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Hero of the Soviet Union (Геро́й Сове́тского Сою́за) was the highest honorary title and the superior degree of distinction of the former USSR. It included the Order of Lenin (the highest Soviet award) and, as the sign of excellence, the Gold Star medal with the certificate of the heroic deed (gramota) from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (highest executive body of the land). The award was established on April 16, 1934. If a person was a recipient of several Hero awards, the Lenin Order was given only once, with some exceptions in later times.
The total number of persons who were awarded this title is over 12,500. The great majority of them received it during the Great Patriotic War (11,635 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 115 twice Heroes, and 3 thrice Heroes). A famous war hero was for instance Alexander Matrosov who received the distinction posthumously after he died blocking an enemy machine-gun with his own body.
The first recipients were the pilots Liapidevsky, Levanevsky, Vasili Molokov, Mavrikiy Slepnev, Nikolai Kamanin, Ivan Doronin and Vodopianov, who participated in the successful aerial search and rescue of the crew of the steamship Cheliuskin, which sunk in Arctic waters, crushed by ice fields, on February 13, 1934.
There were over a hundred people to recive the award twice. A second award entitled the recipient to have a bronze bust of his likeness with a commemorative inscription erected in his homeland.
Two famous Soviet fighter pilots, Pokryshkin and Kozhedub were thrice Heroes of the Soviet Union. A third award entitled the same to be erected on a columnar pedestal in Moscow, near the Palace of the Soviets, but the Palace was never built.
The only men to receive the title four times were Marshal Zhukov and Brezhnev.
In 1970s the award was devaluated. Important political and military persons have been awarded on the occasions of their age anniversaries, without immediate heroic activity in its direct sense. However the first breach of the tradition (and the statute of the award) was made by Zhukov, when he was awarded for the fourth time "for his large accomplishments" on the occasion of his 60th anniversary as early as on December 1, 1956.
In 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR abolished this award to be given more than once.
Apart from individuals, the title was also awarded to twelve cities (Hero City) as well as the fortress of Brest (Hero-Fortress) for collective heroism during the War.
In 1992, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this title was succeeded in Russia by the title Hero of Russia.
See also: Hero of Socialist Labor
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