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 remaining from the previous regime.

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

Thus, all 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 breastplate 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 headdresses of military personnel, an emblem was introduced - a red star with the image of a plow and a hammer.

At the very early period In the formation of Red Army detachments, there was simply no need for any insignia, since the fighters knew their immediate superiors and commanders very well. However, over time, with an increase in the scale of hostilities, the total number of troops, the lack of clear and clear insignia caused all more problems and all sorts of misunderstandings.

So, for example, one of the commanders of the Northern Front wrote in his memoirs that discipline in the units was very lame and the norm was rude responses from soldiers to their commanders like - “You need it, so go and fight ...” or “Here’s another commander who has turned up.” ..." When the commanders, in turn, wanted to impose penalties, the soldier simply answered - “who knew that this was the boss...”

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

Introduction of uniforms and insignia.
Only in 1919, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army introduced an approved uniform and clearly defined insignia for all command personnel.

By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of January 16, red stars and triangles under them were introduced on the sleeves for junior commanders, squares for mid-level commanders and diamonds for senior commanders. Buttonholes of different colors according to the branches of the military are also being introduced.

Red stars and triangles under them for junior commanders, squares for mid-level commanders and diamonds for senior commanders.

1. Detached commander
2. Assistant Platoon Leader
3. Sergeant Major
4. Platoon leader
5. Company commander
6. Battalion Commander
7. Regimental commander
8. Brigade commander
9. Head of Division
10. Army commander
11. Front Commander

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

According to the order of the RVSR 116, all insignia were sewn on the left sleeve, and in April 1920, sleeve insignia by branch of the military were introduced. For the infantry it was a crimson cloth diamond with a circle and diverging rays and a star. Under the star were rifles crossed with each other.

The drawing itself on the sign is for everyone military branches was exactly the same. And only under the star there was an emblem for the corresponding type of troops. The signs differed only in the shape and colors of the fields. Yes, for engineering troops it was a square made of black cloth, for cavalrymen - horseshoes made of blue cloth.

1. Squad leader (cavalry).
2. Commander of a battalion, division (artillery).
3. Front commander.

According to Order RVSR 322, a completely new uniform is being introduced, which provides for a single cut for a helmet, tunic and overcoat. New distinctive signs are also being introduced.

The sleeve was covered with a flap made of cloth according to the color of the troops. At the top of which was a red star with insignia. Below were signs of the military branches.

Combat commanders had red insignia. The administrative staff had signs blue. A metal star was attached to the headdresses.

In general, the uniform of the command 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 uniform. The chest flaps and sleeve marks were abolished. The buttonhole was sewn onto tunics and overcoats. For infantry units - crimson with black edging, for cavalry - blue with black, for artillery - black with red edging, engineering troops had black with blue edging. For the Air Force - blue with red edging.

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

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

When appointed to a position, commanders were assigned a certain category with the index “K”. For example, the platoon commander had a K-3 category, the company commander K-5, and so on.

On September 22, 1935, personal ranks were introduced. For the Ground and Air Force, these are lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, brigade commander, division commander and corps commander. In addition, there were also army commanders of the first and second ranks.

- Military-political composition for all branches and types of troops - political commissar, senior political commissar, 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 - military technician of the first and second ranks, military engineer of the first, second and third ranks, brigade engineer, divisional engineer, coring engineer, arming engineer.

- Administrative and economic staff - technical quartermaster of the first and second ranks, quartermaster of the first, second and third ranks, brigintendant, divintendant, corintendent, armintendant.

- Military doctors of all services and branches of the military - military paramedic, senior military paramedic, military doctor of the first, second and third ranks, brigade doctor, divisional doctor, corrologist, army doctor.

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

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

In September 1935, the People's Commissar of Defense was tasked with certifying the senior command staff of the Red Army and assigning the appropriate ranks.

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

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

People's Commissar of Defense in special cases could confer titles without observing any deadlines or length of service. He also awarded the rank of commander. The ranks 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 NKO 176, a new uniform and new insignia were introduced.

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

The commander of the first rank had four diamonds and a star on his buttonholes. The color of the buttonholes corresponded to the branch of the army. The commander was supposed to have three diamonds and three squares on his sleeves. Division commander - two diamonds and two squares. And the brigade commander - one diamond with a square.

The colonels had 3 rectangles or, as they were also called, “sleepers.” The major has 2 rectangles, the captain has one. The senior lieutenant wore three cubes and a square, the lieutenant - respectively, two.

The military-political personnel were assigned crimson buttonholes with black edging. With the exception of the army commissar, everyone had stars with a hammer and sickle on their sleeves.

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

A large golden star was embroidered by the Marshals of the Soviet Union. Just below are laurel wreaths with a hammer and sickle. The buttonholes of an army general had five stars, a colonel general had four, a lieutenant general had three, and a major general had two.

Until 1943.

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

To maximize the strengthening of the engineering, medical and quartermaster staff, 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 - lieutenant technician, senior lieutenant technician, engineer captain, major engineer, lieutenant colonel engineer, colonel engineer, major general of the aviation engineering service.

The entire command and management personnel by decision State Committee defense was completely recertified.

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

Insignia of ranks of the Russian Army. XX century

Rank insignia of Red Army soldiers by rank
1941-42

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*technical lieutenant (2 squares),


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

The Air Force technical personnel emblem on the buttonholes (crossed French key and hammer) is being replaced by the newly introduced engineering technical personnel emblem Air Force composition (1).

Accordingly, the insignia also changes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources and literature

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

INDICATORS IN THE BUTTON ROCKS 1940-1943

The ranks on the buttonholes denoted triangles, cubes (“kubari”), rectangles (“sleepers”). They were made of metal and covered with hot enamel. In order to save money, surrogates were used, and hot enamel was replaced with cold enamel.

Junior command and command personnel were entitled to metal triangles (the side of the triangle is 10 mm) in quantities corresponding to their rank. A triangle of yellow metal (the side of the triangle is 20mm) was also attached to the upper corner of the buttonhole. Insignia were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. In the illustration under No. 1; 6; 7, 8.
The average command and command staff were entitled to metal cubes (cube side 10 mm) in quantities corresponding to their rank. Insignia were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. In illustration No. 2.
Senior command personnel were given metal rectangles (16x7mm in size) in quantities corresponding to their rank. Insignia were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. In the illustration under No. 3, 9.
Higher command personnel, up to the rank of marshal, relied on gold-colored metal 20mm buttonholes for their everyday buttonholes. stars in number according to rank. The field buttonholes of the generals were decorated with stars painted in khaki color. Stars were made from various alloys of non-ferrous metals. Marshals wore buttonholes with a large embroidered star and a wreath underneath it.

The rank on the buttonholes of the senior command staff was denoted by stars, and on the buttonholes of the senior command staff by diamonds.

By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 253 of August 1, 1941, the wearing of colored buttonholes and insignia for all categories of military personnel was abolished. It was ordered to switch to green khaki buttonholes, emblems and insignia. That is, the stamp of the sign remained the same, but instead of red enamel, it was covered with paint or varnish of a protective color. They also practiced painting the red enamel on previously issued signs with khaki paint.

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

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

Insignia and buttonholes of the Red Army 1924-1943

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

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

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

Lapel insignia since 1924, existed without changes until 1943

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rank and file: 0. Red Army soldier.

Junior command staff:

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

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

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

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

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

Diamonds and triangles did not have slang names, with the exception of the foreman, his four triangles were called “saw.”

Emblems and sleeve patches of the Red Army

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

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

private and junior commanding officers of the Red Army

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This article is intended to help all interested parties in identifying the branches of troops (services) of fighters and commanders of the Ground and Air Force of the Red Army, captured in photographs in uniform with lapel insignia, introduced by Orders of the NKO of the USSR No. 33 of March 10, 1936 and No. 165 dated 08/31/1936 (Label emblem of the 1st (2nd) class cavalry reconnaissance observer (introduced by order of the NKO No. 26 of 02/20/1936, canceled by order of the USSR NKO No. 162 of 09/04/1939) at this time the list was not included, because it denoted the qualifications of a soldier belonging to a certain branch of the military, namely cavalry, this topic is discussed in more detail in the article by A. Stepanov “Reconnaissance observers of the cavalry of the Red Army and the NKVD troops 1936-1941” [“Tseykhgauz”, No. 8, 1995, pp. 44-46]).

In the work of O.V. Kharitonov [Kharitonov O.V. - Illustrated description of uniforms and insignia of the Soviet Army (1918-1958). - Ed. AIM. - Leningrad. - 1960.] it is noted that initially it was intended to wear the specified lapel metal emblems only by command, command and junior command personnel in excess conscript service, as well as by cadets of military schools, while on the buttonholes of privates and junior commanding officers and command personnel of conscript service they had to be applied with paint using a stencil, but the application of emblems with paint was practically not used due to the poor quality of small parts. All lapel emblems by branch of the military (service, specialty) were golden in color, with the exception of the emblem of the military veterinary personnel, which was silver in color. During the Great Patriotic War, emblems of the military branch (service), painted with green paint, were used on khaki buttonholes.

In accordance with the Rules for Wearing Uniforms of the Red Army (December 1936), lapel emblems were located along the edges of the tunic buttonholes, touching the edges of their transverse edging and in the upper edges of the overcoat buttonholes, close to their corner edging [A. Kibovsky, A. Stepanov, K. Tsyplenkov. - Russian military uniform air fleet. - Volume 2. - Part 1 (1935-1955). - 2007].

This arrangement of lapel emblems remained until 1940, when By order of the NPO of the USSR No. 87 dated 05.04. 1940new type of buttonholes were introducedfor cadets of military schools and regimental schools of the Red Army and By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 391 of November 2, 1940 - for corporals and junior commanding officers of the Red Army, as well as Red Army soldiers with higher and completed secondary education, undergoing training in training companies (batteries, squadrons).

Since 1940, the lapel emblem of the military branch (service) was worn on the overcoat buttonholes of cadets of the military schools of the Red Army close to the golden braid, among cadets of regimental schools and Red Army soldierswith higher and completed secondary education, undergoing training in training companies (batteries, squadrons) - below the red cloth triangle located in the upper corner of the buttonhole, for corporals and junior officers - below the golden metal triangle located in the upper corner of the buttonhole. On tunic buttonholes cadets of regimental schools, Red Army soldierswith higher and completed secondary education, undergoing training in training companies (batteries, squadrons), corporals and junior commanding staff emblems fastened on a red longitudinal cloth gap, on overcoat buttonholes- taller than him.

Description of the lapel emblems of the military branches (services) of the Ground and Air Force of the Red Army (Introduced by Orders of the NKO of the USSR No. No. No. 33 of 03/10/1936 and No. 165 of 08/31/1936)

	Branch of the military (service, specialty)	Photo of the emblem	Description
	Automotive Armored Troops (ABTV)		Tank BT
	Military-technical composition of all military branches and services
	Air Force (AF)		Propeller with wings
	Railway troops and military communications service (VOSO), including students of the Military Transport Academy and VOSO schools		Crossed ax and anchor (Order of the USSR NGO No. 33 dated March 10, 1936), then a winged anchor with a red star, a hammer and a French key (Order of the USSR NGO No. 165 of 08/31/1936 )
	Artillery and artillery units of other military branches		Crossed gun barrels
	Auto parts and drivers of all types of troops, except armored vehicles
	Signal troops		A winged bundle of lightning, on which a red enamel star is superimposed on top in the center
	Corps of Engineers		Crossed axes
	Military medical staff of all military branches
	Military veterinary personnel of all military branches
	Chemical troops and chemical units in other branches of the military		Two cylinders with gas mask
	Sapper units and sapper units in other branches of the military		Crossed pickaxe and shovel
	Bandmasters of all branches of the military		Lyra
	Military-legal composition of all military branches
	Military-economic and administrative composition of all military branches
	Pontoon units and pontoon units in other branches of the military		An anchor with two crossed axes placed on its stem
	Electrical parts

The emblems of the ABTV, military medical and military veterinary personnel were paired, i.e. facing gun barrels and heads of snakes, both to the right and to the left. Regulatory document, which established the correct orientation of paired lapel emblems has not yet been identified. In photographs, BT tanks can point their gun barrels both at each other and away from each other, the same applies to the orientation of the heads of snakes, although military personnel in the military medical service more often oriented the heads of snakes towards each other, and in the military veterinary service - away from each other. It is more rare to see the simultaneous use of only left or only right types of paired lapel emblems.

Coloring of the buttonholes of commanders, junior commanders, enlisted personnel and cadets of the Red Army by branch of the military (services) (according to Orders of the NPO of the USSR No. 176 of 12/03/1935 and No. 165 of 08/31/1936) Branch of the military (service, specialty) Buttonhole color Field Edges Infantry Crimson Black Cavalry Blue Black Artillery Black Red Automotive armored forces Black Red Technical troops Black Blue Chemical forces Black Black Railway troops and military communications service (VOSO) Black Blue Aviation Blue Black Administrative, military-economic, military-medical, military-veterinary services Dark green Red

Drawings of lapel insignia emblems published in the “Charter of the Internal Service of the Red Army (UVS-37)”

When attributing photographs of Red Army soldiers with lapel emblems introduced in 1936, it is also useful to take into account the color of the field and edges of the buttonholes. It should be taken into account that on many photographs from the Great period Patriotic War soldiers and commanders, located in the theater of military operations and in marching units, depicted in uniform with khaki buttonholes, the wearing of which was regulated by Order of the USSR NCO No. 253 of 08/01/1941 “On changing the uniform of the Red Army in wartime.”

The absence of emblems on the buttonholes with gold edging and rank insignia in the form of squares, rectangles and diamonds, i.e. among middle, senior and senior commanders of the Red Army, indicates that the photo shows the face of the command staff of rifle (infantry) or cavalry units that did not have during the period 1936 - July 1940. emblems according to the type of troops. (The buttonholes of the command staff of the Red Army had a cloth field of the same color as the buttonholes of the commanding staff of the same type of troops (service), but they were edged not with colored cloth, but with galloon or gold-colored thread. The buttonholes of the foremen had both a cloth edging of the established color, and plating with gold thread, similar to the commander's. The field of buttonholes for the command staff of the ABTV, railway troops and VOSO was made of black velvet. It should be noted that the situation changed in 1940 after the announcement of the provisions of the Decree of the PVS of the USSR by Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 212 of July 13, 1940. 05/07/1940 “On the establishment of military ranks of the senior command staff of the Red Army” general ranks The buttonholes of combined arms generals received a red color, aviation. - blue, artillery and ABTV - black (velvet), signal troops, engineering troops, technical troops, quartermaster service - crimson. Emblems by branch of the military (service) were worn on the buttonholes of generals of the artillery, ABTV, signal troops, engineering troops, technical troops, the Air Force, and the quartermaster service (the emblem on the buttonholes of the latter differed from the emblem of the senior and middle commanding staff of the service and was paired (left and right ) emblems in the form of a golden sickle and hammer with a red enamel star superimposed on them).

The absence of emblems on the buttonholes with cloth colored edging and rank insignia in the form of triangles or without insignia at all indicates that the photo depicts the face of a junior commanding officer or rank and file of rifle (infantry) or To avalry units in the period 1936 - July 1940.

The absence of emblems of the military branch of the rifle (infantry) and cavalry units during the period under review may have been due to the historical Russian army the practice of distinguishing by the presence of emblems is relatively small in number, compared to such branches of the military as infantry and cavalry, technical branches of the military and various military services.

The absence of lapel emblems in the photo on buttonholes with cloth colored edging and rank insignia in the form of four triangles, as well as various quantities squares, rectangles and diamonds indicates that the photo shows military-political officer any type of troops (services), which in the period 1936 - July 1940. wearing lapel emblems was not allowed and was introduced by the Order of the NGOs of the USSR No. 226 dated 26.07. 1940.

The general principles of wearing buttonholes of a certain color and placing the corresponding lapel emblems on them were regulated by the Rules for wearing uniforms by personnel of the Red Army, introduced by Order of the NCO of the USSR No. 229 of December 17, 1936:

"The command, military-political, military-technical, military-legal commanding and rank and file of the ground and air forces of the Red Army wear the uniform and buttonholes of the type of troops in which they serve.

Command, military-political, military-technical, military-legal command staff of rear institutions and headquarters (up to and including district headquarters, directorates and departments)- wears the uniform and buttonholes of the branch of service in which they served before being assigned to a rear establishment or headquarters.

The military-economic and administrative, military-medical and military-veterinary personnel of the ground and air forces of the Red Army wear the uniform and buttonholes established for these personnel, regardless of the type of troops in which they serve.

NOTE:
1. Special units that are part of individual military units (regimental artillery, communications, etc.) wear the uniform and buttonholes of these units
2.Reconnaissance battalions rifle divisions wear:
a) cavalry squadrons- cavalry uniform and buttonholes
b) all other units, including headquarters - ABTV uniform and buttonholes
3.Automotive parts wear uniform and ABTV buttonholes
4. Local air defense units wear the uniform and buttonholes of technical troops.”

Command and rank and file, including special units individual military units, wears lapel emblems of their branch of troops.

Military-technical, military-economic and administrative, military-legal, military-medical and military-veterinary commanding personnel (except for those who are students in academies, military faculties and military schools) wear their lapel emblems, regardless of the type of troops in which they are serve.

Military-political personnel (except for those who are students in academies, military faculties and military schools) do not wear lapel emblems."

< Увеличить> Unknown assistant or deputy political instructor. There are no emblems of the military branch (service) on the buttonholes.	< Увеличить> Junior political instructor V.N.Kuznetsov	< Увеличить> Senior political instructor V.P.Kuznetsov There are no emblems for the branch of service on the buttonholes.	< Увеличить> Junior Lieutenant A.I.Kuznetsov, 24th reserve rifle regiment, village. There are no emblems for the branch of service on the buttonholes.
< Увеличить> Captain K.P. Panasyuk, Chief of Staff of the 29th Infantry Regiment, There are no emblems for the branch of service on the buttonholes.	< Увеличить> Unidentified Red Army cavalrymen. There are no emblems for the branch of service on the buttonholes	< Увеличить> Unknown Red Army cavalryman. There are no emblems for the branch of service on the buttonholes.	< Enlarge> Junior political instructor A.K. Kuznetsov. On the buttonholes are the emblems of the engineering troops.
< Enlarge> TO 8th service category commander N.A. Radetzky. On the buttonholes are the emblems of the engineering troops.	< Увеличить> < Увеличить> Brothers, junior platoon commander of the ABTV (left) and a Red Army soldier of the engineering troops (right), with their grandmother.		< Увеличить> Lieutenant colonel Shevlyakov B.A. Artillery emblems on the buttonholes.
< Увеличить> Military engineer 2nd rank Tsarev. On the buttonholes there are emblems of military-technical personnel.	< Увеличить> Unknown Air Force Lieutenant Air Force emblems on the buttonholes.	< Увеличить> Senior military paramedic Mikheeva E.A. Lavalier emblems of military medical personnel	< Увеличить> Unknown military veterinary paramedic Lapel emblems of military veterinary personnel
< Увеличить> Lieutenant Tikhonov N.A..On the buttonholes are the emblems of the Signal Corps	< Увеличить> chemical troops.	< Увеличить> Unknown junior lieutenant of the chemical forces	< Увеличить> Red Army driver.
< Увеличить> Unknown junior platoon commander ABTV	< Увеличить> Unknown ABTV Sergeant.	< Увеличить> Unknown military officer of the 2nd rank. On the buttonholes there are emblems of the military-legal personnel	< Увеличить> Lieutenant Serukin(?). On the buttonholes there are emblems of electrical parts.
< Увеличить> Two lieutenants of electrical parts. On the buttonholes there are emblems of electrical parts.		< Увеличить> Unknown 2nd rank quartermaster technician. On the buttonholes there are emblems of military-economic and administrative personnel	< Увеличить> Unknown detached commander of railway troops with his wife.
< Увеличить> Lieutenant of the railway troops Kolomiychenko A.A.	< Увеличить> Quartermaster 3rd rank H. Batrshi(?) Bandmaster emblems on the buttonholes	< Увеличить> Hero of the Soviet Union separated commander V.K. Artyukh. On the buttonholes there are emblems of pontoon units	< Увеличить> A.F. Radetsky, commander of the 5th service category of engineer units Photo of the late 1920s
< Увеличить> N.A. Radetsky, commander of the 3rd service category of engineer units Photo of the late 1920s	< Увеличить> Unknown commander of the 8th service category of engineer units. Photo from the early 1930s	< Увеличить> Military lawyer 1st rank A.A. Suvorov with my wife. .....
< Enlarge> Major engineering troops HELL. Kuznetsov	< Увеличить> Unidentified nurses		< Увеличить> Lieutenant A.E. Kuznetsov. Infantry. There are no emblems on the buttonholes.
	< Увеличить> Unknown Sr. lieutenant of chemical forces

Periodization of the use of emblems mod. 1936 in the USSR Armed Forces (considering the use of emblems in different periods as both lapel and shoulder straps)

	Image on the emblem	Year of discontinuation
	Tank BT	1956 (Given the use of marshals of armored forces on shoulder straps)
	Crossed French key and hammer	1985
	Propeller with wings	1991
	Ax and anchor	1936
	Winged anchor with red star, hammer and french key	1991
	Crossed guns	1991
	Axle with wheels, wings and steering wheel	1991
	Winged beam of lightning, red enamel star on top	1991
	Crossed axes	1956 (Considering the use of engineer marshals on shoulder straps)
	Bowl with golden snake	1991
	Bowl with a silver snake	1980
	Two cylinders with gas mask	1943
	Crossed pickaxe and shovel	1969 (Taking into account the use of the emblem, made in white metal, by military personnel of military construction detachments in 1955-1969)
	Lyra	1991
	Crossed swords covered with a shield	1991
	Helmet, key, compass, half gear and half wheel	1942 (30.03. 1942, by Order of the NCO of the USSR No. 93, the lapel emblem of the quartermaster service was introduced, similar in design to that established in 1940 for the generals of the quartermaster service, and on 14.02. 1943, by Order of the NCO of the USSR No. 79, wearing the emblem of the military administrative staff (helmet, key, compass, half a gear and half a wheel).
	An anchor with two crossed axes placed on its stem	1955
	Crossed shovel and ax with a beam of lightning	1955

In conclusion, it should be noted that the appearance of the emblems discussed in this article was not new either for the Red Army or for Russian uniformology in general: 12 of them had already been used in various years preceding 1936 as lapel emblems of the Red Army (No. 2 ,3,4,6,7,9,10,12,13,14,17,18), 7 - were used until 1917 in the Imperial Russian Army to designate types of weapons, certain types of technical troops, special teams, etc. .d. (No. 3,4,6,7,9,13, 14, 17), 3 - as fittings for civilian specialists Russian Empire (№№2,4,18)

The laconicism and functionality of the visual design of these emblems determined their long-term use as symbols of the military branches and services of the Soviet Armed Forces.

At the time of cessation of existence Soviet army(1991) in her Land and Air Force 8 emblems of military branches (services) were used, according to appearance similar to the emblems of the 1936 model. Currently, as emblems of military branches (services) in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, 8 emblems are also used, similar in appearance to the lapel emblems of the 1936 model.

Sources of illustrations

1. Photos of lapel emblems (except for the ABTV emblem) were provided by Alexander Zubkin, who specializes in the manufacture and sale of commercial copies of metal accessories of the Red Army (contact address email for orders and purchases [email protected] ) .

2. Photos of ABTV lapel emblems of the pre-war stamp were provided by Evgeniy Drig.

3. All photographs of Red Army soldiers, which are illustrations for the text of this article, are the property of the author