Honorary Revolutionary Weapon

It was awarded to senior commanders for exceptional combat achievement; the majority of recipients received it for actions during the Russian Civil War.

After the October Revolution, the Order of the Red Banner, established in 1918, was the only Soviet decoration available to reward military personnel for their actions in the Russian Civil War.

[1][2] It was reminiscent of the Saint George Sword given to senior commanders of the Russian Empire during World War I, and thus represented an unacknowledged return to the Tsarist award system.

[1][3] The practice of giving successful commanders ceremonial shashkas was legitimized by a decree of the VTsIk on 8 April 1920 following a request from the Revolutionary Military Council.

[1] Shortly afterwards, another VTsIK decree retroactively regularized the awards to Kamenev and Shorin, integrating the previous ceremonial weapon presentations into the new system.