Shoulder straps of the Red Army. When were shoulder straps introduced in the Red Army? - colors of field and everyday shoulder straps of the Red Army

As insignia for the ranks of the Red Army, buttonholes were sewn onto the collars of tunics, tunics and overcoats. Rank was recognized by uniform geometric shapes attached to buttonholes, and a specific rank according to their number. There were also additional insignia in the form of galloon charcoal chevrons sewn onto the sleeves between the elbow and the cuff.

The insignia of senior command personnel were rhombuses (by the beginning of the war, replaced by 5-pointed stars), for senior officers - rectangles or, as they were also called, “sleepers”, and for junior officers - squares or cubes (in common parlance, lieutenants were called “cubes”) . For non-commissioned officers- triangles.

And so, now specifically about titles.

MILITARY RANKS OF HIGH COMMAND STAFF:

Marshal Soviet Union- 1 large star between laurel branches
Army General - 5 little stars
Colonel General - 4 stars
Lieutenant General - 3 stars
Major General - 2 stars

The major general's two stars are apparently somehow connected with the abolished position-rank of "brigade commander", who wore one diamond on his buttonhole.

SENIOR TEAM AND MANAGEMENT STAFF:

Colonel - 4 sleepers
Lieutenant Colonel - 3 sleepers
Major - 2 sleepers
Captain - 1 sleeper

AVERAGE TEAM AND MANAGEMENT STAFF:

Senior Lieutenant - 3 dice
Lieutenant - 2 dice
Junior Lieutenant - 1 cube

JUNIOR TEAM AND MANAGEMENT STAFF:

For all ranks (except for the Red Army soldier) there was a narrow strip along the buttonhole and a golden triangle was attached to top corner buttonholes. In addition, the sergeant major's buttonhole was trimmed with gold edging.

Petty Officer - 1 stripe and 4 triangles
Senior Sergeant - 1 stripe and 3 triangles
Sergeant - 1 stripe and 2 triangles
Junior Sergeant - 1 stripe and 1 triangle

RED ARMY MEMBERS:

Corporal - 1 lane
The Red Army soldier is an empty buttonhole.

In addition to the lapel insignia, as mentioned earlier, there were also braided sleeve stripes indicating a specific rank, and in some cases, rank.

So the chevron on the sleeves of ranks from major general to colonel general inclusive was the same. the chevron for major and lieutenant colonel was also the same, since the rank of lieutenant colonel did not exist in the Red Army until 1940. These stripes were present only for combat ranks, and they were absent for quartermasters, military technicians, doctors and military lawyers. All political instructors, regardless of rank, had a red star sewn on their sleeves with a crossed hammer and sickle embroidered on it with gold thread.

In 1943, a change occurred in the insignia of the Red Army. Lapel insignia are replaced with shoulder straps.

ON THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW INSIGNIA FOR PERSONNEL OF THE RED ARMY
1. Satisfy the request of the People's Commissariat of Defense and introduce, instead of existing ones, new insignia - shoulder straps for Red Army personnel.

2. Approve samples and descriptions of new insignia for Red Army personnel.*

3. The People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR to establish the deadlines for the transition to new insignia and make the necessary changes to the uniform of the Red Army personnel.**

Moscow Kremlin. January 6, 1943

ORDER ON THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW INSIGNIA AND CHANGES IN CLOTHING UNIFORMS
RED ARMY
No. 25 of January 15, 1943

In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR dated January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of new insignia for Red Army personnel”
I order:

1. Establish the wearing of shoulder straps:
field - military personnel in active army and personnel of units preparing to be sent to the front;
everyday - by military personnel of other units and institutions of the Red Army, as well as when wearing full dress uniform.

2. All Red Army personnel should switch to new insignia - shoulder straps in the period from February 1 to February 15, 1943.

3. Make changes to the uniform of the Red Army personnel, according to the descriptions in appendices No. 1, 2 and 3.

4. Put into effect the “Rules for wearing uniforms by Red Army personnel” (Appendix No. 4).

5. Allow full term existing form clothing with new insignia until the next issue of uniforms, in accordance with the current deadlines and supply standards.

6. Unit commanders and garrison commanders must strictly monitor compliance with the uniform and correct wearing of the new insignia.

People's Commissar of Defense I. STALIN

The shoulder strap is made of specially woven braid: for field shoulder straps - from khaki silk, for everyday ones - from gold wire.

And so, the insignia is as follows:

Shoulder straps and insignia of the Soviet Union Marshals and Generals.

The size of the stars on the shoulder straps of generals is 22 mm, on the shoulder straps of generals of the medical and veterinary services - 20 mm.

Number of stars by military rank:

Marshal of the Soviet Union is one big star;
General of the Army - four stars;
Colonel General - three stars;
Lieutenant General - two stars;
Major General - one star;

On February 4, 1943, by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 51 in the addition to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of new insignia for personnel of the Red Army,” changes were made to the shoulder straps of Marshals of the Soviet Union and shoulder straps were introduced for marshals of aviation and artillery and armored forces.

October 27, 1943 by order of the USSR NGO No. 305 on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 9, 1943. additionally installed military ranks for senior command staff:

ORDER OF THE DEPUTY PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONER OF DEFENSE
WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR
“ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL MILITARY RANKS FOR SENIOR COMMAND STAFF OF THE RED ARMY”

I announce for the leadership the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 9, 1943 “On the establishment of additional military ranks for the senior command staff of the Red Army.”

Deputy People's Commissar defense
Marshal of the Soviet Union VASILEVSKY

DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL MILITARY RANKS
FOR SENIOR COMMAND STAFF OF THE RED ARMY

In addition to the decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940 and January 16, 1943, to establish the following military ranks for the senior command staff of the Red Army:

Chief Marshal of Artillery,
Air Chief Marshal,
Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces,
Marshal of Signal Corps,
Chief Marshal of the Signal Corps,
Marshal of the Engineering Troops,
Chief Marshal of the Engineering Troops.

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M. KALININ
Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A. GORKIN
Moscow Kremlin. October 9, 1943

The changes at the end of 1943 resulted in the following:
Marshal of Soviet Soz - 1 big star and National emblem at the bottom
Chief Marshal (branch) - 1 large star in a wreath and the emblem of the military branch above it
Marshal (army branch) - 1 large star

There were no changes to the generals' insignia.

Shoulder straps and insignia of SENIOR AND MIDDLE COMMANDS.

On the shoulder straps of the middle command staff there is one gap and silver-plated stars;
On the shoulder straps of senior officers there are two gaps and large silver-plated stars.
The stars on the shoulder straps are metal. From junior lieutenant to captain inclusive, the size of the stars from corner to corner is 13 mm, from major to colonel - 20 mm.

The number of stars on the chase - by military rank:

Colonel - three stars,
lieutenant colonel - two stars,
major - one star,
captain - four stars,
senior lieutenant- three stars,
lieutenant - two stars,
junior lieutenant - one star.

Shoulder straps and insignia of junior command and rank and file. Field of shoulder straps:

field - from khaki cloth,
everyday - from colored cloth according to the branch of service.

Stripes on field shoulder straps for junior command and command personnel:

narrow - 1 cm wide,
wide - 3 cm wide,
longitudinal patch on the sergeant's shoulder straps - 1.5 cm wide.

The shoulder straps of junior command personnel have stripes corresponding to their military rank:

foreman - narrow longitudinal and wide transverse stripes,
senior sergeant - wide transverse stripe,
sergeant - three narrow transverse stripes,
Lance Sergeant- two narrow transverse stripes,
corporal - a narrow transverse stripe.

With the Bolsheviks coming to power, all military ranks and insignia were abolished. However, soon the experience civil war showed the need for some way to allocate command personnel. Until the winter of 1919, the process of introducing insignia was not regulated by anyone. There were insignia in the form of red armbands with the inscription of the position, various numbers red stripes around the sleeve, various numbers of stars on the sleeve, headdress, chest, etc. These insignia were introduced by the commanders of brigades, divisions, and regiments. On January 16, 1919, by order of the RVSR No. 116, insignia of the military branches in the form of colored buttonholes on collars and insignia of commanders in the form of stripes on the left sleeve above the cuff were introduced. With this order, insignia were introduced only for combatant commanders and their deputies. Political commissars, staff soldiers, and servicemen of auxiliary services did not have any insignia according to this order. The insignia were stripes made of red fabric in the form of triangles, squares and diamonds placed above the cuffs of an overcoat, jacket, jacket, jacket, tunic or other outerwear. Above these signs was a red star cut from the same fabric with a diameter of 11 cm. for commanders from squad to regiment; diameter 14.5 cm. from the brigade commander and above.

Junior command staff wore triangles:

One is the squad leader
Two - deputy platoon commander
Three - sergeant major of a company (division)

Middle and senior command personnel wore squares:

One - platoon commander
Two - company commander
Three - battalion commander
Four - regiment commander

The senior command staff wore diamonds:

One is the brigade commander
Two - division commander
Three - army commander
Four - front commander

Very quickly other military personnel began to wear these insignia. Most often, the corresponding commander's deputies wore one badge less than the commander's. Based on the approximate correspondence of your positions legal status commanders, other military personnel began to sew on badges.

By Order of the RVSR No. 1406 of August 22, 1919, distinctive insignia on the left sleeve above the elbow in the form of rhombuses measuring 11x8 cm were introduced for military servicemen of the military communications service. and a red bandage for military commandants railway stations, piers with the same sign depicted on it.

Until September 1935, insignia corresponded only to the position held. With the introduction of a single headdress - budenovka - in 1919, the color of the sewn star began to indicate the type of military service

infantry.........crimson
cavalry......blue
artillery.....orange
aviation.........blue
sappers.........black
border guards..green

At the ends of the collar of an overcoat or shirt, buttonholes were sewn in the color of the star. In the infantry, it was prescribed that the regimental number be painted on the buttonholes in black paint.

In April 1920, introduced sleeve insignia differences between military branches. These signs are made of cloth and embroidered with colored silk. The signs are placed on the left sleeve of the shirt or caftan in the middle between the shoulder and elbow.

Let's remember about the Cheka-GPU-OGPU

06/13/1918 the Internal Troops of the GPU-OGPU were created as a corps of troops of the Cheka
05/25/1919, together with other auxiliary troops, the Internal Troops became part of the Internal Security Troops of the Republic (VOKhR)
09/01/1920 VOKhR, reinforced by a number of contingents, formed the Internal Service Troops (VNUS)
01/19/1921 Independent troops of the Cheka were again separated from the VNUS
02/06/1922 The Cheka troops were reorganized into the Internal Troops of the GPU-OGPU.

The protection of places of detention and escort were carried out by the Convoy Guard of the Republic. Until 1923, it was part of the structure of the People's Commissariat of Justice, but was operationally subordinate to the GPU.

In June 1934, all OGPU institutions were included in the all-Union People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD), where the Main Directorate of State Security was formed. The Internal Troops were renamed the Internal Guard of the NKVD. The first uniform for the GPU bodies and internal troops was introduced on June 27, 1922. The items of clothing and equipment adopted by the GPU bodies and troops initially differed from the Red Army only in color and some details.

Uniforms and insignia underwent significant changes in 1934.

System of official ranks of the OGPU in 1922

GPU employee

Agent 3 rank...................1 triangle
Agent 2 rank...................2 triangles
Agent 1st rank...................3 triangles

Special assignment officer. 1 square
Beginning operational point.....2 squares
Beginning inspection department.........3 squares
Beginning investigative part......4 square

Military instructor of the inspection...............1 diamond
Beginning GPU departments.............2 diamonds
Deputy Beginning department of the GPU............3 diamonds
Head of the GPU department......4 diamonds

The highest military rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union was established on June 26, 1945 and awarded to I.V. Stalin. On the dress uniform, instead of shoulder straps, epaulettes with the Coat of Arms and a star were used.

After receiving the rank of marshal in 1943, Stalin was given a special suit. It was a closed light gray jacket with a turn-down collar and four pockets of the same cut that was worn Soviet generals before the introduction of shoulder straps. The tunic had shoulder straps of the Marshal of the Soviet Union and general's overcoat buttonholes - red with gold piping and buttons. The collar and cuffs were edged with red piping. The loose-fitting trousers with red stripes were made from the same fabric as the jacket. No one else wore such a suit. In it, J.V. Stalin was depicted in official portraits and posters. He became the only uniform of the Generalissimo of the Soviet Union.

Buttonholes were the insignia of NKVD workers. In general, like all paramilitary units in the pre-war period. However, in addition to the buttonholes, insignia were also located on the sleeves of tunics and service jackets. In addition, rank could also be determined by the appearance of the departmental patch on the sleeve. The rank insignia of NKVD workers differed from those accepted in Armed Forces. This applied not only to operational personnel, but also to NKVD troops and border guards. For the first time in Soviet history Asterisks appear on the insignia. In addition, all NKVD employees were assigned special ranks different from military ones.

Two red sleeve truncated triangles - state security sergeant;
- three red sleeve truncated triangles - junior lieutenant of state security;
- one sleeve star embroidered with silver - lieutenant of state security;
- two sleeve stars embroidered with silver - senior lieutenant of state security;
- three sleeve stars embroidered with silver - captain of state security;
- one sleeve star embroidered in gold - state security major;
- two sleeve stars embroidered in gold - senior major of state security;
- three sleeve stars embroidered in gold - State Security Commissioner of the 3rd rank;
- four sleeve stars embroidered in gold, one of them at the bottom is a commissar of state security of the 2nd rank;
- four sleeve stars embroidered in gold, one of them at the top is the Commissar of State Security of the 1st rank;
- one large star on the cuff - General Commissioner State Security.

Actually, the same thing happened on the buttonholes. The commanding officers of the GUGB wore a longitudinal tourniquet on their buttonholes, namely:

silver cord - sergeant, junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant and captain;
golden tourniquet - major, senior major, state security commissioner of the 3rd, 2nd and 1st rank. Well, the General Commissioner of State Security, respectively.

In addition, a departmental emblem was sewn onto the left sleeve, also indicating the rank of the owner:

From GB sergeant to GB captain - the oval and sword are silver, the hilt of the sword and the sickle and hammer are gold,
From the GB major to the 1st rank GB commissar - the oval of the shield is golden, all other details are silver.

In January 1943, at the height of the war, reform took place in the Red Army. Soviet soldiers and the officers put on shoulder straps and changed ranks. Officers appeared in the army again. How in tsarist army.

Strange decree

On January 10, 1943, by order of NKO No. 24, it was announced that the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of shoulder straps for Red Army personnel” was adopted.

Both this document and the decision itself - to start a serious military reform- have, of course, their own history. Why did Joseph Stalin return the shoulder straps that served as a symbol of the White Army to the Red Army? How was this decree received? For what purpose was the military reform carried out?

Propaganda reaction

It’s interesting how fascist propaganda greeted the return of shoulder straps. German greyhound writers immediately began to see in this step the weakness of Stalin, who made concessions out of fear. The Germans wrote that the head of the USSR would change the name of the army to Russian.
They thus treated this as a forced and hasty decision, although the reality was completely different. The introduction of shoulder straps was part of the planned reform program of the Soviet Union.

How it happened

The idea has been brewing for a long time. Back in 1935, the rank of “Marshal of the Soviet Union” was introduced in the Red Army, and in 1940 the ranks of general and admiral were introduced. This can be considered important milestone on the way to the shoulder straps.

By 1941, samples were ready new form and shoulder straps. In May 1942, the decree was approved by the Main political administration Red Army. Temporary technical specifications(VTU) TK SIU KA No. 0725, which contained a description of the emblems and insignia (“stars”) on the shoulder straps, were published on December 10, 1942.

The Red Army needed a bright turning point victory. Stalingrad became such a victory. When it became clear that the 6th Army of Friedrich Paulus did not have long left, the project was approved by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on October 23, 1942.

According to the order, it was necessary to switch to shoulder straps within half a month - from February 1 to February 15, 1943, but still Kursk Bulge in July of this year, some pilots and tank crews, as can be seen in the photographs, wore not shoulder straps, but old buttonholes.

How the shoulder straps were changed

The reaction was mixed. For example, Georgy Zhukov did not like them. Many Soviet military leaders we passed the Civil and remembered the “gold chasers”.

Of course, Stalin's shoulder straps were not a copy of the tsarist ones. Here there was a different system for designating ranks, as well as the ranks themselves. Instead of a second lieutenant there was now a lieutenant. The staff captain became a captain. Instead of a captain - a major. On army uniform Russian Empire ranks were indicated only by small stars. Joseph Stalin was the first to introduce big stars for senior officers. Field marshals in the tsarist army wore shoulder straps with two crossed batons on a zigzag braid. After the introduction of shoulder straps in 1943, the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union began to be symbolized by a large star and the coat of arms of the USSR.

Officers

Order No. 1 of March 1, 1917 “On democratization former army and the Navy" equalized the rights of soldiers and officers. Soon the very word “officer” began to be perceived as counter-revolutionary.

Only in the May Day order of the People's Commissar of Defense in 1942 did it appear again. At the beginning of 1943, with the introduction of shoulder straps in the Red Army, the word “officer” officially fell out of favor. The commanders from the platoon commander to the brigade commander began to be called differently.

Why?

It is not entirely correct to consider the introduction of shoulder straps to be the personal initiative of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Shoulder straps were introduced by decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Chairman of the Presidium was Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin. This was a planned reform, preparation for it took almost ten years.

Shoulder straps have been an element of the uniform of the Russian army since the time of Peter the Great, and appealing to the names of the great Russian commanders was one of the methods of instilling patriotism. Victory in Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide of the war. Changes in uniforms helped to invigorate the army.

In addition, it was clear that the war would end sooner or later. It was short-sighted to come to Berlin as “commanders” and “brigade commanders” - an approximate unification with the ranks of the allied countries was needed.

The media began to actively discuss the newly adopted decree, emphasizing the symbolism of the introduction of shoulder straps from the position unbreakable connection Russian victories.

Shoulder straps in the Russian army they have long history. They were first introduced by Peter the Great back in 1696, but in those days shoulder straps served only as a strap that kept the gun belt or cartridge pouch from slipping off the shoulder. Shoulder strap was only an attribute of the uniform of the lower ranks: officers were not armed with guns, and therefore shoulder straps they didn't need them.

As insignia shoulder straps began to be used with the accession to the throne of Alexander I. However, they did not denote ranks, but membership in a particular regiment. On shoulder straps a number was depicted indicating the number of the regiment in the Russian army, and the color of the shoulder strap indicated the number of the regiment in the division: the first regiment was red, the second was blue, the third was white, and the fourth was dark green. Since 1874, in accordance with the order of the military department No. 137 of 04.05. 1874, the shoulder straps of both the first and second regiments of the division became red, and the color of the buttonholes and cap bands of the second regiment became blue. The shoulder straps of the third and fourth regiments became blue, but the third regiment had white buttonholes and bands, and the fourth regiment had green ones.
Yellow is the same color shoulder strap had army (in the sense of non-guards) grenadiers. They were also yellow shoulder straps Akhtyrsky and Mitavsky Hussars and Finnish, Primorsky, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan and Kinburn Dragoon Regiments.

With the advent of rifle regiments, the latter were assigned crimson shoulder straps.

To distinguish a soldier from an officer, officer's shoulder straps at first they were trimmed with galloon, and since 1807 shoulder straps the officers' ones were replaced with epaulettes. Since 1827, officer and general ranks began to be designated by the number of stars on their epaulettes: y - 1, major and major general - 2; , and lieutenant general – 3; staff captain - 4; and full generals did not have stars on their epaulettes. One star was retained for retired brigadiers and retired second majors - these ranks no longer existed by 1827, but retirees with the right to wear a uniform who retired in these ranks were preserved. From April 8, 1843, insignia appeared on shoulder straps lower ranks: got one badge, two – , and three - to the senior non-commissioned officer. The sergeant major received shoulder strap a transverse strip of 2.5 centimeters thickness, and - exactly the same, but located longitudinally.

In 1854 they introduced shoulder straps and for officers, leaving epaulettes only on ceremonial uniforms, and until the revolution in shoulder straps almost no changes occurred, except that in 1884 the rank of major was abolished, and in 1907 the rank was introduced.

Shoulder straps had military officials and engineers, railway workers, .

In 1935, they were introduced into the Red Army. Some of them corresponded to the pre-revolutionary ones - colonel, lieutenant colonel, captain. Some were taken from the ranks of the former Tsarist Navy - lieutenant and senior lieutenant. The ranks corresponding to generals remained from the previous service categories - brigade commander, division commander, corps commander, army commander of the 2nd and 1st ranks. The rank of major, abolished under Alexandra III. The insignia, in comparison with the buttonholes of the 1924 model, has hardly changed in appearance - only the four-cube combination has disappeared. In addition, the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union was introduced, no longer designated by diamonds, but by one big star on the collar valve. nevertheless, a special one was created for state security agencies.

On August 5, 1937, the rank of junior lieutenant (one kubar) was introduced, and on September 1, 1939, the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the same time, the three sleepers now corresponded not to , but to .
and received four sleepers.

On May 7, 1940, general ranks were introduced. The major general, as before the revolution, had two stars, but they were not located on shoulder straps, and on the collar valves. The lieutenant general had three stars. This is where the similarities with pre-revolutionary generals ended - instead of a full general, the lieutenant general was followed by the rank of colonel general, modeled on the German general oberst. The colonel general had four stars, and the army general who followed him, whose rank was borrowed from French army, had five stars.

In this form, the insignia remained until January 6, 1943, when the Red Army was introduced shoulder straps.

Policemen and collaborationist formations created from Soviet prisoners of war also had shoulder straps. Notable for its particular originality (Russian National People's Army)

From January 13 Soviet shoulder straps, model 1943 began to enter the troops.

Soviet shoulder straps had much in common with the pre-revolutionary ones, but there were also differences: officer shoulder straps The Red Army (but not the Navy) 1943 were pentagonal, not hexagonal; the colors of the gaps indicated the type of troops, not the regiment; the clearance was a single whole with the shoulder strap field; there were colored edgings according to the type of troops; the stars were metal, gold or silver, and varied in size for junior and senior officers; ranks were designated by a different number of stars than before 1917, and shoulder straps without stars were not restored.

Soviet officers shoulder straps were five millimeters wider than pre-revolutionary ones. No encryption was placed on them. Unlike pre-revolutionary times, shoulder strap color now corresponded not to the regiment number, but to the branch of the army. The edging also mattered. Thus, rifle troops had a crimson shoulder strap background and black edging, cavalry had dark blue with black edging, aviation had blue shoulder strap with black edging, tank crews and artillerymen - black with red edging, but sappers and others technical troops– black but with black edging. Border troops and medical service had green shoulder straps with a red border, and internal troops got the cherry one shoulder strap with blue border.

On the field shoulder straps khaki color, the type of troops was determined only by the edging. Its color was the same as the color of the shoulder strap on the everyday uniform. Soviet officers shoulder straps were five millimeters wider than pre-revolutionary ones. Encryptions were placed on them very rarely, mostly by cadets of military schools.

A junior lieutenant, a major and a major general received one star each. Two each went to a lieutenant and a lieutenant general, three each went to a senior lieutenant and a colonel general, and four went to the army general. shoulder straps junior officers had one clearance and from one to four silver-plated metal stars with a diameter of 13 mm, and shoulder straps senior officers - two gaps and from one to three stars with a diameter of 20 mm.

Badges for junior commanders were also restored. The corporal still had one stripe, the junior sergeant had two, the sergeant had three. The former wide sergeant's stripe went to the senior sergeant, and the sergeant major received shoulder straps the so-called “hammer”.

According to the assigned military rank, belonging to the branch of the military (service), on the field shoulder strap insignia (stars and gaps) and emblems were placed. For military lawyers and doctors, there were “medium” sprockets with a diameter of 18 mm. Initially, the stars of senior officers were attached not to the gaps, but to the field of braid next to them. Field shoulder straps had a field of khaki color (khaki cloth) with one or two gaps sewn to it. On three sides shoulder straps had edgings according to the color of the military branch. Clearances were installed - blue - for aviation, brown - for doctors, quartermasters and lawyers, red - for everyone else. Field everyday officer's uniform made of golden silk or galloon. For everyday shoulder strap The engineering and command staff, quartermaster, medical and veterinary services and lawyers approved silver braid. There was a rule according to which silver stars were worn on gilded shoulder straps, and vice versa, on silver shoulder straps gold stars were worn, except for veterinarians - they wore silver stars on silver shoulder straps. Width shoulder strap- 6 cm, and for officers of the medical and veterinary services, military justice - 4 cm. It is known that such shoulder straps the troops called them “oak trees.” The color of the piping depended on the type of military service and service - crimson in the infantry, blue in aviation, dark blue in cavalry, a gilded button with a star, with a hammer and sickle in the center, in the navy - a silver button with an anchor. General's shoulder straps model 1943, unlike soldiers' and officers', were hexagonal. They were gold, with silver stars. The exception was shoulder straps generals of medical and veterinary services and justice. Narrow silver rings were introduced for them. shoulder straps with gold stars. Navy officers shoulder straps, unlike the army ones, were hexagonal. Otherwise they were similar to the army ones, but the color of the edgings shoulder strap was determined: for the officers of the naval, naval engineering and coastal engineering services - black, for aviation and the engineering - aviation service - blue, quartermasters - crimson, for everyone else, including justice - red. On shoulder straps the command and ship personnel did not wear emblems. Color of the field, stars and edging shoulder strap generals and admirals, as well as their width, were also determined by the type of troops and service, field shoulder strap senior officers were sewn from specially woven braid. The buttons of the Red Army generals had the image of the coat of arms of the USSR, and the admirals and generals of the Navy had the coat of arms of the USSR superimposed on two crossed anchors. On November 7, 1944, the stars were changed to shoulder straps colonels and lieutenant colonels of the Red Army. Until this moment, they were located on the sides of the gaps, but now they have moved to the gaps themselves. On October 9, 1946 the uniform was changed shoulder strap officers of the Soviet Army - they became hexagonal. In 1947 at shoulder straps officers transferred to the reserve and retired by order of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR No. 4 are introduced golden (for those who wore silver shoulder straps) or a silver (for gilded shoulder straps) patch, which they are required to wear when putting on a military uniform (this patch was abolished in 1949).

IN post-war period Insignificant changes occurred in the insignia. So, in 1955, everyday field bilateral shoulder straps for privates and sergeants.

In 1956, field shoulder straps for officers with stars and khaki emblems and lights according to the branch of service. In 1958, narrow restrictions were abolished. shoulder straps model 1946 for doctors, veterinarians and lawyers. At the same time, the edging for everyday shoulder strap soldiers, sergeants and foremen. On gold shoulder straps silver stars are introduced, and gold stars are added to silver ones. The colors of the gaps are red (combined arms, airborne forces), crimson ( engineering troops), black ( tank forces, artillery, technical troops), blue (aviation), dark green (medics, veterinarians, lawyers); blue (the color of cavalry) was abolished due to the liquidation of this type of troops. For generals of medical, veterinary services and justice, wide silver certificates have been introduced shoulder straps with gold stars, for others - gold shoulder straps with silver stars.

In 1962 appeared , which, fortunately, was not implemented.

In 1963, there were blue gaps for Airborne Forces officers. Are abolished shoulder straps 1943 model sergeant major with a sergeant major's hammer. Instead of this “hammer”, a wide longitudinal braid is introduced, like in the pre-revolutionary one.

In 1969, on gold shoulder straps gold stars are introduced, and silver stars are added to silver stars. The colors of the gaps are red (ground forces), crimson (medics, veterinarians, lawyers, administrative services) and blue (aviation, airborne forces). Silver general's medals are abolished shoulder straps. All generals shoulder straps became gold, with gold stars framed with edging according to the type of troops.

In 1972 introduced shoulder straps ensign. Unlike the pre-revolutionary ensign, whose rank corresponded to the Soviet junior lieutenant, Soviet ensign His rank was equal to that of an American warrant officer.

In 1973, the encryption codes SA (Soviet Army), VV (Internal Troops), PV ( Border troops), GB (KGB troops) on shoulder straps soldiers and sergeants and K - on shoulder straps cadets. It must be said that these letters appeared back in 1969, but initially, according to Article 164 of Order of the USSR Minister of Defense No. 191 of July 26, 1969, they were worn only on the ceremonial uniform. The letters were made of anodized aluminum, but since 1981, for economic reasons, metal letters were replaced by letters made of PVC film.

In 1974, new shoulder straps army general in return shoulder strap model 1943. Instead of four stars, they had a marshal's star, above which was the emblem of motorized rifle troops.

In 1980, all silver coins were abolished shoulder straps with silver stars. The colors of the gaps are red (combined arms) and blue (aviation, airborne forces).

In 1981 introduced shoulder straps senior warrant officer, and in 1986 for the first time in the history of Russian officers shoulder strap introduced shoulder straps without gaps, differing only in the size of the stars (field uniform - “Afghan”)

Currently shoulder straps remain , as well as some categories . In 1994, the traditional sergeant's stripes were replaced with Western-style squares. However, in 2011 the stripes were returned and now very reminiscent shoulder straps

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When were shoulder straps introduced in the Red Army?

1. Shoulder straps in Russia have an interrupted history. There was a period when shoulder straps were eradicated, and an officer could pay with his life for wearing them. The Provisional Government abolished shoulder straps in the navy in April 1917. At first, in the Red Army there were no insignia at all, but from 1919 the command staff began to wear stripes on the left sleeve.
   In the 18th century, shoulder straps had a utilitarian function; they were sewn on the left shoulder to support the cartridge bag. But even then, their color indicated that their owner belonged to a specific regiment. In the 19th century, shoulder straps were already worn on both shoulders, and from the middle of the century, insignia of ranks appeared on them. Each rank corresponded to a title and position. Officer ranks were included in the ranked list of classes in the Table of Ranks. The report card established the procedure for passing military and civilian civil service. Thus, in the army, the rank of 6th class corresponded to the rank of colonel and the position of regiment commander. The colonel was entitled to shoulder straps without stars.
   In November 1917 Soviet authority canceled the ranks and left only the ranks according to the position of regiment commander, commanding... This was the case until 1935, when personal military ranks were introduced in the Soviet Army: major, colonel and others, no longer connected in any way with positions. The division commander by rank could no longer command a division, but a corps. And the insignia was still located at the corners on the sleeves and in the form of buttonholes on the collars along with the emblems of the military branches. At the beginning of 1943, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR officially introduced shoulder straps into the Armed Forces of the country. This was the time of the apogee of patriotic propaganda. Appeal to historical titles and forgotten elements military uniform the explanation was that they would clearly indicate qualifications and support the authority of commanders. Of course, there could be no talk of any continuity from Tsarist Russia; such things were not spoken about out loud. High officials carrying out military reform had to guess the will of leader Joseph Stalin. They showed him his shoulder straps different countries, everyone except the Russian Empire. And suddenly Stalin himself asked about the insignia of the old Russian army. Namk was immediately understood, and as a result, for the first Soviet shoulder straps The model was precisely the shoulder straps of the tsarist period, which for brevity we will call tsarist. Over the course of a quarter of a century, the technology for their production was completely lost. It was with difficulty that they found the only surviving specialist who carried out orders from the Bolshoi Theater costume department.
   The color of the royal shoulder straps depended on the military unit. The shoulder straps of some regiments had colored piping along the edges. By the beginning of the First World War, double-sided shoulder straps were introduced, which could be turned over; one side had a protective color. The tsarist officers' shoulder straps were covered with galloon, and on the shoulder straps of the chief officers there was one gap left, and the staff officers had two gaps. Galun on shoulder straps Soviet officers it was immediately accepted as one piece, with narrow stripes instead of gaps. General and admiral shoulder straps, as before the revolution, began to be covered with zigzag braid. At the turn of the 1950-1960s, the galloon of everyday shoulder straps was made green for army officers and black for naval officers instead of gold. (Note that the historical color of the Russian naval uniform is not black, but dark green.) Although in 1943 the shoulder straps of the Soviet army largely copied the pre-revolutionary ones, but, as in the case of the restoration of ranks without ranks, the complete restoration of insignia in their historical form the army reformers did not dare to go. They made the shoulder straps resemble old models, but did not repeat them exactly. For example, Soviet colonel(captain of the 1st rank), began to wear the shoulder straps of a royal lieutenant colonel (captain of the 2nd rank): with two gaps and three stars.

   Shoulder straps were introduced on January 6, 1943 by Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On January 15, 1943, the People's Commissar of Defense issues order 25.

2. After October events In 1917, a uniform uniform and insignia in the revolutionary armed formations initially did not exist. Military personnel and Red Guards wore an inclined red ribbon on their headdresses, an armband with the inscription Red Guard, and homemade signs.
   The Red Army, formed in February 1918, received old-style uniforms, but without shoulder straps and insignia. During the period of volunteer recruitment, when military personnel elected and knew their commanders well, the absence of insignia did not cause misunderstandings. Until March 1918, belonging to the Red Army meant Chest sign, made in the form of a red star bordered by a wreath of laurel or oak leaves. In the center of the star were depicted a plow and a hammer. Then the distinctive sign of the Red Army soldiers became a metal red star with the image of a plow and a hammer, attached to the headdress.
   After the decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of May 29, 1918 on the transition from the voluntary principle of recruiting the army to the general mobilization of workers and peasants, the need arose to introduce clearly visible and understandable insignia. During this period, individual commanders of regiments and divisions began to introduce such signs for unit commanders with their orders.
   On January 16, 1919, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic 116, sleeve insignia for command personnel (triangles, squares and diamonds) were introduced. Rank insignia was sewn onto the left sleeve. At the same time, buttonholes with colors for the types of troops were introduced: infantry - crimson, cavalry - blue, aviation - blue, artillery - orange, engineering units - black, border guards - green.
   In 1919, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic approved the first samples of uniforms: a cloth helmet (budenovka) with a star, an overcoat, a summer shirt (it was officially called a tunic in 1935). In 1921, a uniform uniform was introduced for military personnel of the RKKF.
   Modest in shape, comfortable hats, overcoats, tunics, trousers and other uniform accessories earned the approval of the soldiers. Both enemies and friends,” said M. V. Frunze, explaining the meaning of military uniforms and appearance military personnel - should feel at one glance at our Red Army soldier and commander that there is a cobbled together, organized, welded force here, which with every action, every word and step speaks of the presence of a strong revolutionary will, deep inner hardening.
   Over time, our military uniforms continued to change. In 1924, diamond-shaped buttonholes were installed on overcoats and buttonholes were introduced on the collar of a tunic. Insignia were attached to the buttonholes: enamel red triangles - junior command personnel, squares - middle command personnel, rectangles (sleepers) - senior command personnel. In the thirties, metal emblems of the military branches appeared on the buttonholes. Political composition(political instructors) received an embroidered star on his sleeve.
   On September 22, 1935, by decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, military ranks were introduced for the entire command staff of the Armed Forces. With the introduction of new military ranks, in addition to the already existing insignia, red stripes (angled downwards) on the sleeves appear on the buttonholes: thin ones for middle command personnel, wider ones for senior ones. The edges of the patches were decorated with a gold braided rim. The senior command personnel received gold braided stripes under a gold embroidered star. A gold braid also ran along the edge of the buttonhole. Embroidered gold stars appear on the scarlet buttonholes of the Marshals of the Soviet Union.
   During this period, the ceremonial non-combatant clothing of command personnel became a French jacket, which could be worn with either untucked trousers or trousers with boots. The tankers had an open gray jacket, to which they relied white shirt with a turn-down collar and a black tie. An open jacket was introduced for pilots of blue color. The caps began with a khaki-colored crown and a colored band according to the types of troops.
3. At the beginning of 1943...

The entire period of the existence of the USSR can be divided into several stages based on various epoch-making events. Typically, changes in political life states lead to a series dramatic changes, including in the army. Pre-war period, which is limited to the years 1935-1940, went down in history as the birth of the Soviet Union, and special attention should be paid not only to the state of the material part of the armed forces, but also to the organization of the hierarchy in management.

Before the beginning specified period there was a kind of disguised system by which the military ranks of the Soviet army were determined. However, quite soon the question arose about creating a more advanced gradation. Although ideology did not allow the direct introduction of a structure similar to the one currently in use, for the reason that the concept of an officer was considered a relic of the tsarist era, Stalin could not help but understand that such a ranking would help clearly establish the boundaries of the duties and responsibilities of commanders.

U modern approach There is one more advantage to the organization of army subordination. The activities of personnel are greatly facilitated, since it was possible to develop individual functionality for each rank. It should be noted here that the transition to the introduction of officer ranks has been prepared for several years. The very fact that such concepts as “officer” or “general” were returning into use was perceived critically by military leaders.

Military ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army

In 1932, a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars was issued, according to which the previously existing division into conventional categories was abolished. By December 1935, the transition to ranks was completed. But until 1943, the ranks of privates and junior officers still included job titles. The entire contingent was divided into the following categories:

• command staff;
• military-political;
• commander;
• military-technical;
• economic or administrative;
• medical and veterinary;
• legal;
• private.

If you imagine that each squad had its own specific ranks, it becomes clear that such a system was considered quite complex. By the way, it was only possible to finish off its remains closer to the 80s of the 20th century. Reliable information on this issue can be obtained from the edition of the military regulations of the Red Army Armed Forces dated 1938.

Stalin's strange decision

The totalitarian regime, which was especially pronounced during the Great Patriotic War, did not even allow thoughts contrary to the opinion of I.V. Stalin, and his decision to return shoulder straps and officer ranks into the Red Army was openly criticized not only in the foreign press, but also by the most prominent representatives of the Soviet command.

Reform in the army took place during the hottest stages of the war. At the beginning of 1943, the officers “returned” to their previous ranks and shoulder straps. Dissatisfaction was caused by the fact that the builders of communism had long ago renounced these archaisms.

By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Court, a corresponding Decree was adopted. Historians still believe similar solution somewhat strange.

1. Firstly, only a person who clearly understands the ultimate goals can decide to reform the army during a period of active hostilities.
2. Secondly, there is a certain risk that soldiers will feel certain steps backward, which will significantly break their morale.

Although the end justifies the means, there is always a percentage probability of a positive outcome of the reform. Naturally, Western press saw in this the first notes of the loss of the Soviet Union in the Second World War.

It cannot be assumed that the new shoulder straps were an exact copy of the shoulder straps of Tsarist Russia, both the designations and the ranks themselves were significantly different. The lieutenant replaced the second lieutenant, and the captain replaced the staff captain. Personally, Stalin was the initiator of the idea of ​​​​using stars on shoulder straps of different sizes.

For example, the highest ranks in the USSR army have since that time been designated by large stars (marshal - one star with a coat of arms). Only later history found out the real reason such a decision of the leader. At all times, the era of Peter's reforms was revered and evoked a feeling of patriotism. A return to that scheme establishing the rank of each soldier was supposed to inspire the soldiers of the Red Army. Despite the war, the USSR was preparing for the Great Victory, which means that Berlin had to be taken by officers whose ranks were consistent with the ranks of the allied countries. Was there a political motive to this? Definitely yes.

Military ranks in the 50s - 80s of the century

Shoulder straps and ranks in the USSR army were revised more than once until the end of its existence. Almost every decade in history has been marked by reforms. Thus, in 1955, the title “Admiral of the Fleet” was abolished, and the title “Admiral of the USSR Fleet” was established. Later, everything returned to its place with the interpretation “... for consistency between the ranks of senior officers.”

In the sixties, it was decided to designate education by adding the specialty of engineer or technician. The complete hierarchy looked like this:

• junior engineer lieutenant – engineer-captain;
• Major Engineer and further respectively.
• junior technical lieutenant - technical service captain;
• major technical service and further accordingly.

By the mid-eighties, the idea had matured to completely remove the previously existing line between command staff, equate the ranks of military personnel with different entities, establish a unified training profile, bring ranks into line ground forces and troops navy. Moreover, this correspondence does not consist only in consonance. The fact is that exercises are increasingly being held in which several branches of the military are involved simultaneously. For effective management The army began to exclude the names of these families from ranks. By a resolution of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, military ranks in the Soviet army ceased to contain special articles.

Since 1969, the procedure for wearing military uniforms has been introduced. It is now divided into front, everyday, field and work. Work uniform laid down only for privates and non-commissioned officers undergoing conscript service. The shoulder straps of military personnel of the ground forces, air force and navy differ in color. For the category of sergeants, foremen, warrant officers and midshipmen, the following standard is established: SV - red shoulder straps, Air Force - blue, USSR Navy shoulder straps - black.

The corporal in pursuit wears a cloth stripe located across. Shoulder straps of the SV and Air Force contain the letters SA, which means “ Soviet army" Navy shoulder straps are distinguished not only by color, but also by the presence of a gilded letter F. Since 1933, on the shoulder straps of a petty officer, the stripe has been located lengthwise, and before that it was supplemented by a transverse stripe, forming something like the letter “T”. Receiving the new rank of senior warrant officer since 1981 is accompanied by the addition of a third star on the shoulder strap.

By the way, in the modern army the warrant officer's stars are arranged transversely, and the senior warrant officer's stars form a triangle. During the Soviet era, these stars were lined up along the shoulder strap.

The shoulder straps for the officers' dress uniform were made in gold. The edgings and stripes had the same color differences as in the previous categories. Before the 1974 reforms, the army general wore shoulder straps with four stars. After the transformations they were replaced by one big star together with the coat of arms of the USSR. The same can be said about Navy veterans.

Higher officers with the rank of marshal, in addition to the star on their shoulder straps, they wore a special badge indicating the branch of the military. Accordingly, it was added to the rank as an addition. This provision was abolished only in Russian army, which was formed in 1992. The most highest rank in the Soviet Union - Generalissimo. Today the President of the Russian Federation is Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and the marshal is considered the second most important in the hierarchy.