For the first time, military ranks appeared in the middle of the 16th century in the streltsy army (1):
- Sagittarius;
- ten's manager;
- Pentecostal;
- centurion;
- half-head (five-hundredth head, later half-colonel and lieutenant colonel);
- head of the order (later regiment commander, colonel);
- voivode (head of the rifle squad);
- Streltsy head (chief over all streltsy parts of a city or district).

The ranks were retained only during service in the streltsy army. In other troops, before the formation of regiments of the new system, military ranks coincided with the ranks of the civil service (Duma clerk, clerk, steward, etc.).

II. Period XVII-XVIII centuries

In the regiments of the new system, the command staff had military ranks of the Western European type (1):
- ensign;
- lieutenant;
- captain (or captain in cavalry);
- major;
- lieutenant colonel;
- Colonel;
- brigadier general;
- Major General;
- lieutenant general;
- general.

At the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. Peter I introduced a unified system of military ranks (ranks) of the Western European type, which were finally formalized by the Table of Ranks dated January 24, 1722.

III. Period 1722-1917

Military ranks according to the "Table of Ranks" introduced by Peter I on January 24, 1722, are given in table 1:

IV. Period 1917-1924

After the Great October Socialist Revolution, by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of December 16, 1917, the old ranks, titles and titles were abolished (1).

In the early years of Soviet power, commanders in the army and navy differed only in terms of their positions: in the army - the commander of a platoon, company, battalion, regiment, division chief, etc., in the navy - the commander of a ship, detachment, brigade of ships, etc. etc. (2).

V. Period 1924-1935

By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 989 of July 30, 1924, a single rank was introduced - the commander of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (hereinafter referred to as the Red Army). By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 1068 of August 10, 1924, a common rank for all servicemen was established - a red soldier of the Red Army, in abbreviated form - a Red Army soldier (Red Navy).

Persons who held combat positions up to the flight commander and the corresponding ones were called "an ordinary Red Army soldier".

Starting from the position of a flight commander and above, military personnel belonged to the command staff, which was divided into 4 categories: junior, middle, senior and senior. The political, administrative medical and veterinary staff were equated to the main command positions, respectively, which they performed their official duties. According to the Order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 1244 of October 2, 1924, servicemen began to be divided into privates and commanding officers, consisting of four groups and 14 categories: junior - 1-2 categories, middle - 3-6 categories, senior - 7-9 categories, the highest - 10-14 categories.

Prior to 1935, military ranks had the same feature. as in 1917-1924, and differed only in the positions held. The list of these titles according to the Order of the Revolutionary Military Council No. 1244 of October 2, 1924 is shown in Table 2.

Vi. Period 1935-1940

By the decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of September 22, 1935, announced by Order of the NKO SSR No. 144 of September 26, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced for the personnel of the army and navy. The servicemen who were in leadership positions in the Red Army began to be divided into command and command personnel:

1. The command staff included the commanders of subunits, units, formations, as well as persons who held positions in units and institutions of the Red Army, for the performance of whose duties it was necessary to have mandatory command experience and appropriate military training.

2. The commanding staff included the military-political, military-technical, military-economic, military-administrative, military-medical, military-veterinary, military-legal personnel.

The same Resolution introduced the title of Marshal Soviet Union.

The list of personal military ranks is given in table 3. The list of insignia introduced by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 176 of December 3, 1935 is shown in Table 4. The list of emblems on the collar tabs for uniforms, introduced by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 33 of March 10, 1936, is given in Table 5.

Vii. Period 1940-43

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks were introduced for the highest command personnel (see Table 6), which replaced the ranks of brigade commanders, division commanders, corps commanders, army commanders and their corresponding ranks with generals. In connection with the abolition of the rank of brigade commander in the ground forces, the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel, colonel began to correspond in the fleet to the ranks of captains 3, 2, 1 ranks (1, 2, 4).

The insignia of the highest command personnel, established by the Order of the NKO No. 176 of December 3, 1935, were canceled. However, as of June 22, 1941, in the Red Army, 1 corps commander, 11 division commander and 78 brigade commanders remained in command positions in the old ranks (3).

For privates and junior command personnel, the Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 391 of November 2, 1940 and the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of November 30, 1940 introduced new military ranks (see table 7). The rest of the military ranks remained unchanged.

Correspondence of command military ranks depending on the type of troops, service, composition, People's Commissariat is given in Table 8.

The list of insignia of the middle and senior command and political personnel introduced by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 226 of July 26, 1940, as well as the junior commanding personnel, introduced by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 391 of November 2, 1940 and the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of November 30, 1940 g., is given in table 9.

With these insignia of commanders, our country began the Great Patriotic War.

On May 21, 1942, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, guard ranks were introduced. The servicemen who received such ranks began to be called: Red Army Guard, Guard Sergeant, Guard Major, etc. Servicemen of the Guards units and formations have the "Guard" badge to be worn on the right side of the chest (2).

On July 14, 1942, distinctive signs were introduced for servicemen wounded on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Distinctive sign for wounds was a patch rectangular 43 mm long, 5-6 mm wide from silk galloon: with a slight wound - dark red, with a severe one - golden. Worn on the right side of the chest (2).

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 9, 1942, military ranks and insignia common to all commanders of the Red Army were established for all deputy commanders for political affairs and all other political workers. in this connection, the military ranks of the military-political composition, established by the Decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of September 22, 1935, became invalid (5).

The titles "Red Armyman" and "Red Navy" were abolished in July 1946 and were replaced by the titles "Private" and "Sailor", respectively.

VIII. Period 1943-1945

In 1942-43. the unification of personal military ranks of military-political, military-technical, military-economic, military-administrative, military-medical, military-veterinary, military-legal personnel was carried out. The list of unified military ranks of military specialists is shown in Table 10. The ranks of the military-political composition were equated to the combined-arms ranks.

On January 6, 1943, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps, announced in the troops by the Order of the NKO No. 25 of January 15, 1943. The list of insignia on the shoulder straps is given in Table 11. The coloring of shoulder straps, depending on the type of troops and the type of wearing shoulder straps, is given in tables 12 and 13. The rights of command authorities to confer military ranks are shown in Table 14.

On June 26, 1945, by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the rank of Generalissimo was introduced, which on June 27, 1945 was awarded to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR, JV Stalin.

The rights of the command authorities to confer military ranks in the period 1941-45. (5)

Military ranks from junior lieutenant to colonel inclusive and corresponding to the commanding staff before the Great Patriotic War were assigned by orders of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense and the People's Commissar of the Navy.

The war demanded greater efficiency in resolving issues of conferring military ranks in the active army and navy. In order to quickly assign military ranks to the commanding staff and the Red Army men who distinguished themselves in battles for the Motherland, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 18, 1941 was granted the right to confer military ranks:

Military Councils of the fronts - up to major, battalion commissar and their equals inclusive;

To the Military Councils of the armies - up to the senior lieutenant, political instructor and their peers inclusive.

It was also granted the right to the Military Councils of the fleets and flotillas to assign, by their orders, military ranks up to senior lieutenant and the corresponding ones inclusive.

Additionally, by the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 0356 of September 20, 1941, the heads of the main directorates and directorates of the People's Commissariat of Defense were granted the right to assign their orders to military ranks up to major and corresponding to them inclusive. The same right was granted to the Military Councils of the districts. The rank of lieutenant colonel had the right to be conferred by the deputies of the people's commissar of defense. The rank of colonel was still conferred by the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense, the rank of general - by the Decree of the Government.

In connection with the introduction in 1942-43. uniform unified military ranks for the political, engineering and technical, quartermaster, medical, veterinary and administrative personnel were established for the period of re-certification of the commanding personnel of the command authorities' rights to confer new military ranks indicated in Table 14.

The re-certification of the commanding staff for new military ranks was carried out without certification commissions, but with the obligatory conclusion of the Military Councils. During the recertification, service experience, military and special education, participation in hostilities and seniority in the old rank were taken into account. During the re-certification period, a decrease in rank was allowed, but no more than one step in comparison with the existing rank of the attested, if he did not meet the requirements specified above.

The military councils of fronts, fleets, districts, armies, flotillas were granted the right, in individual cases, in the presence of outstanding successes or special merits, to assign extraordinary military ranks within the limits of the rights granted to them.

On July 24, 1943, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued, which for the first time in the army and navy established a clear division of servicemen into privates, sergeants, officers and generals. By this Decree, the Red Army and the RKVMF for the first time secured the name "officer", and all military ranks began to be called officer ranks.

The decree defined new order assignment of military ranks. If earlier the primary officer rank could be assigned to all those enrolled in the army cadres from among the rank and file and junior commanding staff, now only servicemen who received the appropriate military education were promoted to officers, and only in exceptional cases was it allowed to assign a primary officer rank to servicemen without military education for the shown they have a special ability to command in battle.

From the commanders of the troops of the military districts, the right to assign the next military ranks was withdrawn, they were allowed to assign by their orders only primary officer ranks to persons who had graduated from the district courses for junior lieutenants.

The decree established that the primary military rank in the Red Army is the rank of junior lieutenant, which is assigned to:

To non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel for their demonstrated ability to command in battle - by orders of front commanders and, in exceptional cases, by orders of army commanders;

Persons who have completed short-term courses for junior lieutenants - by orders of the commanders of fronts, armies and military districts;

For cadets who graduated from military schools: infantry, machine-gun and rifle-mortar. - by orders of the head of the Main Directorate of Personnel of the Red Army, and special and military-political orders, by orders of the corresponding commanders (chiefs) of the combat arms, the chief of the Main Political Directorate and the chief of the rear of the Red Army.

The decree granted the right to assign all subsequent officer ranks to:

Commander of armies - up to and including senior lieutenant;

Front commander - up to major;

Commanders of the armed forces, chiefs of the Main Directorate of Personnel, the Main Political Directorate and the chief of the rear of the Red Army - up to and including lieutenant colonel. The rank of colonel was conferred as before by the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense, general and admiral ranks - by the Government Decree, the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshals of the branches of service - by Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Thus, in connection with the establishment of a new procedure for conferring military ranks, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 18, 1941 became invalid.

The terms of service in the military ranks of the commanding officers of the army and navy in the Great Patriotic War are shown in Table 15.

The statistics on the assignment of military ranks for the period of the Great Patriotic War are given in tables 16 and.

Sources of information:

1. "Soviet military encyclopedia", vol. 3, Moscow: Military Publishing, 1978.

2. "Illustrated description of uniforms and insignia of the Red and Soviet Army (1918-1945)", compiled by OV Kharitonov, L .: publication of the Artillery Historical Museum of GAU MO USSR, 1960.

3. Kalashnikov K.A., Feskov V.I., Chmykhalo A.Yu., Golikov V.I. "The Red Army in June 1941 (statistical collection)", Tomsk: TSU publishing house, 2001.

4. "Toolkit for reference work in TsAMO RF ", Podolsk: publishing house TsAMO, 1995.

5. "Military personnel of the Soviet state in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Reference and statistical materials", according to the general edition of A.P. Beloborodov, Moscow: Military Publishing, 1963.

In the articles of the May and June issues of newspapers for 1940, the importance and authority of the ranks of generals and admirals of the Soviet Union was emphasized, the responsibility and role of the bearers of these ranks before the country and history were noted:

The supreme commander was awarded the lives of thousands and thousands of soldiers. He leads the battle and knows how best to use the available forces and means. He is responsible for the outcome of the battle, for the decisive defeat of the enemy. A huge mass of people, the entire powerful organism of modern warfare must strictly obey the will of the sovereign commander, flexibly and accurately carry out his orders and decisions.

Also received military ranks:

• Colonel General of Artillery:

• lieutenant general:

• lieutenant general of artillery:
  • Drozdov N.F.

• lieutenant general of tank forces:

• Lieutenant General of Engineering Troops:

• major general:

• admiral

other.

Since July 1940, the Marshals of the Soviet Union have a new uniform and new insignia:

• a large gold star, two laurel branches and an emblem - a hammer and sickle were embroidered on the diamond-shaped buttonholes,
• on the sleeves there is a large gold star, bordered by a red edging, and a square of gold embroidery, in the red gap of which there are two golden laurel branches.

Insignia of the commanding staff of the armed forces on June 22, 1941

Military rank	Insignia
	in buttonholes	on the sleeves
Ground Forces, Air Force (except naval aviation) and troops NKVD including border troops
Rank and file
No	No
		Red longitudinal clearance 5 mm wide (on gymnastics), 1 cm (on overcoat)
Junior command staff
Lance Sergeant	Red longitudinal clearance 5 mm wide (on gymnastics), 1 cm (on overcoat), 1 enamel triangle	No
Red longitudinal clearance 5 mm wide (on gymnastics), 1 cm (on overcoat), 2 enamel triangles
Red longitudinal clearance 5 mm wide (on gymnastics), 1 cm (on overcoat), 3 enamel triangles
	Red longitudinal clearance 5 mm wide (on gymnastics), 1 cm (on overcoat), parallel to the edging there was a gold braid 3 mm wide, 4 enamel triangles
Average command staff
Ensign	1 enamel square	1 square of gold braid, 4 mm wide, gaps of red cloth: top 10 mm, bottom 3 mm
2 enamel squares	2 squares of gold braid 4 mm wide, between braids a gap of red cloth 7 mm wide, at the bottom of the edging 3 mm wide
3 enamel squares	3 squares of gold braid 4 mm wide, between braids, gaps of red cloth 5 mm wide, at the bottom of the edging 3 mm wide
Senior command staff
	1 enamel rectangle	2 squares of gold braid 6 mm wide, between the braids a gap of red cloth 10 mm wide, at the bottom of the edging 3 mm wide
	2 enamel rectangles	3 squares of gold galloon 6 mm, between the braids a gap of red cloth 10 mm wide, at the bottom of the edging 3 mm wide
	3 enamel rectangles	2 squares of gold braid: top 6 mm wide, bottom 10 mm, between braids a gap of red cloth 10 mm wide, bottom edging 3 mm wide
	4 enamel rectangles	3 squares of gold braid: upper and middle 6 mm wide, lower - 10 mm, between braids, gaps of red cloth 7 mm wide, bottom edging 3 mm wide
Supreme command staff
Major General	2 metal gilded stars
3 metal gilded stars	An embroidered small gold star, bordered with a piping according to the type of troops, one square of gold braid 32 mm wide, below - a piping according to the type of troops 3 mm wide
4 metal gilded stars	An embroidered small gold star, bordered with a piping according to the type of troops, one square of gold braid 32 mm wide, below - a piping according to the type of troops 3 mm wide
5 metal gilded stars	An embroidered large gold star, bordered with a red edging, one square of a gold braid 32 mm wide, in the upper part of the braid is made of red cloth 10 mm wide
	Embroidered large gold star, at the bottom of the buttonhole, two laurel branches and the hammer and sickle emblem are embroidered in gold	An embroidered large gold star, bordered by a red edging, one square of red cloth, in the middle of which two laurel branches are embroidered in gold, on both sides of the square there is gold embroidery with a red border
Political composition
Junior political instructor	2 enamel squares	Red star with hammer and sickle
Political instructor	3 enamel squares
Senior political instructor	1 enamel rectangle
Battalion commissar	2 enamel rectangles
Senior Battalion Commissioner	3 enamel rectangles
Regimental Commissioner	4 enamel rectangles
Brigadier commissar	1 golden rhombus
Divisional Commissioner	2 golden rhombuses
Corps commissar	3 golden rhombuses
Army Commissioner Rank 2	4 golden rhombuses
1st rank army commissar	4 rhombuses and a small golden star
Navy
Rank and file
Red Navy		the Red Star
Senior sailor
Junior command staff
Petty Officer 2nd Class	no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves
Petty Officer 1st Class
Chief petty officer
Midshipman
Average command staff
no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	1 medium golden stripe
	2 medium golden stripes
	Lieutenant captain
Senior command staff
Rank 3 captain	no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	3 medium golden stripes
Rank 2 captain		4 medium golden stripes
Captain Rank 1		1 wide strip
Supreme command staff
Rear admiral	no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves
Vice admiral
Admiral
Admiral of the Fleet		Large star, bottom wide and 4 middle stripes
Naval aviation, coastal defense troops and naval border troops
Rank and file
no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	the Red Star
	Red star with golden edging
Junior command staff
no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	Red star with golden piping and 1 narrow short golden stripe
	Red star with golden edging and 2 narrow short golden stripes
	Red star with golden piping and 3 narrow long golden stripes
	Red star with golden piping and 4 narrow long golden stripes
Average command staff
no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	1 medium golden stripe
	1 medium and 1 narrow golden stripes
	2 medium golden stripes
	2 medium and one narrow golden stripes
Senior command staff
no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	3 medium golden stripes
	4 medium golden stripes
	1 wide strip
Supreme command staff
no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	Small star, lower broad and 1 middle stripe
	Small star, lower broad and 2 middle stripes
	Small star, bottom wide and 3 middle stripes
Political composition of the Navy
Junior political instructor	no buttonholes at all, insignia only on the sleeves	Red star with hammer and sickle, 1 medium and 1 narrow golden stripes
Political instructor		Red star with hammer and sickle and 2 medium golden stripes
Senior political instructor		Red star with hammer and sickle, 2 medium and one narrow golden stripes
Battalion commissar		Red star with hammer and sickle and 3 medium golden stripes
Senior Battalion Commissioner		Red star with hammer and sickle and 4 medium golden stripes
Regimental Commissioner		Red star with hammer and sickle and 1 wide golden stripe
Divisional Commissioner		Red star with hammer and sickle, bottom wide and 1 middle golden stripes
Corps commissar		Red star with hammer and sickle, bottom wide and 2 middle golden stripes
Army Commissioner Rank 2		Red star with hammer and sickle, bottom wide and 3 middle golden stripes
1st rank army commissar		Red star with hammer and sickle, bottom wide and 4 middle golden stripes
Special ranks of the military personnel of the NKVD (NKGB since 1941)
State Security Sergeant	Two enamel squares
Junior Lieutenant of State Security	Three enamel squares	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. The oval and sword blade are of silver color, the hilt of the sword, sickle and hammer are of golden color.
Lieutenant of State Security	One enamel rectangle	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. The oval and sword blade are of silver color, the hilt of the sword, sickle and hammer are of golden color.
Senior Lieutenant of State Security	Two enamel rectangles	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. The oval and sword blade are of silver color, the hilt of the sword, sickle and hammer are of golden color.
State Security Captain	Three enamel rectangles	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. The oval and sword blade are of silver color, the hilt of the sword, sickle and hammer are of golden color.
Major of State Security	1 enamel rhombus
Senior Major of State Security (State Security Commissioner)	2 enamel rhombuses	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. the oval is golden, the sword, sickle and hammer are silver.
State Security Commissioner 3rd Rank	3 enamel rhombuses	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. the oval is golden, the sword, sickle and hammer are silver.
State Security Commissioner 2nd Rank	4 enamel rhombuses	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. the oval is golden, the sword, sickle and hammer are silver.
1st Rank State Security Commissioner	Star and 4 enamel rhombuses	The badge is an oval embroidered on a maroon cloth with a sword, sickle and hammer in the center. the oval is golden, the sword, sickle and hammer are silver.
General Commissioner of State Security		Golden star with hammer and sickle
Engineering technical staff, military-economic and administrative personnel, military-medical and military-veterinary personnel, military-legal personnel
Junior military technician	one enamel square	No
Military technician rank 2 Rank 2 Quartermaster Technician Military assistant Military assistant Junior military officer	two enamel squares
Military technician rank 1 Rank 1 Quartermaster Technician Senior military assistant Senior military assistant Warlord	three enamel squares
Military Engineer Rank 3 Rank 3 quartermaster Military doctor 3 ranks Military doctor 3 ranks Warlord 3 ranks	one enamel rectangle
Military Engineer Rank 2 Quartermaster 2nd rank Military doctor rank 2 Military doctor of the 2nd rank Warlord rank 2	two enamel rectangles
Military engineer rank 1 Quartermaster 1st rank 1st rank military doctor Military doctor of the 1st rank Warlord 1st rank	three enamel rectangles
Brigade engineer Brigade commander Brigade doctor Brigade veterinarian Brigade	1 golden (enamel) rhombus
Major General of Technical Troops Major General of the Quartermaster Service Divvoenologist Divvoenvector Divvoenurist	2 golden stars or 2 golden (enamel) rhombuses
Lieutenant General of the Technical Troops Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Service Corvor doctor Veterinary doctor Lawyer	3 golden stars or 3 (enamel) golden rhombuses
Colonel General of Technical Troops Colonel General of the Quartermaster Service Armenian military doctor Armvoenvector Armmilitary lawyer	4 golden stars or 4 golden (enamel) rhombuses

Notes (edit)

1. The colors of stripes, buttonholes and edging for generals and the Marshal of the Soviet Union are as follows:

• for the Marshal of the Soviet Union and general generals - red.
• for generals of artillery and tank troops, the color of the buttonholes is black (velvet), stripes, edges on the cap are red.
• for aviation generals - blue.
• for generals of the signal troops, engineering, technical troops and the quartermaster service - crimson.

2. Generals of artillery, tank troops, aviation, communications troops, engineering, technical troops and the quartermaster service on their collar tabs had emblems for the type of troops and service.

3. The colors of the combat arms were as follows:

• infantry - crimson;
• artillery and armored troops - black;
• Air Force and Airborne Forces - blue;
• cavalry - blue;
• economic and administrative staff - dark green;
• for the NKVD and NKGB troops: border guards - bright green, GB - dark blue, the rest - maroon.

4. The buttonholes of the commanding staff were color according to the military line, edged with twisted gold braid. They relied on the political composition with a border in color according to the type of troops. The command and political personnel had emblems on the collar tabs according to the type of troops.

5. Buttonholes for junior commanding personnel - in color according to the type of troops or service, with cloth edging in color according to the type of troops, red longitudinal clearance for all types of troops and services - the same. The buttonholes contained the emblem of the branch of the military and a golden triangle (in the upper corner).

6.In fiction the colloquial name of a square is often found - "cube", "kubar", a rectangle - "sleeper".

Military ranks of the services of the Red Army and the Navy of the USSR

During 1942-1943, the People's Commissariat of Defense continued to work out the military ranks of the commanding staff of the Red Army and the VFM of the USSR. The changes were due to the fact that the military ranks of the commanding staff were characterized by a plurality of positions and differed sharply not only from the ranks of the commanding staff, but were significantly different for different services.

The first decisions of the USSR State Defense Committee on this issue were:

• by decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 1528 dated 04.04. "On the introduction of personal military ranks to the engineering and technical personnel of the Navy Air Force" and by order of the NK of the Navy of 10.04. the same ranks were introduced into the USSR Navy.

• in March, similar decisions were made regarding the military ranks of the military-technical staff:
  • by decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 1381 dated 03.03. "On the introduction of personal military ranks to the engineering and technical staff of the artillery of the Red Army" and Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 68 of 04.03. the following ranks of the artillery engineering staff were introduced: Lieutenant Technician, Senior Lieutenant Technician, Captain Engineer, Major Engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Engineer, Colonel Engineer, Major General, Lieutenant General, Colonel General engineering and artillery service,
  • by decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 1408 dated 07.03. "On the introduction of personal military ranks to the engineering and technical staff of the armored forces of the Red Army" and Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 71 of 08.03. the following ranks of the engineering and technical personnel of the armored forces were introduced: technician-lieutenant, senior technician-lieutenant, engineer-captain, engineer-major, engineer-colonel, engineer-colonel, major general-lieutenant-general, general-colonel tank engineering service.
  • By order of NPO No. 93 of March 30. announced the decree of the State Defense Committee No. 1494 of 26.03. introducing military ranks for senior and middle commanding officers of the quartermaster service: lieutenant of the quartermaster service, senior lieutenant of the quartermaster service, captain of the quartermaster service, major of the quartermaster service, lieutenant colonel of the quartermaster service and colonel quartermaster service.

• Resolution of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 1912 of 17.06. "On the introduction of personal military ranks to the entire engineering and technical staff of the coastal service of the Navy USSR"And the order of the NK of the Navy dated 27.06. the following ranks were introduced: Lieutenant Engineer, Senior Lieutenant Engineer, Captain Engineer, Major Engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Engineer, Colonel Engineer, Major General Engineer, Lieutenant General Engineer, Colonel General Engineer coastal service Of the USSR Navy.

• The idea of ​​differentiating military ranks for persons with higher and secondary technical education leads to the introduction to the existing (technician-lieutenant and senior technician-lieutenant) new military ranks for the commanding staff of artillery with secondary technical education: decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 2303 of 13.09. "On the introduction of personal military ranks to the commanding staff of the artillery of the Red Army with a secondary technical education" and Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 278 of 14.09. : Captain of the Artillery-Technical Service, Major of the Artillery-Technical Service, Lieutenant Colonel of the Artillery-Technical Service and Colonel artillery and technical service.

• By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated 09.10. "On the establishment of full one-man command and the abolition of the institution of military commissars in the Red Army" announced by order of the NCO No. 307 of 09.10. canceled existing ranks political composition... It was also supposed:
  • military councils of fronts and armies, within a month, to assign military command ranks to political workers within the limits of the rights granted to them;
  • the military councils of the fronts to provide the People's Commissariat of Defense no later than November 15, 1942, through the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army, certification material for assigning command ranks to political workers, starting with the senior battalion commissar and above.

• The order of the NCO No. 10 announced the decree of the State Defense Committee No. 2685 of 04.02. "On the introduction of personal military ranks to the military medical and military veterinary personnel of the Red Army", No. GOKO-2822 "On the introduction of personal military ranks engineering, legal and administrative staff of the Red Army"(The same decree introduced a new category of servicemen - administrative staff; it included persons serving in headquarters, institutions, military educational institutions and local military administration bodies (military commissariats) and who performed organizational, mobilization and other work) in the Red Army
• from 14.02. No. 2890 "On the establishment of personal military ranks for quartermaster, medical, veterinary, administrative and legal staff of the Navy"In the USSR Navy,

• By order of NCO No. 55 dated 06.02. announced the decree of the State Defense Committee No. 2822 dated 04.02. established for the middle, senior and higher engineering and technical personnel of the signal troops, engineering troops, anti-chemical protection troops, topographic troops, railway troops of the Red Army ranks: junior technician-lieutenant, technician-lieutenant, senior technician-lieutenant, engineer-captain, engineer- major, lieutenant colonel engineer, colonel engineer, major general, lieutenant general, colonel general engineering service,

and for the legal and administrative staff of the Red Army ranks: junior lieutenant of justice, lieutenant of justice, senior lieutenant of justice, captain of justice, major of justice, lieutenant colonel of justice, colonel of justice, major general of justice, lieutenant general of justice, colonel general justice. , which introduced the following military ranks: captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel aeronautical service.

In the medical service	In the veterinary service	For the engineering and technical staff of the coastal service of the Navy of the USSR	For naval engineers	In the artillery and technical service	In the engineering and artillery service	In the aviation engineering service (rank from captain to colonel only with higher education)	In the engineering tank service (rank from captain to colonel only with higher education)	For the engineering and technical staff of the signal troops, engineering, chemical protection, railway and topographic troops of the Red Army (rank from captain to colonel only with higher education)	In the quartermaster service	For the military-legal staff	For the administrative staff
Middle and senior command personnel
junior lieutenant of the medical service	junior lieutenant of the veterinary service	Rank was not entered		Rank was not entered					Rank was not entered	junior lieutenant of justice	junior lieutenant of administrative service
medical lieutenant	veterinary lieutenant	lieutenant engineer	lieutenant engineer	technician-lieutenant of the artillery-technical service		aeronautical engineering lieutenant technician	tank engineer lieutenant		quartermaster lieutenant	lieutenant of justice	administrative lieutenant
senior lieutenant of the medical service	senior lieutenant of the veterinary service	senior lieutenant engineer	Senior Lieutenant Engineer, Naval Service	senior lieutenant technician of the artillery and technical service	senior technician-lieutenant of the engineering and artillery service	Senior Lieutenant Technician of the Aviation Engineering Service	senior lieutenant technician of the tank engineering service	senior technician-lieutenant of engineering and technical service	senior lieutenant of the quartermaster service	senior lieutenant of justice	senior lieutenant of the administrative service
medical captain	veterinary captain	engineer-captain	naval service lieutenant engineer	captain of the artillery and technical service	engineer-captain of the engineering and artillery service	engineer-captain of the aviation engineering service	engineer-captain of the engineering and tank service	engineering captain	quartermaster captain	captain of justice	administrative captain
major of medical service	veterinary major	major engineer	Engineer-Lieutenant-Commander 3 Rank	major of the artillery and technical service	Major Engineer of the Engineering and Artillery Service	Major Engineer Aviation Engineering	major engineer of the tank engineering service	engineering major	quartermaster major	Major of Justice	major of administrative service
lieutenant colonel of the medical service	lieutenant colonel of the veterinary service	Lieutenant Colonel Engineer	Engineer-Lieutenant-Commander 2 Rank	lieutenant colonel of the artillery and technical service	engineer-lieutenant colonel of the engineering and artillery service	Engineer-Lieutenant Colonel of the Aviation Engineering Service	Engineer-Lieutenant Colonel of the Tank Engineering Service	lieutenant colonel of engineering and technical service	Lieutenant Colonel of the Quartermaster Service	lieutenant colonel of justice	lieutenant colonel of administrative service
medical colonel	Colonel of the Veterinary Service	colonel engineer	Engineer-Lieutenant-Commander of the 1st Rank	Colonel of the Artillery and Technical Service	Colonel Engineer of the Engineering Artillery Service	Colonel Engineer of the Aviation Engineering Service	Colonel Engineer of the Tank Engineering Service	Colonel of Engineering Service	colonel of the quartermaster service	colonel of justice	Colonel of the Administrative Service
Higher command staff
major general of medical service	major general of the veterinary service	Major General of Coastal Service	Highest rank not introduced	The highest rank was not introduced	major general of the engineering and artillery service	major general of the aviation engineering service	major general of the engineering and tank service	major general of engineering and technical service	Introduced on 07.05. See above "Soviet generals and admirals"	Major General of Justice	The highest rank was not introduced
lieutenant general of the medical service	lieutenant general of the veterinary service	coastal service lieutenant general engineer			lieutenant general of the engineering and artillery service	Lieutenant General of the Aviation Engineering Service	Lieutenant General of the Tank Engineering Service	lieutenant general of engineering and technical service		lieutenant general of justice
Colonel General of the Medical Service	Colonel General of the Veterinary Service In late September or early October 1942, G.K. Zhukov and I, busy with the preparation of an offensive operation at Stalingrad, were summoned to Headquarters with another report. After the discussion of the report was over and all decisions on it were made, Stalin informed us about the intention of the GKO, in order to further strengthen and raise the authority of the command staff of the army and navy, establish one-man command in them, abolish the institution of military commissars and then change the uniform officers and generals, taking as a basis the old insignia of the old army - shoulder straps. We were immediately invited to look at the samples of this clothing prepared in the next room by Comrade Khrulev. MI Kalinin and some other members of the Politburo were present during the examination. Discussing this issue, we made sure that this was not the first conversation with our leadership on this topic. Voenno-istoricheskiy zhurnal. 1963. No. 15. P.115. "From the memoirs of Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky" A serious reason that prompted the Soviet government to introduce shoulder straps in the Red Army was the introduction of one-man command. In combat conditions, they decided to raise and strengthen the authority of command personnel with new insignia. The need to introduce shoulder straps was also dictated by the forthcoming joint actions and close interaction on the battlefields with the allied armies. It was found useful to introduce in Armed Forces generally recognized insignia - shoulder straps. In the same place. "From the memoirs of the Chief Marshal of Artillery N. N. Voronov" Shoulder straps were introduced in the Army by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council dated 06.01. "On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army"; in the Navy - - See also: Insignia of the Armed Forces of the USSR ... Wikipedia V Russian Federation established two types of military ranks of servicemen, military and naval. Naval military ranks are assigned to sailors of the surface and submarine forces of the Military navy(Navy), internal naval military units ... ... Wikipedia This is an article about military ranks in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from 1994 to 2010. About modern military ranks, and the accepted insignia, in 2010, see the article Military ranks in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation ... ... Wikipedia This is an article about shoulder straps from 1994 to 2010, about modern shoulder straps adopted in 2010, see the article Military ranks in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Military ranks in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (1994 2010) signs ... Wikipedia

As a result of the adoption of two decrees on December 15, 1917, the Council of People's Commissars abolished all ranks and military ranks in the Russian army that remained from the previous regime.

The period of the formation of the Red Army. First insignia.

Thus, all the soldiers of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, organized as a result of the order of January 15, 1918, no longer had any uniform military uniform, as well as special insignia. Nevertheless, in the same year, a badge was introduced for the soldiers of the Red Army, on which a star with a hammer and a plow framed by a wreath of oak leaves. For all headgear of military personnel, it was introduced in the form of an emblem - a red star with the image of a plow and a hammer.

In the earliest period of the formation of the Red Army detachments, there was simply no need for any insignia, since the soldiers knew their immediate superiors and commanders very well. However, over time, the increase in the scale of hostilities, the total number of troops, the lack of clear and clear insignia caused everything more problems and different kinds misunderstandings.

So, for example, one of the commanders of the Northern Front wrote in his memoirs that the discipline in the units was very lame and the usual was the rude answers of the soldiers to their commanders like - “You need to, here you go, fight ...” or “Here's another commander found ... ". When the commanders, in turn, wanted to impose penalties, the soldier simply answered - "but who knew that this was the boss ..."

The chief of the 18th division, I. P. Uborevich, in January 1918 independently introduced his own insignia in the subordinate units and wrote a letter for approval to the Revolutionary Military Council of the army about the need to introduce such insignia for the entire Red Army.

Introduction of uniforms and insignia.
Only in 1919, in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, an approved uniform was introduced and clearly certain signs differences for the entire command staff.

By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of January 16, red stars and under them triangles for junior commanders, squares for middle command personnel and rhombuses for seniors are introduced on the sleeves. Buttonholes of different colors are also introduced by type of service.

Red stars and underneath triangles for junior commanders, squares for middle commanders and rhombuses for seniors.

1. Detached commander
2. Assistant platoon commander
3. Sergeant Major
4. Platoon commander
5. Company commander
6. Battalion commander
7. Regiment Commander
8. Brigade commander
9. Division chief
10. Army commander
11. Front commander

The famous helmet-shaped headdress was approved in April 1918. Overcoats for infantry and cavalry with characteristic straps across the chest and colors of certain types of troops.

According to the order of the RVSR 116, all insignia were sewn onto the left sleeve, and in April 1920, sleeve insignia for the branches of the army were introduced. For the infantry, it was a crimson cloth rhombus with a circle and diverging rays and a star. Rifles crossed among themselves were located under the star.

The design itself on the badge was exactly the same for all types of troops. And only under the star there was an emblem for the corresponding type of troops. The signs differed only in the form and colors of the fields. So, for the engineering troops it was a square of black cloth, for the cavalry - horseshoes made of blue cloth.

1. Squad leader (cavalry).
2. Battalion, division commander (artillery).
3. Front commander.

According to the order of the RVSR 322, a completely new uniform is introduced, in which a single cut is provided for a helmet, tunic and overcoat. New distinctive signs are also being introduced.

The sleeve relied on a valve made of cloth according to the color of the troops. At the top of which was a red star with insignia. Below were the signs of the combat arms.

The military commanders had red insignia. The administrative and economic staff had signs blue color... A metal star was attached to the headgear.

In general, the uniform of the commanding staff did not differ significantly from the uniform of the Red Army soldiers.

Reform of 1924. Positions and titles.

During the reform of 1924, the Red Army switched to a strengthened version of the form. The chest flaps and badges on the sleeves were canceled. The buttonhole was sewn on tunics and overcoats. For infantry units - crimson with black edging, for cavalrymen - blue and black, for artillery - black with red edging, engineering troops had black with blue edging. For the Air Force - blue with red piping.

Signs made of metal with red enamel were attached to the buttonholes. Diamonds for high command, rectangles for senior, squares for middle officers, and triangles for junior. The buttonholes of ordinary Red Army men indicated the numbers of their units.

The command staff was divided into junior, middle, senior, and senior. And he was additionally divided into fourteen job categories.

When appointing to a post, commanders were supposed to be assigned a certain category with the index "K". For example, a platoon leader had a K-3 category, a K-5 company commander, and so on.

On September 22, 1935, personal titles are introduced. In the Land and Air Force, this is a lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, brigade commander, division commander and corps commander. In addition, there were also commanders of the first and second ranks.

- Military-political composition for all branches and types of troops - political instructor, senior political instructor, battalion commissar, regimental commissar, brigade commissar, division commissar, corps commissar, army commissar of the first and second ranks.

- For the technical command staff of the Ground and Air Force - a military technician of the first and second ranks, a military engineer of the first, second and third ranks, a brigade engineer, a divine engineer, an engineer, an arming engineer.

- Administrative and economic personnel - a technician-quartermaster of the first and second ranks, a quartermaster of the first, second and third ranks, briginant, divintendant, corintendant, and armintendent.

- Military doctors of all services and branches of the military - military field officer, senior military field officer, military doctor of the first, second and third rank, brigade doctor, divinologist, corp doctor, arm doctor.

- For military lawyers - a junior military lawyer, a military lawyer, a military lawyer of the first, second and third ranks, a brigade lawyer, a divisional lawyer, a corvoyurist, an armored military lawyer.

At the same time, the military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was introduced. It was awarded strictly personally and for special distinctions and merits. The first marshals were M. N. Tukhachevsky, V. K. Blucher, K. E. Voroshilov, S. M. Budyonny, A. I. Egorov.

In September 1935, the People's Commissar of Defense was instructed to carry out certification of the highest command personnel of the Red Army with the assignment of the corresponding titles.

The terms of stay in the previous ranks were also established in case of successful passing of attestations. For lieutenants, Art. lieutenants - three years, for captains and majors - four years, for colonels - five years. For everyone who had a rank above the brigade commander, no time was set.

As a rule, promotion was accompanied by a promotion. All commanders who served the established terms, but did not receive the next rank, could be left in the same capacity for another two years. If further such a commander could not earn promotion, the question of his dismissal to the reserve and transfer to another service was decided.

The People's Commissar of Defense in special cases could confer titles without observing any terms and length of service. He also conferred the rank of corps commander. The titles of army commanders of the first and second ranks could only be awarded by the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars.

New uniform of 1935.

In December 1935, according to the order of the NKO, 176 new form clothes and new insignia.

Command staff. For the Marshal of the Soviet Union - red buttonholes with gold piping. A star embroidered with gold threads. Red triangle with a star on the sleeves.

The commander of the first rank had four rhombuses and a star on his buttonholes. The color of the buttonholes corresponded to the type of troops. The corps commander was supposed to have three rhombuses and three squares on the sleeves. The division commander - two rhombuses and two squares. And the brigade commander - one rhombus with a square.

The colonels had 3 rectangles, silt, as they were also called - "sleepers". The major has 2 rectangles, the captain has one. The senior lieutenant wore three cubes and squares, the lieutenant, respectively, two.

The military-political staff were assigned crimson buttonholes with black piping. With the exception of the army commissar, everyone wore hammer and sickle stars on their sleeves.

In the summer of 1937, with the decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, for junior commanders who completed special, short-term courses, the ranks of junior lieutenant, junior political instructor and junior military technician were introduced.

The big gold star was embroidered by the Marshals of the Soviet Union. Just below laurel wreaths with hammer and sickle. In the collar tabs of the army general there were five stars, the colonel general four, the lieutenant general three, and the major general two.

Until 1943.

In this form, the insignia existed until January 1943. It was then that they were introduced into Soviet army shoulder straps and the cut of the form has changed significantly.

For the greatest strengthening of the engineering, medical and quartermaster personnel, the State Defense Committee introduced unified personal ranks at the beginning of 1943. The engineering and technical staff of the Air Force, artillery and armored forces - technician-lieutenant, senior technician-lieutenant, engineer-captain, engineer-major, engineer-lieutenant colonel, engineer-colonel, major general of the engineering-aviation service.

The entire command and control staff was fully re-certified by the decision of the State Defense Committee.

By decree of the USSR PVS, the ranks of marshals of aviation, artillery, armored forces and chief marshal were also established for the same types of troops. As a result, in 1943, a unified system of ranks for all command personnel began to exist in the USSR army.

Probably, like most of the people around me, I was not very interested in the details of what kubars and sleepers on the collar tabs of red commanders in the pre-war and war period mean. Not that it was not at all interesting, but somehow the usual "lieutenant", "captain" or "colonel" sounded in films and books. Of course, there were situations when, while reading a book or a story on a military theme, I came across phrases like "judging by the two sleepers on the collar tabs, it was a major ..." from a question left in the subconscious until better times. Let's assume that these better times have come.

In fact, until 1943, severe asceticism prevailed in the outward appearance of the Soviet serviceman. In any case, from the films about the civil war, it was difficult to understand whether there existed in the Red Army any system of external differences, say, a company commander from a platoon commander. As a general fighter of the Red Army, being on leave, suppose he could understand that he was in front of a commander, and not a courier in a leather jacket on a motorcycle. Somehow, such questions did not arise before, but when preparing the article, every now and then I came across articles and colorful tablets with descriptions of the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, so I decided to put it all in a separate article. What was unexpected for me personally was of course such insignia as triangles, squares and rhombuses. I have always personified them with the dashing thirties and forties. About that, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council No. 628 of April 8, 1919, the first samples of uniforms were approved: a headdress in the form of a helmet, an infantry and cavalry overcoat with three stripes on the chest ("talk") made of colored cloth according to the type of troops, a summer shirt with three stripes of broadcloth on the chest in color according to the type of troops and leather boots was unexpected. Also, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic No. 572 of April 3, 1920, the sleeve insignia of the combat arms were introduced. So, the sign of the infantry was a rhombus made of crimson cloth, a circle was embroidered on it - in the upper part of the yellow color, with diverging rays, a star was depicted in the center of the circle, the bottom of the sign was a green field, a metal emblem was attached to the field under the star - crossed rifles. The pattern on the badge was the same for all branches of the military, only the emblem of the corresponding branch of the army was attached under the star, the badges differed in shape and color of the field. So, among the servicemen of the engineering troops, the badge had the shape of a square made of black cloth, for the cavalry - horseshoes made of blue cloth, etc. Two years later, on January 31, 1922, by order of the RVSR No. 322, a new uniform was introduced with a single cut of an overcoat, a tunic, a helmet , new insignia: a cloth flap was sewn to the sleeve according to the color of the military branch, in the upper part of which there was a scarlet entrance, below it - insignia, above the flap - a badge of the military branch. The command staff had red insignia, the administrative staff - blue ... On the headdresses, a small metal star was attached on top of a woolen colored star (color according to the type of troops). The uniform of the commanding staff was no different from the uniform of the Red Army soldier. In general, in the figure below, I tried to schematically, somehow reduce all my knowledge in this area to a single whole. how much it turned out, experts will probably say, but in any case, personally I already understand.

This could have ended. Civil War ends at the turn of 1921 - 1922. True, the reader never received an answer to the question of how all these triangles, squares and rhombuses later turned into lieutenants and captains, majors and colonels, where are the "sleepers" and the stars of the command staff. All this will be, but a little later. A series of military reforms will go through and gradually the Red Army will take on the form we are accustomed to, with cubicles and sleepers. For now, I can only add that two years later, after the official end of hostilities in 1924, the army switched to a new, more simplified uniform. Breast flaps and sleeve insignia were abolished, buttonholes were sewn on an overcoat and tunic; in the infantry - from raspberry cloth with black edging, in the cavalry - from blue cloth with black edging, in the artillery - from black cloth with red edging, in the technical troops - from black cloth with blue edging, in the Air Force - from blue cloth with a red edging, for the administrative staff - dark green with a red edging. Metal insignia, covered with red enamel, were attached to the buttonholes: rhombuses for the senior command personnel, rectangles for the senior, squares for the middle, and triangles for the junior. The Red Army men had regiment numbers on their collar tabs. One of the variants of this form of clothing, we can see in the famous film "Officers". It is very clearly seen here that the hero of the film belongs to such a branch of troops as the cavalry, he has a characteristic color of his buttonholes and "conversations", the emblem of the cavalry is visible in the buttonhole. In another frame, it is very clearly visible that the former cadet already belongs to the command staff with the rank of platoon commander,
judging by the two triangles on the sleeve.

Well, in order to completely draw the line, I would like to remind you once again that the most favorite fragment of the film "Officers" is the awarding of red revolutionary trousers.

After the two previous articles, I consider it necessary to close the circle of reflections on the history of Russian and Soviet military ranks, the period 1912 - 1943, from the moment of the last military reform in the Russian Imperial Army and to the return, at least outwardly, to the symbols and traditions of the Russian army during the Great Patriotic War. ...

In 1924, when the military reform was carried out, the entire command staff was subdivided into: junior, middle, senior and higher, as well as 14 job categories were determined.

Over the course of a hundred It was clear that the eradication of insignia was too hasty, so they gradually began to be introduced again. The new insignia had nothing to do with the insignia used in the tsarist army. In July 1940, the insignia introduced in 1936 were reformed. The Red Army entered the war using insignia of the 1940 model. Insignia were worn in buttonholes. There were two types of buttonholes: rectangular for most types of uniforms and rhombic for overcoats. Three categories of officers were distinguished: marshals and generals, who wore gold-embroidered stars in their buttonholes, senior officers (divisional commanders and brigade commanders), who wore enamel rhombuses with gold edging in their buttonholes, middle officers (colonels and captains), who wore enameled rectangles in their buttonholes and junior officers (lieutenants), who wore in their buttonholes, enameled squares - "kubari". Sergeants and foremen wore enameled triangles in their buttonholes.

The type of troops and service were indicated by the color of the edging and insignia. The color of the buttonhole field indicated belonging to the branch of the army, in addition, a small badge in the buttonhole spoke of belonging to a certain branch of the army.

Commissars occupied a special position in the army. There were commissars in every unit from the battalion and above. In 1937, in each division (company, platoon), the position of political instructor - a junior political officer was introduced. The insignia of the commissars in general were similar to the insignia of officers, but had their own characteristics. Instead of chevrons on the sleeve, the commissars wore a red star.

In January 1941, another reform of the Red Army uniform was carried out. The changes were supposed to make the uniform more comfortable for use in combat conditions. First of all, they abandoned the use of bright chevrons and buttonholes and replaced them with samples of faded colors. The buttonhole field began to be made of khaki fabric, and the enamel signs were replaced with metal ones. Plans to modernize the uniform extended until October 1941, but were interrupted by the outbreak of the war.

Buttonholes of the Red Army 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943

The Red Army (RKKA) used two types of buttonholes: everyday ("colored") and field ("khaki"). In turn, they were diamond-shaped and in the form of a parallelogram.

Casual Buttonholes introduced back in 1922. Since then, they have been constantly modernized until 1940. With the beginning of the war, the modernization was stopped. field one-color buttonholes of a khaki were introduced, which, along with colored everyday ones, existed until the buttonholes were replaced with shoulder straps at the beginning of 1943.

The color scheme was very varied and quite complex. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the type of troops (see table below), and the color and (or) shape of the edging indicated belonging to the command or command structure.

For example, the everyday buttonholes of the captain, the commander of a rifle company, had a crimson field and a golden 5-mm galunky on the edges (see diagram below). And the political instructor of this company wore buttonholes with a crimson field, but already with a black edging.

Cadets of military schools, police and state bodies. Security had their own patterns for everyday buttonholes.

Field tabs were introduced by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 253 of August 1, 1941, which abolished the wearing of color insignia for all categories of military personnel. It was ordered to switch to buttonholes, emblems and insignia of a completely green khaki (). However, in conditions of war and the rapid increase in the size of the army, protective collar tabs and insignia were received mainly by servicemen mobilized from the reserve. A uniform with wartime insignia was prepared for them in peacetime. The rest switched to new signs whenever possible. A number of military leaders opposed the transition to wartime insignia. So, for example, the commander of the 9th mechanized corps of the Kiev special military district, Lieutenant-General K.K. Rokossovsky. by his order, he categorically forbade all commanders to change insignia for field insignia, believing that the Red Army should see their commanders in battle.

Difficulties in supply led to the fact that the troops simultaneously encountered both those and other insignia in the most various 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 and spring of 1943, and in the rear districts until the middle of the summer of 1943.

Since the field buttonholes were completely khaki for all categories of servicemen and differed only in the number of insignia, it makes no sense to disassemble them in detail.

Sizes of buttonholes in the Red Army (RKKA):

• Buttonholes for gymnasts and service jackets - in the form of a parallelogram, 32.5 mm wide with edging, about 10 cm long.
• Buttonholes for greatcoats are diamond-shaped, 11 cm on the larger diagonal and 8.5-9 cm on the smaller. One top (edged) side had a length from corner to corner of 6.5 cm.
• General's buttonholes are diamond-shaped, length from corner to corner 11 cm, width from corner to corner 7.5 cm, length of the edged side 6.1 cm, width of the edging of buttonholes with a gimp 2.5 mm. The buttonholes on the general's greatcoats were slightly large sizes- length from corner to corner 11.5 cm (13.5 cm - from the Marshal of the Soviet Union), width from corner to corner 8.5 cm, length of the edged side 6.5 cm, width of the edging of the buttonholes with a gimp 2.5 mm.

Sewing on buttonholes of the Red Army (RKKA):

• by folding the hem without a hem under the collar - () ().
• the not edged edge of the buttonhole was sewn into the collar - () ().
• exactly along the edge of the collar - () ().

Colors of everyday buttonholes of the Red Army:

• open table (table under construction ...)

Military ranks of the USSR Armed Forces 1935-1945 (table of ranks):

• open table (table under construction ...)

Buttonholes of private and junior command personnel of the Red Army
(privates, sergeants and foremen)

In the form of a parallelogram. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the type of troops. Colored piping on three sides.

SHINEL HINGES- diamond-shaped. Colored piping on the upper sides. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the type of troops.

For servicemen of the command staff with the rank of foreman, in addition to the colored edging, a 3-mm golden galunchik was also sewn on the same sides where the colored edging was. But not instead of the colored piping like the officers have, but in addition to it.

Insignia:

Equilateral metal triangles covered with red enamel. The side of the triangle is 10 mm.

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

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

In 1940, in connection with a change in the rank scale of the Red Army, the insignia of the ranks of the 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 sergeant major.

By the same order, new insignia were introduced for them, to which it was ordered to switch from January 1, 1941. Until that time, the junior command and command staff did not have personal ranks, but were named and wore insignia according to their positions.

Buttonholes for senior and middle command personnel of the Red Army
(officers)

LATCHES FOR GYMNASTS AND FRENCHES- in the form of a parallelogram. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the type of troops. By three top corners a 5-mm golden galunchik was sewn on instead of a colored edging.

SHINEL HINGES- diamond-shaped. The color of the buttonhole field corresponded to the type of troops. A 5mm golden galloon was sewn to the two upper sides instead of the colored piping.

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.
  ________________________________________________________________

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

Buttonholes of middle and senior political, technical, administrative, veterinary staff, and justice bodies, like those of privates, had colored edging.

In addition to the insignia by rank in the collar tabs, it was determined to wear the emblems of the combat arms established by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 33 of March 10, 1936. The emblems were metallic gold. Political workers do not have any emblems, the rest wear the emblems of their branches of the military. Insignia - cubes and sleepers as in the command staff.

Insignia in buttonholes:

A. Average commanding and commanding personnel:

1 cube - junior lieutenant, junior military technician.

2 cubes - lieutenant, junior political instructor, military technician of the 2nd rank, technician-quartermaster of the 2nd rank, military assistant, junior military lawyer.

3 cubes - senior lieutenant, political instructor, military technician 1st rank, technician-quartermaster 1st rank, senior military assistant, military lawyer.

B. Senior command and command personnel:

1 sleeper - captain, senior political instructor, military engineer, quartermaster, military doctor, senior military lawyer.

2 sleepers - major, battalion commissar, military engineer of the 2nd rank, quartermaster of the 2nd rank, military doctor of the 2nd rank, military lawyer of the 2nd rank.

3 sleepers - lieutenant colonel, senior battalion commissar, military engineer 1st rank, quartermaster 1st rank, military doctor 1st rank, military lawyer 1st rank.

4 sleepers - colonel, regimental commissar.

Note - There is a curious moment here. The commanding staff in the ranks of military engineer of the 1st rank, quartermaster of the 1st rank, military doctor of the 1st rank, military lawyer of the 1st rank, as they wore three sleepers in their buttonholes until 1940, so they remained with three sleepers. In fact, nothing has changed at all, tk. they were considered one step below the colonel before. But if earlier they had as many sleepers on their buttonholes as the colonel, now it turned out that they were all, as it were, demoted in rank. There were a lot of grievances, even to the point that many of them unauthorizedly attached the fourth tie. The regimental commissars were pleased, because they now wore four sleepers and this differed from the 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 the next rank) due to the fact that another one wedged between their rank and the coveted rank of regimental commissar.

The middle and senior command staff, middle and senior political staff on the sleeves had additional insignia. The command staff in the form of various triangular braids of different ranks. All political workers had the same sewn-on star.

The middle and senior commanding staff (lawyers, doctors, veterinarians, quartermasters, administrative staff, technical staff) had no signs on their sleeves.

Although the wearing of the emblems of the combat arms in their collar tabs was mandatory (except for political workers, infantry and cavalry for whom emblems did not exist), there were significant difficulties in their manufacture and supply of troops. Expensive red copper was used for the emblems; emblems were stamped on machine tools, and there were not enough such machines in the country. Sewing emblems from golden thread was prohibited. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of the Red Army men and sergeants, and a significant part of the officers did not have emblems in their collar tabs at all. To combat the shortage of insignia, they began to use more cheap materials for their manufacture. But even these measures failed to significantly correct the lack 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 command ranks were assigned to all of them. Moreover, the titles are assigned one step lower. For example, if earlier the junior political instructor was equal to the lieutenant, then a new rank was assigned to him - junior lieutenant. The number of political posts was drastically reduced. Some of yesterday's political instructors and commissars were appointed deputy commanders for political affairs (from the company and above), some were transferred to command positions. If earlier the political instructor or commissar enjoyed equal power with the commander in a subunit or unit, now they have become deputy commanders.

Obviously, it is difficult to imagine an ocean of resentment among political workers with this GKO decision. Only the wartime situation and the increased role of the Special Departments (NKVD), perhaps, kept them from open manifestations of discontent. Many of them had to change their comfortable position, who was not responsible for anything, but an all-powerful commander, for the bitter share of a commander responsible for everything and everything; others had to put up with the fate of the second person in a regiment, battalion, company; a place of equal, or even higher than a commander in place of a subordinate. It is much easier to imagine the relief of the commanders who have lost the obligation to constantly look back at the opinion of the commissar, who are obliged to coordinate every step with him. Previously, you had to decide together, and answer to one, but now you have decided on your own, you yourself are responsible.

Buttonholes of the highest command personnel of the Red Army
(generals, marshals)

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

SHINEL HINGES- diamond-shaped, length from corner to corner 11.5 cm (13.5 cm - from Marshal of the Soviet Union), width from corner to corner 8.5 cm, length of the edged side 6.5 cm, width of the edging of buttonholes with a gimp 2.5 mm ... Generals of artillery and ABTV have a black buttonhole field.

Insignia:

The stars for the buttonholes of the generals were made of gilded brass of the correct pointed shape, 2 cm in diameter, with ribbed beams. In the field buttonholes they used stars painted in green color(protective 4BO).

The star on the collar tabs of the Marshal of the Soviet Union: on the overcoat collar tabs, a diameter of 5 cm, on the collar tabs of the uniform and tunic, the diameter of 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 fine threads. In the lower part of the buttonhole, two laurel branches were embroidered with gold threads, on the crosshairs of which a sickle and a hammer were embroidered in gold.

___________________________________________________________

On July 13, 1940, by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 212, in accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 7, 1940 "On the establishment of military ranks of the highest command personnel of the Red Army", uniforms and insignia on collar tabs and sleeves were established for generals.

For the higher commanding staff, the insignia remain the same - rhombuses in number from two to four with the same names of ranks.

Field tabs

Casual Buttonholes

Literature:

• Uniform and insignia of the red army 1918-1945 AIM, Leningrad 1960
• Insignia of distinction of ranks of servicemen of the Red Army 1940-1942. Author - Yu. Veremeev.
• Insignia of the commanding staff of the armed forces on 06/22/41 ( link)
• The uniform of the Russian air force. Volume II, Part 1 (1935-1955)

article ID: 89769