Fleet Admiral Soviet Union
- the highest military rank of the USSR Navy. Introduced by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces dated March 3, 1955 on the military rank of Admiral of the Fleet.
Corresponded to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Ataman
- leader, chief - the eldest in the family and the leader of the steppe peoples, the leader of the Cossacks or (obsolete) generally the eldest in business.
The word comes from the word “ata” - “father”, “grandfather” among the Turkic peoples.

Bombardier
- a military rank established in 1682 for artillerymen of the “amusing” troops of Peter I.
From the end of the 18th century. bombardier - an ordinary artilleryman who served with “bombardier” guns (mortars, howitzers, unicorns). Subsequently (until 1917), the bombardier (as well as bombardier-gunner, bombardier-laboratorist and bombardier-observer) was the lower rank of artillery units of the Russian army with increased qualifications (corresponding to a corporal in the infantry).

Brigadier
- a military rank above colonel and below major general, which existed in the Russian Imperial Army in the 18th-19th centuries.
Was introduced by Peter I.
In the navy, he corresponded to the military rank of captain-commander. In some modern armies it corresponds to a brigadier general.

Sergeant
- (German: Wachtmeister) - military rank of non-commissioned officers of cavalry and artillery in the Russian army (cavalry, and Cossack troops, as well as the Separate Corps of Gendarmes) until 1917.
The duty of the sergeant was to assist the squadron commander in conducting drill training and organizing the economy and internal order; in the infantry, the sergeant corresponded to the sergeant major.
Until 1826, this rank was the highest for non-commissioned officers.

Midshipman
- (French garde-marine, “sea guard”, “sea guard”) - a rank in the Russian Imperial Navy that existed from 1716 to 1917. From 1716 to 1752, and from 1860 to 1882, the rank of midshipman in the Russian Imperial Navy existed as a combat rank; during the rest of the time, students of naval educational institutions were called midshipmen.
On ships, midshipmen were listed as “lower ranks”, wore the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and, according to the naval regulations, were “in battle like soldiers, in use like sailors.”
After practical voyages with the rank of junior and senior midshipman, they were promoted to officers.
During the battle, the midshipmen signed for the guns, where they helped the gunners.
The rest of the time they performed the duties of sailors, but for 4 hours a day they had to master the duties of other ranks.
Of these, the navigator worked with them for one and a half hours a day, thirty minutes - a soldier's officer (training in handling a musket), one hour - a constable or artillery officer (handling cannons), one hour - the ship's commander or one of the officers (controlling the ship).
After the October Revolution, the rank of midshipman was abolished.

General-in-Chief
- (French general en chef) - military rank in the armed forces.
The title was introduced by Peter I in 1698.
According to the Military Regulations of Peter I, adopted in 1716, the general-in-chief is the commander-in-chief, equal to the field marshal (although in practice he was lower than him), who headed the “consultation” of generals.
After the end of the reign of Peter I Russian army They stopped using the ranks of cavalry general and infantry general; the rank and rank of general-in-chief began to mean a full general, a rank below field marshal.

General of Artillery
- The highest general rank in the artillery of the Russian army. It was provided for by the “Table of Ranks” of 1722, but until the end of the 18th century it was replaced by the general rank of general-in-chief.
The position of the head of the Russian artillery was called Feldzeichmeister General.
An artillery general by position could be an inspector general of artillery, commander of troops of a military district, and lead large military formations (corps) and formations (army, front).

General of Infantry
- military rank below field marshal and above lieutenant general. The title was introduced by Peter I in 1699.
The rank corresponded to the ranks of admiral and actual privy councilor.
An infantry general by position could be the inspector general of infantry or a rifle unit in the army, the commander of the troops of a military district, and lead large military formations (corps) and formations (army, front).
The rank was abolished on December 16, 1917.
IN modern meaning- Colonel General.

General of the Cavalry
- military rank and rank in Russian Empire.
Introduced by Peter I as the highest general rank in the cavalry, as a branch of the Russian army.

A cavalry general by position could be an inspector general of cavalry, commander of troops of a military district, and lead large military unit(corps) or association (army, front).
The rank was abolished on December 16, 1917.
In modern meaning - colonel general.

General of Fortification
- Due to the special situation of the artillery and engineering troops, where literate and mathematically literate officers were required, in the 1st third of the 18th century there was a rank Major General from Fortification with the same rights and duties as an army major general. After 1730, the qualification “from fortification” was not used.

Major General - military rank and rank in the Russian Empire in 1698-1917.
In the Russian Imperial Army, a major general usually commanded a brigade or division, but almost never an army corps or army; he could also be the commander of a guards regiment (and in guards regiments Above the position of regiment commander was the position of chief of the regiment, which was, as a rule, members of the Imperial House of Romanov, and in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky, Semyonovsky and Horse Regiments - the reigning emperor.

Major General is the primary military rank of senior officers, located between colonel or brigadier general and lieutenant general. A major general usually commands a division (about 15,000 personnel).
In the Navy (Navy) the rank of major general corresponds to the rank of rear admiral.

Lieutenant General
- military rank and rank in the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
At the same time (almost as a synonym) the rank of lieutenant general was used. In the second half Northern War the rank of lieutenant general replaced the rank of lieutenant general.
(Great Northern War, Twenty Years' War- war between coalition northern states and Sweden for the Baltic lands in 1700-1721, which lasted more than 20 years and ended with the defeat of Sweden).

Field Marshal General
- highest military rank in ground forces German, Austrian and Russian armies. Introduced in Russia in 1699 by Peter I.
Military rank of the first class, equal to admiral general in the navy, chancellor and actual privy councilor of the first class in the civil service.
The insignia of rank was the field marshal's baton; since the 19th century, crossed batons began to be depicted on the shoulder straps and buttonholes of field marshals.

The image of a marshal's baton is present on the Emblem of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Russian Federation since 2009

Generalissimo
- the highest military rank in the Holy Roman Empire, later also in the Russian Empire, USSR and other countries.
Historically, this title was awarded to commanders who commanded several, often allied, armies during the war, and in some cases statesmen or to persons from the families of reigning dynasties as an honorary title.
The highest rank, standing outside the system of officer ranks.

On October 28, 1799, A.V. Suvorov received the rank of generalissimo in full accordance with the Military Regulations, since he was the prince of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the prince of the Russian Empire, the Count of the Holy Roman Empire and the commander-in-chief of the Russian, Austrian and Sardinian troops.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
(1729, Moscow - 1800, St. Petersburg)
Knight of all Russian orders of his time.
National Hero of Russia,
great Russian commander,
never suffered a single defeat
in his military career
(more than 60 battles),
one of the founders of Russian military art.

Currently in the Russian Federation this military rank is not provided for by law.

Generalissimo of the Soviet Union
- After the Great Patriotic War On June 26, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the highest military rank of “Generalissimo of the Soviet Union” was introduced and on June 27, 1945 awarded to I.V. Stalin, in commemoration of exceptional merits in the Great Patriotic War.
In addition, Joseph Vissarionovich was awarded the Order of Victory, and he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the issue of conferring the title of Generalissimo was discussed several times, but Stalin invariably rejected this proposal. And only after the intervention of Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky gave his consent when the latter stated: “Comrade Stalin, you are a marshal and I am a marshal, you cannot punish me!”

Chief Marshal of the Armed Forces
(Rank introduced on October 9, 1943)
- group of military ranks in the Armed Forces of the USSR:

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

They stood at a rank higher than the rank of “marshal of the military branch.”
The rank was introduced on October 9, 1943.
Over the entire period of its existence, the title of “Chief Marshal” was received by 4 artillerymen, 7 military pilots and 2 representatives of the armored forces. IN engineering troops and in the signal troops, these ranks formally existed, but were never assigned.
In 1984, only the ranks of “Chief Marshal of Artillery” and “Chief Marshal of Aviation” were retained.
On March 25, 1993, the ranks of Chief Marshals were excluded from the list of military ranks of the Russian Armed Forces.

Esaul
- chief officer rank in Russia in the Cossack troops.
Esaul is the name of an assistant military leader, his deputy.
Yesauls were:

• general,
• military,
• regimental,
• hundredths,
• stanitsa,
• hiking,
• artillery

Cadet
- from July 29, 1731 pre-revolutionary Russia- rank of students cadet corps(secondary military educational institutions for children of nobles and officers, with a 7-year course)
- in the 80s. XX century - unofficial name for cadets of military educational institutions.

Captain Commander
- rank in 1707-1732 and in 1751-1827. in the Russian navy. Introduced in 1707, in 1722 included in the Table of Ranks, belonged to class V, and was considered lower than a rear admiral, but higher than a ship captain (since 1713, higher than a captain of the first rank). In the army, the captain-commander corresponded to the rank of brigadier, as well as state councilor in civil (civil) ranks. The address is “Your Highness.”
The duties of the captain-commander included command of small detachments of ships, as well as the temporary replacement of the rear admiral.

Corporal
- team leader - military rank of junior command staff and lower non-commissioned officer (sergeant) rank.
Appeared in Russia in 1647 and officially introduced “ Military regulations» Peter I.
In the first half of the 19th century. replaced by the rank of non-commissioned officer.
In the modern Russian Armed Forces, the rank of “junior sergeant” corresponds to a corporal.

Conductor
- (Latin conductor “employer, entrepreneur, contractor”) - a military rank in the Russian Navy, awarded to non-commissioned officers who have served for a specified period and passed the exam.
Conductors were the closest assistants to officers; they were entrusted with the responsibility of training lower ranks in the specialty. The chief boatswain was in charge of the ship's conductors. In the navy, conductors enjoyed privileges: they had a separate wardroom, received increased pay, including an allowance for raising children, and free treatment, had leave with pay, etc.
The period of service in the rank of conductor was 25 years.
After 1917, the title was abolished.

Cornet
- (from Italian corno - horn, war trumpet) - a military rank in the armies of a number of countries, mainly in the cavalry. The name comes from the position of the trumpeter under the commander, who, by order of the military leader, transmitted signals to the troops during the battle.
Cornets are listed in the same class as army second lieutenants and wear the same shoulder straps, while there is no rank of second lieutenant in the cavalry.

Red Army soldier
- (fighter) - military rank and position of a private soldier Armed Forces USSR /USSR Armed Forces/ (Workers' and Peasants' Red Army /RKKA/) since February 1918, soldier (from the word “soldier” in Soviet Russia rejected as “counter-revolutionary”.
Introduced as a personal military rank in 1935.
In the Navy in 1918-1946. The rank of Red Army soldier corresponded to the rank of Red Navy man.
In 1946, the rank of Red Army soldier was replaced by the rank of private, in connection with the renaming of the Red Army to Soviet Army USSR Armed Forces.
In 1924, a new uniform was introduced into the Red Army.
Chest valves were abolished and sleeve insignia differences were sewn on the overcoat and tunic
buttonholes:

• infantry - made of crimson cloth with black edging;
• cavalry - made of blue cloth with black edging;
• artillery and armored forces are made of black cloth with scarlet edging;
• technical troops and communications - made of black cloth with blue edging;
• aviation (Air Force) - made of blue cloth with red edging;
• administrative and economic staff - dark green with red trim;

The Red Army soldiers had regiment numbers on their buttonholes.

The military rank in the Russian Imperial Army, which existed in the 18th and 19th centuries, is below major general and above colonel. It was introduced by Peter I.

His equivalent in the navy was the rank of captain-commander. in some armies today the rank of "brigadier" corresponds.

Sergeant

This position was common in the cavalry, its non-commissioned officers, as well as in the artillery in the army of our country (Cossack troops, cavalry, and also the gendarme corps). It existed until 1917, when they operated military ranks tsarist army Russia. Not everyone had an analogue of titles in the USSR. The sergeant, for example, was not there. The duty of a person with this rank was to assist the squadron commander in training troops and organizing internal order and economy. The corresponding rank in the infantry is sergeant major. For non-commissioned officers this rank would be the highest until 1826.

Lieutenant General

We continue to describe military ranks in Tsarist Russia, let's move on to the lieutenant general. This rank and military rank was in the Ukrainian and Russian armies. It was used simultaneously (almost as a synonym) with the latter. During the Northern War, more precisely, in its second half, it replaced the rank of lieutenant general.

Field Marshal General

This is the highest military rank in the ground forces of the Austrian, German and Russian armies. It was introduced in our country by Peter I in 1699. This 1st class rank corresponded to the rank of admiral general in the navy, and to the chancellor in the civil service, as well as privy councilor (also 1st class). The field marshal's baton served as a sign of distinction; since the 19th century, in the buttonholes of field marshals, they began to be depicted in a crossed form. In Tsarist Russia, military ranks were distinguished by shoulder straps, where the representatives of the rank we are describing also had batons depicted. An example of a famous field marshal general in the history of our country is D. A. Milyutin.

Since 2009, this symbol has also been present on the emblem of the current entire Armed Forces of our country.

Generalissimo

In the Holy Roman Empire, this was the highest military rank, and later became such in the Russian Empire, as well as in the USSR and a number of other countries.

Historically, it was assigned to commanders of several, mainly allied, armies, generals, and in some cases also to statesmen or persons belonging to the families of reigning dynasties, as an honorary title. This rank stood outside the system of other officer ranks.

A.V. Suvorov received this title on October 28, 1799 in accordance with the Military Regulations, since he was the prince of the Sardinian kingdom, and at the same time the count of the Roman Empire, the prince of the Russian, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Austrian, Sardinian and Russian troops. Currently in our country it is not provided for by law.

Esaul

Our list of “Military ranks in Tsarist Russia” continues with the following rank. Esaul is the rank of chief officer in the Cossack and Russian troops. This rank designates an assistant, deputy military commander. Yesauls are: military, general, hundred, regimental, marching, village, artillery.

Captain Commander

This rank existed in 1707-1732, as well as in 1751-1827 in the navy of our country. It was introduced in 1707 and entered into the Table of Ranks in 1722, belonged to class V, and was considered lower than rear admiral and higher than the rank of captain of a ship (captain of the first rank - since 1713). In the army, this rank corresponded to a brigadier, and in state (civilian) positions - a state councilor. Contact a representative this title- “Your Highness.” His duties included commanding detachments of ships (small), as well as temporarily replacing the rear admiral.

Corporal

This military rank, which was held by junior command personnel, is the lowest sergeant (non-commissioned officer) rank. In our country it appeared in 1647, introduced by Peter I in the “Military Regulations”. Later, in the first half of the 19th century, it was replaced by the rank of non-commissioned officer. Today, in modern armed forces, a corporal corresponds to the rank of “junior sergeant.”

Cornet

This is a military rank that was in the armies of some countries, mainly in the cavalry. Its name comes from the ancient position of a trumpeter, located under the commander, who, on his orders, transmitted signals to the troops during the battle. Holders of this rank are listed in the same class as army second lieutenants, and therefore wear the same shoulder straps. Note that in the cavalry the rank of second lieutenant does not exist.

Podesaul

We continue to describe military ranks in Tsarist Russia, presenting to you the following. This position existed since the 16th century, and then in Russia it was the chief officer rank in the Cossack troops of class X (in 1798-1884) and class IX in the above-mentioned list of "Table of Ranks" (1884-1917), in which there were military ranks in Tsarist Russia and their salaries are indicated.

In 1798, it was equated to the rank of staff captain in the cavalry, staff captain in the infantry, and lieutenant in the navy, as well as the rank of titular adviser in the civil service.

Second Lieutenant

This chief officer rank, which existed in the Russian army, was introduced by Peter I in Russia in 1703.

After the rank of ensign for peacetime was abolished in 1884, he became the first officer for all troops except the Cossacks and cavalry, where he corresponded to the ranks of cornet and cornet. IN navy In the empire, the rank of midshipman was equivalent to it, and in the civil service - the provincial secretary. In the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the rank of second lieutenant corresponds to “lieutenant.”

Lieutenant

The military rank belonging to junior officers in the armies of pre-revolutionary Russia and Poland corresponded to the position of senior lieutenant. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was also “porutchik” as an orthographic variant of this rank. Military ranks in Tsarist Russia in 1812, for example, included this rank.

This was an assignment officer, which in the USSR and Russia corresponds to the rank of senior lieutenant.

Ensign

We continue to describe military ranks in the royal army. The ensign exists in the armed forces, as well as other security forces in a number of countries. By decree of Alexei Mikhailovich, in the Russian army in 1649, standard bearers began to be called ensigns, who were appointed from among the most physically strong, courageous and battle-tested warriors. Creating a regular army, Peter I in 1712 introduced this rank as a junior (first) rank of officers in the cavalry and infantry. Until 1917, it was awarded to persons who completed an accelerated course at ensign schools or military schools and passed exams according to a certain program. It was allowed to be awarded without an examination for combat distinction to non-commissioned officers who had a secondary or higher education. Warrant officers were usually appointed to the position by platoon commanders. In the Red Army (1917-1946), as well as the Soviet Army (until 1972), there was no equivalent rank of ensign. On January 1, 1972, it was introduced (together with the rank of midshipman) in the Armed Forces of the USSR. IN modern army in our country he corresponds to the position of junior lieutenant.

Captain

Our list of “Military ranks in the tsarist army” is completed by captain. This was the senior officer rank in the cavalry (in the Russian Empire - chief officer). In 1730, in connection with the creation of heavy cavalry, new names of ranks appeared, among which was captain. Uhlans were also transformed into dragoons in 1882, and in order to establish uniformity in ranks throughout the cavalry, dragoon captains began to be called captains. In 1917 this rank was abolished. In the 20th century it existed, for example, in Poland.

These are the main military ranks in the Tsarist Army of Russia.

Just having an argument with a friend about why “marshal” is the main rank in the army? It turned out that this is actually a “groom” from French...

Ensign

Ensigns in the Russian army were originally called standard bearers. From the Church Slavonic language "prapor" is a banner. The title was first introduced in 1649 by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. High rank Russian soldiers had to earn the ensign by their courage and military valor.
The son of Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter I, during the creation regular army in 1712 he introduced the military rank of ensign as the first (junior) rank of chief officer in the infantry and cavalry.
Since 1884, the first officer rank after leaving the military academy was second lieutenant (for cavalrymen - cornet), while the rank of ensign was retained by reserve officers, in the Caucasian militia and for wartime. In addition, soldiers who distinguished themselves during battle could receive the rank of ensign.
Since 1886, lower ranks could take the ensign exam. Candidates who passed the exam were in the reserve for 12 years and annually had to undergo six weeks of military training.
In the fall of 1912, Nicholas II approved the Regulations on accelerated graduation during the mobilization of the army from His Imperial Majesty's Corps of Pages, military and special schools. Now you could become a warrant officer after 8 months of training. Thus, warrant officers became, as it were, “precocious officers,” which affected the attitude towards them in the Russian Imperial Army.
From 1917 to January 1, 1972, the rank of warrant officer did not exist. In terms of status, the “new warrant officers” were higher than the sergeant major and lower than the junior lieutenant. In comparison with pre-revolutionary ranks, the Soviet ensign was equal to the sub-ensign of the tsarist army.
Since 2009, the institution of warrant officers has been liquidated, but in February 2013, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the return of the institutions of warrant officers and midshipmen to the army and navy.
Elistratov’s “Dictionary of Russian Argot” notes that in army jargon, warrant officers are called “pieces.”

The word "sergeant" came into Russian from French (sergent), and into French from Latin (serviens). Translated as "employee".
The first sergeants appeared in the 11th century in England. Only then they called it not the military, but the landowners who carried out various assignments for the king. In the 12th century, sergeants in England were also called employees who performed police functions.
As a military rank, "sergeant" appeared only in the 15th century, in the French army. After this, it passed into the German and English armies, and in the 17th century - into the Russian one. The rank was in use from 1716 to 1798, when Paul the First replaced the ranks of sergeant and senior sergeant with non-commissioned officer and sergeant major, respectively.
In the Red Army, the rank of "sergeant" appeared on November 2, 1940. The peculiarity of the Soviet sergeant corps was that it was not career military personnel who became sergeants, but military personnel conscript service, which, according to the Soviet military leadership, increases the mobilization qualities of the army. This approach paid off - in December 1979, the large group troops for entry into Afghanistan (50 thousand soldiers, sergeants and officers).
Absolutely excellent sergeant system in the US Army. According to 2010 data, sergeants there make up about 40% of the total number of the Armed Forces. Of the more than 1,371,000 members of the US Army, 547 thousand are American sergeants. Of these: 241,500 are sergeants, 168,000 are staff sergeants, 100,000 are 1st class sergeants, 26,900 are master sergeants, 10,600 are sergeant majors.
A sergeant in the US Army is first after God for soldiers and second lieutenants. Sergeants train them and take charge of them.

Lieutenant

The word "lieutenant" comes from the French lieutenant, which translates as "deputy". At the beginning of the 15th century in France, this was the name given to the commanding officers who held the positions of deputy chiefs of detachments, then - deputy commanders of companies; in the navy, this was the name given to deputy captains of ships. From the second half of the 17th century, “lieutenant” became a military rank.
In Spain of the 15th-16th centuries, the same position was called "lugar teniente" or simply "teniente".
In Russia, from 1701 to 1917, the rank of lieutenant was only in the imperial fleet. In the USSR, the rank of lieutenant was introduced on September 22, 1935 as the primary officer rank received upon graduation from a military school or upon completion of a military department in civilian universities. Junior lieutenants are awarded the rank of lieutenant upon expiration of the established period of service upon positive certification.

“Captain” and “kaput” are words with the same root. In Latin caput means head. Captain is translated as "military leader".
For the first time, the title “captain” began to be used again in France; in the Middle Ages, this was the name given to the heads of military districts. Since 1558, company commanders began to be called captains, and the heads of military districts began to be called captains general.
In Russia, the rank of captain appeared in the 16th century. This is how company commanders began to be called. In the cavalry and dragoon regiments and gendarme corps since 1882, the captain was called a captain, and in the Cossack regiments - an esaul.
Until 1917, the rank of army infantry captain was equal to the rank of a modern army major, and the rank of guard captain was equal to the rank of army lieutenant colonel.
In the Red Army, the rank of captain was introduced on September 22, 1935. At the same time, the ranks of captain of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rank and captain-lieutenant (the latter corresponds to the rank of captain) were introduced for the naval personnel of the Navy.
In artillery, the rank of captain corresponds to the position of battery commander (battler commander).

Major is translated as "senior". Che Guevara is also a major, since in Spanish-speaking countries the rank of comandante is equal to major.
The title appeared in the 17th century. This was the name given to the assistant regiment commanders responsible for food and guard duties. When regiments were divided into battalions, majors became battalion commanders.
In the Russian army, the rank of major was introduced by Peter I in 1698. By analogy with the major generals of that time, majors received not one star, as now, but two. The difference between the ranks was the fringe on the epaulettes. For major generals it was a general's one, twisted, for majors it was a staff officer's one, made of thin threads.
From 1716 to 1797, the Russian army also had the ranks of prime major and second major. The division was abolished by Paul the First.
In the Cossack troops, the rank of major corresponded to the rank of "military foreman", in civil ranks - "collegiate assessor".
In 1884, the rank of major was abolished, and majors became lieutenant colonels.
In the Red Army, the rank of major was introduced in 1935; in the navy it corresponded to the ship rank of captain of the 3rd rank.

General and above

“General” means “chief,” but “marshal” translates as “groom” (the French maréchal still means “horseshoe blacksmith”). However, until 1917, marshal was the highest military rank in the Russian army, and after that, from the same 1935.
But besides marshals and generals, there are also generalissimos. For the first time in Russian history, the title “Generalissimo” was granted on June 28, 1696 by Peter I to Voivode A.S. Shein for successful actions near Azov (we are not talking about “amusing generalissimos”). Officially, the military rank of generalissimo was introduced in Russia by the Military Regulations of 1716.
The generalissimos in Russian history were: Prince Alexander Menshikov (1727), Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick (1740), Alexander Suvorov (1799).
After the Great Patriotic War, on June 26, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the highest military rank of “Generalissimo of the Soviet Union” was introduced. The next day, Joseph Stalin received this title. According to Rokossovsky’s memoirs, he personally persuaded Stalin to accept the title, saying that “there are many marshals, but there is only one generalissimo.”

Tables of ranks of the Russian Army

Russian army 1884-1917

The table shows the ranks of army ranks from 1884 to 1917. These are the years of reign Alexandra III(1881-1894), Nicholas II (1894-1917). During the period under review, the ranks in the guard were one class higher than in the army, i.e. The "old" and "young" guards are equal in rank. In 1891, Cossack ranks were established in the Cossack Life Guards and Ataman Life Guards Regiment (before that time, the ranks in these regiments were general cavalry). In 1884, the rank of "major" was finally abolished, and all officer ranks from second lieutenant to captain, in the Table of Rank they increase by one grade. The captain now has a staff officer grade of VIII, but is still listed in the chief officer ranks. Since 1884, the rank of warrant officer has been reserved only for wartime (assigned only during the war, and with its end, all warrant officers are subject to either retirement or the rank of second lieutenant). The rank of cornet in the cavalry is retained as the first officer rank. He is a grade lower than an infantry second lieutenant, but in the cavalry there is no rank of second lieutenant. This equalizes the ranks of infantry and cavalry. In Cossack units, officer classes are equal to cavalry classes, but have their own names. In this regard, the rank of military sergeant major, previously equal to a major, now becomes equal to a lieutenant colonel.

In 1912, the last Field Marshal General, Dmitry Alekseevich Milyutin, who served as Minister of War from 1861 to 1881, dies. This rank was not assigned to anyone else, but nominally this rank was retained ( in 1910, the rank of Russian field marshal was awarded to King Nicholas I of Montenegro, and in 1912 to King Carol I of Romania. Note by A Shisharin 10.10.2000).

After October Revolution 1917 By decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars (Bolshevik government) of December 16, 1917, all military ranks were abolished. At this time, the Russian army was disintegrating. From individual military personnel, from the remnants of units of the imperial army, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Decree of the Central Executive Committee and Council of People's Commissars of January 15, 1918) and armed formations were simultaneously created White Movement(used throughout civil war the rank system presented here), the national armies of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Finland (created their own rank systems).

Army infantry

Code*	Category	Rank class	Rank name
1a	Lower ranks		Private
2			Corporal
3	Non-commissioned officers		Junior non-commissioned officer
4a			Senior non-commissioned officer
4b			Sergeant Major
5a			Sub-ensign
5b			Ordinary ensign
7	Chief officers	XIV	Ensign
8a		XI	Second Lieutenant
8b		X	Lieutenant
9a		IX	Staff Captain
9b		VIII	Captain
11	Staff officers	VII	Lieutenant colonel
12		VI	Colonel
14	Generals	IV	Major General
15		III	Lieutenant General
16		II	General of Infantry
18		I	Field Marshal General

* Read more about rank encoding.

Army cavalry

Code*	Category	Rank class	Rank name
1	Lower ranks		Private
2			Corporal
3	Non-commissioned officers		Non-commissioned officer
4a			Junior Sergeant
4b			Senior Sergeant
7	Chief officers	XII	Cornet
8		X	Lieutenant
9a		IX	Staff Captain
9b		VIII	Captain
11	Staff officers	VII	Lieutenant colonel
12		VI	Colonel
14	Generals	IV	Major General
15		III	Lieutenant General
16		II	General of the Cavalry

Army Cossacks

Code*	Category	Rank class	Rank name
1	Lower ranks		Cossack
2			Orderly
3	Non-commissioned officers		Junior constable
4a			Senior constable
4b			Sergeant
5			Podkhorunzhy
7	Chief officers	XII	Cornet
8		X	Centurion
9a		IX	Podesaul
9b		VIII	Esaul
11	Staff officers	VII	Military foreman
12		VI	Colonel

Army Artillery / Corps of Engineers

Code*	Category	Rank class	Rank name
1	Lower ranks	.	Gunner
2			Bombardier
3	Non-commissioned officers		Junior fireworks
4a			Senior Fireworks Man
4b			Sergeant Major
5a			Sub-ensign
5b			Ordinary ensign
7	Chief officers	XIV	Ensign
8a		XI	Second Lieutenant
8b		X	Lieutenant
9a		IX	Staff Captain
9b		VIII	Captain
11	Staff officers	VII	Lieutenant colonel
12		VI	Colonel
14	Generals	IV	Major General
15		III	Lieutenant General
16		II	General-feldtsechmeister

In class II there were three ranks in the artillery and engineering troops: General of Artillery, General Engineer (General of Engineers) and General Feldzechmeister. The last rank was held by the chief chief of artillery and engineering troops.