of Count Anhalt, Kutuzov was appointed director of the Gentry Cadet Corps, “a breeding ground for military men,” in the words of Catherine II, and personally taught the cadets military history and tactics. Under Paul 1, Kutuzov successfully completed diplomatic assignments in Berlin and received, in 1800, St. Andrew's ribbon. During the accession of Emperor Alexander 1, Kutuzov was appointed St. Petersburg military governor, in place of gr. Palen, but in 1802 he asked for dismissal and retired to his Volyn estate. The war of 1805 again forced him to take command of the Russian army; Unfortunately, Kutuzov's prudent advice was not accepted, and the campaign ended with the ill-fated Austerlitz. Here he was again wounded in the cheek. Having fallen out of favor after these events, Kutuzov was appointed first Kyiv and then Vilna governor-general. In 1811, he successfully ended the war with the Turks and on October 29 received the title of count. Finally, the year 1812 arrived. After disagreements between Barclay and Bagration, the Tsar elected Kutuzov, indicated by the people's desire, although not loved by himself, and appointed him commander-in-chief of the Russian army. The Battle of Borodino and all actions against Napoleon's troops to the Berezina are associated with the name of Kutuzov. During all this time he was awarded the princely dignity, with the title of His Serene Highness, the Field Marshal's baton, the name "Smolensky" And Order of St. George 1st degree. In a moment of general enthusiasm, Kutuzov alone correctly assessed the circumstances and advised stopping at the Vistula and not fighting “for the liberation of Germany.” At the beginning of 1813, on April 16, Kutuzov died in Bunzlau from hardships and old ailments; his body was buried in St. Petersburg, in the Kazan Cathedral.
Prince Kutuzov was a completely Russian person; Gifted with a quick and flexible mind, an outstanding diplomat, a calm and cool commander, he knew how to instill confidence in his subordinates, and his military abilities were appreciated by such people as Rumyantsev and Suvorov. In his old age, under the guise of eternal sleepiness, he noticed everything and, with his characteristic irony, always knew how to rise to the occasion.

(From a miniature belonging to Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich.)

Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, one of the first full Knights of St. George, was awarded the Order of St. George of all four degrees for his personal bravery, leading the Russian army to victory in the Patriotic War. During the years of the second or otherwise the Great Patriotic War of 19141 - 1945. On the ribbon of the Order of St. George, other orders were awarded - the Order of Glory, and the Motherland was proud of the full holders of this order. In our time, we come to the realization that ALL defenders of the Fatherland are worthy of memory and glory. And now, for what year, on Victory Day, May 9, the silent Immortal Regiment of Defenders of the Motherland rises from the ground, in its multimillion-strong ranks are all those who died for freedom, the Fatherland, photographs of heroes decorated St. George ribbons they are carried by their descendants who want to honor the memory of their heroic ancestors, someone makes a photo poster themselves, someone orders it on the website

Nedorubov Konstantin Iosifovich– full Knight of St. George, Hero Soviet Union. In the history of our country, there were only three full Knights of St. George and at the same time Heroes of the Soviet Union: Marshal Budyonny, General Tyulenev and Captain Nedorubov.

The fate of Konstantin Nedorubov bizarrely resembles the fate of the hero of Quiet Don Grigory Melekhov. A hereditary Cossack, a native of a farm with the characteristic name Rubezhny (now part of the Lovyagin farm in the Volgograd region), he, along with other villagers, was drafted to the German front. There it quickly became clear that war, with all its horrors and passions, was the native element of the Don Cossack.

He was awarded the first St. George Cross, 4th degree, for his heroism during one of the most difficult battles near the city of Tomashev. In August 1914, pursuing the retreating Austrians, despite hurricane artillery shelling, a group of Don Cossacks led by sergeant Nedorubov burst into the enemy battery and captured it along with servants and ammunition.

Konstantin Iosifovich received the second St. George Cross in February 1915 for his feat during the battles for the city of Przemysl. On December 16, 1914, while on reconnaissance and exploring a populated area, he noticed enemy soldiers in one of the courtyards and decided to take them by surprise. Throwing a grenade over the fence, he handed in German command: “Hands up, squadron, surround!” The frightened soldiers and the officer dropped their weapons, raised their hands and hurried out of the yard into the street. Imagine their surprise when they found themselves under the escort of a Cossack on horseback with a saber in his hand. There was nowhere to go: the weapons remained in the yard, and all 52 prisoners were escorted to headquarters Cossack regiment. Scout K.I. Nedorubov, in full uniform, reported to the commander of his unit that, they say, he had been captured. But he doesn’t believe it and asks: “Where are the rest of the scouts? With whom did you capture the prisoners?” The answer is: “One.” Then the commander asked the enemy officer: “Who took you prisoner? How many were there? He pointed at Nedorubov and raised one finger.

The young Nedorubov received the third St. George Cross for distinction in battles in June 1916 during the famous Brusilov breakthrough (counteroffensive), where he showed selfless courage and bravery. “His saber was not dry from the blood,” recalled the farm Cossacks who served in the same regiment with Nedorubov. And fellow countrymen from the farm jokingly suggested that he change his last name - from “Nedorubov” to “Pererubov”.

During three and a half years of participation in battles, he was wounded several times. He was treated in hospitals in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkov and Sebryakovo (now Mikhailovka).

Finally that war ended. Before the Cossack had time to return to his native farm, the Civil War broke out. And again the Cossack was caught up in the bloody whirlwind of fateful events. It was all clear on the German front, but here, in the feather grass of the Don and Tsaritsyn steppes, they fought their own against their own. Who is right and who is wrong - go figure...

And fate, in this confusion of thoughts and passions of the Cossack Nedorubov, like Grishka Melekhov, swung like a living pendulum - from red to white, from white to red... Unfortunately, this was a fairly typical situation for that confused and bloody time. Ordinary Cossacks, who had not read Marx and Plekhanov and were not familiar with the basics of geopolitics, could not understand who held the truth in this terrible civil strife. But even being on opposite sides of the barricades, they fought bravely - they couldn’t do it any other way.

At one time, Konstantin Iosifovich even commanded the red Taman cavalry regiment and took an active part in the famous defense of Tsaritsyn.

In 1922, when the flashes of war finally subsided and it became clear that Soviet power had come in earnest and for a long time, Nedorubov returned to the village in the hope of taking a break from the two wars he had experienced. But they didn’t really let him live peacefully - after eight years, the Cossack was finally repressed by commissars in leather jackets, recalling his service in both the White and Tsarist armies. Nedorubov was not at all surprised or broken by this.

“I’ve never been in such trouble before!” - the Knight of St. George decided for himself and “gave the country coal” during the construction of the Moscow-Volga canal. As a result, for shock work was released early - this is according to official version. According to the unofficial story, the camp authorities helped by carefully studying his personal file. Still, in all centuries, men of all tribes and peoples respected courage and bravery...

"Give me the right to die!"

When the Great Patriotic War broke out, Knight of St. George Nedorubov was no longer subject to conscription due to his age. By that time he was 53 years old.

But in July 1941, a squadron of Cossack militia began to be formed in the Don villages.

Together with his old combat friend Sutchev, Konstantin Iosifovich decisively headed to the regional executive committee: “Give me the right to use all my combat experience and die for the Motherland!” At first the regional executive committee was dumbfounded, then they became inspired. And they appointed the Knight of St. George as the commander of the newly formed Cossack squadron (only volunteers were recruited into it).

But then, as the Cossacks say, one problem “stuck in”: his 17-year-old son, who had not reached conscription age by that time, “hung” on his father’s shoulders. Relatives rushed to dissuade Nikolai, but he was adamant. “Remember, son, you will not be given any favors,” was all Nedorubov Sr. said. - I will ask you more strictly than experienced Cossacks. The commander’s son should be the first in battle!” So the third war came into the life of the Cossack Nedorubov... And also a world war - like the first.

In July 1942, after the breakthrough German troops near Kharkov, all the way from Voronezh to Rostov-on-Don, a “weak link” was formed. It was clear that it was necessary at all costs to restrain the advance of the German armies to the Caucasus, to the coveted Baku oil. It was decided to stop the enemy at the village of Kushchevskaya, Krasnodar Territory.

The Kuban Cavalry Corps, which included the Don Cossack Division, was thrown towards the Germans. There were no other regular units on this section of the front at that time. The unfired militias were opposed by selected German units, intoxicated by the successes of the first months of the war.

There, near Kushchevskaya, the Cossacks fought bone-to-bone with the Germans, forcing them into hand-to-hand combat at every opportunity. The Germans, however, did not like hand-to-hand combat, but the Cossacks, on the contrary, loved it. This was their element. “Well, where else can we celebrate Christ with the Hans, except in close combat?” - they joked. Periodically (unfortunately, not very often) fate gave them such an opportunity, and then the battle site was littered with hundreds of corpses in gray overcoats...

Near Kushchevskaya, the Donets and Kubans held the defense for two days. In the end, the Germans' nerves burst and, with the support of artillery and aviation, they decided to launch a psychic attack. This was a strategic mistake. The Cossacks brought them within range of throwing a grenade and met them with heavy fire. Father and son Nedorubov were nearby: the elder was spraying the attackers with a machine gun, the younger was sending one grenade after another into the German line.

It’s not without reason that they say that bullets fear the brave – despite the fact that the air was buzzing with bullets, not a single one of them touched the shooters. And the entire space in front of the embankment was strewn with corpses in gray overcoats. But the Germans were determined to go to the end. In the end, skillfully maneuvering, they were able to get around the Cossacks on both sides, squeezing them into their “trademark” pincers. Having assessed the situation, Nedorubov once again stepped towards death. “Cossacks, forward for the Motherland, for Stalin, for the free Don!” – the lieutenant’s battle cry tore the villagers, who were flattened by bullets, from the ground. “The poor man and his son again went to seek his death, and we flew after him,” surviving colleagues recalled about that famous battle near Kushchevskaya. “Because it was a shame to leave him alone...”

The militia fought to the death. The sons followed the example of their fathers, who looked up to the commander. They believed him, respected his combat experience and endurance. Years later, in his letter to the head of the “Battle of Stalingrad” department State Museum defense of I.M. Loginov, Nedorubov, describing the battle near Kushchevskaya, noted that when the squadron had to repel superior enemy forces on the right flank, he with a machine gun and his son with hand grenades “fought an unequal three-hour battle in close proximity to the Nazis.” Konstantin Nedorubov rose to his full height on the line many times railway and shot the fascists point-blank. “In three wars, I have never had to shoot an enemy. I myself could hear my bullets clicking on Hitler’s heads.”

In that battle, together with their son, they destroyed more than 72 Germans. The fourth cavalry squadron rushed hand-to-hand and destroyed more than 200 German soldiers and officers.

“If we hadn’t covered the flank, it would have been difficult for our neighbor,” recalled Konstantin Iosifovich. - And so we gave him the opportunity to retreat without losses... How my boys stood! And Kolka’s son showed himself to be a great man that day. I didn't drift away. Only after this fight did I think that I would never see him again.

During the frantic mortar attack, Nikolai Nedorubov was seriously wounded in both legs, arms and other parts of the body. He lay in the forest for about three days. Women were passing not far from the forest plantation, and they heard a groan. In the dark, the women carried the seriously wounded young Cossack to the village of Kushchevskaya, and sheltered him for many weeks.

“Cossack conscientiousness” cost the Germans dearly at that time - in that battle the Donets crushed over 200 German soldiers and officers. Plans for the squadron's encirclement were mixed with dust. The commander of the group, General Field Marshal Wilhelm List, received an encrypted radiogram signed by the Fuhrer himself: “Another Kushchevka will be repeated, you will not learn to fight, you will march in a penal company through Caucasus Mountains dot."

"We hallucinated the Cossacks..."

This is exactly what one of the German infantrymen, who survived the battle near Maratuk, wrote in his letter home, where Nedorubov’s Don forces finally got to the desired hand-to-hand combat and, as a result, as at Kushchevskaya, slaughtered over two hundred German soldiers and officers in close combat. For the squadron, this figure became a trademark. “We can’t lower the bar lower,” the Cossacks joked, “so why aren’t we Stakhanovites?”

“Nedorubovtsy” took part in raids on the enemy in the area of ​​the Pobeda and Biryuchiy farms, fought in the area of ​​​​the village of Kurinskaya... According to the Germans who survived the horse attacks, “it was as if a demon had possessed these centaurs.”

The Don and Kuban people used all the numerous tricks that were accumulated by their ancestors in previous wars and were carefully passed on from generation to generation. When the lava fell on the enemy, there was a prolonged wolf howl in the air - this is how the villagers intimidated the enemy from afar. Already within the line of sight, they were engaged in vaulting - they spun in their saddles, often hanging from them, pretending to be killed, and a few meters from the enemy they suddenly came to life and broke into the enemy’s position, slashing right and left and creating a bloody heap there.

In any battle, Nedorubov himself, contrary to all the canons of military science, was the first to get into trouble. In one battle, he managed, in official military language, “using folds in the terrain to secretly get close to three enemy machine gun and two mortar nests and extinguish them with hand grenades.” During this, the Cossack was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield. As a result, the height, studded with enemy firing points, sowing fire and death around them, was taken with minimal losses. According to the most conservative estimates, Nedorubov himself personally destroyed more than 70 soldiers and officers during these battles.

The battles in the south of Russia did not pass without a trace for the guard of Lieutenant K.I. Nedorubova. Only in the terrible battles near Kushchevskaya he received eight bullet wounds. Then there were two more wounds. After the third, difficult one, at the end of 1942, the conclusion of the medical commission turned out to be inexorable: “Unfit for military service.”

During the period of hostilities, Nedorubov was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and various medals for his feats. On October 26, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council, Knight of St. George Konstantin Nedorubov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. “Our Konstantin Iosifovich related the Red Star to the Cross of St. George,” the village residents joked about this.

Despite the fact that during his lifetime he became a living legend, no special benefits or assets for himself and his family in peaceful life the Cossack Nedorubov never acquired it. But on all holidays he regularly put on the Golden Star of the Hero along with four St. George Crosses.

The sub-horuner of the 1st Don Cossack Division, Nedorubov, with his attitude towards awards, proved that power and the Motherland are completely different things. He did not understand why it was impossible to wear royal awards received for victories over a foreign enemy. About the “crosses” he said: “I walked in this form at the Victory Parade in the front row. And at the reception, Comrade Stalin himself shook hands and thanked him for his participation in two wars.”

On October 15, 1967, a participant in three wars, Don Cossack Nedorubov became part of a torch-bearing group of three veterans and lit the fire of Eternal Glory at the monument-ensemble to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad on the Mamayev Kurgan of the hero city of Volgograd. Nedorubov died on December 11, 1978. He was buried in the village of Berezovskaya. In September 2007, in Volgograd, in the memorial historical museum, a monument to the famous hero of the Don, full Knight of St. George, Hero of the Soviet Union K.I. Nedorubov. On February 2, 2011, in the Yuzhny village of the hero city of Volgograd, the grand opening ceremony of the new state educational institution“Volgograd Cadet (Cossack) Corps named after Hero of the Soviet Union K.I. Nedorubova."

The St. George ribbon, on which a cross with the image of a saint was attached in the 19th - early 20th centuries, has symbolized the victory of our country in the Great Patriotic War for many decades. She is link between heroes Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.

Full St. George's Cavaliers in our country enjoyed universal respect even in the twenties and forties, when they wanted to erase from the people's memory everything that had come before October Revolution. Among them there are those who later became Hero of the Soviet Union, including more than once.

Background

The Order of St. George appeared in the list of awards of the Russian Empire in 1769. It had 4 degrees of distinction and was intended for officers. Full Knights of the Order of St. Only 4 people became George:

• M. I. Kutuzov.
• M. B. Barclay de Tolly.
• I. F. Paskevich-Erivansky.
• I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky.

Establishment

On at the moment it is unknown who exactly was the initiator of the establishment of the Insignia of the Military Order or, as it was more often called, the Cross of St. George. According to surviving documents, in 1807 a note was submitted to Alexander the First, which proposed the establishment of a soldier’s award. It was to become a "special branch of the Order of St. George." The idea was approved, and already at the beginning of February 1807 a corresponding manifesto was published.

There are many known cases of confusion due to the fact that the order is confused with the soldier’s “Egory”. For example, if it is stated that Colonel Zorya Lev Ivanovich, who graduated from the cadet school in 1881, is a full Knight of St. George, then one can immediately object that this is a mistake. After all, among the officers there was no one awarded such a cross again, and the last one who had the order of all 4 degrees was I.I. Dibich-Zabaikalsky - died in 1831.

Description

The reward is a cross, the blades of which widen towards the end. In its center is a round medallion. The obverse depicted St. George with a spear slaying a serpent. On the reverse of the medallion there are the letters C and G, connected in the form of a monogram.

The cross was worn on the now well-known “smoke and flame” (black and orange) ribbon.

Since 1856, the award began to have 4 degrees. The first and second were made of gold, and the other two were made of silver. The reverse indicated the degree of the award and its serial number.

There were also special "Muslim" Insignia of the Military Order. Instead of a Christian saint, they depicted the Russian coat of arms. It is interesting that people from North Caucasus when awarding “Yegory”, they demanded that they be given the option “with a horseman”, instead of the required one.

In 1915, due to difficulties caused by the war, crosses of the 1st and 2nd degrees began to be made from an alloy that consisted of 60% gold, 39.5% silver and half a percent copper. At the same time, the signs of the 3rd and 4th degrees were not subject to change.

Awardees

The first St. George Cross was received by non-commissioned officer E. I. Mitrokhin in the summer of 1807. He was decorated for bravery in the battle with the French near Friedland.

There are known cases of rewarding civilians. So, in 1810, the St. George Cross was awarded to the tradesman M. A. Gerasimov. Together with his comrades, this brave man arrested the British military who had seized a Russian merchant ship, and was able to bring the ship to the port of Varde. There the prisoners were interned, and the merchants were given assistance. In addition, for heroism in the Patriotic War of 1812, commanders received St. George's Crosses without numbers partisan detachments from among the civilians of the lower class.

Among others interesting facts, associated with the awarding of the St. George Cross, one can note its presentation to the famous General Miloradovich. This brave commander, in the battle near Leipzig, in front of Alexander the First, stood in line with the soldiers and led them in a bayonet attack, for which he received “Egory” from the hands of the emperor, which was not due to him by status.

Full gentlemen

The four-degree cross existed for 57 years. Over the years, about 2,000 people were included in the full Knights of St. George (list). In addition, about 7,000 were awarded crosses of the second, third and fourth degrees, approximately 25,000 were awarded the 3rd and 4th, and 205,336 were awarded the 4th degree.

At the time of the October Revolution, several hundred full Knights of St. George lived in Russia. Many of them joined the Red Army and rose to the top. military ranks USSR. Of these, 7 also became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them:

• Ageev G.I. (posthumously).
• Budyonny S.M.
• Kozyr M. E.
• Lazarenko I. S.
• Meshchryakov M. M.
• Nedorubov K. I.
• Tyulenev I. V.

S. M. Budyonny

The name of this legendary personality resounded in Russian cavalry units during the First World War, and even earlier in the Russian-Japanese War. For bravery on the Austrian, German and Caucasian fronts, Semyon Mikhailovich was awarded crosses and medals of all 4 degrees.

His first award was received for the capture of a German convoy and the 8 soldiers accompanying it. However, Budyonny was deprived of it because he hit an officer. This did not prevent him from being included in the list of “Full St. George Knights”, since on the Turkish front Semyon Budyonny earned 3 St. George Crosses during the battles for Van and Mendelij, and the last one (first degree) for the capture of 7 enemy soldiers. Thus, he became the person who received 5 awards.

During Civil War he initiated the creation and in 1935 he and four other commanders of the USSR were awarded the rank of marshal.

During the Second World War, Semyon Budyonny did not have the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, since he was removed from command of the South-Western direction of the front because of a telegram in which he honestly described the danger that threatened those who were in the so-called Kiev bag.

In the post-war years, the commander was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times.

Kuzma Petrovich Trubnikov

This legendary personality was a participant in three wars. He received many awards for his exploits between 1914 and 1917. In particular, the list of “Full Knights of St. George” also contains his last name. He showed himself no less heroically during the Second World War, organizing the defense of Tula, directing troops during the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the units entrusted to him during the liberation of Yelnya, etc. At the Victory Parade, Trubnikov, who at that time had already been awarded the rank of colonel general, led box consolidated regiment 2nd Belorussian Front. For his long service, the military leader was awarded 38 orders and medals Tsarist Russia, USSR and a number of other countries.

Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev

The future was born into the participant's family Russian-Turkish war. He was drafted into the army at the beginning of the First World War and ended up in a regiment where K.K. Rokossovsky served at that time. Having started the war as a simple soldier, Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev rose to the rank of ensign. For heroism shown in battles on Polish territory, he was awarded the St. George Cross four times. In the very first days of the Second World War, Tyulenev was appointed commander of the Southern Front, but in August he was seriously wounded, and after hospitalization he was sent to the Urals to form 20 divisions. In 1942, the military commander was sent to the Caucasus. At his request, the defense of the Main Ridge was strengthened, which in the future made it possible to stop the Nazi offensive aimed at capturing oil fields in the Caspian Sea region.

In 1978, for his services in defending the Motherland and increasing the country’s defense capability, I.V. Tyulenev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and he became one of seven outstanding military men who were awarded the highest award of the USSR, having the title “Full Knight of St. George of the First World War” .

R. Ya. Malinovsky

The future, at the age of 11, ran away from home due to his mother’s marriage and worked as a laborer until he joined the army, giving himself two years. The deception was discovered, but the teenager was able to persuade the command to leave him to bring cartridges to the machine gunners. In 1915, a 17-year-old soldier received his first “Yegory”. He was then sent to France as part of the Expeditionary Force, where he was twice decorated by the government of the Third Republic. In 1919, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky enlisted in the Foreign Legion, and became a holder of the French Military Cross for his bravery on the German front. In addition, by order of Kolchak’s general D. Shcherbachev, he was awarded the St. George Cross of the third degree.

In 1919, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky returned to his homeland and became one of the active participants in the Civil War, and in the late 30s he was sent as a military adviser to Spain.

The merits of this commander during the Great Patriotic War are also invaluable. In particular, troops under his command liberated Odessa and played important role V Battle of Stalingrad, expelled the Nazis from Budapest and took Vienna.

After the end of the war in Europe, Malinovsky was sent to Far East, where the actions of the Transbaikal Front, led by him, finally defeated the Japanese group. For the successful completion of this operation, Rodion Yakovlevich received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Gold Star for the second time in 1958.

Other Soviet commanders awarded the St. George Cross for bravery

Before the revolution, other soldiers were also awarded the soldier's "Yegory" imperial army, who were destined by fate to become famous commanders of the USSR. Among them we can note Sidor Kovpak and Konstantin Rokossovsky, who were awarded two crosses. In addition, three such awards were given to famous hero Civil War V. Chapaev.

Now you know the details of the biographies of some outstanding military men who can be classified as “Full Knights of St. George”. The list of their exploits is amazing, and they themselves deserve the respect and gratitude of their descendants, who are not indifferent to the fate of their native country.

How many heroes, whose names have sunk into Eternity, the Russian land has given birth to! One of them is the Don Cossack Konstantin Iosifovich Nedorubov, a full Knight of St. George, who received a saber with a dedicatory inscription from the hands of Budyonny himself. This brave man was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union long before the end of the Great Patriotic War. His Gold Star flaunted on the chest near the royal crosses...

On the Rubezhnoye farm

Kostya studied at a local school, learning to read and write, count and the Law of God. But he gave preference to simple Cossack science - horse riding and the ability to wield weapons, which was considered a tradition in Cossack villages. Later it turned out that he later needed these skills more than theology.

Full Cavalier

He received the second "George" in 1915, going alone on reconnaissance near Przemysl. It was there that the constable went out to the farm, where he found himself next to the sleeping Austrians. The desperate warrior, without waiting for help, threw a grenade into the yard and began shooting, shouting the only German phrase he knew, “Hende Hoch.” The sleepy enemy was sure that he was surrounded. So one Russian hero, thanks to his resourcefulness, captured an officer and 52 soldiers of the enemy army and brought them to his regiment.

Nedorubov was awarded the third cross in 1916 after the famous Brusilov breakthrough, having shown courage and courage in battles.

And Konstantin Nedorubov received the golden “George” 1st degree when, together with his comrades, he broke into the headquarters of the enemy division, captured the German general and captured important documents. He completed the First World War with the rank of sergeant, becoming not only a full Knight of St. George, but also earning two more awards for courage.

Combat commander

The division of Mikhail Blinov, under whose command the former White Guard was now, heroically proved itself at the hottest spots of the front. For his participation in the defense of Tsaritsyn, which went down in history, Budyonny personally awarded Nedorubov with a personalized saber. For showing heroism in battles with Wrangel, the Cossack was awarded red revolutionary riding breeches. He was also nominated for the Order of the Red Banner, but he never had to add it to other awards: the award order was canceled due to his past service in the tsarist army.

The Civil War left in the hero’s memory not only the deaths of his comrades, blood and hardships, but also a bullet lodged in his lung, which he carried for the rest of his life.

In the camps

And here, in Dmitrovlag, the Cossack distinguished himself - he worked with enthusiasm and very conscientiously. The construction was completed ahead of schedule, and Nikolai Yezhov personally accepted the results. Nedorubov was granted amnesty and released after three years in prison.

Spellbound

For the courage shown during the capture of the village of Kushchevskaya in October 1943, the brave Cossack was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In this battle, Nedorubov’s son Nikolai received more than a dozen wounds and was left lying on the battlefield, covered with earth, next to the dead. Three days later, village residents accidentally discovered him, hid him in the cellar and went out. But then my father didn’t know about it yet. He continued to drive the enemy from his native land.

Konstantin Iosifovich fought in battles in Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Hungary. He was repeatedly wounded and was discharged in 1944.

After going through so many wars, this man of amazing will remained alive - it was not for nothing that his fellow soldiers called him “the charmed one.” Moreover, he has not forgotten how to enjoy life and forgive injustice. The world rests on such people.

It is of great interest today. Real heroes.