Breasted front - an essential attribute of any military orlaw enforcement officer in most countries of the world. How long have they appeared in Russia? How to distinguish them depending on the specific military rank? Are military-style epaulettes different from those worn by law enforcement officers? Are there state standards governing the appearance of insignia in the army and in law enforcement? In this article we will try to give an answer to all these questions, along the way, we will analyze what the mentioned attributes of the junior and senior commanders look like, including the shoulder straps of the major. Photos will also be submitted.
History of Army Insignia
A number of historians agree that beforeAs an army appeared on a regular basis in Russia, the external difference between military officials had very few criteria. The senior and junior ranks differed except for the cut of clothing and the type of weapon. Some modernization occurred in the time of Peter the Great. The officers began to wear boars (breastplates in the form of a scarf, which was attended by elements of state heraldry). At the beginning of the 19th century, uniforms were introduced in the Russian army, which are close in design to modern ("frara"). There were hats, emphasizing the difference in military ranks. Gradually epaulets came into fashion. The officers had the same color and form, while the generals had golden shades. Some samples of epaulettes allowed us to distinguish, say, ober- and staff officers. True, this badge did not say anything about military ranks.
In the 20s of the XIX century on the Russian uniformsoldiers appeared asterisks. One meant that the military had the rank of ensign, two - the major, three - the lieutenant colonel, four - the staff captain. Colonels, however, wore epaulettes with no stars at all. In the 1840s, non-commissioned officers acquired insignia in the form of transversal stripes, something like a pin in the Soviet Army from sergeants.
Epaulets and stars in more or less modernthe form appeared in Russia in the middle of the XIX century. Some historians have attributed their appearance to the introduction of a new type of clothing - a marching overcoat. The shoulder straps, on which galunes and asterisks were sewn (it is remarkable that all officers, including the highest ranks, had the same size), were fixed on the shoulders of the uniform.
After the 1917 revolution, stars and epaulets likeone of the symbols of the royal regime, were abolished. But over time, the military leadership of the USSR began to return to the historical signs of distinction. First appeared stripes on the sleeves, and in 1943 - epaulets. Photos and videos of those years allow to study in detail their features.
Shoulder straps in the USSR Army
In January 1943, the Supreme Decree was adopted.Council of the USSR on the introduction of epaulets for the Red Army. From that moment on, this badge of distinction was certainly present on the clothes of Soviet soldiers, and then Russian ones. Many historians agree that the appearance of shoulder straps in the USSR could be considered a sensation: in a relatively recent situation regarding that moment, this element of military clothing was openly despised by the Bolsheviks, since it was strongly associated with tsarism. In the Red Army, there were two types of shoulder straps (as well as in the imperial, by the way): for wearing in the field and everyday. The first differed camouflage color ("khaki"), trimmed with colored edging.
On shoulder straps designed for everydaywearing the emblem corresponding to the kind of troops, as well as brass buttons. Insignia rank and file sometimes contained the number of the military unit. One of the principal differences, according to a number of military historians, between royal and Soviet epaulets is in the magnitude of the stars. In the USSR, they were larger.
Some historians note the following fact:since the introduction of the shoulder straps in the USSR, the forgotten word “officer”, actively used under the tsarist regime, gradually began to return to the speech of the military. Under the Soviet regime, this category of military was called the commanding and commanding personnel. Sometimes the expression “commander of the Red Army” was used.
Legally the term "officer" was not spelled out inSoviet Union. At first it was used unofficially, in oral conversations. But over time, he entered the army document circulation on quite official principles. True, as noted by historians, in some orders even in 1942 the word "officer" was still present.
Stars on epaulets
In the army of the Russian Empire, in the Soviet troops(after 1943) and the modern armed forces of the Russian Federation as one of the main elements on the shoulder straps are the stars. In different periods of time, their shape and color could be different. There were pure gold stars on epaulets, silver, metal. At the time of their approval in 1943, they were flat, and only over the years they acquired a volumetric shape - they became ribbed, with elements of corrugation. The diameter of large elements - 20 mm, small - 13 mm. At first, the Soviet army was supplied with brass stars, and later - with aluminum ones. Until the early 80s, they had a silver color, then - golden (with the exception of the stars for field shoulder straps - they were dark green and made of steel).
Данные особенности армейских звезд, formed in the Soviet years, remain relevant for modern Russian troops. Changes, if any, are small. Sometimes in the army of the Russian Federation there are stars of a protective color or the usual green. Even in parts made of metal, now in most cases, smoothed edges. Other notable innovations include “false racing”, on which various elements, including stars, are painted. Their use is almost always limited to field form. According to some military experts, the “fake riders” came to the liking of the soldiers because of the convenience - ordinary metal stars could cling to backpacks, vests, shine in the sun and thus give the soldier to the enemy.
The main formats of military straps in the Russian Federation
Внешний вид погонов современных российских officers for the first time was approved by the Decree of the President of the country in 1994 and a similar legal act in 2010 (and its subsequent editions). The symbolism characteristic of the Soviet time (hammer and sickle, the emblem of the USSR) was replaced by the Russian one. According to the standards adopted at the highest state level, shoulder straps should have a rectangular shape (the upper edge - in the form of a trapezoid), have a color - golden or coinciding with the tones of the uniform. On the shoulder straps of various departments there is a piping of a certain color. Also on these attributes of the form there is a button.
In the Airborne Forces, the Air Force of the Russian Federation, spacetroops shoulder straps are equipped with blue edging. In the FSB, the Special Objects Service and the Federal Service for the Protection of this element on shoulder straps are not at all or it is cornflower blue.
Marshal RF shoulder straps have a distinctive feature - the star is located on their longitudinal axis line, and the cant is red in color.
Stars on the insignia of soldiers of the modern armyRF also arranged in accordance with the standards. The shoulder straps of the army general are distinguished by one star, the size of which is larger than that of the lower rank officers, whose title is contained in the word “general”. The color of the edge depends on the type of troops. A similar format have epaulets of admirals of the fleet. They have one star larger in size than those located on the insignia of the vice and rear admirals.
Погоны, утвержденные в РФ, имеют такой элемент, as gaps. Their number depends on the rank of the soldier. The shoulder straps of the colonel of the Russian army and the major contain two lumens. Captain, lieutenant - one.
Soldiers of the RF Army
The lowest military rank approved in the army of the Russian Federation- Private. Officially, it was fixed in 1946, before the soldiers were called fighters or Red Army soldiers. Sometimes when referring to a soldier, other words are added. For example, ordinary justice (in the case of military duty). In the Navy, the analogue of rank of private is a sailor. Soldiers who have achieved some success in the performance of military service may receive the rank of corporal (in the navy - the senior sailor). In the absence of superior commanders, they can control a platoon of privates (sailors). How to determine both military rank by epaulet? Very simple: the rank and file on the insignia has the abbreviation of the sun and there are no additional elements. The corporal has a spike.
The next rank for rank and file -Lance Sergeant. As a rule, corporations get it for any merit or good discipline, sometimes when they leave the army for reserve. In the Navy, the rank of junior sergeant corresponds to the rank of sergeant of the second article. A soldier can reach the rank of sergeant. The same title can get a cadet of the military school. Ranked higher in the ground forces - foreman. An interesting fact is that this title and exactly the same sound in the fleet is not the same thing. In the Army, the foreman is considered to be two notches higher than the sergeant. On the ships - otherwise. There, the foreman is called the military, corresponding to the rank of land sergeant. Above in the land forces - a senior sergeant. In the Navy, he is the chief ship foreman. Then a soldier of the Russian army can be promoted to ensign (in the navy - midshipman), and after that - to gain the title of "senior".
On the shoulder straps of the junior sergeant there is an abbreviation of the sun.and two stripes. The sergeant has three, the older one has one broad strip. The foreman wears shoulder straps with one wide and one narrow spike. Ensigns and midshipmen wear two stars on epaulets, with the rank of elders - three. The location of the stars on the epaulets - in one row.
Junior officers
Под младшим офицерским составом понимается a combination of army ranks, ranging from junior lieutenant (who is considered higher in rank than ensign) to captain (lower in rank than major). Often military personnel present in battalion units, platoons and companies are also referred to as junior officers. Graduates of higher military educational institutions (or students in the last years of these institutions) can be promoted to junior lieutenant. In some cases (for example, if there are not enough officers to perform a certain group of tasks) this rank may be assigned to a graduate of a regular civilian university. However, the rank of lieutenant can only get the soldier who served in the army. Similarly, the rank of senior lieutenant is assigned to military personnel. For junior officers are soldiers in the rank of captains.
An interesting fact is that the location of the starson shoulder straps, and not their number, distinguishes junior officers from members of the army. Here are some examples. The lieutenant’s shoulder straps contain only two stars, while a soldier of lower rank — senior warrant officer — has three. However, the officer stars are located in the neighborhood and across the shoulder strap. While the ensign - in line along. The senior lieutenant has three stars, they are arranged in the form of a triangle, the distance of the stars on the shoulder straps is the same. The captain, in turn, has four stars. Three of them are in the form of a triangle, and another captain of the same size, the captain’s shoulder straps, fit into areas that are closer to the uniform gate. The junior lieutenant wears epaulettes with one star in the middle part of the epaulet (slightly closer to the edge relative to the middle).
Senior officers
A soldier who has received the rank of major mayidentify yourself as a senior officer. An interesting fact is that the words uttered additionally when referring to the military of this rank in stock may coincide with those used when referring to the rank and file. The captain of the land forces in the Russian navy corresponds to a rank with a similar sound, but the phrase “third rank” is added. Above the major is a lieutenant colonel (in the navy, a captain of the second rank), then a colonel (in the Navy, a captain of the first rank).
If when comparing the signs of differences for youngerthe position of the stars on the shoulder straps played a decisive role for the officers and the army, then the size of these elements is of decisive importance for the senior category of officers. Here are some examples. Junior lieutenant has one star on uniform. Surpassing him by several degrees in rank, the major also has one star. But they differ in size. Major's shoulder straps are decorated with a larger star. The insignia of lieutenant and lieutenant colonel are similarly related. Both have two stars. But the senior officer, they are much more.
Exactly the same feature can be distinguished.epaulets of a colonel of the Russian army and a similar insignia of a senior lieutenant. Both have three stars. The junior officer wears those that are much smaller in size. The distance of the stars on uniform is the same. By the way, the captain's shoulder straps are unique in their own way. Only they have four stars. None of the officers have more or the same. As for the comparison of shoulder straps of servicemen of various ranks in the fleet, exactly the same rules apply.
Senior officers
At the top of the hierarchy of ranks in the army of the Russian Federation - the highestofficer corps. The first stage is occupied by Major General (in the fleet he is in correspondence with the rear admiral). These are officers, commanding divisions, which number exceeds 150 thousand soldiers. This is followed by the lieutenant-general (and this is despite the fact that in the lower officer corps the major is more important than the lieutenant). Historically, the lieutenant-general took over the functions of a higher level (for example, some of those under the authority of the army general). In some cases, a representative of the highest officers of the armed forces of Russia may be appointed to the post of the General Staff or the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. As a rule, the military in this category are the rank of colonel-general. In the fleet they correspond to their ranks. The officer at the highest rank in the armed forces of the Russian Federation is the army general, and in the Navy he is a fleet admiral.
To properly distinguish the rank of senior officersfrom junior and senior, you need to take into account many nuances: the location of the stars on the shoulder straps, their size and even color. There are options when it is difficult to make a mistake, for example, if a colonel wears shoulder straps. How many stars on his shoulder straps, we have already noted above - three. The same is true for the senior lieutenant, but their size is smaller. For both military men they are located in a triangle - no one else has this location. There is a high probability of making a mistake when recognizing shoulder straps of a major general. They have one star. Major's shoulder straps also contain a single asterisk. The same situation with the attributes of the uniform lieutenant. It is possible to unmistakably recognize a senior officer by the absence of other elements on his shoulder straps (stripes). Another example is Lieutenant General. Military shoulder straps in this rank contain two stars located along. In the same way as the ensign. But a senior officer has more stars. A similar example is Colonel-General. Epaulets contain three stars - the same as the senior ensign. The difference is still the same size.
Shoulder straps in the Russian police
Ranking by rank and useAs insignia of shoulder straps is used not only in the Russian army, but also in law enforcement structures, including the police. Due to some similarity of activities - military and law enforcement, the principles of the location of stars and other elements on the shoulder straps in the police are generally similar to those of the Russian army.
The rank and file of the police does not have anyitems on uniform. The exception is the insignia of the cadets, on which the letter "K" is present. Above the rank and file in the police table of ranks - the junior commanding staff, represented by sergeants, foremen and warrant officers. The key element in the insignia, characteristic of these titles, are the stars and asterisks. The sergeants, regardless of the level, no stars. The younger ones have two thin stripes, the sergeants have three, the older ones have one wide.
Policeman owns epaulets with one widelongitudinal stripe. The insignia of the ensign is characterized by the presence of asterisks: in the ordinary there are two, in the older - three. They are located in a row. The middle commanding staff is ranked from junior police lieutenant to captain. Their shoulder straps are characterized by the presence of a “lumen” - a red stripe running in the middle. There are asterisks: the first lieutenant has one, the usual has two, the older has three. The captains of the police contain four asterisks. Next in rank is the senior commanding staff. Breasted front for this category of police officers contain two "clearance". Titles differ in the number of stars. On the uniform of a major - one. The lieutenant colonel has two. Colonel's shoulder straps contain three stars. The highest commanding officers are the generals. They wear epaulets without “gaps”, with stars larger than that of middle-ranking officers. Major General - one star. Police officers of a higher rank have more: the lieutenant general wears epaulets with two stars, the colonel general with three stars.
Higher military rank in the Russian Federation
The highest military rank in our country isMarshal of the Russian Federation. It was established by law in 1993 and replaced the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. In the modern history of Russia, it was assigned only once. He was awarded the Minister of Defense of Russia Igor Sergeyev in 1997. The Marshal of the Russian Federation wears epaulets, on which one big star is located, as well as the double-headed eagle - one of the symbols of Russia and the main elements of the national emblem of the country.
Igor Sergeev was born in the Ukrainian SSR, in 1938.In the service in the USSR Armed Forces since 1955. In 1960, he moved to the service of the Rocket Forces, where he made his way from the head of the department to the position of Commander-in-Chief. In 1973 he graduated with honors from the Military Academy. Dzerzhinsky, in 1980 - the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR. After the collapse of the Soviet Union continued to serve in the army of the Russian Federation. In the period from 1992 to 1997, he commanded the Rocket Forces of the country. He perfected the level of combat training of troops, provided technical equipment. He exercised control over the introduction of new missile systems into the army. In May 1997, he was appointed Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. He was a member of the Security Council, the Presidium of the Government of Russia. In November, Igor Sergeyev was awarded the title of Marshal of the Russian Federation. Until now, no one from the Russian military has been awarded him. In 2001, Igor Sergeyev resigned and became assistant to the President to resolve issues relating to strategic stability. He worked in the field of negotiations on missile defense systems, strategic weapons, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. He held the position until March 2004. After a long illness, he died on November 10, 2006. In the Donetsk region (Ukraine) a memorial plaque dedicated to Igor Sergeyev was installed.
