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WWII sergeant uniform. Insignia of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War

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)
Rank (by branch of service)	In the buttonhole	On the sleeve	Rank	Sleeve insignia (gold)	Rank
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	Rank insignia only on buttonholes
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.

As evidence of a serviceman’s membership in the Red Army in April 1918 year, a single badge was adopted for Red Army soldiers, cadets and commanders in the form of a wreath of laurel and oak branches, inside of which there was a red star with a plow and a hammer. In the summer of the same year, a cockade badge for hats was introduced. It was a five-pointed star covered in red enamel with a plow and a hammer in the center.

As one would expect, the need for additional insignia for commanders of units and units was revealed already in the first battles of the civil war. Therefore in January 1919 The Revolutionary Military Council was forced to introduce insignia, although this contradicted previously adopted decrees on equal rights for all military personnel. These signs included a five-pointed star, triangles, squares and diamonds, made of scarlet cloth. They were sewn onto the left sleeve of the shirt and over the cuff of the overcoat.

When developing adopted in 1924 With the new uniform of clothing for the Red Army personnel, it was considered more appropriate to place insignia of official position on the buttonholes of tunics and overcoats. At the same time, a list of official ranks was developed, according to which command and combat positions were divided into four groups: junior, middle, senior and senior command personnel. For junior command personnel, insignia were introduced in the form of triangles, for middle command personnel - squares, for senior command personnel - rectangles, informally called “sleepers”, and for senior command personnel - in the form of rhombuses.

The sleeve insignia that were periodically introduced and then abolished again had an auxiliary significance for the Red Army servicemen; they were the main ones only for the personnel of the USSR Navy.
By the time the Great Patriotic War began, instead of official ranks such as “platoon commander”, “regiment commander”, etc., personal military ranks were introduced.

All military personnel were divided into command, commanding, junior commanding and junior commanding, private compositions. The command staff included military personnel with a command military rank, and the commanding staff included military-political, military-technical, military-economic and administrative, military-medical, military-veterinary and military-legal personnel.

The system of military ranks established for military personnel of the Red Army and the Navy generally corresponded to the level of development of the Armed Forces of the USSR achieved by the beginning of the war.

The above system of military ranks was in effect throughout the entire period of the Great Patriotic War. The most important changes in it were the introduction of guards ranks for the personnel of guards units and formations (May 1942), the establishment of military ranks for the military-political personnel of all branches of the armed forces, the same as the ranks of command personnel (October 1942), and the establishment of new ones ( unified) military ranks for commanding personnel. In January and October 1943, the ranks of marshals and chief marshals of the military branches were introduced, and in June 1945. The highest military rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union was established.

In operational NKVD troops the same system of military ranks was used as in the Red Army. At the same time, the special ranks of the commanding staff of the Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB) of the NKVD, established in 1935 by resolutions of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, with the same number of positions (eleven), differed sharply from the ranks of the command staff of the Red Army. Due to the fact that the rank of “sergeant” was adopted as the primary rank of command staff of the GUGB, the ranks of lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain and state security major were assigned a significantly higher rank than in the Red Army. For example, the rank of state security captain corresponded to the rank of colonel of the Red Army.

Insignia corresponding to military ranks were placed on the buttonholes. The buttonholes for tunics and jackets were made in the form of strips of fabric 100 mm long and about 32.5 mm wide, together with the edging. The width of the buttonhole edging did not exceed 3-4 mm. The overcoat buttonholes were diamond-shaped with a larger diagonal length of 110 mm and a smaller diagonal of 90 mm. The upper edged sides of the overcoat buttonhole had a concave shape, their length was 65 mm.

In addition to the color of the buttonholes, military affiliation was indicated by the colors of the bands and piping on the uniform, as well as the emblems of the military branches and services placed on the buttonholes. Sheet brass was used to make the emblems, sometimes they were coated in gold or silver. The stars on the emblems were usually covered with red enamel. For fastening to the buttonholes, the emblems were equipped with screws or tabs. It was assumed that the emblems on the buttonholes of the rank and file would be made with stencil paint, but most often the soldiers used metal emblems.

The insignia established for wearing in buttonholes were basically similar to the insignia established back in 1924: triangles (junior command personnel), squares (middle command personnel), rectangles (senior command personnel) and stars instead of the previous diamonds for senior command personnel.

In contrast to the buttonholes of the middle and senior command personnel, the tunic buttonholes of the junior command (commanding) personnel had a red longitudinal gap 5 mm wide, and on the overcoat buttonholes in the middle there was a transverse red gap 10 mm wide. On the petty officers' buttonholes, a gold braid 3 mm wide was located parallel to the edging. A yellow metal triangle was attached to the upper corner of the buttonholes.

The generals' buttonholes were diamond-shaped. The length of the larger diagonal of the uniform buttonhole when sewn was 110 mm, and the smaller diagonal - 75 mm, the length of the edged side - 61 mm, the width of the edge of the buttonholes with gimp - 2.5 mm. The same buttonholes were used to wear on a tunic and tunic. Overcoat buttonholes measuring 115 x 85 mm had a length of the edged side of 65 mm, the width of the edge was also 2.5 mm.

Insignia of junior, middle and senior commanding officers Insignia of junior, middle and senior commanding officers were stamped from sheet metal. On the outside they were covered with red enamel.
The stars for the generals' buttonholes were made of gilded brass. They had a diameter of 20 mm, a regular pointed shape, and a ribbed surface. The star on the overcoat buttonholes of the Marshal of the Soviet Union had a diameter of 50 mm, on the buttonholes of the uniform and jacket - 44 mm. The star of a regular pointed shape was embroidered with gold threads, the embroidery is continuous, convex, all the outer edges are bordered by perpendicular embroidery with thin threads.

In addition to insignia in buttonholes for the command staff of the Red Army in July 1940 sleeve insignia in the form of gold galloon squares (chevrons) were introduced. In addition to chevrons, the sleeve insignia provided for senior command personnel also included an embroidered gold star with a border located above the chevron. Commanding officers were not given sleeve insignia. An exception was made only for the political staff - political workers wore red stars with a hammer and sickle on their sleeves.

The Marshal of the Soviet Union chevron had the appearance of double reliefs embroidered in gold satin stitch on scarlet cloth. In the middle of them were placed two crossed laurel branches, embroidered with sequins. This sign had the following finished dimensions: the width of the top and bottom edging was 3 mm, the gold embroidery after the edges was 15 mm wide, the middle part, on which laurel branches were embroidered, was 22 mm wide.

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.

The entire period of the existence of the USSR can be divided into several stages based on various epoch-making events. As a rule, changes in the political life of the state lead to a number of fundamental changes, including in the army. The pre-war period, which is limited to 1935-1940, went down in history as the birth of the Soviet Union, and special attention should be paid not only to the state of the material part of the armed forces, but also to the organization of the hierarchy in management.

Before the beginning of this period, there was a kind of disguised system by which the military ranks of the Soviet army were determined. However, quite soon the question arose about creating a more advanced gradation. Although ideology did not allow the direct introduction of a structure similar to the one currently in use, for the reason that the concept of an officer was considered a relic of the tsarist era, Stalin could not help but understand that such a ranking would help clearly establish the boundaries of the duties and responsibilities of commanders.

The modern approach to the organization of army subordination has one more advantage. The activities of personnel are greatly facilitated, since it was possible to develop individual functionality for each rank. It should be noted here that the transition to the introduction of officer ranks has been prepared for several years. The very fact that such concepts as “officer” or “general” were returning into use was perceived critically by military leaders.

Military ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army

In 1932, a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars was issued, according to which the previously existing division into conventional categories was abolished. By December 1935, the transition to ranks was completed. But until 1943, the ranks of privates and junior officers still included job titles. The entire contingent was divided into the following categories:

command staff;
military-political;
commander;
military-technical;
economic or administrative;
medical and veterinary;
legal;
private.

If you imagine that each squad had its own specific ranks, it becomes clear that such a system was considered quite complex. By the way, it was only possible to finish off its remains closer to the 80s of the 20th century. Reliable information on this issue can be obtained from the edition of the military regulations of the Red Army Armed Forces dated 1938.

Stalin's strange decision

The totalitarian regime, which was especially pronounced during the Great Patriotic War, did not even allow thoughts contrary to the opinion of I.V. Stalin, and his decision to return shoulder straps and officer ranks to the Red Army was openly criticized not only in the foreign press, but also by the most prominent representatives of the Soviet command.

Reform in the army took place during the hottest stages of the war. At the beginning of 1943, the officers “returned” to their previous ranks and shoulder straps. Dissatisfaction was caused by the fact that the builders of communism had long ago renounced these archaisms.

By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Court, a corresponding Decree was adopted. Until now, historians consider such a decision somewhat strange.

Firstly, only a person who clearly understands the ultimate goals can decide to reform the army during a period of active hostilities.
Secondly, there is a certain risk that the soldiers will feel certain steps backward, which will significantly break their morale.

Although the end justifies the means, there is always a percentage probability of a positive outcome of the reform. Naturally, the Western press saw in this the first notes of the Soviet Union's loss in World War II.

It cannot be assumed that the new shoulder straps were an exact copy of the shoulder straps of Tsarist Russia, both the designations and the ranks themselves were significantly different. The lieutenant replaced the second lieutenant, and the captain replaced the staff captain. Personally, Stalin was the initiator of the idea of using stars on shoulder straps of different sizes.

For example, the highest ranks in the USSR army have since that time been designated by large stars (marshal - one star with a coat of arms). Only later did history reveal the real reason for the leader’s decision. At all times, the era of Peter's reforms was revered and evoked a feeling of patriotism. A return to that scheme establishing the rank of each soldier was supposed to inspire the soldiers of the Red Army. Despite the war, the USSR was preparing for the Great Victory, which means that Berlin had to be taken by officers whose ranks were consistent with the ranks of the allied countries. Was there a political motive to this? Definitely yes.

Military ranks in the 50s - 80s of the century

Shoulder straps and ranks in the USSR army were revised more than once until the end of its existence. Almost every decade in history has been marked by reforms. Thus, in 1955, the title “Admiral of the Fleet” was abolished, and the title “Admiral of the USSR Fleet” was established. Later, everything returned to its place with the interpretation “... for consistency between the ranks of senior officers.”

In the sixties, it was decided to designate education by adding the specialty of engineer or technician. The complete hierarchy looked like this:

junior engineer lieutenant – engineer-captain;
Major Engineer and further respectively.
junior technical lieutenant - technical service captain;
Major of Technical Services and further accordingly.

By the mid-eighties, the idea had matured to completely remove the previously existing line between command personnel, to equate the ranks of military personnel with different education levels, to establish a single training profile, and to bring the ranks of the ground forces and naval forces into line. Moreover, this correspondence does not consist only in consonance. The fact is that exercises are increasingly being held in which several branches of the military are involved simultaneously. For effective management of the army, the names of these branches began to be excluded from ranks. By a resolution of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, military ranks in the Soviet army ceased to contain special articles.

Since 1969, the procedure for wearing military uniforms has been introduced. It is now divided into front, everyday, field and work. Work uniforms are required only for privates and non-commissioned officers undergoing military service. The shoulder straps of military personnel of the ground forces, air force and navy differ in color. For the category of sergeants, foremen, warrant officers and midshipmen, the following standard is established: SV - red shoulder straps, Air Force - blue, USSR Navy shoulder straps - black.

The corporal in pursuit wears a cloth stripe located across. The SV and Air Force shoulder straps contain the letters SA, which stands for “Soviet Army.” Navy shoulder straps are distinguished not only by color, but also by the presence of a gilded letter F. Since 1933, on the shoulder straps of a petty officer, the stripe has been located lengthwise, and before that it was supplemented by a transverse stripe, forming something like the letter “T”. Receiving the new rank of senior warrant officer since 1981 is accompanied by the addition of a third star on the shoulder strap.

By the way, in the modern army the warrant officer's stars are arranged transversely, and the senior warrant officer's stars form a triangle. During the Soviet era, these stars were lined up along the shoulder strap.

The shoulder straps for the officers' dress uniform were made in gold. The edgings and stripes had the same color differences as in the previous categories. Before the 1974 reforms, the army general wore shoulder straps with four stars. After the transformations, they were replaced by one large star together with the coat of arms of the USSR. The same can be said about Navy veterans.

Senior officers with the rank of marshal, in addition to the star on their shoulder straps, wore a special badge indicating the type of military service. Accordingly, it was added to the rank as an addition. This provision has been abolished only in the Russian army, which was formed in 1992. The highest rank in the Soviet Union is Generalissimo. Today the President of the Russian Federation is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and the marshal is considered the second in importance in the hierarchy.

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 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.

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.

For the first time, military ranks appeared in the middle of the 16th century in the Streltsy army (1):
- Sagittarius;
- foreman;
- Pentecostal;
- centurion;
- half-head (five hundred head, later half-colonel and lieutenant colonel);
- head of the order (later regiment commander, colonel);
- voivode (chief of the streltsy detachment);
- Streltsy head (chief of all Streltsy parts of a city or county).

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

II. Period XVII-XVIII centuries.

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

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

III. Period 1722-1917

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

IV. Period 1917-1924

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

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

V. Period 1924-1935

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

Persons who held combat positions up to the flight commander and corresponding to them were called “ordinary Red Army soldiers.”

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

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

VI. Period 1935-1940

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

1. The command staff included commanders of units, units, formations, as well as persons who held positions in units and institutions of the Red Army, the performance of which required mandatory command experience and appropriate military training.

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

The same Resolution introduced the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

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

VII. Period 1940-43

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

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

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

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

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

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

May 21, 1942 By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, guards ranks were introduced. Military personnel who received such ranks began to be called: guard Red Army soldier, guard sergeant, guard major, etc. Military personnel of guards units and formations are equipped with a "Guard" badge to be worn on the right side of the chest (2).

On July 14, 1942, distinctive signs were introduced for military personnel wounded on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. The distinctive sign for wounds was a rectangular patch 43 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, made of silk braid: for a light wound - dark red, for a severe one - golden. Worn on the right side of the chest (2).

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

The ranks of “Red Armyman” and “Red Navy” were abolished in July 1946 and were replaced by the ranks of “private” and “sailor”, respectively.

VIII. Period 1943-1945

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

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

On June 26, 1945, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the title of Generalissimo was introduced, which on June 27, 1945 was awarded to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR I.V. Stalin.

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

Before the Great Patriotic War, military ranks from junior lieutenant to colonel inclusive and their corresponding command staff were assigned by Orders of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR and the People's Commissar of the Navy.

The war required greater efficiency in resolving issues of assigning military ranks in the Army and Navy. In order to quickly assign military ranks to commanding officers and Red Army soldiers who distinguished themselves in battles for their Motherland, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 18, 1941 granted the right to assign military ranks:

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

Military Councils of armies - up to and including senior lieutenant, political instructor and their equals.

The right was also granted to the Military Councils of fleets and flotillas to assign by their orders military ranks up to and including senior lieutenant.

Additionally, by Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 0356 of September 20, 1941, the right was granted to the heads of the main departments and directorates of the People's Commissariat of Defense to assign by their orders military ranks up to and including major. The same right was granted to the Military Councils of the districts. Deputy People's Commissars of Defense had the right to confer the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank of colonel was still awarded by the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense, and the rank of general - by Government Decree.

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

Recertification of commanding personnel for new military ranks was carried out without certification commissions, but with the mandatory conclusion of the Military Councils. When recertifying, service experience, military and special education, participation in combat operations and length of service in the old rank were taken into account. During the recertification period, a reduction in rank was allowed, but no more than one step compared to the existing rank of the person being certified, if he did not meet the requirements specified above.

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

On July 24, 1943, a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued, which for the first time in the army and navy established a clear division of military personnel into privates, sergeants, officers and generals. This Decree for the first time established the title “officer” in the Red Army and the Red Navy, and all military ranks began to be called officer ranks.

The decree defined a new procedure for assigning military ranks. If earlier the primary officer rank could be awarded to all those enlisted in the army from among the rank and file and junior commanding officers, now only military personnel who received the appropriate military education were promoted to officer, and only in exceptional cases was it possible to assign the primary officer rank to military personnel without military education for their actions They have a special ability to command in battle.

The right to assign regular military ranks was removed from the commanders of the military districts; they were allowed by their orders to assign only primary officer ranks to persons who had completed the district courses for junior lieutenants.

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

For non-commissioned officers and privates, for demonstrated ability to command in battle - by orders of front commanders and, in exceptional cases, by orders of army commanders;

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

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

The right to assign all subsequent officer ranks was granted by the Decree to:

Army commanders - up to and including senior lieutenant;

Front commanders - up to and including major;

Commanders of military branches, heads of the Main Personnel Directorate, the Main Political Directorate and the Chief of Logistics of the Red Army - up to and including lieutenant colonel. The rank of colonel was still assigned by the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense, the ranks of general and admiral - by Government Decree, the ranks of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshals of the Armed Forces - by Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

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

The length of service in military ranks of the command staff of the army and navy in the Great Patriotic War is given in table 15.

Statistics on the assignment of military ranks during the Great Patriotic War are given in tables 16 and .

Sources of information:

1. "Soviet Military Encyclopedia", vol. 3, M.: Voenizdat, 1978.

2. “Illustrated description of uniforms and insignia of the Red and Soviet Army (1918-1945)”, compiled by O.V. Kharitonov, L.: publication of the Artillery Historical Museum of the State Autonomous Institution of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 1960.

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

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

5. “Military personnel of the Soviet state in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Reference and statistical materials,” according to the general editorship of A.P. Beloborodov, M.: Voenizdat, 1963.

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