Introduction of shoulder straps in the armed forces of the USSR. What military ranks were there in the USSR army, what shoulder straps did the soldiers wear?

As a result of the adoption of two decrees on December 15, 1917, the Council of People's Commissars abolished all ranks and military ranks in the Russian army remaining from the previous regime.

The period of formation of the Red Army. The first insignia.

Thus, all soldiers of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, organized as a result of the order of January 15, 1918, no longer had any uniform military uniform, as well as special insignia. Nevertheless, in the same year, a breastplate was introduced for the soldiers of the Red Army, on which a star with a hammer and a plow framed by a wreath of oak leaves. For all headdresses of military personnel, an emblem was introduced - a red star with the image of a plow and a hammer.

At the very early period In the formation of Red Army detachments, there was simply no need for any insignia, since the fighters knew their immediate superiors and commanders very well. However, over time, with an increase in the scale of hostilities, the total number of troops, the lack of clear and clear insignia caused all more problems and all sorts of misunderstandings.

So, for example, one of the commanders of the Northern Front wrote in his memoirs that discipline in the units was very lame and the norm was rude responses from soldiers to their commanders like - “You need it, so go and fight ...” or “Here’s another commander who has turned up.” ..." When the commanders, in turn, wanted to impose penalties, the soldier simply answered - “who knew that this was the boss...”

In January 1918, the head of the 18th division, I.P. Uborevich, independently introduced his own insignia in subordinate units and wrote a letter for approval to the Revolutionary Military Council of the Army about the need to introduce similar insignia for the entire Red Army.

Introduction of uniforms and insignia.
Only in 1919, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army introduced an approved uniform and clearly defined insignia for all command personnel.

By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of January 16, red stars and triangles under them were introduced on the sleeves for junior commanders, squares for mid-level commanders and diamonds for senior commanders. Buttonholes of different colors according to the branches of the military are also being introduced.

Red stars and triangles under them for junior commanders, squares for mid-level commanders and diamonds for senior commanders.

Detached commander
Assistant Platoon Leader
Sergeant Major
Platoon commander
Company commander
Battalion Commander
Regimental commander
Brigade commander
Head of Division
Army commander
Front Commander

The famous helmet-shaped headdress was approved in April 1918. Overcoats for infantry and cavalry with characteristic tabs across the chest and the colors of certain types of troops.

According to the order of the RVSR 116, all insignia were sewn on the left sleeve, and in April 1920, sleeve insignia by branch of the military were introduced. For the infantry it was a crimson cloth diamond with a circle and diverging rays and a star. Under the star were rifles crossed with each other.

The design on the sign itself was exactly the same for all branches of the military. And only under the star there was an emblem for the corresponding type of troops. The signs differed only in the shape and colors of the fields. So, for the engineering troops it was a square made of black cloth, for cavalrymen - horseshoes made of blue cloth.

Squad leader (cavalry).
Commander of a battalion, division (artillery).
Front commander.

According to order RVSR 322, it is completely introduced new form, which provides a single cut for a helmet, tunic and overcoat. New distinctive signs are also being introduced.

The sleeve was covered with a flap made of cloth according to the color of the troops. At the top of which was a red star with insignia. Below were signs of the military branches.

Combat commanders had red insignia. The administrative staff had signs Blue colour. A metal star was attached to the headdresses.

In general, the uniform of the command staff did not differ significantly from the uniform of the Red Army soldiers.

Reform of 1924. Positions and titles.

During the reform of 1924, the Red Army switched to a strengthened version of the uniform. The chest flaps and sleeve marks were abolished. The buttonhole was sewn onto tunics and overcoats. For infantry units - crimson with black edging, for cavalry - blue with black, for artillery - black with red edging, engineering troops had black with blue edging. For the Air Force - blue with red edging.

Badges made of metal with red enamel were attached to the buttonholes. Diamonds for the senior command, rectangles for the senior, squares for the middle command and triangles for the junior. The buttonholes of ordinary Red Army soldiers indicated the numbers of their units.

The command staff was divided into junior, middle, senior, and senior. And it was further divided into fourteen job categories.

When appointed to a position, commanders were assigned a certain category with the index “K”. For example, the platoon commander had a K-3 category, the company commander K-5, and so on.

On September 22, 1935, personal ranks were introduced. In the Land and Air Force these are lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, brigade commander, division commander and corps commander. In addition, there were also army commanders of the first and second ranks.

- Military-political composition for all branches and types of troops - political commissar, senior political commissar, battalion commissar, regimental commissar, brigade commissar, division commissar, corps commissar, army commissar of the first and second ranks.

- For the technical command staff of the Ground and Air Force - military technician of the first and second ranks, military engineer of the first, second and third ranks, brigade engineer, divisional engineer, coring engineer, arming engineer.

- Administrative and economic staff - technical quartermaster of the first and second ranks, quartermaster of the first, second and third ranks, brigintendant, divintendant, corintendent, armintendant.

— Military doctors of all services and branches of the military - military paramedic, senior military paramedic, military doctor of the first, second and third rank, brigade doctor, divisional doctor, corrologist, army doctor.

- For military lawyers - junior military lawyer, military lawyer, military lawyer of the first, second and third ranks, brigade lawyer, divisional military lawyer, military lawyer, military lawyer.

At the same time, the military rank of Marshal was introduced Soviet Union. It was awarded strictly personally and for special distinctions and merits. The first marshals were M. N. Tukhachevsky, V. K. Blyukher, K. E. Voroshilov, S. M. Budyonny, A. I. Egorov.

In September 1935, the People's Commissar of Defense was tasked with certifying the senior command staff of the Red Army and assigning the appropriate ranks.

The terms of stay in previous ranks were also established in case of successful completion of certifications. For lieutenants, Art. for lieutenants - three years, for captains and majors - four years, for colonels - five years. For everyone who had a rank above brigade commander, no deadlines were established.

As a rule, promotion was accompanied by an increase in rank. All commanders who served the established terms, but did not receive another rank, could be retained in the same capacity for another two years. If such a commander could not earn further promotion, the issue of his transfer to the reserve and transfer to another service was decided.

People's Commissar of Defense in special cases could confer titles without observing any deadlines or length of service. He also awarded the rank of commander. The ranks of army commanders of the first and second ranks could only be awarded by the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars.

New uniform of 1935.

In December 1935, according to the order of NKO 176, a new uniform and new insignia were introduced.

Command staff. For the Marshal of the Soviet Union - red buttonholes with gold edging. Star embroidered with gold threads. Red triangle with a star on the sleeves.

The commander of the first rank had four diamonds and a star on his buttonholes. The color of the buttonholes corresponded to the branch of the army. The commander was supposed to have three diamonds and three squares on his sleeves. Division commander - two diamonds and two squares. And the brigade commander - one diamond with a square.

The colonels had 3 rectangles or, as they were also called, “sleepers.” The major has 2 rectangles, the captain has one. The senior lieutenant wore three cubes and a square, the lieutenant - respectively, two.

The military-political personnel were assigned crimson buttonholes with black edging. With the exception of the army commissar, everyone had stars with a hammer and sickle on their sleeves.

In the summer of 1937, with the resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, the ranks of junior lieutenant, junior political instructor and junior military technician were introduced for junior commanders who had completed special, short-term courses.

A large golden star was embroidered by the Marshals of the Soviet Union. Just below are laurel wreaths with a hammer and sickle. The buttonholes of an army general had five stars, a colonel general had four, a lieutenant general had three, and a major general had two.

Until 1943.

In this form, the insignia existed until January 1943. It was then that they were introduced into Soviet army shoulder straps and the cut of the uniform has changed significantly.

To maximize the strengthening of the engineering, medical and quartermaster staff, the State Defense Committee introduced unified personal ranks at the beginning of 1943. The engineering and technical staff of the Air Force, artillery and armored forces - lieutenant technician, senior lieutenant technician, engineer captain, major engineer, lieutenant colonel engineer, colonel engineer, major general of the aviation engineering service.

The entire command and management personnel by decision State Committee defense was completely recertified.

The decree of the USSR PVS also established the ranks of marshals of aviation, artillery, armored forces and chief marshal for the same types of troops. As a result, in 1943, a unified rank system began to exist in the USSR Army for all command personnel.

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Introduction of shoulder straps in the Armed Forces of the USSR

Shoulder strap. Shoulder patch on the uniform,
braid or shoulder strap.
Vasmer M. Etymological Dictionary
Russian language. - M., 2009.T. 3. P. 295.

At the end of the 1930s, the direction of impartial understanding of Russian history prevailed in the leadership of the USSR. Gradually, the names of famous historical figures of the past, great commanders and Orthodox saints were returned to society. In higher educational institutions History faculties were restored. New history textbooks have appeared, emphasizing the continuity of the historical process in Russia. Such historians as M.N. were subjected to deserved criticism. Pokrovsky and others who, from the standpoint of militant Marxism, denied the positive role statesmen pre-revolutionary Russia and her undoubted achievements. The masters of literature and art of that time created whole line wonderful works on historical topics: novels by Alexei Tolstoy “Peter the Great” and Sergei Borodin “Dmitry Donskoy”, films by Sergei Eisenstein “Alexander Nevsky” and Vsevolod Pudovkin “Suvorov” and many other works.

Pride in one's country and its great history started playing important role in the patriotic education of the country's population on the eve of the war. The war accelerated this process in every possible way. Mention by the leader of the country I.V. Stalin's use of the names of the great Russian commanders during the November parade on Red Square in 1941 inspired the Soviet people.

One of the manifestations of the process of restoring historical continuity and returning to Russian historical traditions was innovations in insignia and distinction in the Red Army and Navy. Already in 1935, the highest military rank “Marshal of the Soviet Union” was introduced in the Red Army, and five years later the ranks of general and admiral were introduced in the army and navy. However, these ranks were marked with insignia in the lapel version. For the first time, they thought about returning shoulder straps during the formation of guards units.

In the Russian army, one-shoulder shoulder straps were first introduced in 1763; they were worn on the left shoulder of the caftan.

In 1801-1809 shoulder straps of a certain color were gradually introduced on both shoulders

Even before the start of the war, the country's leadership considered the issue of reviving the guard in the Russian image and likeness. With the advent of guards units and formations in the Red Army, the issue of creating insignia for them and, in particular, replacing buttonholes with shoulder straps was considered. Test samples of new uniforms and shoulder straps were made. But in the most difficult conditions of 1941, they decided to limit themselves to the establishment of a special badge and an increase in material allowance (for officers - one and a half times, for privates and sergeants - double).

However, work on the introduction of shoulder straps and new uniforms did not stop. After the Battle of Stalingrad, which ended in a great victory for Soviet weapons, the People's Commissar of Defense petitioned the Presidium Supreme Council USSR on the introduction of new insignia for personnel Red Army shoulder straps. According to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's plan, the shoulder straps of generals, officers and enlisted personnel should have differed in shape, method and material of manufacture, but most importantly, they should have symbolized the continuity of the military traditions of the Russian army.

In the samples proposed by the Main Quartermaster Directorate, the size and pattern of the braid on the shoulder straps of the generals completely repeated the samples of shoulder straps of the Russian generals imperial army. Moreover, trial samples of shoulder straps were made from preserved old stocks of galloon. After looking at many options, I.V. Stalin proposed adopting the simplest and most understandable examples of shoulder straps. This decision was approved by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943, and on January 15, by Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 25, new insignia were introduced for the active army.

According to this order, shoulder straps, like all uniforms, began to be divided into dress, casual and field. As before in the imperial army, shoulder straps according to the types of troops and services differed in the colors of the edgings, gaps and fields. For example, the field of epaulettes for generals had a khaki silk weave, and the front one was made of gold or silver wire. For officers - made of khaki cloth and golden or silver galloon or silk. Moreover, the stars on gold shoulder straps were silver and vice versa. But compared to the uniform of the Russian army, where each regiment had its own distinctive sewing and color combination, the Soviet uniform was more unified. Also with awards - orders, medals and badges. Having deep historical roots, the new form and awards had their own unique identity and met the prevailing conditions.

The color scheme of the general's shoulder straps was also present on the shoulder straps of senior officers. The arrangement of the stars copied pre-revolutionary patterns. Much later, on the shoulder straps of senior officers, stars began to be placed on the gaps.

Everyday and field shoulder straps for the junior command staff of the army differed not only color scheme, but also by the fact that they were marked with the unit number, as on pre-revolutionary models.

Simultaneously with the introduction of shoulder straps, the cut of the uniform was changed, and a full dress uniform was introduced for all Red Army personnel.

New uniforms, new ranks, shoulder straps, new awards and insignia - all this was aimed at further strengthening discipline, increasing the role and authority of the command - one of the most important factors in the high combat readiness of the army.

After the war, in people's democracies of Eastern Europe, then in countries Far East and Southeast Asia and much later in some countries of Africa and Latin America, Soviet experience was taken into account when carrying out reforms in the armed forces. In particular, shoulder straps and awards (in most cases) in countries such as Albania, Angola, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, East Germany, China, North Korea, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Mozambique, Romania and others were completely identical to the Soviet ones.

Even in the USA, after the introduction of shoulder straps for Marshals of the Soviet Union, the shoulder straps of an army general were also changed. Thus, in the United States of America there are five general ranks: brigadier general (one star), major general (two stars), lieutenant general (three stars), general (four stars) and army general (five stars). With the introduction of the shoulder strap of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, the design of the shoulder strap of the army general changed: instead of five stars in a row, a large star of five small stars was lined up in the lower part of the shoulder strap, and a symbol - an eagle - was placed in the upper part of the shoulder strap. The result was an exact copy of the Soviet marshal's shoulder strap with American specifics.

The Soviet Union, having won Great Victory, for many decades became a role model in all spheres of life, including such specific ones as military uniforms, orders, medals, badges and other regalia and military paraphernalia.

Boris Hayrapetyan, research fellow
Research Institute (military history)
Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

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

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

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

Military ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army

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

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

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

Stalin's strange decision

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shoulder straps of SENIOR COMMAND STAFF (GENERALS, MARSHALS)
FIELD EMAILS
A field of shoulder straps made of specially woven silk braid on a cloth lining. The color of the shoulder straps is protective. Color of shoulder straps: generals, artillery generals, tank troops, medical and veterinary services, senior commanders. composition of the military legal service - red; aviation generals - blue; generals of technical troops and quartermaster service - crimson.
The stars on the shoulder straps were embroidered in silver, 22 mm in size. On the uniform of generals of the medical and veterinary services and the highest command. members of the military legal service - gold, size 20 mm. The buttons on the shoulder straps with the coat of arms are gilded. On the uniforms of generals there is honey. services – gilded metal emblems; there is a breeze on the generals' uniforms. services - the same emblems, but silvered; on uniform of the highest beginning. members of the Supreme Legal Service - gilded metal emblems.
By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 79 dated February 14, 1943, shoulder straps were installed, including. and for the highest engineering and technical personnel of the signal troops, engineering, chemical, railway, topographic troops - to the generals of the engineering and technical service, according to the model established for the generals of the technical troops. From this order the highest beginning. The composition of the military legal service began to be called generals of justice.
EVERYDAY EPAILS

A field of shoulder straps made of galun of a special weave: made of gold wire.
For generals of medical and veterinary services, the highest level. members of the military legal service - made of silver wire. Color of shoulder straps: generals, artillery generals, tank troops, medical and veterinary services, senior commanders. composition of the military legal service - red; aviation generals - blue; generals of technical troops and quartermaster service - crimson.
The stars on the shoulder straps were embroidered on a gold field - in silver, on a silver field - in gold. The buttons on the shoulder straps with the coat of arms are gilded. On the uniforms of generals there is honey. services – gilded metal emblems; there is a breeze on the generals' uniforms. services - the same emblems, but silvered; on uniform of the highest beginning. members of the Supreme Legal Service - gilded metal emblems.
By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 61 dated February 8, 1943, silver emblems were installed for artillery generals to wear on their shoulder straps.
By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 79 dated February 14, 1943, shoulder straps were installed, including. and for the highest engineering and technical personnel of the signal troops, engineering, chemical, railway, topographic troops - to the generals of the engineering and technical service, according to the model established for the generals of the technical troops. Probably from this order the highest beginning. The composition of the military legal service began to be called generals of justice.
These shoulder straps existed without fundamental changes until 1962, when by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 127 of May 12, sewn shoulder straps with a steel-colored field were installed on the ceremonial overcoats of generals.

In connection with the change in the uniform of officers by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 70, the everyday shoulder straps of officers and generals became green with a pattern similar to the pattern on gold shoulder straps. The stars on the casual uniform remain golden and silver in color.

In 1963, the insignia of the rank of Petty Officer was changed. The former, called “sergeant’s hammer” in soldier’s jargon, is replaced by a wide stripe running along the shoulder strap. Petty officers have a red patch on their khaki field uniform.

Since January 1973, two letters “SA” were introduced on the shoulder straps of soldiers and sergeants (metal on ceremonial uniforms and plastic on overcoats and everyday uniforms) to distinguish soldiers and sergeants of the army from sailors, sergeants and foremen of the fleet, the letter “F” was introduced in the fleet or for the fleets “SF”, “TF”, “BF”, “Black Sea Fleet”, as well as military personnel of the internal troops, border troops and KGB units - letters “VV”, “PV”, “GB”. Somewhat later, the letter “K” was introduced on the shoulder straps of military school cadets (order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 81-73). The shoulder straps and buttonholes on the dress and everyday uniforms of soldiers and sergeants became colored with yellow (golden) stripes. Khaki shoulder straps with red stripes remained only on field soldiers' and sergeants' uniforms. Cadets have the same shoulder straps on all types of uniforms.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 18, 1971, from 1972, the scale of ranks of the USSR Armed Forces was added to new category, standing between sergeants and officers "Warrant Officers and Midshipmen". In the army in this category there is one rank, “Ensign,” and in the navy, “Midshipman.” The ceremonial shoulder straps of ensigns have a checkerboard color pattern depending on the type of military service. Everyday and field shoulder straps of warrant officers have the same pattern and green color. Two stars and gold-colored emblems on ceremonial and everyday shoulder straps and green on field shoulder straps.

In 1980, a new rank, “Senior Warrant Officer,” was added to the “Warrant Officers and Midshipmen” category and, in the navy, “Senior Warrant Officer.” He wore three stars in a vertical row.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 1, 1974, the insignia of the rank “Army General” was changed. Instead of four general stars, one large star is introduced for them in one vertical row, like the marshals of the military branches. In place of the emblems of the military branches of the army generals, a sewn combined arms emblem is placed. In addition to changing the shoulder straps, the army generals were given a marshal's star on their tie, which previously only marshals of the Soviet Union, marshals and chief marshals of the military branches had.

Everyday shoulder straps

Colors of shoulder straps for soldiers, sergeants, cadets and warrant officers:

combined arms and infantry (motorized rifles) - scarlet;
aviation and airborne forces - blue;
all other branches of the military are black.

Colors of gaps and edges for junior, senior and senior officers:

aviation and airborne forces - blue;
all other types of troops are scarlet.

Field shoulder straps

Since December 1956, the field shoulder straps of officers have lost their colored edgings, and the gaps on the field shoulder straps, instead of the color of burgundy (command personnel) and brown (all others), have become the same for all categories of officers, but the color is based on the type of troops:

motorized rifles and combined arms - crimson;
artillery, armored forces - red;
aviation - blue;
all technical troops are black.

Ranks and insignia

Soldiers			Sergeants					Ensigns
Shoulder straps to everyday uniform
Rank	Private	Corporal	Jr. sergeant	Sergeant	Art. sergeant	Sergeant Major (until 1963)	Sergeant Major (since 1963)	Ensign (since 1971)	Art. ensign (since 1981)
Sailors			Petty Officers					Midshipmen
Shoulder straps to everyday uniform
Rank	Sailor	Art. sailor	Sergeant Major 2 articles	Sergeant Major 1 articles	Main foreman	Midshipman (until 1963)	Midshipman (1963−1971) Ch. ship's foreman (since 1971)	Midshipman (since 1971)	Art. midshipman (since 1981)

Junior officers					Senior officers			Senior officers
Shoulder straps to everyday uniform
Rank	Jr. lieutenant	Lieutenant	Art. lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant colonel	Colonel	Major General	Lieutenant General	Colonel General	Army General (until 1974)	Army General (since 1974)
Junior Navy officers					Senior Navy officers			Senior Navy officers
Shoulder straps to everyday uniform