Insignia of the branches of the Soviet army. Insignia of military ranks in Russia

70 years ago, shoulder straps were introduced in the Soviet Union for the personnel of the Soviet Army. Shoulder straps and stripes in the navy were abolished in Soviet Russia after the October Revolution of 1917 by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR (they were considered a symbol of inequality).

Shoulder straps appeared in the Russian army at the end of the 17th century. Initially they had a practical meaning. They were first introduced by Tsar Peter Alekseevich in 1696, then they served as a strap that kept the gun belt or cartridge pouch from slipping off the shoulder. Therefore, shoulder straps were an attribute of uniform only for lower ranks, since officers were not armed with guns. In 1762, an attempt was made to use shoulder straps as a means of distinguishing military personnel from different regiments and distinguishing soldiers and officers. To solve this problem, each regiment was given shoulder straps of different weaving from a harness cord, and to separate soldiers and officers, the weaving of shoulder straps in the same regiment was different. However, since there was no single standard, the shoulder straps performed the task of the insignia poorly.

Under Emperor Pavel Petrovich, only soldiers began to wear shoulder straps again, and again only for a practical purpose: to keep the ammunition on their shoulders. Tsar Alexander I returned the function of rank insignia to shoulder straps. However, they were not introduced in all branches of the military; in infantry regiments, shoulder straps were introduced on both shoulders, in cavalry regiments - only on the left. In addition, back then, shoulder straps did not indicate rank, but membership in a particular regiment. The number on the shoulder strap indicated the number of the regiment in the Russian Imperial Army, and the color of the shoulder strap showed the number of the regiment in the division: red indicated the first regiment, blue the second, white the third, and dark green the fourth. Yellow color indicated the army (non-guards) grenadier units, as well as the Akhtyrsky, Mitavsky Hussars and the Finnish, Primorsky, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan and Kinburn Dragoon regiments. To distinguish lower ranks from officers, officers' shoulder straps were first lined with gold or silver braid, and a few years later epaulettes were introduced for officers.

Since 1827, officers and generals began to be designated by the number of stars on their epaulettes: warrant officers had one star each; for second lieutenants, majors and major generals - two; for lieutenants, lieutenant colonels and lieutenant generals - three; staff captains have four. Captains, colonels and full generals did not have stars on their epaulettes. In 1843, insignia were also established on the shoulder straps of lower ranks. So, the corporals got one stripe; for non-commissioned officers - two; senior non-commissioned officer - three. Sergeant majors received a transverse stripe 2.5 centimeters wide on their shoulder straps, and ensigns received exactly the same stripe, but located longitudinally.

Since 1854, instead of epaulettes, shoulder straps were introduced for officers; epaulettes were reserved only for ceremonial uniforms. Since November 1855, shoulder straps for officers became hexagonal, and for soldiers - pentagonal. Officer's shoulder straps were made by hand: pieces of gold and silver (less often) braid were sewn onto a colored base, from under which the field of the shoulder strap was visible. Stars were sewn on, gold stars on the silver shoulder strap, silver stars on the gold shoulder strap, the same size (11 mm in diameter) for all officers and generals. The field of shoulder straps showed the number of the regiment in the division or the branch of service: the first and second regiments in the division are red, the third and fourth are blue, the grenadier formations are yellow, the rifle units are crimson, etc. After this, there were no revolutionary changes until October 1917 of the year. Only in 1914, in addition to gold and silver shoulder straps, field shoulder straps were first established for the active army. The field shoulder straps were khaki (protective color), the stars on them were oxidized metal, the gaps were indicated by dark brown or yellow stripes. However, this innovation was not popular among officers who considered such shoulder straps unsightly.

It should also be noted that officials of some civil departments, in particular engineers, railway workers and the police, had shoulder straps. After the February Revolution of 1917, in the summer of 1917, black shoulder straps with white gaps appeared in shock formations.

On November 23, 1917, at a meeting of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Decree on the abolition of estates and civil ranks was approved, and shoulder straps were also abolished along with them. True, they remained in the white armies until 1920. Therefore, in Soviet propaganda, shoulder straps became a symbol of counter-revolutionary, white officers for a long period of time. The word “golden chasers” has actually become a dirty word. In the Red Army, military personnel were initially allocated only by position. For insignia, stripes were established on the sleeves in the form of geometric shapes (triangles, squares and rhombuses), as well as on the sides of the overcoat; they indicated rank and affiliation with the branch of the military. After the Civil War and until 1943, insignia in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army remained in the form of collar buttonholes and sleeve chevrons.

In 1935, personal military ranks were established in the Red Army. Some of them corresponded to the royal ones - colonel, lieutenant colonel, captain. Others were taken from the ranks of the former Russian Imperial Navy - lieutenant and senior lieutenant. The ranks that corresponded to the previous generals were retained from the previous service categories - brigade commander (brigade commander), division commander (divisional commander), corps commander, army commander of the 2nd and 1st ranks. The rank of major, which had been abolished under Emperor Alexander III, was restored. The insignia has remained virtually unchanged in appearance compared to the 1924 models. In addition, the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union was established; it was no longer marked with diamonds, but with one large star on the collar flap. On August 5, 1937, the rank of junior lieutenant appeared in the army (he was distinguished by one kubar). On September 1, 1939, the rank of lieutenant colonel was introduced; now three sleepers corresponded to a lieutenant colonel, not a colonel. The colonel now received four sleepers.

On May 7, 1940, the ranks of general were established. The major general, as in the times of the Russian Empire, had two stars, but they were located not on the shoulder straps, but on the collar flaps. The lieutenant general was given three stars. This is where the similarity with the royal ranks ended - instead of a full general, the lieutenant general was followed by the rank of colonel general (was taken from the German army), he had four stars. Next to the colonel general, the general of the army (borrowing from the French armed forces), had five stars.

On January 6, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, shoulder straps were introduced in the Red Army. By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 25 of January 15, 1943, the decree was announced in the army. In the Navy, shoulder straps were introduced by order of the People's Commissariat of the Navy No. 51 of February 15, 1943. On February 8, 1943, shoulder straps were established in the People's Commissariats of Internal Affairs and State Security. On May 28, 1943, shoulder straps were introduced at the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs. On September 4, 1943, shoulder straps were established in the People's Commissariat of Railways, and on October 8, 1943, in the USSR Prosecutor's Office. Soviet shoulder straps were similar to the tsarist ones, but there were some differences. Thus, army officer's shoulder straps were pentagonal, not hexagonal; the colors of the gaps showed the type of troops, and not the number of the regiment in the division; the clearance was a single whole with the shoulder strap field; color edgings were introduced according to the type of troops; the stars on the shoulder straps were metal, silver and gold, they differed in size for senior and junior ranks; ranks were designated by a different number of stars than in the imperial army; shoulder straps without stars were not restored. Soviet officer shoulder straps were 5 mm wider than the tsarist ones and did not have encryption. Junior lieutenant, major and major general received one star each; lieutenant, lieutenant colonel and lieutenant general - two each; senior lieutenant, colonel and colonel general - three each; captain and general of the army - four each. For junior officers, the shoulder straps had one gap and from one to four silver-plated stars (13 mm in diameter), for senior officers, the shoulder straps had two gaps and from one to three stars (20 mm). Military doctors and lawyers had stars with a diameter of 18 mm.

Badges for junior commanders were also restored. The corporal received one stripe, the junior sergeant - two, the sergeant - three. Senior sergeants received the former wide sergeant major's badge, and senior sergeants received the so-called shoulder straps. "hammer".

Field and everyday shoulder straps were introduced for the Red Army. According to the assigned military rank, belonging to any branch of the military (service), insignia and emblems were placed on the shoulder straps. For senior officers, the stars were initially attached not to the gaps, but to a field of braid nearby. Field shoulder straps were distinguished by a field of khaki color with one or two gaps sewn to it. On three sides, the shoulder straps had piping according to the color of the branch of service. Clearances were introduced: for aviation - blue, for doctors, lawyers and quartermasters - brown, for everyone else - red. For everyday shoulder straps, the field was made of galloon or golden silk. Silver braid was approved for everyday shoulder straps of engineering, quartermaster, medical, legal and veterinary services.

There was a rule according to which gilded stars were worn on silver shoulder straps, and silver stars were worn on gilded shoulder straps. Only veterinarians were an exception - they wore silver stars on silver shoulder straps. The width of the shoulder straps was 6 cm, and for officers of military justice, veterinary and medical services - 4 cm. The color of the shoulder strap edging depended on the type of troops (service): in the infantry - crimson, in aviation - blue, in the cavalry - dark blue, in technical for the troops - black, for doctors - green. On all shoulder straps, one uniform gilded button with a star, with a sickle and hammer in the center was introduced; in the Navy - a silver button with an anchor.

The shoulder straps of the generals, unlike those of officers and soldiers, were hexagonal. General's shoulder straps were gold with silver stars. The only exceptions were shoulder straps for generals of justice, medical and veterinary services. They received narrow silver shoulder straps with gold stars. Unlike the army, naval officer's shoulder straps, like the general's, were hexagonal. Otherwise, naval officer's shoulder straps were similar to army ones. However, the color of the piping was determined: for officers of the naval, engineering (ship and coastal) services - black; for naval aviation and aviation engineering services - blue; quartermaster - raspberry; for everyone else, including justice officers - red. The command and ship personnel did not have emblems on their shoulder straps.

Application. Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
January 15, 1943 No. 25
“On the introduction of new insignia
and about changes in the uniform of the Red Army"

In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army,” -

I ORDER:

1. Establish the wearing of shoulder straps:

Field - military personnel in the Active Army and personnel of units preparing to be sent to the front,

Everyday - by military personnel of other units and institutions of the Red Army, as well as when wearing full dress uniform.

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

3. Make changes to the uniform of the Red Army personnel, according to the description.

4. Put into effect the “Rules for wearing uniforms by personnel of the Red Army.”

5. Allow the wearing of the existing uniform with new insignia until the next issue of uniforms, in accordance with the current deadlines and supply standards.

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

People's Commissar of Defense

I. Stalin.

The uniform of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), which was a combination of military uniforms, equipment and insignia, was sharply different from all its analogues that existed in the pre-war years. It was a kind of material embodiment of the abolition of the class division of citizens and civilian (and then military) ranks declared by Soviet power in November 1917.

The Bolsheviks believed that in the free army of the new state of workers and peasants they were creating, there could be no external forms that would indicate the power and superiority of some over others. Therefore, following military ranks and ranks, the entire system of external insignia that existed in the Russian army - stripes, shoulder straps, orders and medals - was abolished.

Only job titles were preserved in the appeals. Initially, two forms of address were allowed: citizen and comrade (citizen battalion commander, comrade platoon commander, etc.), but soon “comrade” became the generally accepted form of address.

When forming the first units and formations of the Red Army, stocks of uniforms stored in the warehouses of the Russian army demobilized in 1918 were widely used. Therefore, the Red Army soldiers and commanders were dressed in marching shirts of the 1912 model, khaki color, approved by Tsar Nicholas II, trousers of the same color, tucked into boots or windings with boots, as well as caps.

They differed from the Russian military personnel and the White armies created during the Civil War only by the absence of shoulder straps, a badge and a red star on the band of their cap.

To develop new uniforms for the Red Army, on April 25, 1918, a special commission was established, which already in December of the same year submitted a new type for approval to the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (the Revolutionary Military Council - the body that managed the military development and combat activities of the Red Army during the Civil War). headdress - the famous “Budenovka”, distinctive insignia for command personnel and distinctive insignia of the main branches of the military. They were approved on January 16, 1919 and became a kind of starting point for a rather long process of creating a uniform that was used during the Great Patriotic War.

The diameter of the sleeve star of the Marshal of the Soviet Union and Army General, together with the edging, was 54 mm. The sleeve star of the Marshal of the Soviet Union and combined arms generals had a border of red cloth 2 mm wide, the sleeve star for other generals had a border in the color of the branch of service (crimson, blue or red), 2 mm wide. The diameter of the sleeve star together with the edging was 44 mm.

The army general's chevron was a single square made of gold galloon 32 mm wide, and in the upper part made of red cloth 10 mm wide. Generals of the military branches were entitled to one square made of gold braid 32 mm wide, with a 3 mm wide edging at the bottom according to the branch of service.

The commanding staff's chevrons, which looked very impressive, were abolished shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, and with its beginning, in the active army and marching units, insignia were replaced by field insignia: all branches of the military were required to wear khaki-colored buttonholes with khaki-colored insignia. The wearing of commissar stars on the sleeves of political workers was also abolished.

A radical change in the system of insignia occurred on January 15, 1943, when, in accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943, People's Commissar of Defense I.V. Stalin issued an order “On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army.” In accordance with this order, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps.

In their form, the shoulder straps of the Red Army were similar to the shoulder straps adopted in the Russian army before 1917. They were a strip with parallel long sides, the lower end of the shoulder strap was rectangular, and the upper end was cut at an obtuse angle. The shoulder straps of marshals and generals have the top of an obtuse angle cut parallel to the bottom edge.

Military personnel in the active army and personnel of units preparing to be sent to the front were required to wear field shoulder straps, and military personnel of other units and institutions of the Red Army were required to wear everyday shoulder straps. Both field and everyday shoulder straps were edged along the edges (except for the bottom edge) with colored cloth edging. According to the assigned military rank, belonging to the branch of the military (service), insignia (stars, gaps, stripes) and emblems were placed on the shoulder straps, and on the everyday shoulder straps of junior command, enlisted personnel and cadets of military schools - also stencils indicating the names of the military unit (connections). Field and everyday shoulder straps of generals and all infantry personnel - without emblems, in other branches of the military - with emblems.

For Marshals of the Soviet Union and generals, the shoulder straps were made of specially woven braid: for field shoulder straps - from khaki silk, for everyday ones - from gold wire.

With the introduction of shoulder straps, the functions of buttonholes were reduced mainly to indicating the military affiliation of Red Army soldiers, while the placement of buttonholes on jackets and tunics was completely abolished.

On the collar of the uniform of senior and middle command personnel there were longitudinal buttonholes made of instrument cloth without edging. The finished length of the buttonholes was 82 mm, width - 27 mm. Color of buttonholes - by branch of service:

infantry - crimson;

artillery - black;

armored forces - black;

aviation - blue;

cavalry - light blue;

engineering and technical troops - black;

quartermaster service - raspberry;

medical and veterinary services - dark green;

military-legal composition - crimson.

On the buttonholes of senior officers there are two longitudinal stripes, sewn with gold thread, intertwined with silver thread. On the buttonholes of middle command personnel there is one stripe.

Rank insignia of military personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red (Soviet) Army
1943-1954

By order of the USSR NGO No. 10 of January 8, 1943, ranks in the medical and veterinary services are changed. They are given ranks similar to those of command personnel, but with the prefix “...medical service” and, accordingly, “...veterinary service”.

By Order of the NKO of the USSR No. 55 of February 6, 1943, new ranks were introduced for the engineering and technical personnel of all branches of the military, as well as for the administrative service and justice. They are given ranks similar to those of command personnel, but with a prefix based on the type of service. For example, captain of the engineering and artillery service, lieutenant of justice, major of administrative service.

In February 1946, the name " Workers' and Peasants' The Red Army" (RKKA) will be changed to the name "Soviet Army", and the rank of "Red Army soldier" will be replaced by the rank of "private".

By order of NKO No. 258 of July 30, 1943, instead of the previously existing division of military personnel into compositions, we recall:
1) Rank and file.
2) Junior command and junior command staff.
3) Command composition.
4) Commanding staff:
a) military-political composition;
b) military-technical personnel;
c) military-economic and administrative composition;
d) military medical personnel;
e) military veterinary personnel;
f) military-legal staff.

In turn, the command and control personnel shared on the:
*middle command and management personnel,
*senior command and command staff,
*senior command and management personnel.

now divided into:
*rank and file,
*non-commissioned officers,
*officers (junior and senior officers),
*generals.

Accordingly, the division into command and command personnel was abolished, and hence the many scales of ranks depending on the composition. Now the officers and generals were divided into:
*command staff,
*engineering and technical staff,
* quartermaster service,
*medical service,
*veterinary service,
*administrative service,
*justice.

All ranks of officers and generals, one way or another, now come down to the following scale:
*Ensign,
*lieutenant,
* senior lieutenant,
*captain,
*major,
*lieutenant colonel,
*Colonel,
*Major General,
*lieutenant general,
*Colonel General.

The last rank is the highest.

Depending on the service, prefixes are added to these ranks (... engineering and technical service, ... justice, ... medical service, etc.), and to the ranks of generals prefixes are added according to the branch of service (major general of aviation , Lieutenant General of Artillery, Colonel General of the Engineering Troops, etc.) or service (Major General of the Medical Service, Lieutenant General of the Aviation Engineering Service, etc.).

In addition, there are general ranks of combined arms:
*army General,
*Marshal of the Soviet Union.

By the Decree of the PVS of the USSR of January 16, 1943 (announced by the Order of the NKO No. 32 of January 20, 1943), ranks equivalent to the rank of Army General were introduced:
*Air Marshal,
*marshal of artillery,
*Marshal of Armored Forces.

By the Decree of the PVS of the USSR of October 9, 1943 (announced by the order of the NKO No. 304 of October 23, 1943), ranks equivalent to the rank of Army General were introduced:
*Air Chief Marshal
*Chief Marshal of Artillery,
*Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces,
*Marshal of the Engineering Troops,
* Chief Marshal of the Engineering Troops,
*Marshal of Signal Corps,
*Chief Marshal of the Signal Corps,

The year 1943 was marked by a radical change in the uniform of the Red Army. Insignia of military ranks on buttonholes will forever go down in history. (all these triangles, cubes, sleepers, rhombuses).

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943, new insignia of military ranks of the Red Army were introduced - shoulder straps. By order of NGO No. 25 of January 15, a new uniform was introduced. The decree clearly stipulates that shoulder straps serve to determine the military rank and affiliation of a serviceman to a specific branch of the military (service).

Private, junior command and command personnel(privates and sergeants).

NPO Order No. 25 determined that shoulder straps serve as a means of determining ranks of non-commissioned officers, as well as belonging of privates to a specific military unit certain type of troops.
The very system of distinguishing ranks through shoulder straps was borrowed from the army of pre-revolutionary Russia. Dimensions, shape of shoulder straps soldiers and sergeants completely repeated the shoulder straps of the tsarist army, but the number and colors of the stripes were different and they denoted different ranks.

From the author. It's interesting that on the new oneSoviet uniform the system was affected by the influence of the Wehrmacht shoulder strap system (colored edgings according to the types of troops around the shoulder strapand the regiment number on the chase).
Yes, there were colored edgings in the tsarist army, but there they did not indicate the type of troops, but their belonging to a certain unit. For example, to the guard.

Shoulder straps are divided into two types:
1. Field ones, which are worn on the field uniform in war and peacetime.

Encryption (letters and numbers) must be stenciled onto the shoulder straps of Red Army soldiers and sergeants, as well as cadets of military schools, indicating that the serviceman belongs to a specific military unit or school.

From the author. All secondary sources indicate, and are confirmed by numerous photographs and memoirs, that the application of encryption was universally neglected. While encryption is quite common on cadets' shoulder straps, they are extremely rare on soldiers' uniforms.
Obviously, if only because the transfer of a soldier and sergeant from one unit to another in our army this was a very common thing, while the Germans did not practice this at all.

In the photo on the right: two Red Army soldiers in uniform and with insignia mod. 1943. Rare photo of shoulder straps with encryption - 112th Infantry Regiment. The photograph can be dated no earlier than 1948, since only this year the issuance of medals “For the Victory over Germany” began. Obviously, these young fighters managed to capture the end of the war and, due to their age, they were not subject to demobilization after its end.

From the author. I knew a man who was drafted in 1939, when the Finnish war broke out. He fought the Finnish War and was subject to transfer to the reserve in 1941. He had to fight the Great Patriotic War and serve as a soldier until 1949 because in the post-war period, due to a shortage of conscripts, there was no one to conscript into the army. Ten years as a soldier...

Field shoulder straps of soldiers and sergeants are pentagonal made of khaki cloth with colored edging according to the branch of service, but without the emblems of the branches and services (!).
Shoulder strap length 14-16 cm, width 6 cm. Narrow stripe 1 cm, wide stripe 3 cm, longitudinal stripe for sergeant major 1.5 cm.
These shoulder straps are intended to be worn on tunics and overcoats if this uniform is used as field (camping) uniform in war and peacetime. Those. During the war, they are worn constantly in the Active Army, and in the rear units only during exercises in the field. In peacetime, these shoulder straps are worn only during field exercises.

1. Red Army soldier (infantry). Since February 1946, this rank has been called "private".
2. Corporal (cavalry).
3. Junior sergeant (armored troops or artillery).
4. Sergeant (aviation).
5. Senior sergeant (technical troops).

From the author. Everywhere we say “branches of troops,” although, to be precise, the category “branches of troops” includes only those who fight on the battlefield (infantry, cavalry, artillery, aviation and tank crews). All the rest belong either to the category of “special troops” (engineering, communications, chemical, railway), or to the category of “services” (medical, veterinary, legal, food, clothing, administrative, housing maintenance, etc.).
Special troops and services only support the combat operations of the military branches.
But what about the “airborne troops?” - the patriot of the winged infantry will exclaim. “After all, there were even airborne corps in the Red Army.” Yes, there were corps, but there were no such troops. The paratroopers of that time, no matter how offensive it may be to today's paratroopers, belonged to the infantry.
The Airborne Forces are essentially not a special branch of the military, but an ordinary one. auxiliary light infantry. The only difference from ordinary infantry is that paratroopers are delivered to the battlefield by air, and they are armed much weaker than ordinary infantry.
Obviously, to emphasize that this is a subspecies of infantry that cannot be assigned combat missions on a par with conventional infantry equipped with heavy weapons, they were called airborne.
But those who land not from airplanes, but from ships, were given not the frivolous name “sea landing forces,” but the weighty, respectable name “marines,” since the whole difference between conventional and naval infantry is that having the same capabilities Just like land troops, sea troops are also trained to land from the sea.
By the way, in the US Army, which many now consider to be a model of what an army should be, the brigades and battalions that make up the 82nd Airborne and 101st Air Assault Divisions are not called airborne or parachute divisions. airborne, and infantry. And according to the American classification they are classified as light infantry.

Colors of field shoulder straps for Red Army soldiers and sergeants (the color of the shoulder strap field is protective):

Branch of the military (service)	Edge color	Color of stripes by rank
Infantry (and combined arms)	crimson	burgundy
Cavalry	blue
Automotive armored forces	red
Artillery	red
Aviation	blue
	black
	dark green	brown
	by color of military branch

From the author. For example, in a tank crew, the tank commander wore burgundy stripes, and the gunner (senior sergeant) and driver (sergeant) had brown stripes because they did not command anyone, and sergeant ranks only emphasized the importance of these positions. Or, for example, the bomber's gunner had the rank of sergeant major and wore brown stripes.

Everyday shoulder straps soldiers and sergeants are pentagonal made of cloth, colored according to the branches of the military, with colored edging, with emblems of the branches of the military and services (brass yellow metal).
Shoulder strap length 14-16 cm, width 6 cm. Narrow badge 1 cm, wide badge 3 cm, longitudinal badge for sergeant major 1.5 cm.
These shoulder straps are intended to be worn on tunics and overcoats when they are used as everyday wear. In wartime, these shoulder straps are worn only in units not assigned to the Active Army, and in peacetime in all cases when field shoulder straps are not worn.
In addition, these same shoulder straps are intended to be worn on ceremonial uniforms.

Colors of everyday shoulder straps of soldiers and sergeants

Branch of the military (service)	Field color shoulder strap	Edge color	Color of stripes by rank
Infantry (and combined arms)	crimson	black	yellow
Cavalry	blue	black
Automotive armored forces	black	red
Artillery
Aviation	blue	black
Technical troops (engineering, chemical, communications, road, railway)	black	black
Medical and veterinary services	dark green	red	white
NCOs in all branches of the military, not related to commanders	by color of military branch	by color of military branch	white

In addition to infantry shoulder straps, they are worn by soldiers and sergeants of units that cannot be attributed to a specific branch of the military. For example, commandant companies, security companies, worker platoons, warehouse platoons.

1. Red Army soldier (307th Infantry Regiment). Since February 1946, this rank has been called "private".
2. Corporal (117th Cavalry Regiment).
3. Junior sergeant (3rd tank brigade).
4. Sergeant (5th attack air regiment).
5. Senior sergeant (650th airborne battalion).
6. Foreman (medical service).

From the author. It is worth noting that the colors of the shoulder straps are borrowed from the colors of the Red Army buttonholes that existed before the introduction of shoulder straps. For example, the infantry buttonhole was crimson with black edging. And the Model 43 infantry shoulder strap is also crimson with black edging. The rank stripes are similar to those that existed in the tsarist army.
Thus, a corporal in both the Tsarist and Red Army wears the same badge. Previously, a junior non-commissioned officer had two stripes, now a junior sergeant. But there are already discrepancies above - three stripes were worn by a senior non-commissioned officer, now a sergeant, a wide stripe was worn by a sergeant major, now a senior sergeant. In the royal army there was a rank that can be equated approximately to the Soviet rank of foreman. This is an ensign who wore one wide stripe along his shoulder strap. But for some reason, when developing shoulder insignia in 1943, they preferred a different insignia, which army wits immediately called the “sergeant’s hammer.” A wide longitudinal stripe on the shoulder straps of a sergeant major will appear in our army only in 1963.

Shoulder straps for military school cadets were only worn on a daily basis. They were not entitled to field shoulder straps.
Along the edge of the shoulder strap, in addition to the bottom one, there is a golden braid (or a yellow braid) for command schools, silver braid (or white braid) for other schools.
On the shoulder straps there are yellow brass emblems according to the type of military service or service of the school.
It should be noted that the braid along the edge of the shoulder strap does not mean the rank, but the fact that the serviceman is undergoing training at a military school. Students of military schools who do not have sergeant ranks are called not “Red Army soldier (private)”, but “cadet”. All other students are named by their rank (corporal,......, sergeant major). Moreover, persons who received sergeant ranks before enrolling in the school retain them. Only the cadet braid is added to their shoulder straps.

1. Cadet (Omsk Infantry School). There is no emblem on the shoulder strap, since the infantry did not have an emblem installed in 1943.
2. A cadet with the rank of corporal (Tashkent Cavalry School).
3. A cadet with the rank of junior sergeant (3rd Saratov Tank School).
4. A cadet with the rank of sergeant (2nd Chelyabinsk Aviation School.

Explanation. The number was given if there were two or more schools of the same type of military in a given city.

5. A cadet with the rank of senior sergeant. (Leningrad Military Engineering School).

Explanation. Throughout the war, the Leningrad Military Engineering School was located in Kostroma, however, by order of the NGO in 1941, the names of the schools temporarily moved to the rear did not change.

6. A cadet with the rank of sergeant major. (military medical school).

Explanation. The sergeants did not have encryption codes on their shoulder straps.

For the first time in the Red Army, in 1943, a dress uniform was introduced for private and junior command personnel, which was a single-breasted green dress uniform made of coarse diagonal wool and trousers made of the same material. The headdress for the uniform was a cap modeled on an officer's everyday cap (with a colored band and colored piping). Everyday shoulder straps were attached to this ceremonial uniform.

It should be noted that on the ceremonial uniforms there were buttonholes on the collars in the color of the branch of service without colored piping. Junior command personnel had on their buttonholes a horizontal strip of yellow (for command personnel) or white (for command personnel) basson. This made it possible to distinguish sergeants from ordinary Red Army soldiers.

The pictures on the left, as an example, show the ceremonial uniform of a Red Army soldier of the engineering troops and below the uniform buttonhole of the command staff and even lower sergeant's buttonhole composition in medical and veterinary services, as well as in all branches of the military, not related to commanders.

The buttonholes on overcoats have lost their function as a rank indicator and have changed their shape. They received a parallelepiped shape and a button at the top. The colors of the overcoat buttonholes completely match the colors of the shoulder straps. Accordingly, if the overcoat is worn as an everyday overcoat, then the shoulder straps and buttonholes are casual, and if it is worn as a field overcoat, then the shoulder straps and buttonholes are field.

In the picture on the right: casual overcoat of an artillery soldier mod. 1943, and everyday and field buttonholes of infantry and cavalry. Note that officers on their greatcoats have exactly the same buttonholes.

Although the dress uniform was introduced by order of the NGO in 1943, however, the first to receive it were the soldiers and sergeants who took part in the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945. This dress uniform began to be supplied to the troops around 46-48. At first, it was worn by soldiers and sergeants in the capital's garrisons and in troops stationed abroad (in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Romania, Czechoslovakia). In the Far Eastern District, in Transbaikalia only since 1950.

Until the summer of 1956, there will be no significant changes in the form of insignia for privates and sergeants.

Middle and senior command and command personnel (officers).

The terms “officer”, “officer staff”, which in the twenties and thirties were used exclusively in relation to the tsarist and white armies and only in a negative sense, are now quite legally used in official correspondence since the fall of 1942 to refer to the command staff of the Red Army, but they will be officially introduced in use only from August 43 ( Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 258 dated July 30, 1943).

It seems that the use of the term officer was primarily due to convenience and greater brevity. Instead of the long and cumbersome “middle and senior command and command personnel”, the short “officers”.
A number of historians believe that the return of the term “officers”, shoulder straps, etc. due to the fact that during the war, Stalin realized the recklessness of the Bolsheviks, who abolished and abolished many traditional concepts, designations, symbols, breaking the historical connection of times, and decided to increasingly use former Russian concepts and traditions. This may be true. But there is no clear information or documents on this matter. What Stalin intended and was guided by when returning much of what was abolished during the revolution, we will never know. Most likely, Stalin was forced to do this by the realities of life.

In the photo on the right: Captain tankman in an officer's tunic mod. 1943 with field shoulder straps. On the chest are two Orders of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd class), the Order of the Red Star, the "Guard" badge and the medal "For Courage".

Shoulder straps for junior and senior officers are divided into two types:
1. Field ones, which are worn on the field uniform in war and peacetime.
2. Everyday ones, which are worn on all types of uniforms, except field ones.

Field shoulder straps middle and senior command and command personnel (junior and senior officers) have dimensions - length 14-16 cm, width 6 cm. But the shoulder straps of officers of the medical, veterinary services and justice are narrower. They have a shoulder strap width of 4-4.5 cm.

Field shoulder straps of officers, like shoulder straps soldiers and sergeants, made of khaki cloth with colored edging according to the branch of service. However, unlike privates and non-commissioned officers, officers have metal stars and emblems of the military branches attached to their field shoulder straps. Clearances are indicated by one or two longitudinal ribbons of burgundy (for command personnel) or brown (for engineering and technical staff and services) about 5 mm wide.
The colors of stars and emblems of military branches are silver (for command personnel) and golden (for engineering and technical staff and services). Asterisks and khaki emblems are not used. The diameter of the sprockets for junior officers is 13 mm, for senior officers - 20 mm. The diameter of the running buttons is 18 mm, khaki color.

From the author. The author was unable to find clear references to the emblems of military branches in khaki colors, from the twenties until 1958 (Order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 70 of March 29, 1958). In any case, officers on field uniform mod. 1943 wear gold or silver emblems.

Branch of the military (service)	Edge color	Clearance color	Color of stars and emblems
Command staff
Infantry (and combined arms)	crimson	burgundy	silver
Cavalry	blue
Automotive armored forces	red
Artillery	red
Aviation	blue
Technical troops*	black
Infantry (and combined arms)	crimson	brown	gold
Cavalry	blue
Automotive armored forces	red
Artillery	red
Aviation	blue
Technical troops*	black
Services
	red	brown	gold
	red		silver
Quartermaster service in all branches of the military**	crimson		gold
Justice in all branches of the military	red		gold

Notes:
* Technical troops include engineering troops, signal troops, road troops, railway troops, VOSO service, military topographical troops, chemical troops, military construction units.
** The quartermaster service includes all supply services (clothing, food and fodder, apartment maintenance, fuel supply), and administrative service.
End of notes.

Officers wear field shoulder straps on their field uniforms (tunics and overcoats) both in peacetime and in wartime. However, there are photographs of officers in jackets with field shoulder straps.

In the picture on the right are field shoulder straps:

1. Junior lieutenant (artillery).
2. Lieutenant (tank units of armored forces).
3. Senior lieutenant (aviation).
4. Captain (infantry).
5. Major (aviation).
6. Lieutenant Colonel (engineering troops).
7. Colonel (infantry).
8. Senior lieutenant of the medical service.

Note: The captain's and colonel's shoulder straps in the picture do not have emblems, since by order of NKO No. 35 of 1943 the infantry did not receive emblems. The infantry will receive their emblems only in 1955.
End note.

From the author. Pay attention to the location of the stars on the shoulder straps of colonels and lieutenant colonels. They are not in the gaps, but are shifted to the edges. It is unclear when the stars were moved to the skylights. A number of photographs from that time indicate that this happened at the end of the war or immediately after its completion. I did not find documents on this subject until 1947(Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 4 of January 31, 1947).

Everyday shoulder straps junior and senior officers have dimensions - length 14-16 cm, width 6 cm. But the shoulder straps of officers of the medical, veterinary and legal services are narrower. They have a shoulder strap width of 4-4.5 cm.

In the photo on the right: a female captain of the medical service in a casual uniform mod. 1943. On the jacket there is the Order of the Red Star, medals “For the Defense of Stalingrad”, “For the Capture of Berlin” and “For the Victory over Germany”.

From the author. Very modest. And my father, who went through the entire war from the first to the last day in the infantry, said that the most terrible place in the war is the hospital, where all the horror, all the pain and suffering of the war are collected in one place. And that doctors, for their courage and incredible ability to just see all this, not to mention work, should be given every month, if not an order, then certainly a medal.

Everyday shoulder straps of officers have dimensions - length 14-16 cm, width 6 cm. But the shoulder straps of officers of the medical, veterinary services and justice are narrower. They have a shoulder strap width of 4-4.5 cm.
Officers' uniforms have a cloth base on a backing made of hard edges. A galloon with colored gaps is sewn onto the base. For command personnel, gold braid with stars and silver emblems, for engineering and technical staff and services The braid is silver, and the stars and emblems are golden (veterinary officers have silver emblems). The width of the gaps is about 5 mm. The diameter of the sprockets for junior officers is 13 mm, for senior officers - 20 mm. The diameter of the running buttons is 18 mm, golden color.

Branch of the military (service)	Color of galloon shoulder strap	Color of edging and gaps	Star color	Emblem color
Command staff
Infantry (and combined arms)	gold	crimson	silver	-
Cavalry		blue		silver
Automotive armored forces		red
Artillery		red
Aviation		blue
Technical troops		black
Engineering and technical staff
Infantry (and combined arms)	silver	crimson	gold	-
Cavalry		blue		gold
Automotive armored forces		red
Artillery		red
Aviation		blue
Technical troops		black
Services
Medical service in all branches of the military	silver	red	gold	gold
Veterinary service in all branches of the military		red		silver
Quartermaster service in all branches of the military		crimson		gold
Justice in all branches of the military		red		gold

1. Junior lieutenant (military topographic units).
2. Lieutenant (infantry)..
3. Senior lieutenant (signal troops).
4. Captain (aviation).
5. Lieutenant of medical service.
6. Major (armored forces).
7. Lieutenant Colonel (chemical troops).
8. Colonel (infantry).
9. Major of the medical service.

Junior and senior officers wear everyday shoulder straps on ceremonial uniforms and jackets, as well as on tunics and greatcoats when they are worn as an everyday uniform.

From the author. In fact, in the Active Army it was supposed to wear only field uniforms with field shoulder straps, but after two years of war everyone was so tired of the dull, dull green insignia, so strong was the feeling that they had finally broken the back of the Wehrmacht, so confidence in victory grew, that everyone who was not exposed to the immediate danger of enemy rifle and machine-gun fire, whenever possible, preferred gold and silver shoulder straps, and caps with colored bands and piping. The generals did not interfere with such sentiments. And they themselves almost never wore field uniforms.
It got to the point that the Headquarters was forced in the summer of 43 to issue a special order instructing generals and senior officers to dress in the uniform of ordinary Red Army soldiers and sergeants during reconnaissance on the front line, so as not to allow German intelligence to determine by observation the time of our offensive and the direction of the main attacks. Everyone began to neglect both camouflage measures and their own safety. The shine of gold shoulder straps and crimson bands are visible very far away.

On the standing collars of the newly introduced ceremonial officer uniforms, horizontal buttonholes in the shape of a parallelogram were identified according to the color of the branch of service or service. The buttonholes had gold and silver embroidered trims. The command staff has gold bars with silver ziz-zags, while the commanding staff, on the contrary, have silver bars with gold ziz-zags. The planks could also be made of metal. Junior officers wore one bar, and senior officers wore two.

In the picture on the right:
1. Junior officer (from junior lieutenant to captain inclusive) of the aviation command staff.
2. Senior infantry command officer (major, lieutenant colonel, colonel).
3. Junior medical officer
4. Senior officer of the command staff of technical troops.

In the photo on the left: a colonel of tank units of the armored forces in full dress uniform (1946).

From the author. Please pay attention to the black buttonholes with two straps , due to senior officers, and colonel's shoulder straps with the emblem of the armored vehicles of tank units.
The stars from the edges of the shoulder strap, where they should have been by order of '43, have already been moved to the gaps. It is not yet possible to determine whether the officers did this on their own initiative or by 1946 it was ordered to shift the stars to the skylights. The shoulder strap, as it should be, is pentagonal. It will become hexagonal later. On the chest we see the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Battle, the medal "For Military Merit", the medal "For Victory over Germany". The last medal is "For the capture of Budapest".

In addition to the buttonholes on ceremonial uniforms, metal decoration was introduced on the cuffs of the sleeves, which was commonly called “coils”.
Junior officers received one reel on the cuff of their dress uniform, senior officers two, and generals three.

The buttonholes on overcoats have lost their function as a rank indicator and have changed their shape. They received a parallelepiped shape and a button at the top. The colors and sizes of officers' overcoat buttonholes completely replicate the colors of the shoulder straps of privates and non-commissioned officers. Accordingly, if the overcoat is worn as an everyday overcoat, then the shoulder straps and buttonholes are casual, and if it is worn as a field overcoat, then the shoulder straps and buttonholes are field.

By order of the Minister of the Armed Forces (as the Ministry of War was called during this period) No. 4 of January 31, 1947, officers transferred to the reserve and retired with the right to wear military uniforms were ordered to wear special 28 mm wide stripes on their shoulder straps. made of galloon in the same color as the stars. Those. on a gold shoulder strap there is a silver stripe, on a silver shoulder strap there is a gold stripe. For reserve officers, the pattern of the braid of the stripe is simple (1), and for retired officers, the braid with a zig-zag of the reverse color (2).

From the author. The idea was clearly borrowed from the tsarist army's uniform system. In the Armed Forces of the USSR this change in insignia was perceived sharply negatively. Many honored officers who retired took this as a mockery and an insult. They began to prefer not to wear military uniforms at all. Therefore, it is extremely rare to find photographs of officers with such stripes on their shoulder straps.
The author was unable to establish exactly how and when these stripes were canceled. But in the order of the USSR Ministry of Defense№105 .according to the uniform of 1955, there are no longer any mentions of such stripes.

There were no more significant changes in the insignia of officers until 1955. The author was unable to find out at what time the pentagonal shoulder straps of officers became hexagonal and at what time the stars on the shoulder straps of senior officers shifted from the edges to the gaps. But in the photographs we can see both shoulder straps at the same time, starting in 1947. Later only hexagonal. The shoulder straps of VOSO officers in the 1951 VM order are shown as hexagonal.

Higher command and command staff (generals).

With the introduction of a new system of ranks and new insignia between the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943, the rank of brigade commander finally went down in history. Let me remind you that the rank of brigade commander and the rank of brigintendant disappeared in 1940 with the introduction of general ranks for command and quartermaster personnel. The rank of brigade commissar disappeared in October 1942 with the abolition of the rank scale for political workers. The rank of brigade engineer also disappeared in 1942 with the transition of the military-technical personnel to ranks close to command. And finally, in January 1943 the titles of brigdoctor, brigvetvrach and brigvoenurist disappeared.

From the author. The abolition of the rank of brigade commander, and later ranks at this level, gave rise to some inconveniences. The fact is that both during the war and now in our army there is such a formation as a brigade (a formation larger than a regiment, but smaller than a division). Due to the absence of a rank in the scale intended for the position of brigade commander, he has to serve with the rank of colonel, like the regiment commander. But his position is still a rank higher than the regiment commander. Moreover, if the positions of deputy regiment commander are lieutenant colonel positions, which is quite logical, then for deputy brigade commanders, lieutenant colonel is not enough, and colonel is overkill.
But the issue of rank for brigade commanders was not raised either then or now.
However, this is also justified. There are few brigades in our army.

The highest rank in all branches of the military and services in January 1943 was the rank of colonel general. The ranks of General of the Army and Marshal of the Soviet Union stood outside the branches of the military and were combined arms.

Generals' shoulder straps are divided into two types:
1. Field ones, which are worn on the field uniform in war and peacetime.
2. Everyday ones, which are worn on all types of uniforms, except field ones.

The shoulder straps of generals are hexagonal in shape and have dimensions - length 14-16 cm, width 6.5 cm (5 mm wider than the shoulder straps of officers). But the shoulder straps of the generals of the medical, veterinary and legal services are narrower. They have a shoulder strap width of 4-4.5 cm.
The stars on the shoulder straps are embroidered with silver thread and have a diameter of 22 mm (for comparison, the stars of senior officers are only 20 mm). Star of Marshal of the Soviet Union with a diameter of 50 mm.
But the stars on the shoulder straps of the generals of the medical and veterinary services, as well as justice, have a diameter of 20 mm and are embroidered with gold thread. In addition, in addition to stars, they wear gold medical and justice emblems on their shoulder straps, and silver veterinary ones.

Field shoulder straps made of khaki silk basson with a pattern of general's galloon.
Field of everyday shoulder straps made of gold general's galloon

The edgings on the shoulder straps of generals of combined arms, tank troops and artillery -
red.
The edgings on the shoulder straps of aviation generals are blue,
The edgings on the shoulder straps of the generals of the technical troops and the quartermaster service are crimson.
The edgings on the shoulder straps of the generals of the medical and veterinary services, as well as justice, are red.

In the picture on the left, top row (field shoulder straps):

2nd Lieutenant General (technical troops or quartermaster service).
3-Colonel General (combined arms, tank troops or artillery).
4-Army General.

Bottom row (everyday shoulder straps):
1-Major General (combined arms, tank forces or artillery).
2nd Lieutenant General of Aviation
3-Colonel General (technical troops or quartermaster service).
4-Army General.
5th Marshal of the Soviet Union.

In the picture on the right are everyday shoulder straps (from left to right):
*Major General of Veterinary Service.
*Major General of Medical Service,
*Lieutenant General of Justice.

Note:
The issued order of NKO No. 25 does not cover the issue of insignia of generals of the engineering and technical staff of the military branches. It turned out that the generals of the command staff and the engineering and technical staff did not have any difference in their insignia.

By this time, both tank armies and air armies already existed in the Red Army. Obviously, the highest military commanders of aviation, artillery and armored forces should be given the rank of army general, i.e. combined arms was considered not entirely convenient. Obviously, therefore, on February 4, 1943, the ranks of “marshal of air force,” “marshal of artillery,” and “marshal of armored forces,” equivalent to the rank of “general of the army,” were introduced for the command staff of aviation, artillery and armored forces.

Accordingly, it was necessary to introduce insignia for marshals of military branches.
By Order of the NKO No. 51 of February 4, 1943, the insignia for the Marshal of the Soviet Union was changed and the insignia for marshals of the military branches was introduced.

Marshals of the military branches are equipped with shoulder straps with the insignia previously established for the Marshal of the Soviet Union, but with the addition of the emblem of the military branch embroidered with silver thread above the star. However, the diameter of the star is
marshals of military branches are not 50, but 40 mm.
On the shoulder straps of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, the coat of arms of the USSR embroidered with colored silk threads was now placed above the star.

In the picture on the left:
1. Marshal of Artillery,
2. Air Marshal.
3. Marshal of armored forces.
4. Marshal of the Soviet Union.

The marshals were also assigned field shoulder straps, on which the field was made of khaki-colored basson with a pattern of general's braid, and the stars and emblems were the same color as on everyday ones.

From the author. The war was coming to a victorious conclusion and there was no longer any need for our senior military leaders to disguise themselves. If officers strove, whenever possible, to wear gold rather than field shoulder straps, then God himself ordered the generals and marshals to show off in gold shoulder straps.
It was the Wehrmacht generals who quickly began to fade after the Battle of Kursk. Soldier's field caps, scanty uniforms of the 1944 model, soldiers' greatcoats, trousers without stripes, leg wraps instead of smart chrome boots. It became quite common for them to hide general's shoulder straps under camouflage muffs.
My father said that in the winter of 1945 in East Prussia, he saw a lonely Red Army soldier walking along the highway, escorting a German general. In response to the question, he answered: “Well, we captured something like a general here, but he was very unsightly and shabby. The guys doubted it. The foreman ordered to be taken to the regiment commander.”

By order of NKO No. 61 of February 8, 1943, artillery generals (but only artillery!) were introduced with artillery emblems on their shoulder straps.

From the author. This privilege for artillery generals was achieved from Stalin by Marshal of Artillery N.N. Voronov, who, after the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad, was held in high esteem by the leader, since he played a very significant role in the defeat of the encircled army of Paulus. And in general, he turned artillery, unlike aviators, into the main fire weapon of the Red Army. Voronov introduced the tactical techniques of “artillery attack” and “barrage of fire.” This is when artillery concentrated in one place smashes the entire German defense to smithereens and the infantry advances without losses across the lunar landscape. At this time, the artillery moves its fire forward, so much so that the explosions of its shells form a continuous wall of fire literally a hundred meters in front of the infantry chains, not allowing the Germans who survived in the depths of the defense to raise their heads.
Voronov, in order to raise the authority of artillery commanders, ensured that the title of the position “chief of artillery” from the division and above was replaced by the title “commander of artillery.”
In my time, artillerymen liked to joke that a division commander was just a commander, but a divisional artilleryman was still a commander.

February 14, 1943 by order of NKO No. 79 to the highest engineering and technical personnel (generals of the engineering and technical service) in all branches troops, to distinguish them from the senior command staff, crimson edgings were installed on their shoulder straps (like the generals of the technical troops and the quartermaster service).

Additional insignia, or more precisely, the distinction between generals and officers, were new-style overcoat buttonholes, which now did not have the function of identifying the ranks of generals. The buttonholes on general's overcoats were identical in shape to those of soldiers and officers, but instead of a colored edging they had a golden edging along the edge. Instead of a star, the coat of arms of the USSR was embossed on the golden button. On the field uniform the field of the buttonhole is khaki, on the everyday uniform the color of the branch of the army is:
*combined arms generals, generals of justice, medical and veterinary services, and marshals of the Soviet Union - red,
*generals and marshals of armored forces and artillery - black,
*aviation generals - blue,
*generals of the technical troops, quartermaster service, engineering and technical service, marshals of the engineering troops and signal troops - raspberry.

On ceremonial uniforms, instead of buttonholes, collars have gold embroidery. The Marshals of the Soviet Union are in the form of oak leaves, and all the others are in the form of laurel branches. And on the cuffs of their ceremonial uniforms, the marshals of the Soviet Union have the same sewing as on the collar, and the generals and marshals of the military branches each have three so-called. "coils".

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 9, 1943 (announced by NKO Order No. 305 of October 27, 1943), additional ranks of senior command personnel were introduced:
*Chief Marshal of Artillery.
*Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces.
*Air Chief Marshal.
*Marshal of the Engineering Troops.
*Chief Marshal of the Engineering Troops.
*Marshal of Signal Corps.
*Chief Marshal of the Signal Corps.

In accordance with the Decree of the PVS by order of NKO No. 307 dated October 26, 1943. insignia for new ranks are being introduced. Chief Marshals in all listed branches of the military receive a thin laurel wreath around the star.
Marshals and chief marshals of the Engineering Troops and Signal Corps have emblems embroidered on their shoulder straps, respectively, of the Engineering Troops and Signal Corps.

The picture on the left shows (from left to right):
*Field shoulder strap of the chief marshal of artillery.
*Everyday shoulder strap of an air chief marshal,
*Everyday shoulder strap of an artillery marshal.
*Field shoulder strap of a Marshal of the Engineering Troops.

During the entire existence of these ranks, not a single case of conferring the rank of chief marshal of the engineering troops and chief marshal of the communications troops has been recorded. In two branches of the military these ranks remained nominal.

The ranks of marshal of the engineering troops were received at different times by M.P. Vorobyov, A.I. Proshlyakov, V.A. Kharchenko, S.Kh. Aganov and two people who had absolutely nothing to do with the engineering troops. This is A.V. Gelovani and N.F. Shestopalov. Both are military builders. Apparently this is how they were rewarded for their “outstanding leadership of the troops” in the construction of government mansions and pleasure country “hunting lodges.”

Marshals of the signal troops at different times were A.I. Belov, A.I. Leonov, I.T. Peresypkin and N.N. Alekseev. Of the four, the last one had nothing to do with the Signal Corps.

From the author. The enormous authority of the officers and generals of our army received during the war played a cruel joke on ranks. Since post-war times, the deeply vicious practice of turning military ranks into a kind of replacement for noble titles has taken root. Military ranks began to be given according to the principle “Well, how can you not please your loved one.” For example, for success in sports (Lieutenant Colonels Vladislav Tretyak and Irina Rodnina). This especially affected the ranks of general and marshal. For example, son-in-law of Secretary General L.I. Brezhnev Yu.M. Churbanov, without serving a single day in the Soviet Army and having the rank of lieutenant colonel of the internal service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (which in the army is not generally considered a military rank), having married Brezhnev’s daughter, very quickly becomes a colonel general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (generally the highest rank in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there is nowhere else to grow) , and then an army general (!?).

The artillery had three chief marshals and ten marshals.
The air force had seven chief marshals and twenty-five marshals.
The armored forces had two chief marshals and six marshals.

In June 1945, the title of “Generalissimo of the Soviet Union” was introduced, which was awarded to I.V. Stalin. However, no insignia was introduced for this rank. General Khrulev A.V. The Chief of Logistics of the Red Army writes in his memoirs that Stalin was presented several times with options for the uniform and insignia of the Generalissimo, but he rejected everything. Soon after the end of the war, Stalin returned to wearing his pre-war clothes and the question of the Generalissimo's insignia disappeared by itself.

By order of the Minister of the Armed Forces (as the military department was called during this period) No. 4 of January 31, 1947, generals transferred to the reserve or retired with the right to wear a military uniform were ordered to wear special 28 mm wide stripes on their shoulder straps. made of galloon in the same color as the stars. Those. on a gold shoulder strap there is a silver stripe, on a silver shoulder strap there is a gold stripe.
For generals in reserve, the pattern of the braid of the patch is simple, and for those who are retired, the braid with a zig-zag is of the opposite color.

From the author. The author was never able to find a single photograph of the general with such shoulder straps. Obviously, the distinguished military generals considered themselves even more offended and insulted than the officers. As soon as such shoulder straps were introduced for retirees and reservists, the Military Councils of the districts began to report to the General Staff about the sharply negative attitude of the officers towards this innovation.
Through special departments of the MGB and territorial bodies of the MGB, messages were received to the top in which it was noted that officers and generals regard this as an attempt to belittle the authority of the command staff, that this leads to a decrease in military discipline, that soldiers and sergeants, seeing the stripes on their shoulder straps, do not give up Such generals are honored, insulted, and called “sergeant general.”
These insignia are not included in the order of the Ministry of Defense on the new uniform of 1955, but obviously one way or another, officially or privately, they were silent.

There were no further significant changes in the insignia of generals until 1955.

July 2017

Sources and literature.

1.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
2. M.M. Khrenov and others. Military clothing of the Armed Forces of the USSR and Russia (1917-1990s). Military publishing house. Moscow. 1999
3. Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 25 of January 15, 1943
4. Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 258 of July 30, 1943.
5. Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 55 dated February 6, 1943.
6. Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 32 of January 20, 1943
7. Order of the USSR NGO No. 32 dated January 20, 1943
8. Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 304 of October 23, 1943.
9. Order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 70 of March 29, 1958
10. Order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 105 of June 30. 1955
11. Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 4 of January 31. 1947
12.Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 18 dated February 13. 1951
13. Order of NGOs of the USSR No. 51 dated 4.02. 1943
14. Order of NGOs of the USSR No. 79 dated 14.02. 1943
15. Order of NGOs of the USSR No. 305 dated October 27. 1943
16. Order of the USSR NGO No. 307 dated October 26. 1943
17. Newspaper "Red Star" No. 5 (5376) dated January 7, 1943.

The period under consideration covers the time from September 1935 to May (November) 1940.

Despite the introduction of a disguised system of military ranks in 1924, the need to introduce a full-fledged system of personal ranks was obvious. The leader of the country, J.V. Stalin, understood that the introduction of ranks would increase not only the responsibility of the command staff, but also authority and self-respect; will increase the authority of the army among the population and raise the prestige of military service. In addition, the system of personal ranks facilitated the work of army personnel authorities, made it possible to develop a clear set of requirements and criteria for the assignment of each rank, systematized official correspondence, and would be a significant incentive for official zeal. However, part of the senior command staff (Budeny, Voroshilov, Timoshenko, Mehlis, Kulik) resisted the introduction of new ranks. They hated the very word “general.” This resistance was reflected in the ranks of the senior command staff.

By the resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated September 22, 1935, the division of military personnel into categories (K1, ..., K14) was abolished and personal military ranks were established for all military personnel. The process of transition to personal ranks took the entire fall until December 1935. In addition, rank insignia were introduced only in December 1935. This gave rise to the general opinion of historians that ranks in the Red Army were introduced in December 1935.

Private and junior command personnel also received personal ranks in 1935, which, however, sounded like job titles. This feature of the naming of ranks has given rise to a widespread mistake among many historians, who claim that in 1935 privates and junior command personnel did not receive ranks. However, the Charter of the internal service of the Red Army of 1937 in Art. 14 clause 10 lists the ranks of ordinary and junior command and command personnel.

It should, however, be noted that there is a negative point in the new rank system. The military personnel were divided into:

• 1) Command staff.
• 2) Commanding staff:
• a) military-political composition;
• b) military-technical personnel;
• c) military-economic and administrative composition;
• d) military medical personnel;
• e) military veterinary personnel;
• f) military-legal staff.
• 3) Junior command and management personnel.
• 4) Rank and file.

Each squad had its own ranks, which made the system more complex. It was possible to partially get rid of several rank scales only in 1943, and the remnants were eliminated in the mid-eighties.

P.S. All ranks and names, terminology and spelling (!) are verified according to the original - “Charter of the internal service of the Red Army (UVS-37)” Edition 1938 Military Publishing House.

Private, junior command and command personnel of the ground and air forces

Command staff of ground and air forces

*The rank of “Junior Lieutenant” was introduced on 08/05/1937.

Military-political composition of all military branches

The rank of “Junior Political Instructor” was introduced on August 5, 1937. It was equivalent to the rank of “lieutenant” (namely a lieutenant, but not a junior lieutenant!).

Military-technical composition of the ground and air forces

Category	Rank
Average military-technical personnel	Junior military technician*
	Military technician 2nd rank
	Military technician 1st rank
Senior military technical personnel	Military engineer 3rd rank
	Military engineer 2nd rank
	Military engineer 1st rank
Higher military-technical personnel	Brigengineer
	Development engineer
	Coring Engineer
	Armengineer

*The rank of “Junior military technician” was introduced on 08/05/1937, corresponding to the rank of “junior lieutenant”. Persons with a higher technical education upon entering the army as technical personnel were immediately awarded the title “Military Engineer of the 3rd Rank.”

Military-economic and administrative, military-medical, military-veterinary and military-legal personnel of all branches of the military

Category	Military-economic and administrative composition	Military medical staff	Military veterinary staff	Military-legal composition
Average	Quartermaster technician 2nd rank	Military paramedic	Military veterinarian	Junior military lawyer
	Quartermaster technician 1st rank	Senior military paramedic	Senior military veterinarian	Military lawyer
Senior	Quartermaster 3rd rank	Military doctor 3rd rank	Military veterinarian 3rd rank	Military lawyer 3rd rank
	Quartermaster 2nd rank	Military doctor 2nd rank	Military veterinarian 2nd rank	Military lawyer 2nd rank
	Quartermaster 1st Rank	Military doctor 1st rank	Military veterinarian 1st rank	Military lawyer 1st rank
Higher	Brigintendant	Brigdoctor	Brigvet doctor	Brigvoenurist
	Divintendant	Divdoctor	Divvetdoctor	Divvoenurist
	Corintendent	Korvrach	Corvette doctor	Corvoenurist
	Armintendant	Arm doctor	Armed veterinarian	Armmilitary lawyer

Persons with a higher education upon enlistment or conscription into the army were immediately awarded the rank of “3rd Rank Quartermaster”; higher medical education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the rank of “Military Doctor of the 3rd Rank” (equal to the rank of “captain”); higher veterinary education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the title “Military Veterinarian of the 3rd Rank”; higher legal education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the title “Military Lawyer of the 3rd Rank”

The emergence of general ranks of the Red Army in 1940

In 1940, general ranks appeared in the Red Army, which was a continuation of the process of returning to the system of personal military ranks, openly begun in 1935, and in a disguised form since May 1924 (the introduction of the so-called “service categories”).

After much debate and deliberation, the system of general ranks of the Red Army was introduced by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940. However, they were introduced only for command personnel. The commanding staff (military-political, military-technical, military medical, military-veterinary, legal, administrative and quartermaster staff) remained with the same ranks, which will be changed only in 1943. However, the commissars will receive the rank of general in the fall of 1942, when the institution of military commissars will be abolished.

Appendix 4.13. Military ranks and insignia of the command and control personnel of the Armed Forces of the USSR in June 1941.

Command staff of the Ground Forces, Air Force, Coast Guard			Navy command staff		Political composition
Rank (by branch of service)	Insignia		Rank	Sleeve insignia (gold)	Rank	Rank insignia in the buttonhole (red star on the sleeve)
	In the buttonhole	On the sleeve
Marshal of the Soviet Union	Big star	Wide golden and narrow red squares
Army General		Wide angle and large star (golden)	Fleet Admiral	Large star, lower wide and 4 middle stripes	Army Commissar 1st Rank	4 diamonds and a small golden star
Colonel General		4 narrow squares and a small star (golden)		Small star, lower wide and 3 middle stripes	Army Commissar 2nd Rank
Lieutenant General, Corps Commander	3 stars or 3 diamonds	3 narrow squares and a small star (golden)	Vice Admiral	Small star, lower wide and 2 middle stripes	Corps Commissioner
Major General, Divisional Commander	2 stars or 2 diamonds	2 narrow squares and a small star (golden)	Rear Admiral	Small star, lower wide and 1 middle stripe	Divisional Commissioner
		1 narrow golden square			Brigade Commissar
Colonel		Wide red square and narrow golden square	Captain 1st rank	1 wide strip	Regimental Commissar
Lieutenant colonel		3 wide red squares	Captain 2nd rank	4 middle stripes	Art. battalion commissar
		2 wide red squares	Captain 3rd rank	3 middle lanes	Battalion Commissar
		1 wide red square	Lieutenant Commander	2 medium and 1 narrow stripes	Senior political instructor
Senior Lieutenant		3 narrow red squares	Senior Lieutenant	2 middle lanes	Political instructor
Lieutenant		2 narrow red squares	Lieutenant	1 medium and 1 narrow stripe	Junior political instructor
Ensign		1 narrow red square	Ensign	1 middle lane

NKVD and GB (except border troops)		Military ranks				Rank insignia only on buttonholes
Rank	Rank insignia in buttonholes (on the sleeve - NKVD emblem)	Military-economic and administrative composition	Medical (veterinary) composition	Engineering and technical staff	Military legal composition
GB Commissioner 1st Rank	4 diamonds and a star	Colonel General of the Quartermaster Service	Armed military doctor	Colonel General of Technical Troops	Armmilitary lawyer	4 stars or 4 diamonds
GB Commissioner 2nd rank		Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Service	Military doctor	Lieutenant General of Technical Troops	Corvoenurist	3 stars or 3 diamonds
GB Commissioner 3rd rank		Major General of the Quartermaster Service	Military doctor	Major General of Technical Troops	Divvoenurist	2 stars or 2 diamonds
Senior Major		Brigintendant	Brigade doctor	Brigade Engineer	Brigvoenurist
		Quartermaster 1st Rank	Military doctor 1st rank	Military engineer 1st rank	Military lawyer 1st rank
Captain GB		Quartermaster 2nd rank	Military doctor 2nd rank	Military engineer 2nd rank	Military lawyer 2nd rank
Senior Lieutenant GB		Quartermaster 3rd rank	Military doctor 3rd rank	Military engineer 3rd rank	Military lawyer 3rd rank
Lieutenant GB		Quartermaster technician 1st rank	Senior military paramedic	Military technician 1st rank	Military lawyer
Junior Lieutenant GB		Quartermaster technician 2nd rank	Military paramedic	Military technician 2nd rank	Junior military officer
Sergeant GB				Junior military technician

Notes 1. Generals of the military branches, in addition to the infantry, cavalry and border troops of the NKVD, had a prefix to the rank of their branch of troops, for example: colonel general of artillery, lieutenant general of aviation, major general of tank forces, communications, and coastal service.

2. The color of the buttonholes for each branch of the army was different: infantry - crimson, artillery and armored forces - black, air force and airborne forces - blue, cavalry - blue, economic and administrative personnel - dark green. The marshal had bright red buttonholes. The NKVD and GB troops had: border guards - bright green, GB - dark blue, all others - crimson. The political composition was distinguished by the absence of a golden frame on the buttonholes and the emblems of the military branch. Sergeants and sergeants had triangles in their buttonholes: junior sergeant, sergeant, senior sergeant and foreman - 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Rank insignia is read from top to bottom.