Shoulder straps of the imperial army. Russian military costume in Russia XVIII - early XX century

North, Jonathan.
H82 Soldiers of the First World War 1914-1918. Uniform, insignia,equipment and weapons / Jonathan North; [per. from English. M. Vitebsky]. —Moscow: Eksmo, 2015. - 256 p.ISBN 978-5-699-79545-1
"Soldiers of the First World War" - a complete encyclopedia of the history of military uniformsand equipment of the armies that fought on the fronts of the "Great War". On her pagesthe uniforms of not only the main countries of the Entente and the Triple Alliance are shown(England, France, Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary), but in general all countriesembroiled in this terrible conflict.

Previous and subsequent publications of North Jonathan's book

ELITE INFANTRY, Page 130
In addition to the guards infantry, the Russian army had other elite units. The first among them in 1914 were 16 grenadier regiments. Four more regiments were formed in 1917 (from the 17th to the 20th). Other regiments were added to these, as well as several battalions formed from veterans or honored and decorated infantrymen.
Rice. one
Grenadier regiments
At first, recruits were selected by height and physical data. Selection for the 1st and 13th Regiments, known as the Life Grenadiers, was even more difficult. In 1914, the soldiers of the grenadier regiments wore a uniform reminiscent of the uniform of their counterparts from the line infantry units. Their marching caps had visors and imperial cockades. However, sometimes peacetime options were worn at the front - without a visor and with bright bands, as well as caps (toward the end of the war. - Note. ed.). In the grenadiers
regiments wore greenish khaki uniforms and tunics - on some, the incision on the chest could have a red edging (in particular, for officers), as well as trousers or khaki breeches. Grenadiers wore waist belts with characteristic buckles (frombronze or white metal, depending on the color of the regimental buttons), on which the emblem of a flaming grenada was applied. In most ordinary regiments, a double-headed eagle flaunted on the buckle. For most of the privates, the equipment consisted of a greatcoat rolled into a roll and two pouches, each for 30 rounds. Officers carried revolversin a brown holster with a lanyard (silver) attached to the handle.
The main characteristic feature of the regiment was epaulettes with colored piping and ciphers. The colored side of the shoulder strap in the grenadier regiments was bright yellow. She served as a substrate for the gold galloon on officer epaulettes in the first twelve regiments and for the silver in the remaining eight. The ciphers on the shoulder straps of the lower ranks were red, on officer shoulder straps - gold or silver, depending on the color of the regimental buttons. Buttons in the first twelve shelves were gold, in the remaining eight - silver.
The insignia of the ranks did not differ from the usual infantry ones (a combination of stars and stripes). The color of the edging is indicated in the table.

Wartime changes included the introduction of an Adrian helmet with an eagle cockade, a Russian-made helmet, and a cap.
In August 1914, in the 8th regiment, the monogram of the Duke of Mecklenburg was replaced by the letter "M" (in honor of Moscow). In the spring of 1917, it was decided in several regiments to replace the monograms of royal persons with letters related to the name of the regiment. For example, in the 12th
The letter "A" was chosen for the Astrakhan regiment (in honor of the city of Astrakhan).
Soldiers of the grenadier artillery and engineering units (which were part of the grenadier divisions. — Note. ed.) wore scarlet epaulettes, not yellow like their infantry colleagues.

Other parts
The growth in the number of elite units towards the end of the war is poorly documented. In the summer of 1917, there was a hasty formation of "shock battalions" or "death battalions".
Many of them continued to exist even after the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. The battalions had different emblems, but most often a skull was used as such.

INFANTRY
Russia had a huge army and numerous infantry. Therefore, it had to be equipped in a practical and economical way.
Fig.2
Years of change
The equipment and uniforms of the Russian infantry changed little between 1914 and 1917 (with a few rather significant exceptions), which cannot be said about the first years of the 20th century. Partly due to the spirit of reform then prevailing in Europe, and partly due to the personal interest of the emperor in uniform, long before the start of the war in August
1914 in Russia, several large-scale reforms of uniforms were carried outfoot soldiers. The defeat by Japan required prompt changes to the uniform. Russian troops fought with their eastern neighbor in white or dark green (and even black) uniforms. Despite the fact that the uniform of ordinary soldiers and non-commissioned officers was quite simple and economical, it was not always practical. In 1906, the Russian War Ministry promptly tested several options for khaki uniforms and in 1907 decided to switch to greenish khaki uniforms, bloomers and caps. Due to supply issuesand the influence of climatic conditions, it was very difficult to maintain the desired shade.

Most of the uniforms of the Russian infantry were supposed to be greenish-brown, but after washing and as a result of discoloration, bloomers and uniforms could acquire a color very close to beige. Uniforms were produced in different cities of the empire in five sizes. Initially, the uniform was sewn from cotton fabric and cloth (for winter uniforms) with a stand-up collar. The uniform met quite often until 1912, when they began to gradually abandon it, but it could be seen on soldiers during the war.
The uniform was replaced by a long shirt or tunic, which appeared in 1907, after which its mass entry into the troops began. On early modifications, the bar was located on the left, later it was shifted to the center, in the samples of 1914 and 1916. there were minor changes (hidden buttons and pockets appeared). Most often in 1914 there were tunics of the 1912 model with a collar fastened with two buttons (horn or wooden) and a placket, also fastened with two buttons. The need for these tunics was so strong that they were produced in several variations: some had pockets, some had slits at the back, some had turn-down cuffs.
Officers usually wore tailor-made uniforms (tunics) of a greenish hue with breast pockets. These uniforms were sewn from better material, as well as tunics, if suddenly the officers considered it necessary to dress in the same way as their subordinates. Later, uniforms of the "French" type were popular among officers.

Shoulder straps
Shoulder straps were fastened on the shoulders to a uniform or tunic. As a rule, they were rigid and bilateral. One side was colored, the other side was khaki. On both sides, the regiment number or monogram was usually located if the regiment had a chief - a member of the imperial family or a foreign monarch. Sometimes the khaki side was left blank.The colored side could be of two colors, depending on the position of the regiment in the division or brigade. In the regiments of the first brigade, the divisions wore red shoulder straps, in the second brigade - blue.Regimental insignia on shoulder straps (numbers and monograms) were yellow on red shoulder straps and white on blue shoulder straps. On the side of the protective color, the insignia were applied in yellow.

Non-commissioned officers had transverse dark orange stripes on shoulder straps (ensigns had yellow or white metal galloons). Officers wore stiff epaulettes of the same color as their subordinate soldiers and non-commissioned officers. A gold or silver galloon was superimposed on the officer's epaulettes and insignia (a combination of stars and gaps) were attached. On the shoulder straps of the khaki color, the encryptions were of bronze color. Losses among the officers forced them to switch to less obvious signslychia, including soft shoulder straps instead of hard ones. Volunteers (voluntaryflowing) wore epaulettes trimmed with braided black-orange-whitecord. In the regiments that, as of 1914, had chiefs - members of the German or Austro-Hungarian imperial families (for example, the 6th Infantry Libau of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia), their monograms were removed from shoulder straps and replaced with regimental numbers.

Other differences
In winter, Russian infantrymen wore overcoats made of wool of various shades from gray to grayish brown. They were mostly single-breasted (Model 1911) or hook and loop (Model 1881), with lapels. The overcoat was often used as a blanket. She, as a rule, was rolled up together with a raincoat and worn over her shoulder (usually both ends were tied and put into a bowler hat). When the overcoat was put on, the cape was also worn rolled over the shoulder. When the temperature dropped to -5 ° C, the soldiers were allowed to put on a cap (hood). It was tied in front with long ribbons that were tucked into the waist belt. The hood itself hung freely on the soldier's back. Sometimes epaulettes were worn on overcoats, slightly larger in size than epaulettes on a tunic. Awards and regimental insignia were worn on the chest of a uniform or overcoat.

Hats
The infantrymen wore caps of the style introduced in 1907 and changed in 1910. They were khaki with a black visor (usually dyed green or brown) and lost their uniform after some time. Officers wore stiffer caps with a chin strap, non-commissioned officers sometimes too. Ordinary soldiers did without chin straps. On the front of the cap was an oval-shaped imperial cockade (the center was black, then concentric stripes of orange (or gold), black and orange). Non-commissioned officer cockades were larger and had a wide silver strip along the edge. The officer's cockade was similar to the non-commissioned officer's, but had jagged edges and a more convex front. In winter, they wore hats made of fur or poyarka. Such hats were called hats, they could be of various shapes and colors (usually gray or brown). The papakha had a khaki top and an imperial cockade in front. In addition, it had lapels that covered the neck and ears, giving them the protection needed during the Russian winter. The design of the hat turned out to be so successful that it was used for most of the 20th century.

There are misunderstandings in the picture "Infantry cockades" !!!

Since 1916, the French Adrian helmets with a cockade in the form of a double-headed eagle began to be used in the Russian army, but they, as a rule, went to elite regiments and officers. The steel helmet (Solberg model 1917) was developed and produced in 1917 by the Solberg and Holmberg company in Helsinki (in those years, Finland was part of
Russia) in small batches. Russian soldiers also used captured German and Austrian helmets (this statement is true for the period of the Civil War. — Note. ed.).
In 1907, bloomers of the same color as the uniform were introduced. They were loose at the hips and tighter around the shins. On the outside of the officers' trousers, there was sometimes a khaki edging. Bloomers were sewn from cotton fabric or cloth and worn tucked into black leather boots. Instead of socks, strips of fabric were used, which were tightly wrapped around the feet and ankles (footcloths). Footcloths were much cheaper than socks and more comfortable (if they were wound correctly). They were easier to wash and dried faster, which is important in combat conditions.
Fig.3
Equipment and ammunition
The equipment of the Russian infantryman was quite simple. The knapsacks were not usually used - they went to the guardsmen. Soldiers wore brown or black belts with double-headed eagle buckles. On both sides of the buckle there was one brown pouch (sample 1893) with 30 rounds each. Sometimes bandoliers were used with extra ammo. Most of the soldiers had a bowler hat or aluminum flask on a strap, a sapper shovel (Linnemann designs with a leather case) and a bread bag or duffel bag.(for example, sample 1910) from a light brown or white linen. It contained spare clips and personal items. Gas masks came into use at the end of 1915. These could be both gas masks imported from the Allied states, and gas masksZelinsky (the first effective gas mask with a carbon filter) in an aluminum container.
Officers wore brown waist belts (with a frame buckle) with or without a shoulder harness adopted in 1912. Their equipment included binoculars (manufactured by the German company Zeiss), a revolver in a leather holster, a field bag, a saber (1909 model) or, since 1916, a dagger in a black sheath.

Rifle regiments
As part of the Russian army, there were a considerable number of rifle regiments, which in fact differed little from ordinary linear infantry regiments. Among them were ordinary rifle regiments, Finnish rifle regiments, Caucasian rifle regimentsregiments, Turkestan rifle regiments and Siberian rifle regiments. During the war, Latvian rifle regiments were formed. Soldiers of rifle regimentswas distinguished by crimson shoulder straps. The backing of officer epaulettes was of the same color.In addition, there were encryptions on the chase (regiment number or monogram). In addition, on the shoulder straps of the soldiers of the Turkestan regiments, in addition to the number, the letter "T" was placed, in the Latvian regiments - the Russian letter "L", in the Siberian - "C". On the shoulder straps of the 13th Infantry Regiment, the cipher "НН" (in Cyrillic) and the number 13 were placed, in the 15th regiment - the cipher "HI" and the number 15, and in the 16th - the cipher "AIII" and the number 16 under it. The 1st Caucasian regiment had the code "M". Ciphers (monograms) of the Siberian regiments are indicated in the table below.

Buttonholes were located on the collar of the arrow's overcoat, which, as a rule, were black with a crimson edging. A button was sewn on the buttonhole of the non-commissioned officer's overcoat. Stripes (gold or dark orange) were located across the shoulder strap.
The shooters wore the same caps as the soldiers of the infantry regiments, in winter - the same hats. They could be of different shapes and sizes, Siberians could be distinguished by a more "shaggy" version of black or dark gray. Belts in rifle regiments were supposed to be black.
Russian officers sometimes wore regimental insignia on their harness belts. As in other armies, stripes for wounds were introduced in the Russian army. They were silver for officers and red for lower ranks. One patch corresponded to one injury or gassing incident.
A green ribbon was sewn over the cuff on the uniform of a regimental scout, a crimson ribbon for a machine gunner, and a scarlet ribbon for a mortar.
The sappers wore an emblem in the form of a red crossed shovel and ax on their sleeves.
The Russian army also used armbands. Representatives of the military police wore red armbands with a black inscription in Cyrillic "VP".Soldiers busy collecting property and resupplying ammunition wore armbands with a blue or black inscription "SO".
The war brought about a number of changes. The pre-war regiment of four battalions was replaced by a three-battalion, while the number of regiments increased (from 209 to 336). The militia was used to form regiments from the 393rd to the 548th. As already noted, in those regiments where monograms of representatives of the reigning houses of hostile states were located on shoulder straps, they were replaced with numbers.
There were other changes - in December 1916, the 89th White Sea Infantry Regiment received the monogram of Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia, the heir to the throne, who became the regiment's chief. Just a year and a half later, the Grand Duke was executed by the Bolsheviks along with other family members.

In the picture above, there are again misunderstandings about the position of the rifles and the readiness to attack !!!

grenadiers
The grenadier regiments described above were not the only ones in the Russian army. In the autumn of 1915, the selection of soldiers into assault groups, armed mainly with grenades, began. At first, groups of 10 people were formed from these grenadiers in each company, which were attached to the headquarters of the regiment. By the end of 1915, most of the infantry and rifle regiments had grenadier platoons of 50 fighters armed with carbines, grenades, daggers and axes. In February 1916, they could be distinguished by a red (sometimes blue) patch in the form of a grenade on the left sleeve of their uniform (tunic) or overcoat.
Later, after the creation of special grenadier courses, this simple emblem was replaced by a more elaborate one. Soldiers who completed the course could wear a grenada emblem with a red or blue flame (depending on the color of the shoulder straps) on a black backing with a white cross. In the rifle regiments, the flames were crimson. The officers and guardsmen had gold or metal crosses at the base of the grenada.

Special purpose shelves
It seemed to the Western allies that Russia, lacking weapons, seemed to have an excess of personnel. Therefore, they demanded that she send troops to other theaters of war. In the spring of 1916, one brigade was transferred to France. It was formed from volunteers and organizationally consisted of the 1st and 2nd special purpose regiments. Later, the 3rd and 5th brigades were formed, and the 2nd and 4thbrigades at the end of 1916 were sent to Thessaloniki to participate in the battles on the Macedonian front.
In these regiments they wore khaki uniforms or tunics in the Russian style with khaki shoulder straps, sometimes with white edging (Fig. 2). Sometimes they indicated the numbers of the regiments, as a rule, in Roman numerals. However, in some parts, the numbers of the regiments are denotedor Arabic numerals, which was a violation of existing rules.
The shoulder straps of the volunteers had a black-orange-white edging. It was customary to wear loose trousers. Most of the soldiers kept black leather boots.
The soldiers who arrived in France had waist belts and satchels and received French khaki helmets (with or without the double-headed eagle). The Russians were also given French canvas satchels and pouches for cartridges for Lebel rifles.and Berthier. Quite often they met French belt equipment. Outside of combat, bayonets were carried in sheaths, which were attached to the waist belt.
In 1917, after the lossless Nivelle Offensive, and because of rumors of a revolution in Russia, Russians in France began to show signs of defiance. Those who were involved in the riots were exiled to Algiers. Those who remained loyal were partially disarmed or persuaded to join the Russian Legion. legion srahuddled in France at the end of 1917 and in 1918, after which it was dissolved. Some of the soldiers returned to Russia, others settled in France.
The special forces regiments in Macedonia were disarmed and disbanded. Many of their soldiers chose to join the Serbs or return home.

Russian legion
Legionnaires wore a uniform similar to the uniforms of other special forces regiments (Fig. 2), but over time they became more and more like the French. Most of the soldiers wore uniforms and khaki overcoats like the Moroccan infantrymen (the legion acted as part of the Moroccan division). In the corners of the collar, the legionnaires had the letters "LR", edged with two stripes of blue braid. The legion used French insignia as well as French equipment. Legionnaires could receive helmets with the abbreviation LR, but most likely continued to wear their old helmets, but without the imperial eagle. On the sleeves of many soldiers there was a patch in the form of a Russian white-blue-red flag. The fighters of the Estonian company that fought as part of the legion could have a patch in the form of the Estonian flag on their sleeves. Officers may have worn dark blue bloomers or breeches.

provisional government
The abdication of the king from the throne was the cause of far-reaching changes in the army. Its impact on the type of uniform was not so significant. The imperial eagles were cut down from the belt buckles, the same fate befell the eagles on the helmets of Hadrian (sometimes only the crowns located above the eagles were cut down). Cockades on caps were sometimes replaced with stripes in the colors of the national flag (white-blue-red.
In the army itself, decomposition began. The interim government, hoping to hold the front and concentrate reliable fighters in units capable of conducting an offensive, tried to form "shock battalions" or "death battalions".
In separate armies, battalions were also formed from soldiers awardedGeorge Cross. They were called "Georgievsky battalions" and had the same uniform as the line infantry, but with characteristic shoulder straps. Latestwere entirely orange or black, or the base color, but edged
twisted black and orange cord. The officer's breeches were orange-blacknye stripes, with edgings of the same color were sheathed with cuffs and, sometimes, the level of the uniform. The awards were worn on the chest. The soldiers and officers of the "shock battalions" wore characteristic emblems on the sleeves of their uniforms and overcoats and often adorned their hats.
metal cockades in the form of a skull. In other parts, emblems in the form of a skull were attached to shoulder straps. The fighters of the women's "battalion of death", who defended the Winter Palace from the Bolsheviks, wore uniforms, the description of which is contained in the section on the white armies participating in the Civil War.
Fig.4
Romanian soldiers
Russia has opened the door to many foreign volunteers. Among them were Serbs, Romanians and Poles, but the Czechs were undoubtedly the most famous. The Romanians were equipped in Russian uniforms, but replaced the cockade with a blue-yellow-red stripe. The Poles also wore Russian uniforms, but in 1917 they began to wear headdresses with a Polish eagle and, possibly, buttonholes, as well as stripes with an eagle on the sleeves of the uniform.

Polish soldiers
First, the Puławski Legion was formed from the Poles. The Polish infantrymen were equipped in Russian uniforms with epaulettes, on which the yellow inscription "1LP" was located. In addition, three squadrons of lancers were formed, dressed in khaki uniforms and dark blue breeches. The uniform of the lancer was trimmed with red, blue or yellow edging (depending on the squadron number). Dress uniforms hadlapels. Blue breeches had stripes (red for the first regiment, white for the second regiment, and yellow for the third). The cuffs of the uniforms and the bands of the caps were of the same color. Later, the infantry became part of the Polish Rifle Brigade and received a cockade with a white Polish eagle. A smaller Polish legion was formed in Finland in 1917.
In the same year, other national military units were formed, but most of them became involved in the independence wars against the Red and White armies.

Czechoslovak soldiers
Czechs and Slovaks are still considered the most famous foreigners who fought in the Russian army. Most of them were prisoners of war who fell into Russian captivity, fighting in the ranks of the Austro-Hungarian army in Galicia and Ukraine. Others already lived in Russia or joined the Serbs and fled to Russia after the defeat of the Serbian army in 1915. At first, the Russians were reluctant to form units from prisoners of war, as this was contrary to the Geneva Convention. In 1914, a reserve battalion (team) was formed from ethnic Czechs and Slovaks, who were Russian subjects. The second battalion was formed in 1915. At the beginning of 1916, both battalions became part of the Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment, on the basis of whicha brigade was deployed, and then a division. When the Provisional Government came to power, the Czechoslovak Corps was formed from all the available units and volunteers from among the prisoners of war. At first, the Czechoslovak regiment, in all likelihood, was equipped in a Russian uniform, but with a diagonal red and white patch that appeared in 1917 instead of a cockade on the cap band. Stripes instead of a cockade also appeared on Adrian's hats and helmets. At the beginning of 1918, shoulder straps were replaced by patches in the form of a shield on the left sleeve of the uniform and overcoat. The chevrons on the shield showed the rank of its owner, and the number under the chevrons showed the unit in which he served.
In the confusion that reigned in Russia at the end of 1917, surplus uniforms were thrown into the cause, and the Czechoslovaks used what they could find. Only in 1918, when they defected to the Allies and turned their weapons against the Bolsheviks, trying to break out of Russia, did they manage to get uniforms and formalize the insignia and emblems of the units. For this reason, more information about Czechs and Slovaks can be found in the section on white armies that fought during the Civil War.

Military uniforms are called clothes established by rules or special decrees, the wearing of which is mandatory for any military unit and for each branch of the military. The form symbolizes the function of its bearer and his belonging to the organization. The stable phrase "honor of uniform" means military or corporate honor in general.

Even in the Roman army, soldiers were given the same weapons and armor. In the Middle Ages, it was customary to depict the coat of arms of a city, kingdom or feudal lord on shields, this was especially reflected in the shields of crossbowmen - mantelets. The similarity of the uniform was in the guards of the kings (the royal musketeers in France, the archers of Ivan the Terrible)

The uniform in its present form appeared relatively recently, with the formation of standing armies after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The guards of the French King Louis XIV were the first in Europe to wear uniforms. And in Germany, the uniform appeared among the guards of the Austrian Kaiser at the end of the 30-year war, that is, around 1648. In European armies, prior to the introduction of uniforms, leather or coarse cloth jackets were commonly worn, and wide trousers. Someone could buy boots for himself, someone walked all year round in shoes. According to that fashion, a wide hat, with a diameter almost the size of a cartwheel, was supposed. A special chic is a hat with a feather. On the sling - a sword. The cavalrymen still had protective uniforms - armor on the chest and a metal helmet.

The idea of ​​creating a uniform does not belong to any one country or one person, as it was introduced simultaneously in several countries. This happened for obvious reasons: it was necessary at first glance to distinguish your comrade from the enemy during the battle, and also to indicate the belonging of the army to a particular state.

Imperial Army

The need for uniforms arose during the major European military campaigns. In the 30-year war - the largest and last European war - first Catholics and Protestants clashed on religious grounds, and then everyone mixed up, and Catholics began to fight with Catholics (for example, the French with the Spaniards). The opposing sides did not have a single military uniform. All the soldiers were dressed in what. And in the smoke, soot and dump of the battle, the opponents were indistinguishable. And taking into account the tactics of those times, knowledge of the disposition for any commander was an extremely necessary thing, and it was not possible to manage with deployed standards alone, something more noticeable and uniform was needed.

Back in the Middle Ages, the image of the cross began to be used as a distinctive sign of the soldiers of one or another opposing side. So, for example, from the beginning of the 15th century, the British sewed a red cross on their chest and back, the French and Swiss - white, and the soldiers of the German Empire - the cross of St. Andrew or the Burgundian cross. Later, the crosses were replaced by scarves worn on the belt or over the shoulder. The color of the scarf was chosen by the monarch himself - he is also the commander-in-chief of the armies, and therefore it usually corresponded to the colors of the royal coat of arms. For example, the Danish King Frederik II decided, according to a decree of 1563, that "all who are part of the royal army must wear a distinctive badge in the form of a ribbon or scarf in red and yellow on a hat, clothes or over a cuirass." These colors were the colors of the coat of arms of the royal House of Oldenburg.

In 1625, entering the Thirty Years' War, Christian IV chose a blue and reddish-brown scarf with a golden tinge and complemented his headdress with a white feather. Later, the king again returned to the colors of the Oldenburg house, which still exist today. A symbolic reminder of the former scarf is a lanyard in the form of a narrow twisted red cord with gold on the hilt of an officer's saber.

In Sweden, the color of the scarf also changed. It was blue in the army of Gustav II Adolf during the Thirty Years' War, blue and yellow in the reign of Charles X Gustav, which has survived to this day. And during the Thirty Years' War, the Spaniards and the soldiers of the German Empire wore red scarves, the French - white, the Dutch - orange, and the Saxons - green. In England, Cromwell introduced the orange scarf, and the Royalists had white scarves. During major battles, it was considered necessary to complement the scarves with another distinctive sign, such as straw cords or green branches on a hat or helmet. So the soldiers of the allied armies recognized each other on the battlefield and easily distinguished themselves from the soldiers of the enemy coalition.

soldier uniform

Initially, elite royal units were dressed in uniforms, when ordinary soldiers were content with scarves. However, it later became a fashion among monarchs to introduce a single uniform for all soldiers and officers in Europe.

The appearance and details of the uniform, as well as the way it was worn, were approved by decrees of the king. Gradually, the supply of uniforms to the armies began to be carried out centrally. In the event of the liquidation or transformation of a military unit, the state reimbursed the cost of uniforms and distributed them among other regiments.

Initially, they sought to give a special look to the uniform of each regiment, but they quickly became convinced of the impracticality of this step, it was too expensive to sew different uniforms for different regiments of the same army. Already at the beginning of the 19th century, the custom was fully established to dress the entire army, or its most significant part, mainly infantry, in almost identical uniforms and to distinguish regiments by monograms on headdresses and signs engraved on buttons. This trend can be traced throughout the 19th century, but the desire to preserve traditions has not disappeared.

True, naturally, the kings wanted to dress ordinary soldiers as cheaply as possible. The cheapest is undyed gray cloth. At the end of the 17th century, almost all European armies received gray uniforms. Of course, the armies differed in shades in the color of the uniform and the decoration of some elements. But in general, everything turned out to be the same again. And again on the battlefield it was impossible to distinguish the Austrians from the French (they were traditional opponents in Europe for centuries). At the beginning of the 18th century, a German uniform appeared, which is still fully or partially used in modern armies. This happened when, in 1701, Brandenburg united with the Electorate of Prussia, and the Kingdom of Prussia appeared with its capital in Berlin. The new state created a dark blue uniform for its army. This color is so rooted in the Prussian army that among uniform specialists it is called the “uniform of the Prussian color”. By the beginning of the 20th century, most countries abandoned sewing and monograms, and switched to simple insignia, choosing almost the same cut for military uniforms of all branches of their armies. At the same time, the guards and cavalry units in many cases still wore luxurious and richly decorated uniforms.

The simpler, the safer

The bright colors of the uniform were used as long as smoothbore guns had low shooting accuracy, low range and rate of fire. Later, the increase in the effectiveness of firearms and the revision of combat tactics made us look at the uniform from a completely different perspective. To make the movement of soldiers on the ground less noticeable to the enemy, the uniform should match in color with the surrounding landscape. Even during the Boer War, the British replaced the bright red uniforms of their soldiers with khaki uniforms, which greatly reduced the loss of personnel from Boer sniper fire. The experience of the British was picked up by other European armies. Already during the First World War, a new, less conspicuous uniform was introduced in all the warring armies. All types of troops had a tunic of the same cut and color shade. The distinctive signs consisted of small letters or numbers, as well as badges and edging that were hardly noticeable at a distance.

The ever-increasing accuracy and range of small arms, as well as the mastery of airspace, led to the emergence of military equipment that provided maximum camouflage in various situations without restricting freedom of movement. Never before has a military uniform been so different from civilian clothes as it is today. In many countries, a soldier has a regular, or field, uniform, which serves as everyday clothing in peacetime and wartime, as well as a set of uniforms intended only for parades and special occasions.

MILITARY RANKS AND INSIGNIA

For a long time, there was simply no such thing as a “military rank” in the army. In fact, the “rank” stands for job qualifications, the ability of an officer to command, lead a company, battalion, regiment ..., the right to hold certain positions, but the “position” is the duties assigned to the officer to command a specific unit. Such a historical division of concepts is very convenient. By the rank of an officer, it is easy to determine his knowledge, abilities, service experience and quite accurately put him in a certain position. The assignment of the next rank to an officer tells everyone that the authorities recognize his ability to perform certain positions.

Rank insignia in Europe appear only towards the end of the 17th century. In the Russian Empire, rank insignia for officers and generals actually appear only in 1827 (stars on epaulettes), and for soldiers and non-commissioned officers only in 1843 (badges on shoulder straps). Prior to this, an officer or commander could be distinguished in the ranks by elements of weapons or clothing, following the example of European armies. This was done so that the soldiers, being in the ranks, could focus on the actions of the commander of this unit. For example, who would have thought that the “halberd” and “protazan” known to everyone from the films was the insignia of the officers of the royal army. The weapon, at first glance, not practical, especially in the era of firearms, was still in the ranks of the advancing troops of the largest European powers and served as a guide for the soldiers. The officer's "espanton" and "protazan" weapons are piercing, and the "halberd" is piercing and chopping. In addition to identifying the officer, they were also used to give signals (commands) in the ranks. This element of command and control was borrowed from the time of the existence of the Roman legions.

Another insignia was the so-called "officer's scarf". This element of the uniform, which distinguished officers from soldiers, appeared sometime in the early 17th century after the formation of royal armies on an ongoing basis. In Russia, which constantly borrowed something from its European neighbors in order to keep up with them militarily, it was accepted as a sign of belonging to the officer corps in 1698. Along with the use of officer weapons (halberds and espanton), the scarf has long been a kind of substitute for officer epaulettes and epaulettes. Later, another element of insignia appeared - the "gorget". It was he who already facilitated the identification of officers on the table of ranks, and the scarf moved to the belt, and they began to tie it like a sash. "Gorget" is a crescent-shaped metal plate approximately 20x12 cm in size, suspended horizontally by the ends on the officer's chest near the throat. It is the gorget that is intended to accurately determine the rank of an officer. More often in the literature it is referred to as "officer badge", "neck badge", "officer badge". However, the correct name for this element of military clothing is "gorget".

Russian gorget

An interesting fact is that on the gorget soon appeared not only information about the officer’s rank, but also about the merits of his unit, something like a modern “guards badge” giving the prefix “guard” to the officer’s rank.

For example, the commemorative inscription "1700 NO19" on the gorgets of chief officers (but only chief officers!) of the Russian Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments in memory of the courage and steadfastness of the junior officers of these regiments in the first battle of the army of Peter the Great with the army of the Swedes near the fortress of Narva on November 19 1700. Later, such "award" inscriptions were already made on all the gorgets of the officers of the Russian army, which in some catalogs erroneously classifies gorgets in the award section as an order or medal.

To distinguish between ranks, attention should be paid to the three main elements of the gorget: the field of the gorget, the rim and the coat of arms. By combining the colors of these three elements, one can determine the rank of an officer. For example, in the Russian army it was accepted that the color of the field of the gorget, the rim and the emblem is gold - this is a colonel. Gold/gold/silver - major. Silver / silver / gold - lieutenant. Silver/silver/silver - ensign. Later, in the table of ranks, officers were divided into classes, which again corresponded to the colors of the gorget. Again, all these elements were partially or completely borrowed from European armies, so they could differ in some features, but in general, the gorget can be called the first generally accepted "officer pagon".

Initially, all staff officers (major and above) had a gorget completely gold, and it was impossible to distinguish a major from a colonel. By the way, the generals did not have gorgets, and at that time it was impossible to distinguish the ranks of the generals at all. Actually, in the same Russian army until 1745, the generals did not have a regulated uniform at all.

In the 18th century, little importance was attached to distinguishing between the ranks of officers. In most cases, gorgets were not worn at all. Usually, gorgets were worn on solemn and official occasions (reviews, parades, duty and guard duty). In everyday life, they did without them, limiting themselves to wearing officer scarves.

During the 18th century, the size, shape of gorgets, the design of emblems, the colors of the ribbon (on which the gorget was worn) changed several times. Different regiments had a different design of the coat of arms. In the forties, a kind of light cavalry appeared in the Russian army - the hussars. The officers of the hussar regiments, like the Cossacks, did not have gorgets at all. Also, non-combatant officers, officers of furshtat companies (supply units) did not have gorgets.

In 1764, it becomes difficult to determine the rank of a gorget officer. It is ordered that all officers have a coat of arms in gilt, the field of the gorget of the chief officers remains silver, the gorget rim of the captains is gilded, and the field of the gorget is still gold for the staff officers.

In 1775, the regimental emblems were replaced by the state emblem.

Emperor Paul I in 1796 turns the gorget from a rank determinant into a purely decorative element of an officer's uniform. He introduces a single gorget for all and renames it the "officer badge". Then, in 1797, he generally cancels gorgets for officers of the Jaeger regiments. Next in line was the abolition of gorgets throughout the army, but this was prevented by the death of the emperor.

By the beginning of the 19th century, in the conditions of a rapidly growing numerically army, the need to distinguish between officer ranks became urgent, and the new emperor Alexander I returned the function of determining ranks to the gorget. In the first quarter of the 19th century, the gorget continues to be virtually the only means of distinguishing the ranks of officers. Only from 1827, when Emperor Nicholas I introduced the insignia of officers in the form of stars on epaulettes, the gorget began to lose its role, turning from a practical into a decorative element of an officer's uniform.

There is a historical misconception that pagons, as insignia of the military, come from the shoulder elements of medieval armor. On the one hand, this may seem logical, but firstly, epaulettes, and then pagons appeared 100 years later than knightly armor left the theater of operations, and secondly, traditionally since knightly times, the military identifier was not on the shoulders, but on the chest or on the shield soldier or officer, and later on the officer's "Gorget" (a metal plate in the shape of a crescent about 20x12 cm in size, suspended horizontally by the ends on the officer's chest near the throat).

"Garus cord"

The first element of the uniform, which resembled epaulettes, was the so-called "Warus cord" - it appeared on the shoulders of court officers in 1700. He did not carry information about either the rank or the belonging of this or that officer to a certain military unit or his yawning - he only pointed out the fact that this was an officer of the court guard. Later, from the most distinguished Life Guardsmen who participated in the palace coup on November 25, 1741, the so-called Life Company was created. Here, the officers of this elite palace officer unit had an extended “garus cord” on their shoulders, which later was called an “epaulette”, which indicated the involvement of the wearer in the Life Company, and his special status in the officer corps of Tsarist Russia. After the death of Empress Elizabeth, who created the Life Company and had an honorary captain's rank, Peter III ascended the throne, who dissolved the Life Company and transferred the officers of this unit to serve in a separate guards company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The officers took off their “gous cord”, and the epaulettes returned to the army only on April 24, 1763. By decree of the emperor, in the musketeer (infantry) and grenadier regiments, in the carabinieri regiments, in field battalions, in artillery, in miner and pioneer companies, and since 1765 and in the newly established chasseur regiments, it was prescribed to have an "epaulette or epaulette" on the left shoulder in the German manner.
“On the left shoulder, to distinguish between the regiments, a thread or woolen epaulette or epaulette was sewn on, in appearance and colors at the discretion of the commander of the regiment. The epaulette with this lower side was attached at the junction of the shoulder with the sleeve, and the upper side, with the help of a slotted or specially made loop, was fastened with a small copper button under the caftan collar.

In 1764, this "epaulette or epaulette" on the left shoulder will be given to the dragoon and cuirassier regiments.

However, this "epaulette or epaulette" is worn by all ranks from private to colonel inclusive. In other words, at this time it does not play the role of a determinant of ranks and is not an insignia of officers, since there is a “gorget” for this purpose, and the epaulette itself is only a tribute to the world military fashion peeped by the tsar abroad. A little later, a distinction appeared between the epaulettes of privates, non-commissioned officers and officers. They differed in weaving and the shape and size of the tassel, but again, they did not carry information about the exact rank and affiliation of this or that serviceman, because everything was indicated on the “gorget”.

In 1796, Paul the 1st entered the throne of the Russian Empire. He introduces radical changes to the army and abolishes epaulettes.

EPAULET

As mentioned earlier, there was one problem in the history of gorgets and military uniforms. The highest command staff of the same Russian Empire did not have an established uniform, and the more confusing was the system of "gorgets" that survived three or even four reforms. That is, the generals dressed richly, but the statutory form of their uniform was not adopted. And on September 17, 1807, a prototype of the future officer's shoulder strap was introduced. The first to receive epaulettes were generals and officers from the king's retinue. Moreover, there was only one epaulette - on the left shoulder. On the right was an aglet.

On the same day, September 17, 1807, epaulettes were distributed to infantry (musketeers), chasseurs, cuirassiers, dragoons, and uhlan regiments.

Foot and horse artillery (officers and generals) will receive epaulettes only on January 3, 1808. The field and spine are red, the galloon of the spine, neck and fringe are gold. Encrypted with a golden cord - the number of the artillery brigade. Artillery generals have epaulettes without ciphers. Garrison artillery (officers and generals) will receive epaulettes only on November 22, 1808.

Officers and generals of sapper and pioneer units will receive epaulettes as well as artillery on January 3, 1808. The margin and spine are red, the galloon of the spine, plaits and fringe are silver. Silver cord encryption - battalion number. Engineering generals have epaulettes without ciphers. By the way, all army units except the Life Guards received two shoulder straps, while it was customary for the court regiments to wear one shoulder strap, on the other hand, an aiguillette remained on the uniform.

On March 27, 1809, officers and generals of the Life Guards regiments received epaulettes on both shoulders, while losing their aiguillette.

On January 31, 1808, generals and officers of the Corps of Engineers (field and garrison engineers) receive epaulettes. But the field and spine of the epaulette are entirely silver, not cloth.

By the color of the shoulder straps of the lower ranks, it was possible to determine the belonging of a serviceman to a particular unit, and, accordingly, the color of the field and spine of the officers' epaulette was determined in the infantry by the serial number of the regiment in the division. For example:

The first regiment of the division is a red field,

The second regiment of the division is a white field,

The third regiment of the division - yellow field,

The fourth regiment of the division - dark green with red edging,

The fifth regiment of the division is a blue field.

In general, in addition to "gorgets", epaulettes become a means of determining the category of rank - chief officer, staff officer or general. But it is impossible to determine the specific rank of an epaulette officer during this period. This could only be done with gorgets. But their officers wore only in the ranks. It was completely impossible to distinguish between the ranks of the generals, since the generals did not have gorgets. Stars on epaulettes will appear only in 1827, and then first at the Life Guards, and only then in other units.

STAR

January 1, 1827 became a landmark date in the insignia of the ranks of the Russian Army. If until that day it was possible to distinguish the ranks of officers only by gorgets (breast, neck, officer signs), and even then only in the ranks (gorgets were worn only when they were in the ranks), now the insignia of officer and general ranks in all branches of the military have become stars on epaulettes.

Asterisks are metal forged in the color opposite to instrument metal. Those. on gold epaulettes are silver, and on silver are gold.

The highest command determined the number of stars on epaulettes:

1 asterisk - ensign,

2 stars - second lieutenant,

3 stars - lieutenant,

4 stars - staff captain,

Without stars - captain,

2 stars - major,

3 stars - lieutenant colonel,

No stars - Colonel,

2 stars - major general,

3 stars - lieutenant general,

Unstarred - General

The rank category (chief officer, staff officer, general) was determined by the fact that the chief officers had no fringe on epaulettes, the staff officers had a thin fringe, and the generals had a thick one. In addition, in the infantry regiments, the colors of the epaulette field depended on the number of the regiment in the division, and number codes indicating the number of the regiment were placed on them. Or the monogram of the highest commander ... for example, the crown prince.

epaulettes

The appearance of galloon epaulets with rank insignia on the uniforms of officers and generals of the Russian Army is associated with the introduction on April 29, 1854 of the soldier's marching overcoats (the only difference was that the new officer's overcoat, unlike the soldier's, had side welt pockets with flaps). Until that time, officers and generals wore epaulettes on all types of uniforms, with the exception of overcoats, on which nothing was worn on their shoulders.

Between 1854 and 1859, epaulettes fade into the background and become an accessory only to uniforms, although in the field it was prescribed to unfasten epaulettes and put on pagons in their place. And if you need to wear epaulettes in a solemn atmosphere, then shoulder straps are unfastened and epaulettes are put on.

With the introduction of the pagon, the term "clearance" appeared on shoulder straps. “Clearances” were called the gaps between the harness galloons sewn onto the pagons, which again determined the category of ranks by the color and size of the “clearance”, thereby replacing the seemingly complex system of weaving and fringe sizes on epaulettes. Like epaulettes, shoulder straps still had a rather “cumbersome” double function: the function of an external rank determinant and a determinant of a serviceman’s belonging to a particular regiment. All this was achieved to some extent due to a complex system of colors of shoulder straps and different gaps between galloons, and to the full extent by attaching monograms, numbers and letters indicating the number of the regiment on shoulder straps. Gradually, the width of the galloons became more and more, and the gaps became less and less.

In the sixties of the 19th century, the private production of galloons for headquarters and chief officer epaulettes spread, which was a solid galloon with one or two colored strips of prescribed width (5.6m) woven into it. And the width of such a solid galloon was equal to the width of the general's galloon (1 1/4 inches (56 mm)). So the system of "gaps" was gradually abolished, although the term itself has survived even today.

From the very appearance of officer galloon shoulder straps, in addition to ciphers, stars in special types of weapons (artillery, engineering troops), so-called. special signs indicating that an officer belongs to a special type of weapon. For the gunners, these were the crossed barrels of old cannons, for the sapper battalions, the crossed ax and shovel. As the special forces developed, the number of special forces (now they are called the emblems of the armed forces) and by the middle of the First World War there were more than two dozen. The color of the special signs, with some exceptions, coincided with the color of the galloon. They were usually made from brass. For the silver field of shoulder straps, they were usually tinned or silvered.

Since 1855, the insignia of the military of the Russian Empire, following the introduction of a new field uniform, finally changed to the now familiar shapes and colors, and became more practical and informative. In fact, the history of modern shoulder straps can begin with the military reform of 1855.

Field epaulettes of the Imperial Army

The combat experience of the Russian army suggested what the field insignia of soldiers and officers should look like. The lower ranks received soft cloth shoulder straps of a pentagonal shape with a width.

The lower end of the shoulder strap was sewn into the shoulder seam of the uniform or overcoat, and the upper end was fastened to a button sewn to the shoulder at the collar. Since 1829, the shade of metal buttons depended on belonging to a particular military unit. On the buttons of the infantry regiments, a number was also squeezed out. The state emblem was squeezed out on the buttons of the guards regiments.

The colors of shoulder straps of the lower ranks as a whole were determined as follows:

• guards units - red shoulder straps without encryption,
• all grenadier regiments - yellow shoulder straps with red encryption,
• rifle units - raspberry shoulder straps with yellow encryption,
• artillery and engineering troops - red shoulder straps with yellow encryption,
• cavalry - a special color of shoulder straps is set for each regiment. There is no system here.

For infantry regiments, the color of shoulder straps was determined by the place of the division in the corps:

• The first division of the corps - red shoulder straps with yellow encryption,
• The second division in the corps - blue shoulder straps with yellow encryption,
• The third division in the corps - shoulder straps are white with red encryption.

The unit code was painted with oil paint and indicated the number of the regiment. For the regiments that were under the “patronage” of the most august persons from the royal family, a special monogram was introduced with the initial letter of the name of the Grand Duke or another Highest Chief of the regiment (if this monogram is in the nature of encryption, that is, it is used instead of the regiment number). By this time, the infantry regiments had already received a single continuous numbering.

On February 19, 1855, it was prescribed in companies and squadrons that to this day bore the name of companies and squadrons of His Imperial Majesty, all ranks should have the monogram of Emperor Nicholas I on epaulettes and shoulder straps. However, this monogram is worn only by those ranks who served in these companies and squadrons for as of February 18, 1855 and continue to serve in them. Newly enrolled in these companies and squadrons, the lower ranks do not have the right to this monogram. They will wear this monogram until the abolition of royal monograms in March 1917.

The lower ranks serving in training units (officer schools) had a "training tape" along the edges of the shoulder strap.

Shoulder straps of soldiers and officers of the reserve and reserve

In addition to ciphers, special signs, monograms on the shoulder straps of soldiers, and indeed all lower ranks, there could be various kinds of stripes indicating the special status of the lower rank, its special qualifications, or the special nature of the unit.

Black stripes (stripes) at the bottom of the shoulder strap were worn by lower ranks fired on long leave to improve health or fired on indefinite leave.

There was a difference between being retired and being put on indefinite leave. A person dismissed on indefinite leave continues to be in his regiment (although he earns his own living at the place of residence) and can be returned to serve in the same regiment not only in case of mobilization, but also if for some reason there is a shortage of lower ranks. Usually, lower ranks were fired on indefinite leave, who had not yet completed their term of active service, but turned out to be redundant in the state.

At the same time, those dismissed on indefinite leave before the First World War were rarely called back to the service.

But a retired person is sent to his place of residence, where he becomes registered with the local military commander (in modern terms - the district military registration and enlistment office) and can be called up for service only upon mobilization, and he can be sent to any regiment. And the storekeeper has no right to wear a military uniform.

Volunteers, "volunteers" and re-enlisted

Since it was possible to enter the military service of the lower ranks voluntarily, the shoulder straps of such persons had a special difference - they were sheathed with a tricolor garus cord.

The lower ranks, who entered the service voluntarily and, based on the level of education (secondary or higher), have the right to receive an officer rank, were called volunteers and had shoulder straps trimmed with a black-orange-white garus cord (the so-called royal colors).

The lower ranks, who entered the service voluntarily, but did not have the right to receive an officer's rank by education, were called hunters and had shoulder straps trimmed with white-blue-red (the so-called colors of the Russian flag) garus cord.

The rank of corporal belonged to the ranks of privates. If I may say so, this is a senior private. Usually the corporal was an assistant to a detached non-commissioned officer, supervised recruits and conducted initial training with them. One transverse stripe 1/4 inch wide (11 mm) was sewn onto the shoulder straps of the corporals. In the army, it was a white fringe, in the grenadier units and in the Electrotechnical Company, a red “wire” passed through the center of the fringe. In the guards, the patch was orange (almost yellow) with two red “profiles” along the edges.

The lower ranks who remained for extra-long service (as a rule, in the ranks from corporal to senior non-commissioned officer) were called extra-long-term servicemen of the 2nd category and wore galoon trim from a harness galloon along the edges of the shoulder strap (except for the lower edge). All other stripes, like those of the lower ranks of military service.

Bilateral shoulder straps

In 1909 (Order V.V. No. 100), bilateral shoulder straps were introduced for the lower ranks. Those. one side of instrumental cloth of the color assigned to this part, the other of khaki cloth (overcoat on overcoat), with two rows of glued lining canvas between them. The buttons in the guard are the same color as the instrumental metal of the regiment, in the army they are leather.

When wearing a uniform in everyday life, shoulder straps are worn with the colored side out. When speaking on a campaign, shoulder straps are turned over with the protective side out.

On both sides, the epaulettes of the lower ranks of the army units are painted with oil paint, the encryption of the unit. Special signs (who are supposed to) are made up above the encryption.

The colors of the encryption on the protective side are set according to the types of troops:

• infantry - yellow, rifle units - crimson,
• cavalry and horse artillery - blue,
• foot artillery - red,
• engineering troops - brown,
• Cossack units - blue,
• railway troops - light green,
• fortress parts of all types of weapons - orange,
• convoy parts - white,
• quartermaster parts - black.

Encryption numbers in the infantry and cavalry indicated the number of the regiment, in foot artillery to the number of the brigade, in horse artillery to the number of the battery, in the engineering troops to the number of the battalion or company (if the company exists as a separate unit).

Letter encryption indicated the name of the regiment, which, in general, was typical for grenadier regiments. Or on shoulder straps there could be the monogram of the Highest Chief, which was assigned instead of a numbered encryption.

Because each type of cavalry had a separate numbering, then after the regiment number there was an italic letter indicating the type of regiment (D-dragoon, U-ulan, G-hussar, Zh-gendarmerie squadron). But it was customary to indicate these letters only on the protective side of shoulder straps.

With the development of the technical equipment of the army, new special signs will appear (for motorists, aviation, scooters, engineering parks). During the First World War, special signs of armored detachments, motorcyclists, anti-aircraft artillery, etc., will appear. Especially a lot of them will appear in 1917 already during the time of the Provisional Government. The number will exceed three dozen.

Before the war, by order of the Military Department No. 228 of May 20, 1912, the style of letters and numbers of ciphers changed quite noticeably. The letters lost their curlicues and got a look close to what is now called the Times typeface, with the exception of the letters denoting the type of cavalry unit (D, U, G, F).

In March 1913, one of the last peacetime orders came out, which determined the colors of shoulder straps in the Russian Army. This is the order of the Military Department No. 106 of March 16, 1913.

This order established the following colors for the shoulder straps of the lower ranks (and, accordingly, the colors of the gaps and pimples on the shoulder straps of officers):

• In grenadier divisions:

1st Grenadier Division - yellow shoulder straps with scarlet edging,

2nd Grenadier Division - yellow epaulettes with light blue edging

3rd Grenadier Division - yellow shoulder straps with white edging,

Caucasian Grenadier Division - yellow shoulder straps without piping.

• Infantry divisions:

1st regiment of the division - scarlet shoulder straps,

2nd regiment of the division - scarlet shoulder straps,

3rd regiment of the division - shoulder straps light blue,

4th regiment of the division - epaulettes are light blue.

• Rifle regiments - crimson shoulder straps.
• Artillery units - scarlet shoulder straps.
• Parts of the engineering troops, including telegraph, aviation, aeronautics, etc. - scarlet shoulder straps
• Railway parts - scarlet shoulder straps.

Accordingly, the marching shoulder straps of the lower ranks remained a protective color. In parts where there are colored edgings on colored shoulder straps, edgings of the same color were preserved on marching shoulder straps. True, this mainly concerned the guards, grenadier units and the Odessa Naval Battalion.

By the way, the order did not concern the guards. There, the colors of shoulder straps have not changed.

Field officer epaulettes

The widely known order of the Military Department No. 698 of October 31, 1914 on the abolition of galloon shoulder straps and the introduction of marching (field) shoulder straps concerned only officers and generals, and from the lower ranks only ensigns. Thus, the richly looking galloon epaulets of officers in 1914 gave way to simple and cheap cloth camouflage marching insignia in 1914. Rights in the rear districts and in both capitals remained wearing the usual galloon shoulder straps adopted in peacetime. True, soon in the rear, the fashion for field shoulder straps among officers of all ranks even forced the command to prohibit their wearing away from the front, which violated the accepted form of clothing. Everyone, apparently, wanted to look like experienced front-line soldiers. At the same time, on the contrary, in the front-line units in 1916, galloon shoulder straps "come into fashion". This was especially distinguished by the precocious officers graduating from wartime ensign schools, who did not have the opportunity to have time to flaunt in the cities a beautiful dress uniform and golden shoulder straps.

In general, it should be noted that the running system of the Russian Army, already very complex and diverse, actually crumbled during the First World War. Newly emerging, formed formations were assigned unique shoulder straps or encryption on shoulder straps, various additional signs. And after the Provisional Government came to power in the spring of 1917, it acquired the character of an avalanche.

Partially, shoulder straps were preserved during the Civil War in the formations of the White Movement, however, local military leaders, taking advantage of the fact that the higher command did not have enough power over them, introduced their own versions of shoulder straps and insignia on them.

In the Red Army, which began to be created in February-March 1918, they completely and categorically abandoned shoulder straps, seeing in shoulder straps "signs of autocracy." The running system will be restored in the Red Army only in January 1943, i.e. after 25 years.

Uniform of a military officer

The Russian military uniform has undergone many changes, improvements and innovations throughout its history. This was due to the will of the ruler, a change in ideology, and the influence of Western European military fashion.

Most of the Russian emperors were adherents of the military fashion of Western Europe, so the Russian military uniform was often similar to the uniforms of other European armies. And only Emperor Alexander III gave the military uniform the appearance of national clothes.

Pre-Petrine era

in Russia until the end of the 17th century. There were almost no standing troops, so there were no military uniforms. The squads of princes were dressed in the same clothes as civilians, only armor was added.

True, some princes sometimes acquired uniform clothes for their squad, but these were isolated cases.

The government of Tsar Michael in 1631, expecting a war with Poland, sent Colonel Alexander Leslie to Sweden to hire 5,000 infantry soldiers.

In the 17th century, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, “Regiments of the Foreign System” were formed - military units formed from “eager” free people, Cossacks, foreigners and others, and later from subordinate people on the model of Western European armies.

The first unified military uniform in Russia can be considered the clothes of the archery regiments. They appeared in the 17th century.

archers

Sagittarius- service person rider or infantryman armed with "fiery battle". Archers in Russia made up the first regular army.

Streltsy regiments had a uniform and obligatory dress uniform for all (“colored dress”). It consisted of an upper caftan, a hat with a fur band, trousers and boots, the color of which (except for trousers) was regulated in accordance with belonging to a particular regiment.

caftan- outerwear for men

Common in weapons and clothing of all archers:

• gloves with brown leather cuffs;
• in the campaign, the muzzle of a squeak or musket was closed with a short leather case;
• the berdysh was worn behind the back over any shoulder;
• a sash was worn over the waist belt;
• there were no buttonholes on the marching caftan;
• The external distinction of the senior officers (“initial people”) was the image of the crown on the cap and staff embroidered with pearls, as well as the ermine lining of the upper caftan and the edge of the cap (which indicated high-born princely origin).

The dress uniform was worn only on special days: during the main church holidays and during ceremonial events.

Every day and in military campaigns, a “wearable dress” was used, which had the same cut as the dress uniform, but was made of cheaper gray, black or brown cloth.

S. Ivanov "Archers"

Streltsy regiments during the struggle for power opposed Peter I and were repressed by him. The form of the European model in Russia was introduced by Peter I, mainly borrowing it from the Swedes.

The era of Peter I

Peter I created a regular army on the basis of the "Regiments of a foreign system", which existed during the reign of his father, and archery units. The army was recruited on the basis of recruitment (also, until the middle of the 18th century, the obligatory service of the nobles was preserved). Peter, from his predecessors, inherited an army already adapted for further reconstruction. There were two “elected” regiments in Moscow (Butyrsky and Lefortovsky), commanded by “foreigners” P. Gordon and F. Lefort.

In his "amusing" villages, Peter arranged two new regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky, completely according to a foreign model. By 1692, these regiments were finally trained and made up the 3rd Moscow elective regiment, headed by General A. M. Golovin.

Officer of the Life Guards of the Semyonovsky Regiment from 1700 to 1720

At first, the officer uniform of the Peter's army was no different from the soldier's. Then they introduced the "commander's insignia" - an officer's scarf. This detail was borrowed from the Swedes, with the exception of the colors, which reproduced the colors of the Russian flag. According to the rules, the scarf was worn over the right shoulder and tied at the left hip, but our officers adapted to wear it around the waist - it was more convenient in battle. Petrovsky's scarf, with changes, survived to the present - in the form of a ceremonial officer's belt.

Grenadier of an infantry regiment from 1700 to 1732

The armament of each soldier consisted of a sword with a harness and a fuse. Fuzeya - a gun, the castle of the fuzei was flint; in necessary cases, a baguinet was mounted on the fusee - a five- or eight-pointed trihedral bayonet. The cartridges were placed in leather bags attached to the sling.

Captain and Lieutenant of the Musketeer Companies of the Infantry Regiment from 1763 to 1786

Captains and the sergeants instead of the fusee were armed with halberds - axes on a three-yard shaft.

Sergeant of the Infantry Regiment with a halberd from 1700 to 1720

One of the companies in each regiment was called the grenadier, and the peculiarity of its weapons were wick bombs, which were kept by the grenadier in a special bag. grenadiers- selected units of infantry and / or cavalry, designed to storm enemy fortifications, mainly in siege operations.

Dragoons- the name of the cavalry (cavalry), capable of also acting on foot. Dragoons in Russia were mounted and on foot.

Fanen Junker of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, 1797-1800

Since 1700, the uniform of a soldier consisted of a small flattened cocked hat, a caftan, an epanchi, a camisole and trousers.

Cocked hat

Epancha- a wide sleeveless round raincoat with a hood for men, and for women - a short, sleeveless fur coat (obepanechka). Imported from the Arab East.

Camisole- men's clothing, sewn to the waist, knee-length, sometimes sleeveless worn under a caftan.

The hat was black, the edges of the brim were trimmed with braid, and a copper button was attached to the left side. When listening to orders from the elders, the younger ones took off their hat and held it under their left armpit. Soldiers and officers wore their hair long to the shoulder, and in ceremonial occasions they powdered it with flour.

The caftans of the infantrymen were made of green cloth, those of the dragoons were made of blue, single-breasted, without a collar, with red cuffs (a lapel on the sleeve of men's clothing).

Cuff of the 8th Cuirassier Regiment of the French Army (1814-1815)

The caftan was knee-length and supplied with copper buttons; epancha for cavalry and infantry was made of red cloth and had two collars: it was a narrow cape that reached to the knees and poorly protected from rain and snow; boots - long, with light bells (funnel-shaped expansion) were worn only on guard and when hiking, and ordinary shoes were stockings and blunt-toed greased heads with a copper buckle; the stockings of the army soldiers were green, and those of the Preobrazhenians and Semenovtsy after the Narva defeat were red, according to legend, in memory of the day when the former "amusing" regiments did not flinch, with a general "embarrassment" under the onslaught of Charles XII.

Fuselier of the Life Guards of the Semyonovsky Regiment, from 1700 to 1720

The Grenadiers of the Guard differed from the Fusiliers (soldiers armed with flintlock guns) only in their headdress: instead of a triangular hat, they wore leather helmets with an ostrich plume.

The cut of the officer's uniform was the same as that of the soldiers, only sheathed along the edges and on the side with gold galloon, the buttons were also gilded, the tie, instead of black cloth, like the soldiers, was white linen. Attached to the hat plume from white and red feathers.

Infantry general in a hat with a plume

In full dress, officers were required to wear powdered wigs on their heads. The officer was also distinguished from the ordinary by a white-blue-red scarf with silver, and the staff officer had gold tassels, which were worn high on the chest, near the collar.

Under Peter I in Russia, epaulettes also appeared on military clothing. The use of shoulder straps as a means of distinguishing the servicemen of one regiment from the servicemen of another regiment began in 1762, when shoulder straps of various weaving from a garus cord were installed for each regiment. At the same time, an attempt was made to make the shoulder strap a means of distinguishing between soldiers and officers, for which in the same regiment officers and soldiers had different weaving of shoulder straps.

In the future, the form of uniforms changed, although in general the samples of Peter the Great were preserved, which became more and more complicated. After the Seven Years' War, the cult of Frederick the Great developed. The convenience in the form of uniforms was forgotten; they tried to make a fine fellow out of a soldier and give him such a uniform, the maintenance of which in order would take all his free time from service. Especially a lot of time was required for the soldiers to keep their hair in order: they combed it into two boules and a braid, powdered it on foot, and on horseback they were allowed not to powder their hair and not to curl it into boules, taking it into one dense braid, but it was required to grow and to comb a mustache high or, who does not have one, to have overhead.

The soldier's clothes were narrow, which was caused by the requirement of the then standing and especially marching without bending the knees. Many parts of the troops had elk trousers, which, before putting on, were wetted and dried already in public. The outfit was so uncomfortable that in the manual for training, the recruit was ordered to put it on no earlier than after three months in order to teach the soldiers how to use such clothes.

The era of Catherine II

During the reign of Catherine II, the uniform was not observed very carefully. Guards officers were weary of it and out of order did not wear it at all. It was changed at the end of Catherine's reign at the insistence of Prince Potemkin. He said that “curling, powdering, weaving braids - is this a soldier’s business? Everyone must agree that it is more useful to wash and scratch your head than to weigh it down with powder, lard, flour, hairpins, braids. The soldier's toilet should be such that he got up, then he's ready. The uniform of the army was simplified and consisted of a wide uniform and trousers tucked into high boots;

Cavalier guard in full dress (1793)

Private and chief officer of an infantry regiment in the form of 1786-1796.

But in the cavalry, and especially in the guards, the uniform remained shiny and uncomfortable, although complex hairstyles and leggings disappeared from the ordinary uniform of the troops.

The era of Paul I

Paul I carried out his own reform of the army, because. discipline in the regiments suffered, titles were given out undeservedly (noble children were already assigned to some rank, to this or that regiment from birth. Many, having a rank and receiving a salary, did not serve at all). Paul I decided to follow Peter the Great and take as a basis the model of the modern European army (Prussian), seeing in it a model of discipline and perfection. The military reform was not stopped even after the death of Paul.

S. Schukin "Portrait of Emperor Paul I in ceremonial uniform and cocked hat"

The uniform consisted of a wide and long uniform with tails and a turn-down collar, tight and short trousers, patent leather shoes, stockings with garters and boot-shaped boots and a small triangular hat. The regiments differed in the color of collars and cuffs, but without any system, they were difficult to remember and were poorly distinguished.

Hairstyles again become important - the soldiers powder their hair and braid it into regular length braids with a bow at the end; the hairstyle was so complicated that hairdressers were brought into the troops.

Powder is not gunpowder

Buckles are not guns,

A scythe is not a cleaver

I am not a Prussian, but a natural hare!

Grenadier of the Pavlovsky Regiment

Grenadiers wore tall cone-shaped hats (grenadiers) with a large metal shield in front; these hats, like a ceremonial headdress, were preserved in the Pavlovsky Life Guards Regiment.

According to eyewitnesses, the soldiers on the campaign suffered the most from varnished shoes and tight trousers that rubbed their legs.

The era of Alexander I

Emperor Alexander I was a supporter of a magnificent military uniform, which became even more uncomfortable. Pavlovskaya form in 1802 was replaced by a new one. Wigs were destroyed, boots-like boots and shoes were replaced with boots with trouser clasps; the uniforms were significantly shortened, narrowed and looked like tailcoats (the tails on the uniforms were left, but the soldiers had short ones); standing solid collars and shoulder epaulettes and epaulettes were introduced; officers' collars were decorated with embroidery or buttonholes and were generally colored; shelves were distinguished by their colors. The light and comfortable cocked hats were replaced by new hats, high, heavy and very uncomfortable; they bore the common name of shakos, while the straps on the shakos and the collar rubbed the neck.

Shako- a military headdress of a cylindrical shape, with a flat top, with a visor, often with a decoration in the form of a sultan. It was common in many European armies at the beginning of the 19th century.

The highest commanding officers were assigned to wear the then huge double-cornered hats with feathers and edging. It was warm in the bicorne in winter, but very hot in summer, so the peakless cap also became popular in the warm season.

S. Schukin "Alexander I in the form of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment"

Shoulder straps were introduced at first only in the infantry (red), then the number of colors was increased to five (red, blue, white, dark green and yellow, in order of the regiments of the division); officer shoulder straps were sheathed with galloon, and in 1807 they were replaced by epaulettes.

D. Dow "Portrait of General Pyotr Bagration with epaulettes"

Epaulets- shoulder insignia of a military rank on a military uniform. They were common in the armies of European countries in the XVIII-XIX centuries, especially during the Napoleonic wars. By the middle of the 20th century, they had practically gone out of circulation.

Subsequently, epaulettes were also given to the lower ranks of some cavalry units.

Pavlovsky cloaks were replaced by narrow overcoats with standing collars that did not cover the ears. The equipment included a mass of belts, which was difficult to keep in good order. The uniform was complex and hard to wear.

From the day of the accession to the throne of Alexander I and until 1815, officers were allowed to wear particular dress outside of service; but at the end of the foreign campaign, as a result of fermentation in the army, this right was abolished.

Staff officer and chief officer of the grenadier regiment (1815)

The era of Nicholas I

Under Nicholas I, uniforms and overcoats were at first still very narrow, especially in the cavalry - officers even had to wear corsets; nothing could be put under the overcoat. The collars of the uniform were fastened tightly and strongly propped up the head. The shakos were too high, during parades they were decorated with sultans, so the entire headdress was about 73.3 cm high.

Bloomers (cloth in winter and linen in summer) were worn over boots; boots with five or six buttons were worn under them, since the boots were very short. Ammunition of white and black lacquered belts required constant cleaning. A huge relief was the permission to wear, first out of order, and then on the campaign, caps similar to the current ones. The variety of forms was great.

Chief officer of the Life Guards Volynsky Regiment (1830)

Simplifications in the form of uniforms began only from 1832: in 1844, heavy and uncomfortable shakos were replaced by high helmets with a sharp pommel, officers and generals began to wear caps with visors; The troops were provided with mittens and earmuffs. Since 1832, officers of all branches of arms have been allowed to wear mustaches, and officers' horses are not allowed to trim their tails or cut their heads.

Non-commissioned officer of laboratory companies (1826-1828) - peaked cap

In the last years of the reign of Nicholas, the uniform acquired instead of the French Prussian cut: dress helmets with ponytails were introduced for officers and generals, uniforms for the guards were sewn from dark blue or black cloth, coattails on army uniforms became short, and white trousers with full dress and On solemn occasions they began to sew on red stripes, as in the Prussian army.

In 1843, transverse stripes were introduced on soldier's shoulder straps - stripes, according to which ranks were distinguished.

In 1854, shoulder straps were also introduced for officers. Since that time, the gradual replacement of epaulettes by shoulder straps began.

The era of Alexander II

I. Tyurin "Alexander II in the form of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment"

The troops received a convenient form of uniform only in the reign of Emperor Alexander II. It had a beautiful and spectacular appearance and was at the same time spacious and allowed the insulation to be pulled out in cold weather. In February 1856, tailcoat-like uniforms were replaced by uniforms with a full skirt. The cavalry retained their shiny uniforms and their colors, but the cut was made more comfortable. All received spacious overcoats with a turn-down collar with cloth buttonholes that covered their ears; uniform collars were lowered and broadened.

The army uniform was first double-breasted, then single-breasted. Bloomers were worn in boots only on a campaign, then always at the lower ranks; in summer the trousers were linen.

Private and adjutant of the Life Guards of the Lithuanian Regiment (in everyday and dress uniforms), 1862

Beautiful, but uncomfortable helmets remained only with the cuirassiers and in the guard, who, in addition, had caps without visors. The ceremonial and ordinary dress was a kepi. Lancers continued to wear diamond-topped shakos.

A convenient and practical hood was introduced, which helped the soldier in the winter. Backpacks and bags were lightened, the number and width of straps for wearing them were reduced, and the soldier's burden was lightened.

The era of Alexander III

I. Kramskoy "Portrait of Alexander III"

By the beginning of the 70s of the XIX century. short hair was required. The uniform of this era was quite comfortable. The emperor sought to nationalize the military uniform. Only the guards cavalry retained their former rich clothing. Uniformity and ease of wearing and fitting were put at the basis of the new uniform. The headgear, both in the guards and in the army, consisted of a low, round lamb hat with a cloth bottom; the hat is decorated with the St. Andrew's star in the guard, in the army - with the coat of arms.

Cossack of the Ural Cossack army, chief officer of the Life Guards of His Majesty's Cossack regiment and adjutant general of the Cossack troops (1883)

A uniform with a standing collar in the army with a straight back and a side without any edges was fastened with hooks that can be freely altered, broadening or narrowing the uniform. The guards uniform had a slanting border with a piping, a colored high collar and the same cuffs; the uniform of the cavalry, with its transformation exclusively into dragoon regiments (except for the guards), became similar to the uniform of the infantry, only somewhat shorter.

Lamb ceremonial hat

The lamb ceremonial hat resembled an ancient boyar. Wide trousers tucked into high boots. In the army, overcoats were fastened with hooks so that in sunny weather a shiny object would not draw the attention of the enemy and cause fire. For the same reason, sultans and helmets with brilliant coats of arms were abolished. In the guards, overcoats were fastened with buttons. In the infantry and other types of weapons, caps with bands were introduced, the difference between one regiment and another was based on a combination of colors of shoulder straps and bands. The division differed from the division by the numbers on the shoulder straps.

V. Vereshchagin "Officer of the line battalion in a white tunic and red trousers"

Alexander II introduced tunics and linen shirts for wearing in hot weather, and Alexander III made sure that the uniform of a soldier resembled peasant clothes. In 1879, a tunic with a standing collar, like a shirt-shirt, was introduced for soldiers.

The era of Nicholas II

G. Manizer "Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II in the uniform of the 4th Infantry Imperial Family of the Life Guards Regiment with the badge of the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree"

Emperor Nicholas II almost did not change the form of uniforms. The form of the guards cavalry regiments of the era of Alexander II was only gradually restored. The officers of the entire army were given galloon (instead of the simple leather introduced by Alexander III) shoulder harness.

A. Pershakov “Portrait of P.S. Vannovsky "(visible harness)

For the troops of the southern districts, the ceremonial headdress was considered too heavy and was replaced by an ordinary cap, to which a small metal coat of arms is attached.

The most significant changes followed only in the army cavalry. A modest uniform without buttons at the beginning of the reign of Nicholas II was replaced by a more beautiful double-breasted, sewn at the waist and with a colored edging along the side of the uniform. A shako was introduced for the Guards regiments.

In each cavalry division, the regiments are given the same colors: the first is red, the second is blue, the third is white. The former colors remained only in those regiments for which some historical memory was associated with their color.

Ceremonial cap of the era of Nicholas II

The caps were also changed: not the bands, but the crowns, were made colored so that the color of the regiment could be seen at a great distance, and visors were given to all lower ranks.

In 1907, following the results of the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian army introduced as a summer uniform a single-breasted khaki tunic with a stand-up collar on hooks, with a five-button fastener, with pockets on the chest and on the sides (the so-called "American" cut) . The white tunic of the former sample has fallen into disuse.

Tunic of the Russian army of the era of Nicholas II

In aviation, on the eve of the war, a blue tunic was adopted as working clothes.

The shoulder straps of the tsarist army of 1914 are rarely mentioned in feature films and historical books. Meanwhile, this is an interesting object of study: in the imperial age, during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, uniforms were an object of art. Before the start of the First World War, the distinctive signs of the Russian army differed significantly from those that are used now.

They were brighter and contained more information, but at the same time they did not have functionality: they were easily visible both in the field environment and in the forest or in the snow. For this reason, with the beginning of major hostilities, the insignia were re-formed.

The ranks in the tsarist army were also different until 1917, which changed with the advent of the revolution. About what the ranks of the tsarist army of Russia were, what the shoulder straps of the old tsarist army looked like, we will tell in detail right now.

The main differences between shoulder straps and ranks

In pre-revolutionary years in Russia, instead of ranks, there were ranks - both for civilians and for military persons. They were introduced by the decree of Peter the Great in 1722, who created the "Table of Ranks". The lower ranks were followed by non-commissioned officers, then chief and staff officers. The ranks of generals were considered the highest. Read more about the ranks in the tsarist army of Russia in ascending order with shoulder straps, see below.

The first difference is in the name. Instead of a title - a rank. The second difference is in the specific names of the ranks. If now such words as corporal, private are used, then then there were scorer, volunteer.

The third difference lies in the information that is applied to shoulder straps. Now they can find information about the height of the military rank. At the same time, Greek numbers were applied large, almost in full size, on shoulder straps. They denoted the regiment to which the soldier or officer belonged. The shoulder straps also had Roman numerals and letters, they already served to separate the "height" of the position.

The fact is that in the old days there were a lot of variations of shoulder straps, but despite this, they “intersected” between different ranks. An officer's shoulder straps could be the same as a private's (in color, regiment number). Therefore, Roman numerals were additionally used, which helped to distinguish an officer from a subordinate. For the same purpose, cockades were used - small metal plaques that are attached to the front of the cap. For soldiers, they were of the same shape and color, for higher structures, they were different.

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The color system is also different. Now the shoulder straps of the military differ in color depending on the type of troops. For sailors - blue, for infantry - red-yellow, at the same time the colors could vary even within the same division. So, each brigade had its own color of shoulder straps inside it, and if there was another division inside the brigade, into regiments, then each regiment had its own color of caps or a picture on the cockade. Now caps do not differ in color, only among sailors the highest ranks wear white hats.

Previously, epaulettes and monograms on them were used, but now the system in which the main thing is a beautiful and noble picture has been canceled in favor of the functional qualities of uniforms.

Why did the designation change?

From 1914 to 1917, several modifications were quickly introduced regarding ranks and distinguishing features in the army. First of all, with the beginning of the First World War, the color coating of shoulder straps was removed, which was noticeable at any time of the year and even in the off-season in November-April. They became a protective khaki color, which at that time was called "peas".

As can be seen from the above, before the revolution, the Russian army preferred beautiful uniforms, and a lot of attention was paid to the design component. With the beginning of serious hostilities, the military leaders came to the conclusion that the colored elements of the uniform were not functional. They betray the soldier and make him an easy target for the opponent. Therefore, even before the revolution, colors were abolished.

The next change was associated with the coming to power of new faces. Tsarism was overthrown, and with it the government wished to consign to oblivion the Table of Ranks, as well as the titles that had been introduced by Paul in the manner of the Prussian army. Therefore, many ranks were renamed. At the same time, shoulder straps and cockades went out of service. Again, they returned to the army only in 1943, and this gesture shows that not all developments of past years were failures.

Find out: How to sew and attach shoulder straps to a shirt

In general, the change in ranks and appearance of uniforms was due to their failure in the conditions of hostilities. The constant confusion in ranks and epaulettes was a strong disadvantage of the uniform design of that time.

Compliance of old ranks with modern ranks

One hundred years have passed since the First World War, but during this time the structure of the army has not changed much. The niches of soldiers, officers, generals have been preserved in it. However, the old ranks received new, more convenient and common names.

Ranks in the old tsarist army before 1917 with shoulder straps are given in accordance with the modern Russian rank system:

• Private, he is also a scorer, a Cossack, a volunteer, a sailor of the 2nd article, etc. The sailor of the second article was in the fleet, the Cossack belonged to the Cossack army, the scorer was ranked as a sapper infantry. Only in the cavalry, the lower ranks were called the same - private. A volunteer is an outdated concept that was used to refer to people who voluntarily went to work (an analogue of modern contract soldiers). They were distinguished by privileges in the service.
• Corporal. Previously, only cavalry employees were called corporals, which is where most of the modern names came from. A corporal in the fleet was called a sailor of the first article, among the Cossacks a higher rank was called "order". In the artillery army and sapper divisions there was no division into corporals and privates, everyone was called "bombardiers".

• Junior non-commissioned officer. This included Junior Fireworker, Jr. sergeant, quartermaster (in the navy).
• Senior non-commissioned officer. This is a boatswain in the fleet, a senior officer in the Life Guards and among the Cossacks, a senior fireworks officer among sappers.
• Feldwebel. This includes the sergeant major among the Cossacks and cavalry, the boatswain in the fleet.
• Ensign. The conductor in the naval forces, in the infantry, the name is the same as the modern one.
• Ensign. Podkhorunzhiy, ensign of the cavalry and the Life Guards are among the ranks associated with this rank.

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Higher officer ranks

More serious officer recognition began with the receipt of the chief officer rank. Then the subordinates began to turn to the military "Your Honor." The officer's cockade on the cap, starting from this rank, is gold. Among the ranks (in ascending order) are ensign, second lieutenant, lieutenant, staff captain, captain, all these ranks were associated with the Table of Ranks.

The officer rank "ensign" was considered the 14th, lowest rank, the staff captain was already the 9th in honor. Due to the fact that the name "captain" was used before, confusion may arise in comparing modern and ancient military ranks. “Captain” ranks in the tsarist army until 1917 were considered such ranks as captain, Cossack captain, and only in the guards the captain was called the same as now. Therefore, answering the question "Captain - what is the title now?", You need to answer that the captain. The captain was almost equal to the staff officers, he wore eye-catching blue epaulettes.

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

The rank of captain-commander corresponded to him in the fleet. in some armies today it corresponds to the rank of "brigadier".

Wahmister

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

lieutenant general

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

Field Marshal General

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

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

Generalissimo

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

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

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

Esaul

The next rank continues our list of "Military ranks in Tsarist Russia". Esaul is the rank of chief officer in the Cossack and Russian troops. This title means assistant, deputy commander. Yesauls are: military, general, hundreds, regimental, marching, stanitsa, artillery.

Captain Commander

This rank existed in 1707-1732, and also in 1751-1827 in the fleet of our country. He was introduced in 1707 and listed in the Table of Ranks in 1722, belonged to class V, was considered lower than rear admiral and higher than the rank of captain of a ship (captain of the first rank - from 1713). In the army, this rank corresponded to a brigadier, and in state (civilian) positions - a state adviser. Appeal to the representative of this title - "Your honor." His duties included commanding detachments of ships (small), as well as replacing the rear admiral for a while.

Corporal

This military rank, which the junior command staff had, is the lowest sergeant (non-commissioned officer) rank. In our country, it appeared in 1647, introduced by Peter I "Military Regulations". Later, in the first half of the 19th century, it was replaced by the rank of non-commissioned officer. Today, in the modern Armed Forces, a corporal corresponds to such a rank as "junior sergeant".

Cornet

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

Podsaul

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

It was equated in 1798 in the cavalry to the rank of staff captain, in the infantry - to the staff captain, in the navy - to the lieutenant, and also to the rank of titular adviser in the civil service.

Second Lieutenant

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

After the rank of ensign for peacetime was abolished in 1884, he became the first officer for all troops, except for the Cossacks and cavalry, where he corresponded to the rank of cornet, cornet. In the navy of the Empire, the rank of midshipman was an analogue to him, and in the civil service - the provincial secretary. In the armed forces of the Russian Federation, the rank of second lieutenant corresponds to "lieutenant".

lieutenant

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

It was an officer for assignments, which corresponds to the rank of senior lieutenant in the USSR and Russia.

Ensign

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

Captain

The captain completes our list of "Military ranks in the tsarist army". It was the senior officer rank in the cavalry (in the Russian Empire - chief officer). In 1730, in connection with the creation of heavy cavalry, new titles of ranks appeared, among which was the captain. Ulansky and in 1882 were transformed into dragoons, and to establish uniformity in ranks throughout the cavalry, dragoon captains began to be called captains. In 1917, this rank was abolished. In the 20th century it existed, for example, in Poland.

These are the main military ranks in the tsarist army of Russia.