INSIGNIA OF DIFFERENCE IN THE RKKA BUTTON LOCKETS 1940-1943

The ranks on the buttonholes denoted triangles, cubes (“kubari”), rectangles (“sleepers”). They were made of metal and covered with hot enamel. In order to save money, surrogates were used, and hot enamel was replaced with cold enamel.
Junior command and command personnel were entitled to metal triangles (the side of the triangle is 10 mm) in quantities corresponding to their rank. A triangle of yellow metal (the side of the triangle is 20mm) was also attached to the upper corner of the buttonhole. Insignia were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. In the illustration under No. 1; 6; 7, 8.
The average command and command staff were entitled to metal cubes (cube side 10mm) in quantities corresponding to their rank. Insignia were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. In illustration No. 2.
Senior command personnel were given metal rectangles (16x7mm in size) in quantities corresponding to their rank. Insignia were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. In the illustration under No. 3, 9.
Higher command personnel, up to the rank of marshal, relied on gold-colored metal 20mm buttonholes for their everyday buttonholes. stars in number according to rank. The field buttonholes of the generals were decorated with stars painted in khaki color. Stars were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. Marshals wore buttonholes with a large embroidered star and a wreath underneath it.
The rank on the buttonholes of the senior command staff was denoted by stars, and on the buttonholes of the senior command staff by diamonds.
By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 253 of August 1, 1941, the wearing of colored buttonholes and insignia for all categories of military personnel was abolished. It was ordered to switch to green khaki buttonholes, emblems and insignia. That is, the stamp of the sign remained the same, but instead of red enamel, it was covered with paint or varnish of a protective color. They also practiced painting the red enamel on previously issued signs with khaki paint.
With the transition to protective buttonholes, the insignia of corporals were actually lost. However, during the war and the rapid increase in the size of the army, protective buttonholes and insignia were received mainly by military personnel mobilized from the reserves. In peacetime, a uniform with wartime insignia was prepared for them. The rest switched to new signs whenever possible. A number of military leaders opposed the transition to wartime insignia. For example, the commander of the 9th Mechanized Corps of the Kyiv Special Military District, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky K.K. By his order, he categorically forbade all commanders to change their insignia to field insignia, believing that the Red Army soldiers should see their commanders in battle.
Difficulties in supply led to the fact that the troops simultaneously encountered both those and other insignia in a variety of combinations (red triangles on field buttonholes, field triangles on colored buttonholes, etc.). This situation lasted until the army switched to shoulder straps in the winter-spring of 1943, and in the rear districts until mid-summer and even autumn of 1943.

In the Red Army, two types of buttonholes were used: everyday (“color”) and field (“protective”). There were also differences in the buttonholes of command and command personnel so that you can distinguish the commander from the boss.

Field buttonholes were introduced by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 253 of August 1, 1941, which abolished the wearing of colored insignia for all categories of military personnel. It was ordered to switch to buttonholes, emblems and insignia of completely green khaki color

However, in conditions of war and the rapid increase in the size of the army, protective buttonholes and insignia were received mainly by military personnel mobilized from the reserves. In peacetime, a uniform with wartime insignia was prepared for them. The rest switched to new signs whenever possible. A number of military leaders opposed the transition to wartime insignia. For example, the commander of the 9th Mechanized Corps of the Kyiv Special Military District, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky K.K. By his order, he categorically forbade all commanders to change their insignia to field insignia, believing that the Red Army soldiers should see their commanders in battle.

Difficulties in supply led to the fact that the troops simultaneously encountered both those and other insignia in a variety of combinations (red cubes and sleepers on field buttonholes, field cubes and sleepers on colored buttonholes, etc.). This situation lasted until the army switched to shoulder straps in the winter-spring of 1943, and in the rear districts until mid-summer and even autumn of 1943.

Since the field buttonholes were completely khaki for all categories of military personnel and differed only in the number of insignia, there is no point in examining them in detail. Next, everyday buttonholes will be described in more detail.

Everyday buttonholes introduced back in 1922. Since then they were constantly modernized until 1940. With the outbreak of the war, modernization was stopped because single-color field buttonholes were introduced, which, along with everyday colored buttonholes, lasted until buttonholes were replaced with shoulder straps.

The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the branch of the army. Rectangular buttonholes were edged (trimmed) with colored edging on three sides. Diamond-shaped buttonholes were edged on the two upper sides.

Buttonhole sizes:

Buttonholes for tunics and jackets are in the form of a parallelogram, 32.5 mm wide including piping, about 10 cm long.
Buttonholes for overcoats are diamond-shaped, 11 cm on the larger diagonal and 8.5-9 cm on the smaller one. One upper (edged) side had a length from corner to corner of 6.5 cm.
General's buttonholes are diamond-shaped, length from corner to corner is 11 cm, width from corner to corner is 7.5 cm, length of the edged side is 6.1 cm, width of the edge of the buttonholes with gimp is 2.5 mm. The buttonholes on the general's overcoats were slightly larger - the length from corner to corner was 11.5 cm (13.5 cm for the Marshal of the Soviet Union), the width from corner to corner was 8.5 cm, the length of the edged side was 6.5 cm, the width of the edge buttonholes with 2.5 mm gimp.

Sewing buttonholes:

folding the unedged edge under the collar

the unedged edge of the buttonhole was sewn into the collar

exactly along the edge of the collar

Military ranks of the USSR Armed Forces 1935-1945. -

Clickable

Buttonholes of privates and junior officers of the Red Army

(privates, sergeants and sergeants)

Buttonholes for gymnasts and French jackets - in the form of a parallelogram. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the branch of the army. Colored edging on three sides.

Overcoat buttonholes are diamond-shaped. On the upper sides there is a colored edging. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the branch of the army.

In addition to the colored edging, military officers with the rank of sergeant major also had a 3-mm golden braid sewn on the same sides where the colored edging went. But not instead of the colored edging like the officers, but in addition to it.

Insignia - equilateral metal triangles covered with red enamel. The side of the triangle is 10 mm.

The buttonholes from corporal to sergeant major also included: a golden equilateral triangle, side length 20 mm; a longitudinal strip of 5 mm (on overcoat buttonholes 10 mm) of red piping (the color of the edging is the same for all branches of the military).

The emblems of the military branches were supposed to be painted with yellow paint, but this rule was very rarely followed. As a result, you can see privates and junior command personnel either without emblems at all, or with metal emblems assigned to officers.

___________________________________________________________

In 1940, in connection with a change in the scale of ranks of the Red Army, the insignia of the ranks of junior command and command personnel also changed. By Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 391 of November 2, 1940, personal ranks were established for private and junior command and command personnel: Red Army soldier, corporal, junior sergeant, sergeant, senior sergeant and foreman.

The same order introduced new insignia for them, which they were ordered to switch to on January 1, 1941. Until this time, the junior command and command staff did not have personal ranks, but were named and wore insignia according to their positions.

Buttonholes of senior and middle command staff of the Red Army

(officers)

Buttonholes for gymnasts and French jackets - in the form of a parallelogram. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the branch of the army. A 5-mm golden braid was sewn onto the three upper corners instead of a colored edging.

Overcoat buttonholes are diamond-shaped. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the branch of the army. A 5mm gold braid was sewn to the two upper sides instead of a colored edging.

Insignia:

From junior lieutenant to senior lieutenant, they wore equilateral metal cubes (“kubari”) covered with red enamel. The side of the cube is 10mm.
from captain to colonel - they wore metal rectangles (“sleepers”) covered with red enamel. The size of the "sleeper" is 16x7mm.

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In 1940, the scale of ranks of senior command and command personnel changed slightly. On July 26, 1940, by order of the USSR NKO No. 226, the ranks of “lieutenant colonel” and “senior battalion commissar” were introduced, and in connection with this, the insignia of senior command and command personnel was changed.

The buttonholes of middle and senior political, technical, administrative, veterinary personnel, and judicial authorities had, like those of the rank and file, a colored edging.

In addition to the insignia of rank in the buttonholes, it was determined to wear the emblems of the military branches established by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 33 of March 10, 1936. The emblems were metallic golden in color. Political workers do not have any emblems; the rest wear the emblems of their military branches. Insignia - cubes and sleepers, just like the command staff.

Rank insignia on buttonholes:
A. Middle command and management personnel:
1 cube - junior lieutenant, junior military technician.
2 dice - lieutenant, junior political instructor, military technician of the 2nd rank, quartermaster technician of the 2nd rank, military paramedic, junior military specialist.
3 dice - senior lieutenant, political instructor, military technician 1st rank, quartermaster technician 1st rank, senior military paramedic, military lawyer.

B. Senior command and control personnel:
1 sleeper - captain, senior political instructor, military engineer, quartermaster, military doctor, senior military lawyer.
2 sleepers - major, battalion commissar, military engineer 2nd rank, quartermaster 2nd rank, military doctor 2nd rank, military officer 2nd rank.
3 sleepers - lieutenant colonel, senior battalion commissar, military engineer 1st rank, quartermaster 1st rank, military doctor 1st rank, military officer 1st rank.
4 sleepers - colonel, regimental commissar.

Note - There is an interesting point here. Commanding officers with the ranks of military engineer 1st rank, quartermaster 1st rank, military doctor 1st rank, military officer 1st rank wore three sleepers in their buttonholes until 1940, and so they remained with three sleepers. In fact, nothing has changed at all, because... They were already considered a step below the colonel. But if previously they had as many sleepers on their buttonholes as the colonel, now it turned out that they had all been demoted in rank. There were a lot of grievances, to the point that many of them arbitrarily attached the fourth sleeper. The regimental commissars were pleased, because they now wore four sleepers and this distinguished them from quartermasters, engineers, and military doctors of the regimental level, that is, their higher status, equal to the regimental commander, was clearly emphasized. But the battalion commissars were dissatisfied (especially those who were about to be awarded another rank) due to the fact that another one was wedged between their rank and the coveted rank of regimental commissar.

Middle and senior command personnel, middle and senior political personnel had additional insignia on their sleeves. The command staff wore various triangular braids that differed by rank. All political workers had the same ones in the form of a sewn-on star.

The middle and senior commanding staff (lawyers, doctors, veterinarians, quartermasters, administrative staff, technical staff) did not have any marks on their sleeves.

Although wearing emblems of military branches in buttonholes was mandatory (except for political workers, infantry and cavalry for whom emblems did not exist), there were significant difficulties in their production and supply of troops. Expensive red copper was used for the emblems; emblems were stamped on machines, and there were not enough such machines in the country. Sewing emblems from golden thread was prohibited. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of Red Army soldiers and sergeants, and a significant part of the officers, did not have emblems in their buttonholes at all. To combat the shortage of insignia, they began to use cheaper materials for their production. But even these measures could not significantly correct the shortage of insignia.

By the decision of the State Defense Committee of October 9, 1942, the system of military commissars was eliminated in the army and navy, and all of them were assigned command ranks. Moreover, titles are assigned one step lower. For example, if previously a junior political instructor was equal to a lieutenant, then he was given a new rank - junior lieutenant. The number of political positions was sharply reduced. Some of yesterday's political instructors and commissars were appointed deputy commanders for political affairs (from company and above), some were transferred to command positions. If previously a political instructor or commissar enjoyed equal power with the commander in a unit or unit, now they have become deputy commanders.

It is obviously difficult to imagine the ocean of resentment among political workers with this decision of the State Defense Committee. Only the wartime situation and the increased role of the Special Departments (NKVD) perhaps kept them from openly displaying discontent. Many of them had to change the comfortable position of a commander who is not responsible for anything, but an all-powerful commander, to the bitter fate of a commander responsible for everything and everyone; others had to come to terms with the fate of the second person in a regiment, battalion, company; places of an equal, or even superior, commander to the place of a subordinate. It is much easier to imagine the relief of commanders who have lost the obligation to constantly look back at the opinion of the commissar and are obliged to coordinate every step with him. Previously, you had to decide together and answer alone, but now you decide it yourself and answer it yourself.

Buttonholes of the Red Army senior command staff

(generals, marshals)

UNIT AND COAT BUTTONBOARDS (dimensions when sewn on) - diamond-shaped, length from corner to corner 11 cm, width from corner to corner 7.5 cm, length of edged side 6.1 cm, width of edging of buttonholes with gimp 2.5 mm. Generals of artillery and ABTV have a black buttonhole field.

OVERCOAT BUTTONBOARDS - diamond-shaped, length from corner to corner 11.5 cm (13.5 cm - for Marshal of the Soviet Union), width from corner to corner 8.5 cm, length of edged side 6.5 cm, width of edging of buttonholes with gimp 2, 5 mm. Generals of artillery and ABTV have a black buttonhole field.

Rank insignia - Stars for generals' buttonholes were made of gilded brass of regular pointed shape, 2 cm in diameter, with ribbed rays. Stars painted green (protective 4BO) were used in field buttonholes.

The star on the buttonholes of the Marshal of the Soviet Union: on the overcoat buttonholes the diameter is 5 cm, on the buttonholes of the uniform and jacket the diameter is 4.4 cm. The star of the Marshal of the Soviet Union had a regular pointed shape and was embroidered with gilded threads. The embroidery is continuous, convex, all outer edges are bordered by perpendicular embroidery with thin threads. At the bottom of the buttonhole, two laurel branches were embroidered with gold threads, at the crosshairs of which a sickle and hammer were embroidered in gold.

On July 13, 1940, by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 212, in accordance with, uniforms and insignia on buttonholes and sleeves were established for generals.

For senior command staff, the insignia remains the same - rhombuses numbering from two to four with the same rank names.

Literature:

Uniforms and insignia of the Red Army 1918-1945. AIM, Leningrad 1960

Insignia of ranks of military personnel of the Red Army 1940-1942. Author - Yu.Veremeev.
Insignia of the command and control personnel of the armed forces as of June 22, 1941. ()
Uniform of the Russian Air Force. Volume II, Part 1 (1935-1955)

The era, a couple of decades long, which begins after the Bolsheviks came to power, was marked by numerous changes in the life of the once former Empire. The reorganization of almost all structures of peaceful and military activities turned out to be a rather lengthy and controversial process. In addition, from the course of history we know that immediately after the revolution, Russia was overwhelmed by a bloody civil war, which was not without intervention. It is difficult to imagine that initially the ranks of the workers' and peasants' Red Army were made up of volunteers.

The archive of documents can provide information about the formation of regular armed forces, despite the fact that the USSR, as a republic, was formed much later. It is possible that it is for this reason that ranks in the USSR army before 1943 were somewhat unsystematic. However, in order to answer the question of what military ranks existed in the Red Army during this era, it is enough to trace the chronology of events in the military department.

Introduction of insignia

All military personnel of the Red Army, newly formed in 1918, received a badge. He was considered a symbol of the Red Army. Framed with oak leaves there was a star, a plow and a hammer. Headdresses were also decorated with a similar emblem. With a single form everything was much more complicated. Naturally, with such a beginning, there can be no talk of any insignia. It turns out that some officer military ranks and shoulder straps in the USSR were immediately abolished, and until 1943 they were considered a symbol of the overthrown autocracy.

At first, the lack of insignia had virtually no effect on the combat effectiveness of the units, since in a few detachments the fighters knew the commanders with their own eyes. The deployment of military operations entailed an increase in the number of personnel and, as a result, led to confusion in the relations between commanders and subordinates. The general violation of discipline was often justified by the fact that the soldiers referred to the lack of differences between the commanders and the general contingent.

There are known cases when commanders of individual units introduced military ranks and the corresponding insignia. This could not continue for long, especially in war conditions, therefore, since 1919, uniforms and special insignia have been approved for all officers.

Junior commanders had stars with triangles on their sleeves.
The middle ones replaced the triangles with squares.
The diamond was considered the sign of senior command personnel.

Thus, a certain hierarchy begins to be built in army units. The lowest rank vested with command powers is the detached commander. The rank higher is the platoon commander's assistant. Next in seniority is the sergeant major, and then the unit commanders. The senior command staff is represented by the head of the division, the Commander of the army and the front.

During the same period, the Revolutionary Military Council also approved the headdress - helmet. The overcoats of the Red Army soldiers were endowed with transverse straps. We know from many movies that they were monochromatic: red or blue. But in fact, they could be used to determine the type of troops and the rank of the commander.

Similar signs were worn:

squad commander (army branch - cavalry);
division commander (arms branch – artillery);
front commander.

Since 1920, the branch of the military could be identified by the sleeve insignia. For example, the infantry wore a badge in the form of a crimson diamond with a star and rays, and below were two crossed rifles. The engineering troops were distinguished by a black square, and the cavalry troops were distinguished by a blue horseshoe. Although ranks in the Red Army before 1943 excluded the word “officer,” unit commanders performed all of its functions.

According to the new order, the helmet and tunic were brought to the standard. On the sleeve of the overcoat there was a star and a sign that differed in color for different branches of the military. The command staff wore a red badge. Otherwise, the uniform was the same as that of ordinary military personnel.

New ranks in the Red Army

The next stage, in which the ranks in the Soviet army underwent some changes until 1943, begins in 1924. A buttonhole is used as an insignia, which is attached to a tunic or overcoat. The pilots had blue buttonholes framed with red edging. Infantry are crimson and black, and artillery are blue with black edging.

The Council of People's Commissars approved metal signs - rhombuses, rectangles, squares and triangles. In parallel with this, similar transformations are taking place in the structure of the GPU and the NKVD. Special services officers wore flaps and buttonholes that differed only in color from military designs.

The entire command staff of the army is represented by junior, middle, senior and senior levels. The division of each unit into categories by position allowed for more flexible management of the entire structure. At this stage, instead of a rank, a category was assigned, which was designated by the letter “K” and supplemented by a numerical index, and in 1935, the ranks of lieutenant, major and colonel were added to the brigade commander, division commander and corps commander.

Everyone knows that the gradual introduction of officer ranks did not allow the wearing of military epaulettes until 1943, when, by Stalin’s decree, the army structure began to return to the channel created by the Russian Empire, but in the meantime, epaulettes are being criticized in every possible way by Soviet soldiers and their commanders.

Political life in the army played an important role, especially considering that Soviet society is based on a high degree of ideology. To conduct work, positions such as political instructor, regimental commissar, divisional commissar, and corps commissar have been introduced.

With the beginning of the reform, the ground forces and air force troops receive the ranks of military technician and military engineer. The AKhCh includes the intendant, brigintendant and corintendent. Doctors are also entitled to official titles. The most important innovation is the establishment of the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

The changes that occurred in 1935 were associated more with the introduction of new elements for the uniform of military personnel than with the introduction of new ranks. Shoulder straps were never introduced; by the way, they didn’t exist until the middle of the war, so WWII shoulder straps can be considered the first after their long-term denial. All military-political personnel of the army were required to wear buttonholes with black edging. The buttonhole itself was crimson.

The rank of general returned only in 1940. This was necessitated by the loss of authority among senior commanders among their subordinates. As you can see, the ranks in the Soviet army before 1943 are gradually being brought to the form we are used to, which suggests that Stalin’s famous decision was not spontaneous. The army modernization program has been prepared since the pre-war period, and after the first victories in the Second World War, it was decided to adapt the structure as much as possible to the European one. Despite the long battles ahead, it is becoming increasingly clear that Soviet troops will march through European cities.

Insignia and buttonholes of the Red Army 1924-1943

Workers' and Peasants' Red Army abbreviated as (RKKA), the term Soviet Army (SA) appeared later, the beginning of the Second World War, oddly enough, was met in a military uniform of the 1925 model.

The People's Commissariat of Defense, by its order dated December 3, 1935, introduced new uniforms and insignia for all personnel of the Red Army. The old official ranks were partially retained for military-political, military-technical. military legal, military medical and junior command and control personnel.

The lapel insignia, used since 1924, existed virtually unchanged until 1943, when shoulder straps were introduced.

Lapel insignia since 1924, existed without changes until 1943

Over the 19 years of existence of lapel insignia, changes in Insignia and buttonholes of the Red Army small contributions were made.

The appearance of the emblems of the military branches and services changed, the colors of the edgings and buttonholes, the number of badges in the buttonholes, and the technology for producing badges underwent changes.

Over the years, sleeve patches were introduced and abolished as an additional element to the buttonholes.

But by and large, the insignia of the entire pre-war period and the first year and a half of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War remained virtually unchanged. With the exception of changes in production technologies towards cheaper products, cheaper materials were used. But the degradation of the quality of the materials used was not as catastrophic as in the Wehrmacht troops, which, as is known, steadily reduced the quality of the materials used for the production of military uniforms.

The branches of the military differed in the colors of their buttonholes, the colors of their caps, the piping on their uniforms and their emblems. Here everything is described in more detail about the samples of uniforms of the Red Army of 1940-43.

The width of the buttonholes for tunics and jackets was 32.5 mm including piping, the length of the buttonhole was about 10 cm. Diamond-shaped overcoat buttonholes diagonally measured 11 x 9 centimeters; the Marshal of the Soviet Union had a larger size of 13.5 x 9.

The buttonholes of senior military personnel were edged with gold embroidery; for the rest, cloth edging was used, depending on the type of troops.

Brass was used to make emblems; the emblems were silvered and covered with gold, but mainly with red enamel.

Interestingly, by order, the emblems on the buttonholes of the rank and file were supposed to be painted using a stencil, but this was rare; metal emblems were used on the tabs or screws.

Rank and file: 0. Red Army soldier.

Junior command staff:

1. junior sergeant,
2. sergeant,
3. senior sergeant,
4. foreman.

Many people get confused about military ranks; it’s all about changes in 391 orders.

Buttonholes and sleeve insignia for sergeant major up to 40 years and after

For example, before the age of 40, the foreman had three triangles in his buttonhole and three stripes on his sleeve, and from the age of 40, four.

Squares and rectangles defining military rank were colloquially called “kubari” or “cubes”, respectively, rectangles “sleepers”.

Diamonds and triangles had no slang names, with the exception of the foreman, whose four triangles were called “saw.”

Emblems and sleeve patches of the Red Army

(A) Sleeve chevron. Junior lieutenant, model 1935
(B) Sleeve chevron of deputy politov
(C) Air Force Airman Sleeve Pattern, Khaki, Field Uniform
(D) Air Force Airman sleeve insignia "casual" dress uniform
(E) Traffic Controller's Patch
(F) Artillery sleeve chevron

Artillerymen and armored troops used black buttonholes, but tank commanders had velvet buttonholes. The emblem of artillerymen and motorists was introduced in the First World War, crossed cannons and winged wheels with a steering wheel for drivers. Both are still used today with minimal changes. The tankers have emblems in the form of miniature BT tanks. The chemists had two cylinders and a gas mask on their emblem. In March 1943 they were changed to hammer and wrench.

private and junior commanding officers of the Red Army

The corporal received a red cloth stripe regardless of the branch of service. And the corporal began to look like a student of a sergeant's school, which also caused some confusion. With further assignments of ranks, the triangles were applied to the fabric strip.

1st Red Army soldier, autobat
2nd corporal, artilleryman
3 ml. Sergeant, technical service
4th Sergeant, Air Force
5th senior sergeant, armored forces
6th sergeant, sapper

The petty officer's buttonholes were different from the rest of the junior command staff. Between the edging and the field of the buttonhole, along the edge there is a golden braid, the same as that of senior officers.

The pilots' emblem has also remained virtually unchanged to this day, the same winged propeller, on blue buttonholes with black edging.

A golden or silver bowl with a snake (exactly the same as today) for military doctors and veterinary services.

The year 1937 marked the creation of military schools. Metal letters were applied to the buttonholes according to the color of the troops. The letters MPU, for example, corresponded to the Moscow Border School.

Metal letters were applied to the buttonholes according to the color of the troops.

For Academy students, the letter A had enamel triangles attached in front of it, indicating military rank.

Insignia of ranks of the Russian Army. XX century

Rank insignia of Red Army soldiers by rank
1941-42

The period under consideration covers the time from December 1940 to early January 1943.

There were no significant changes in rank insignia after November 1940 and until August 1941. After the start of the war, by order of NKO No. 253 of August 1, a number of changes were made in the uniform and insignia for all personnel of the Active Army and marching units (i.e., units formed and sent to the Active Army):

1. The wearing of sleeve chevrons for command personnel and sleeve stars for political workers is abolished.
2. Colored stripes on the generals’ marching uniforms are abolished.
3. Colored piping on trousers and tunics for middle and senior command personnel is abolished.
4. Colored buttonholes are replaced with khaki buttonholes without edges.
5. Red enamel insignia of ranks are replaced with green ones.
6. Golden emblems of military branches are painted green.
7. Golden stars on the buttonholes of generals are replaced with green ones.

For troops and military institutions not assigned to the Active Army, the rank insignia does not change.

From secondary sources (M.M. Khrenov and others. Military clothing of the Armed Forces of the USSR and Russia (1917-1990s)) it follows that the marching uniform with protective insignia for the infantry was adopted back in January (according to other sources, in February) 1941. However, the author was unable to find the corresponding order from the NGO.

From the author. An interesting feature is that since the summer of 1941, the abbreviation RKKA or the name “Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army” has almost never been found in army documents. The name "Red Army" is used everywhere. The abbreviation RKKA or the name "Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" is used mainly on special occasions.

This order was received ambiguously in the army. Political workers unanimously ignored the abolition of their sleeve stars, believing that the stars on the sleeves gave them more significance and influence among the personnel. This opinion was fully supported by the head of GlavPUR Mehlis.
They did not yet know then about Hitler’s OKW Directive No. 44822/41 of June 6, 1941, “Instructions for the Treatment of Political Commissars,” which ordered the destruction of captured commissars and political instructors. This Directive prescribed to recognize them among other prisoners precisely by the presence of sleeve stars.
Commander of the 9th Mechanized Corps, Major General K.K. Rokossovsky, having raised the corps on alert on the morning of June 22, simply prohibited the issuance of khaki buttonholes to sergeants and officers, believing that the visibility of commanders for their soldiers was much more important than their visibility to the enemy.

From the author. Judging by Rokossovsky's memoirs, such buttonholes in the case were prepared before the war. I can't explain these lines of memories in any way. But it is documented that they were introduced only on August 1. Perhaps there was a time shift in events in the marshal's memory. Or, indeed, a new marching uniform and insignia for it had been prepared since February 1941, and they were available in the warehouses of the 9th Corps.
If he really did not consider this measure of camouflage necessary, then one can only guess how many officers this opinion of Rokossovsky cost their lives. After all, the main task of snipers during battle is the destruction of enemy officers and signalmen. This is achieved by disrupting the enemy's control of the battle.
And for shooters there are no more noticeable signs of an officer than a cap with a colored band, colored buttonholes and shiny gold chevrons on the sleeves. All this is noticeable from a fairly large distance and without binoculars. And the sniper has an optical sight. And in 1941-42, Wehrmacht snipers knew how to shoot very well. The Germans are generally very fond of shooting sports and know a lot about shooting.

And one more thing. In general, we like to give assessments to our commanders either purely positive or clearly negative. But Zhukov, and Rokossovsky and Vasilevsky and others like them are ordinary people with all their advantages and disadvantages. Each of them had both major achievements and significant failures. All of them sometimes found excellent solutions and made serious mistakes. And to consider all of them or some of them as mediocrities because they did not find a winning solution in one operation or another, in my opinion, is dishonest. And not everything in this war depended only on the Soviet side.
War is to some extent reminiscent of a chess match, in which far from stupid players meet. And you don’t consider the grandmaster mediocrity, who defeated his opponent not with a score of 21:0, but with a score of 11:10.
Why do some allow themselves to consider the Soviet marshals idiots for defeating the Wehrmacht not in a border battle in the summer of 41, but only four years later? After all, on the other side of the front the troops were not led by kids in short pants. And the German generals had plenty of talent.
Still, Stalin’s generals outplayed Hitler’s. So who should be considered great commanders - those who lost the war, or those who won?

The NGO's order to switch to protective insignia was far from being fully implemented. The required quantity of such buttonholes, insignia and emblems was not prepared in the pre-war period. Although the clothing industry in August switched to sewing uniform items in accordance with this order, however, until the mobilization reserves of military clothing were used up, people conscripted into the army after the outbreak of the war continued to be dressed in uniforms with colored buttonholes and given red enamel insignia. Moreover, in the confusion of the first weeks of the war, no one could say where this or that mobilized team would be sent.

The production of protective insignia lagged significantly behind and they appeared en masse on uniforms only in the late autumn of 1941.

In the photo on the right: a typical example of wearing a military uniform in the first military autumn-winter. An overcoat with hastily sewn buttonholes of khaki color, on which there are no insignia at all. Under the overcoat you can see a tunic with pre-war colored buttonholes, an infantry emblem and a junior lieutenant's cube. But on the tunic buttonhole we see not a commander’s braid, but a black piping, which command personnel should not wear. On the hat with earflaps there is a red enamel star, i.e. pre-war model.

From the author. Another general of the tsarist army wrote that the attitude of soldiers and officers towards military uniforms is a true indicator of the morale of the army and the general state of affairs in it. The Great Patriotic War showed how true this remark is. Tracking photographs of the war from 41 to 45, we see how the appearance of Wehrmacht soldiers gradually changed for the worse and vice versa, the appearance of the Red Army soldiers changed from dull and indifferent in 41 to dandy in 45.
Of course, in the hardest days of the battle near Moscow, it seemed that it was not a matter of how the soldiers were dressed. However, in the fall of 1942 in Stalingrad, under the same combat conditions, the Red Army soldiers and commanders looked much more decent. And the introduction of a new uniform and shoulder straps in 43 was clearly perceived as the fact that the Red Army was confidently marching towards Victory and should be dressed beautifully. And everyone watched their form much more carefully.

The author considered it necessary to show the various actually existing options for wearing rank insignia in 41-42.

1. Foreman. Red enamel triangles are attached to the protective overcoat buttonhole. The emblem of the military branch is missing. On the protective tunic buttonhole there are triangles attached in a protective color. The emblem is missing.

2- Senior Sergeant. Here, on the contrary, the overcoat insignia is shown correctly, and on the tunic the triangles are red enamel.

3- Sergeant. Here, khaki triangles are attached to the buttonholes of the 1940 model, and the artillery emblem is golden.

There are triangles cut from green fabric and sewn to buttonholes, cut from tin cans. Very often you can see in photographs of overcoats without buttonholes or any insignia at all.

It should be noted that in general, the emblems of the military branches on the buttonholes of private and junior command personnel were absent in the infantry and cavalry, since infantry emblems in the summer of 1940 were introduced only for middle and senior command personnel, and in the cavalry they were obviously never introduced at all.
In other branches of the military, emblems are quite rare. Most often in aviation and artillery.

4. Junior lieutenant of artillery, 5 - major of armored forces, 6 - command personnel with the rank of brigade commander (brigengineer, brigade doctor, brigade doctor, brigade lawyer), 7 - major general.

It should be noted that although with the introduction of general ranks the rank of brigade commander went down in history, however, the process of recertification of yesterday's brigade commanders was not completed by the beginning of the war. Moreover, in the turmoil of the first period of the war, brigade commanders called up from the reserve were not re-certified. So brigade commanders and brigade commissars met in the army until 1943.

By mid-1942, the discrepancy in insignia had decreased significantly. Obviously for the reasons that the newly issued uniform already, as a rule, had field buttonholes and khaki-colored insignia. The red enamel signs were gradually lost. The war led to a significant decrease in the number of career officers, who could still retain their pre-war insignia.

On January 28, 1942, by order of NKO No. 23 for the engineering and technical staff (as the military-technical staff of the Air Force is now called) of the Air Force, the scale of ranks and, accordingly, the insignia of ranks are changed.

Instead of the existing junior military technician, ....... armored engineer, the following were introduced:

*technical lieutenant (2 squares),

*Major General of the Aviation Engineering Service (2 stars on a general's blue buttonhole), *Lieutenant General of the Aviation Engineering Service (3 stars on a general's blue buttonhole), *Colonel General of the Aviation Engineering Service (4 stars on a blue buttonhole) general's model).

The Air Force Engineering Staff emblem on the buttonholes (crossed French key and hammer) is being replaced by the newly introduced Air Force Engineering Staff emblem (1).

Accordingly, the insignia also changes.

Naturally, these insignia were not intended for the Active Army, but in aviation, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the Active Army continued to wear peacetime insignia.

Since January 42, generals of the aviation engineering service have had blue buttonholes with general's stars they had a black edging, and not a commander's gold braid (2).

The picture on the right shows:
1 - emblem of the engineering and technical staff of the Air Force,
2- buttonhole of a lieutenant general of the aviation engineering service,
3- buttonholes of an Air Force engineer-captain.

March 3, 1942 By decree of the State Defense Committee (announced by order of the NKO No. 68 of March 4), the scale of ranks and, accordingly, the insignia of ranks are changed for the engineering and technical personnel of the artillery. Instead of the existing junior military technician, ....... armored engineer, the following were introduced:
*technical lieutenant (2 squares),
*senior lieutenant technician (3 squares),
*engineer-captain (1 rectangle),
*major engineer (2 rectangles),
*engineer-lieutenant colonel (3 rectangles),
*engineer-colonel (4 rectangles),
*Major General of the Engineering and Artillery Service (2 stars on the general’s pattern buttonhole in black with red edging),
*Lieutenant General of the Engineering and Artillery Service (3 stars on the general’s pattern buttonhole in black with red edging),
*Colonel General of the Engineering and Artillery Service (4 stars on the general's pattern buttonhole in black with red edging).

On March 8, 1942, by order of NKO No. 71, a similar scale of ranks and similar insignia were introduced for the engineering and technical personnel of the armored forces. Only generals have the prefix “...tank engineering service.”

At the same time, the emblem of the military-technical personnel (crossed hammer and French key) still remains in the buttonholes.
Naturally, in the Active Army the buttonholes are green with green insignia and emblems.

From the author. It was only when the title of “Brigengineer” (1 diamond in the buttonhole) began to fade into history. In March for the engineering and technical staff of aviation, artillery and armored forces. In accordance with the new scale, brigade engineers were awarded the rank of colonel engineer. However, this was perceived by many as a reduction in rank. After all, a brigade engineer belonged to the highest command, and the new rank of engineer-colonel only belonged to the senior rank. Everywhere they continued to wear their diamonds, and not the 4 sleepers they were now entitled to. Moreover, in other branches of the army the rank of brigade engineer was still retained in March 1942.

On March 30, by order of NKO No. 93, new ranks were introduced to replace the previous ones for the middle and senior command staff of the quartermaster service:
* lieutenant of the quartermaster service (2 squares),
*senior lieutenant of the quartermaster service (3 squares),
*captain of the quartermaster service (1 rectangle),
*Major of the Quartermaster Service (2 rectangles),
* Lieutenant Colonel of the Quartermaster Service (3 rectangles),
*Colonel of the Quartermaster Service (4 rectangles).

Let us recall that for the highest quartermaster staff, general ranks were introduced back in 1940, simultaneously with the introduction of general ranks for command personnel.

The last change in the insignia of 1942 can be considered a change in the names of the ranks of senior artillery commanders:
* engineer-captain - captain of the artillery and technical service,
*engineer major - major artillery technical service
*engineer-lieutenant colonel - lieutenant colonel of the artillery and technical service
*engineer-colonel - colonel of the artillery and technical service.

By the same order, they changed the emblems in their buttonholes - instead of the emblem of the military-technical personnel (crossed hammer and French key), they must now wear artillery emblems (crossed cannons). At the same time, on everyday uniforms they are not golden, like those of the command staff, but silver.

1943 was approaching, in which these insignia would forever go down in history.

Sources and literature

1.Order of the USSR NGO No. 253 of August 1, 1941.
2.Order of the USSR NGO No. 23 dated January 28, 1942.
3.Order of the USSR NGO No. 68 dated March 4, 1942.
4.Order of the USSR NGO No. 71 dated March 8, 1942.
5.Order of the USSR NGO No. 93 dated March 30, 1942.
6.Order of the USSR NGO No. 168 dated May 28, 1942.
7.Order of the USSR NGO No. 278 dated September 14, 1942.
8. Website "deutschewaffe.narod.ru".
9.K.K.Rokossovsky. Soldier's duty. Moscow. Military publishing house 1988
10.G.K. Zhukov. Memories and reflections. APN. 1987
11.O.V. Kharitonov. Illustrated description of uniforms and insignia of the Red and Soviet Army (1918-1945). Artillery Historical Museum of the Main Artillery Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense. 1960
12. M.M. Khrenov and others. Military clothing of the Armed Forces of the USSR and Russia (1917-1990s). Military publishing house. Moscow. 1999