On January 6, 1943, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army."
According to this document, shoulder straps were introduced for Soviet military personnel.
According to historians, the decision was in the spirit of the course of continuity between the USSR and Tsarist Russia, which the Soviet leadership had been pursuing since the mid-1930s.
Staves, epaulettes and epaulettes
The need to introduce insignia arose in the Russian troops immediately after the appearance of the first regular units.
So, in the archery troops, the “initial people” wore clothes of a special cut and special staffs, and also differed from their subordinates in the shape of gloves and weapons.
In the Petrine army, servicemen of various ranks differed from each other in the galloon on their uniforms, scarves, buttons and plumes.
Shoulder straps appeared in the army in the first half of the 18th century, but only on the left shoulder and were used purely utilitarian: they kept the harness and the straps of the satchel from slipping, and also prevented the uniform from rubbing from wearing a gun.
At the beginning of the 19th century, symbols of military units began to be applied to shoulder straps.
In 1807, epaulettes were replaced for officers, and 20 years later, metal stars began to be attached to them to indicate the rank.
After the officers began to wear overcoats, epaulettes were removed from everyday uniforms, again replacing them with shoulder straps.
Chief officer and non-commissioned officer of His Majesty's Life Grenadier Erivan Regiment, 1863
© Wikimedia Commons
After the October Revolution of 1917, military ranks, ranks and insignia were abolished in the RSFSR.
For some time, there was no general uniform for military personnel at all.
In 1918, the Red Army received only a combined arms badge in the form of a red star, which was worn on the chest and headgear.
According to historians, while the Red Guard and the Red Army consisted of small volunteer detachments and the chiefs knew everyone by sight, the absence of insignia did not play a special role.
But after the mass mobilization and the emergence of large formations, the military on the battlefield no longer knew who to obey.
Therefore, at the beginning of 1919, insignia for military positions (triangles, squares or rhombuses) were introduced, which were made of scarlet cloth and sewn onto sleeves.
“Those of the officers who went over to the side of the White movement and fought against the Red Army in the old tsarist uniform were often called “gold chasers.”
Therefore, shoulder straps began to be perceived as a symbol of everything old and opposing Soviet power, ”said Vitaly Zakharov, a professor at Moscow State Pedagogical University, in a conversation with RT.
Directorate of the 4th Army of the Western Front of the Red Army, 1920
© Wikimedia Commons
In 1922, a single uniform was introduced in the Red Army.
The insignia began to be attached to special sleeve patches, outwardly a bit reminiscent of shoulder straps.
Two years later, the uniform in the Red Army was simplified.
At the same time, insignia began to be made of metal covered with red enamel and placed in buttonholes.
The buttonholes themselves for different branches of the military were of different colors.
Return to tradition
Since 1935, personal military ranks have been introduced in the Soviet Union.
The formation of a new system of ranks and insignia continued until 1941.
“The system that developed in the late 1930s and early 1940s, with its triangles, squares, sleepers and rhombuses in buttonholes, was complex and overloaded,” Alexander Mikhailov, a specialist historian of the Victory Museum, said in a conversation with RT.
According to experts, specialists do not have complete clarity in the background of the creation of a new system of insignia of the 1943 model.
“Documents that would give an answer to this question were not found in the archives.
A number of researchers hypothesize the appearance of new signs in order to make the appearance of the soldiers and officers of the Red Army during the period of victories different from yesterday's appearance of the period of retreats and defeats, ”said Miroslav Morozov, a senior researcher at the Center for Military History of the IRI RAS, in an interview with RT.
According to experts, Joseph Stalin discussed the introduction of a new system of insignia with the command of the Red Army back in 1941-1942.
Its introduction was supposed to serve as a historical watershed between the period of defeats of the initial stage of the war and the transition of the Red Army to a large-scale counteroffensive.
By the end of 1942, it became clear that the defeat of the Nazi group in the Stalingrad region was inevitable, and this was a good reason to update the uniform and insignia in the Red Army.
“According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, when discussing the counteroffensive near Stalingrad at one of the meetings of the State Defense Committee, Stalin familiarized the generals with samples of new shoulder straps and announced to them that the introduction of new insignia is designed to strengthen and raise the authority of the command staff of the army and navy, consolidating their unity of command,” - Dmitry Surzhik, Associate Professor of GAUGN, told RT.
Commander of the 57th Special Army Corps of the Red Army on the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic Georgy Zhukov (right) during the fighting on the Khalkhin Gol River
RIA News
On January 6, 1943, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army."
According to this document, shoulder straps were introduced instead of the old insignia.
Soviet epaulettes were slightly wider than those worn in the tsarist army and did not have designations indicating a specific unit, but in general they were very similar to those that existed before 1917.
Shoulder straps of the USSR Armed Forces
© Wikimedia Commons
On January 15, implementing the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council, the People's Commissar for Defense of the USSR Joseph Stalin signed an order that finally introduced shoulder straps in the army.
A month later, on February 15, shoulder straps were also introduced for the personnel of the navy.
According to historians, there were servicemen in the Red Army who reacted ambiguously to the innovation, as they negatively perceived everything that was connected with tsarist Russia.
In their understanding, the "gold chasers" were historical enemies, and the resemblance to the tsarist officers irritated them.
However, they were in the minority.
Command of the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Division (Colonel A. Botvinnik, Lieutenant Colonel D. Chuiko) during the rest, Bryansk offensive operation (August 17 - October 3, 1943)
RIA News
“During the repressions of the 1930s, the old Bolshevik guard was largely destroyed, so there were actually very few of those who fundamentally did not perceive the new symbolism,” said Vitaly Zakharov.
According to Miroslav Morozov, the new insignia system was simple and convenient.
At the same time, she contributed to strengthening the prestige of the officers and pointed to the continuity of the traditions of the old Russian army.
Soldiers of the Red Army
RIA News
© Fedor Levshin
“The course towards continuity in relation to tsarist Russia, taken by official Moscow since the mid-1930s, has found its visual embodiment in the creation of new systems of ranks and uniforms,” said Dmitry Surzhik.
According to the memoirs of participants in the Great Patriotic War, most of the servicemen perceived the restoration of shoulder straps positively, both from an aesthetic and applied point of view.
As Dmitry Surzhik noted, the best evidence of the convenience of the system of insignia introduced in 1943 is that it has existed in our country for 80 years with minimal changes.
View of Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 1945
RIA News
“The image of a soldier and officer of the Red Army, formed in 1943, demonstrated the continuity of generations of defenders of the Fatherland, was concise, recognized abroad, and eventually became one of the traditions that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation preserve today,” summed up Alexander Mikhailov.