Military uniform of the Red Army (1918-1935)

The prototype of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was the Red Guard detachments, which began to form after the February coup of 1917, and the revolutionary units of the armed forces of the Russian Empire .

The Red Guards did not have any established uniforms, they were distinguished only by a red armband with the inscription "Red Guard" ^[2] or a red ribbon on the headdress, and in some units - a red breastplate (sewn or pinned with a red bow pin).

When forming the Red Army units by order of the People’s Commissar for Military Affairs (People’s Commissar) of September 30, 1918 No. 929, it was allowed to use the uniform of the former Russian Imperial Army without insignia - protective soldier or officer gymnasts , trousers of the same color, tucked into boots or coils with boots , soldiers 'or officers' military overcoats (wartime uniforms established by orders of the military department No. 100 of March 10, 1909, and No. 218 of May 7, 1912). Allowed to wear uniforms of arbitrary designs and civilian clothes. Widespread since 1919, received British and American French . Commanders, commissars and political workers often wore leather caps and jackets. Cavalrymen sometimes wore hussar trousers ( chakchirs ) and dolomans , as well as ulan jackets ^{[3] [4]} .

The order of the People’s Commissar of May 7, 1918 No. 326 announced the provision of a competition to establish uniforms for the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Such prominent artists as V. M. Vasnetsov , B. M. Kustodiev , and M. D. Ezuchevsky participated in the development of the form. The marching soldier's uniform of the Russian army was taken as the basis of the new uniform: an overcoat, a marching shirt and trousers of protective color, as well as a cap with a visor (summer hat).

At the same time, on July 29, 1918, the order of the People's Commissar No. 594 approved the first distinctive signs indicating belonging to the Red Army ^[5] : a badge and a badge-cockade on a hat ^[4] .

1919-1922s

Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army

The sample and description of the headgear - winter helmet were approved by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) of January 16, 1919 No. 116, and changed by order of the RVSR of April 8, 1919 No. 628 (in particular, the diameter of the sewn cloth star was changed in color according to the type of troops from 8.8 cm by 10.5 cm; it is also prescribed that the badge-cockade of the standard pattern be fixed in the center of the sewn cloth star) ^[6] . The winter cloth headdress looked like a hero’s helmet, and at first the hero’s name was unofficially, then it was called Frunzevka , and then Budenovka (since at first such helmets entered the army under the command of M.V. Frunze , and then S.M. Budyonny )

RVSR orders of January 16, 1919 No. 116, and of April 8, 1919 No. 628, on a cloth star in the color of the military, sewn on a winter helmet, a 5-6 mm wide edging was installed, applied with black paint at a distance of 3 mm from the edge of the star (for stars from black cloth - red paint) ^{[7] [6]} .

The above-mentioned order No. 628 also included in the army uniform (see. Fig. ) ^[6] :

• infantry and cavalry overcoat ^[11] (the cavalry overcoat was different from the infantry overcoat with a sewn skirt that had a mandatory cut that began 14 cm below the waist; infantry greatcoats did not have a back cut, but they were allowed to do it on their own when the Red Army was relying on duty horse) ^[12] ;
• summer shirt (with a chest strap that had a 2-button secret fastener and a stand-up collar fastened with 2 hooks ; no chest pockets, there were 2 longitudinal welt pockets at the bottom) ^[12] ;
• leather bast shoes.

Leather bast shoes were intended to be worn over footcloths or onuchas , instead of boots or soldier's boots - due to their shortage, the consequence of which was the fairly common practice of the Red Army wearing ordinary bast shoes made of bast , birch bark or hemp (see photo ). The upper part of leather bast shoes was cut from one piece of leather and sewn on the back. The upper edge of the bast shoes had slotted holes in which a strap was threaded to tighten the bast shoes on the leg, as well as 2 copper rings on the sides, into which another strap was threaded to fasten the bast shoes on the foot by winding the lower leg with it (see. Fig. ) ^[6] .

The early Red Army rejected officers as a phenomenon, declaring it "a relic of tsarism." The word "officer" was replaced by the word " commander ." Epaulettes were canceled, military ranks were canceled, instead of which job titles were used, for example, “ starting ” (division head), or “ corps commander ” (corps commander). On January 16, 1919, Order No. 116 introduced the Table of Insignia, which established 11 insignia of command personnel, starting from the separated commander and ending with the front commander. In all cases, signs made of red instrument cloth were worn on the left sleeve of clothing. 22-24 centimeters above the low sleeve, a red star was sewn with a black edging (with a double edging for posts starting from the brigade commander and above), and a black sickle and hammer, and below it the insignia in the form of triangles, squares or rhombs.

The insignia by type of service was a colored field-valve (buttonhole) sewn along the edge of the clothing collar and had the established color ^[6] :

• infantry - raspberry;
• cavalry - blue;
• artillery - orange;
• engineer troops - black;
• aeronautical troops - blue;
• border guard - green.

Finally, the following items of clothing were established by order of the RVSR from April 8, 1919 No. 628, according to the type of troops ^[6] :

• the sewn cloth star of Budenovka;
• 3 chest valves with rhomboid endings (for shirts consisted of two halves sewn horizontally on the chest strap so that when the shirt is fastened, the ends of each half coincide, forming a continuation one another) ^[12] , valve sizes:
  • for overcoats: length (along the axis of symmetry of the valve) - 11 cm, width in the narrow part - 2.5 cm, in the wide part (between opposite vertices of the angles of diamond-shaped endings) - 3.5 cm,
  • for shirts: the length of each half (along the axis of symmetry) is 8 cm, the width in the narrow part is 2.5 cm, in the wide (between the opposite vertices of the angles of the diamond-shaped endings) - 4 cm;
• collar valves (for shirts - similar to halves of the chest valves for shirts, with diamond-shaped ends, sewn on the ends of the stand-up collar, parallel to its upper edge; for overcoats - diamond-shaped valves, with slightly concave two upper sides, sewn on the corners of the overcoat collar) ^{[12 ]} , valve sizes:
  • for overcoats: the length of each of the two lower sides of the diamond-shaped valve is 6 cm, the distance between the corners of each of the two upper sides is 7 cm,
  • for shirts: the length of each half (along the axis of symmetry) is 9 cm, the width in the narrow part is 3 cm, in the wide (between opposite vertices of the angles of the diamond-shaped endings) - 4 cm;
• overcoats on the seam of cuffs and collar (collar, cuffs and flaps of waist pockets were made of the same cloth as the overcoat, but in a darker shade).

On the fields of the collar valves (buttonholes), it was ordered to apply the numbers of the regiments with durable black paint, according to the numbering common to the entire Red Army — in Arabic numerals 2 cm high ^[6] .

On August 22, 1919, RVSR Order No. 1406 introduced a sleeve bandage for the commandants of railway sections, stations and marinas, as well as military commissars attached to them, and in addition, a sleeve insignia for all military service personnel . The armband was a strip of red cloth 12 cm wide, sewn in a ring. A horizontally black velvet rhombus with diagonals of 8 × 12 cm, bordered with a 3-mm edging, either green for commandants or dark yellow for commissars, was sewn onto the strip with a larger diagonal. In the center of the rhombus, a railway wheel with two wings located along its axis was embroidered with white (silver) threads. The sleeve insignia for employees of military communications was a similar rhombus of the same pattern as that of the commandants, who was ordered to sew on the left sleeve above the elbow ^{[13] [6]} .

On April 3, 1920, by order of the RVSR No. 572, sleeve insignia on the type of troops were introduced, made of instrument cloth ^{[14] [15]} :

• infantry - a rhombus sewn with a larger diagonal vertically (field of the crimson sign);
• cavalry - a horseshoe shape mark (blue mark field);
• artillery - a sign of the shape of a shell (field sign scarlet);
• engineer troops - square (black mark field);
• aviation units - a rhombus sewn with a larger diagonal horizontally (field sign blue).

On all signs there was a yellow edging and a yellow rising sun, a red star and a sign of the military branch: crossed rifles for infantry, checkers for cavalry, etc. In parts awarded with the Revolutionary Red Banner, those details that were embroidered with yellow silk were embroidered with golden tinsel and for servicemen who served more than a year and participated in the hostilities, silver tinsel was installed.

Nevertheless, due to economic conditions, the mass production of uniforms and insignia was not possible, and until 1922 the army was fully provided with a new uniform.

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  Management of the 4th Army of the Western Front (third from the left - G. S. Gorchakov ), 1920.
  Sewed flaps on the shirt are visible at the far left of the paint .

•  

  The crew of the Ilya Muromets bomber of the Airborne Division of the Southwestern Front , September 8, 1920.
  At least one military aircraft (in the center) shows the sleeve insignia of aviation units.

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  Red Army men of the 51st Infantry Division near the English Mark V tank captured in battles near Kakhovka , on October 14, 1920.
  Some Red Army soldiers are dressed in an overcoat of the 1919 model — darker shawls and chest valves are visible, while there are no collar-buttonhole buttons.

•  

  Presentation of the Red Banner of Honor by the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea M.V. Frunze to the head of the 51st Infantry Division P.E. Dybenko , 1921.
  On the right in the photo of some paints, sleeve insignia of distinction of the 1919 sample are visible (the border on the rightmost paint has a fringing, a sickle and a hammer on the sleeve insignia, apparently of a “non-standard” color).

Worker-Peasant Red Fleet

On October 27, 1921, by order of the RVSR No. 2443, the first regulated form of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) was approved. For the commander, it consisted of single-breasted closed tunic (blue cloth and white canvas ) or black jacket for wearing with a white shirt and tie. Pants to them relied black cloth or white linen. The cap was a black cloth with a black ribbon on the band, with a gold anchor, a rim and ears of corn. In winter, a single-breasted coat of dark gray cloth with a turn-down collar was put on over the clothes. The ordinary and junior commanding officers relied on a blue flannel shirt ( flannel ), as well as a white linen uniform shirt ( uniform ) with a sewing sailor collar of dark blue color (the so-called “guys” ), which had 3 white stripes at the edges, which had cuffs of the same dark blue in color as guis, with 3 similar white stripes along the upper edges of cuffs. When wearing flannel in cold weather, over the white uniform shirt, the attached sailor's flannel collar was not fastened, and the sailor collar of the uniform straightened out.

As a headdress, a visor made of black cloth was adopted, with a black ribbon inscribed in gold letters and a cockade similar to an officer’s.

In winter, a double-breasted black cloth pea jacket with a turn-down collar was relied. In addition, in winter, the entire fleet personnel wore a black cap with earflaps; in the summer, a white cover was put on the top of caps and a cap.

For the command staff were established signs of position located on the cuffs of both arms. Those who had a naval education, the signs were a five-pointed star of scarlet cloth with a gold border, and the same arm bands of different widths. For non-personnel, sleeve signs of specialties were installed (30 characters in total) in the form of a black circle with red embroidery. They were worn on the left sleeve above the elbow ^[3] .

Red Army

By order of the RVSR of January 31, 1922 No. 322, the military form of the Red Army was strictly regulated. Descriptions were given of a new form, a sheet of cloth colors, edging, ciphering uniforms for various military departments, ciphers and emblems of all military branches, and a table of insignia of the command and administrative staff of the Red Army was approved. Since that time, it was forbidden to wear unidentified clothing samples ^[3] .

Two models of overcoats were approved: an infantry and a cavalry standard, on which there remained three valves of the color of the military branch on the chest, a badge of the military branch on the left shoulder and a sleeve insignia (now on the curly valve in the color of the military branch, with a scarlet edging and a scarlet five-pointed star in upper part of the valve) above the cuff on the left hand. On the collar of the greatcoat were diamond-shaped buttonholes of the color of the military branch, where encryption and signs of the military branch were located.

Two types of shirts were approved: winter and summer, made of dark gray uniform cloth and light gray raventukha without lining, respectively, which had standing-turn-down collars . There were chest valves, sleeve insignia and buttonholes on both shirts and on other shirts. Harem pants were supposed to be in shirts: winter, from dark gray cloth and summer from light gray rep . At the seams of the trousers of the command staff, an edging of the color of the military branch was laid. Buttonholes of shirts underwent changes: now they have become rectangular, 4 cm wide and 8-8.5 cm long, on which it was also prescribed to attach emblems according to the type of service and encryption of military units. Also on the lapels a fringe was introduced, established for the arms of the armed forces, command and control bodies and various military institutions ^[19] .

The winter helmet ( budenovka ) underwent some changes: the design of the upper part was changed and the edging was removed from the sewn cloth star (its diameter decreased from 10.5 cm to 9.5 cm) ^[19] . Instead of a cap, a light-gray summer helmet was introduced, similar to a winter helmet.

For the first time, different insignia were introduced for the positions of command and administrative staff. In the latter, on the valves, the insignia in the form of triangles, squares or rhombs were not red, but blue. The color of artillery was changed: it received a combination of black with red, and accordingly the colors of the sleeve insignia ^{[20] [19]} changed.

A sleeve insignia of armored parts was introduced, similar to the existing ones, which is a circle with a black and red field, with a star and an emblem - an image of a heroic helmet and hand with a sword ^[20] . In addition, sleeve signs of some departments appeared, such as signs of the revolutionary tribunals (RVSR order of September 18, 1922 No. 2185) ^[21] , the military-sanitary department (RVSR order of September 28, 1922 No. 2264), and corps of military topographers (order RVSR from January 20, 1923 No. 174) ^[22] . A special sign was introduced for military units that received the name “exemplary” (RVSR order of September 17, 1922 No. 2162) ^{[23] [19]} .

Since that time, emblems have been approved, introduced not only for the combat arms, but also for individual special formations and units. In total, 40 emblems were introduced ^[18] . One emblem was introduced for rifle units, four types of emblems were used in artillery, cavalry had one emblem, twelve types of emblems were supposed to be assigned to engineering units, two types for military communications, five emblems for military communications, three emblems for military training departments, seven emblems armor parts (but they lasted only about five months, after which by the order of the RVSR of May 29, 1922 No. 1312 they were replaced by a single emblem in the form of a shield with a picture of a hand with a sword and lightning, crowned by a wheel with wings) ^{[24] [19]} , two emblems for air fleet, and one each for military veterinarians, military orderlies and escort guards ^[17] . On December 13, 1922, by order of the RVSR No. 2759, an emblem and an encryption were introduced for the newly created Moscow Artillery Sound-Measurement Division of the Red Army ^[25] , in connection with which the final number of emblems of the combat arms (services) was reduced to 35 ^[19] .

The colors of the buttonholes were set, while the buttonholes and edgings were different for the field, the edging sharovar and emblems with ciphers (the latter were placed on the buttonholes, consisted of letters, as well as Roman and Arabic numerals, and designated the type of army and the type of formation, unit, institution). The combination of four colors was unique for each type of army, and was also different for the control. The edging on the trousers was abolished on June 27, 1923, by the order of the RVSR No. 322. The same order ordered the lapel and sleeve valves to be edged with the same edging with the buttonhole edging (until this moment the edging on the breast valves was absent, and the arm valves had the edging of the same color - scarlet, independently from the kind of troops) ^[22] .

Ground and Air Forces of the Red Army

In 1924, decorative elements were removed from the uniform: colored breast valves and all sleeve insignia, and encryption was removed from the buttonholes. This made it possible to place insignia on the buttonholes (among ordinary soldiers on the buttonholes only the numbers of the regiments in which they served) were left. There was a division of the command structure into four groups (junior, middle, senior and higher personnel) and fourteen categories. By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR (PBC of the USSR) of October 2, 1924 No. 1244, new insignia were established (triangles, squares, rectangles ^[31] and rhombs) ^{[32] [33]} .

The first major change in uniform in 1924 was the introduction of a new summer headdress: a protective-colored cap with a visor, on the tip of which a Red Army star was located. Then, new samples of summer shirts and trousers, as well as overcoats, were accepted for supply. Summer shirts for all military branches were made of cotton fabric of protective color - gymnasts ^[34] . In addition, summer shirts, introduced by Order of the PBC of the USSR dated May 30, 1924 No. 702, received 2 chest patch pockets with buttons fastened with buttons ^{[35] [33]} .

New insignia were established for the positions held, and a new procedure for their placement. Now they, being replaced by metal and reduced in size, were placed on the buttonholes (rectangular at the gymnasts and curly on overcoats). Again, the colors of the military branches were changed ^{[36] [33]} :

• infantry - raspberry buttonholes with a black border;
• artillery and armored parts - black buttonholes with a red edging;
• cavalry - blue buttonholes with black edging;
• Air Force - Blue buttonholes with red trim;
• technical troops - black buttonholes with blue trim;
• the administrative and military personnel of the military department are dark green buttonholes with a red border.

By the order of the PBC of the USSR of June 20, 1924 No. 807, the emblems of the military branch were changed (and for some categories reinstalled). Their number was reduced to 24 ^[37] . On August 19, 1924, by order of the PBC of the USSR No. 1058 to the military sanitary department, instead of the emblem in the form of a red cross sign established in 1924 by order of the PBC of the USSR No. 807, another emblem was introduced - a snake wrapping around a bowl (the so-called "hippocratic cup") ^{[38] [33]} .

On June 26, 1924, instead of a winter cloth shirt established in 1922, order of the PBC of the USSR No. 850 introduced a cloth single-breasted shirt-jacket, fastened with five buttons on the side, with a stand-up collar and two chest patch pockets with valves, as well as two inside welt pockets below ^[39] . A month later, on August 4, 1924, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 1010 for command, administrative, and political personnel, the cloth jacket was slightly modified: instead of internal welt pockets, patch pockets with flaps were installed at the bottom ^{[38] [33]} . Winter cloth jacket-overalls were worn with the same cloth harem of infantry or cavalry samples. A new model of an overcoat (infantry and cavalry) was also introduced, and this model of 1924, with minor changes, consisted of supplying the Soviet and then Russian armies until the end of the 20th century . In July 1924, buttons were unified, which had a star with a hammer and sickle on the front side and were available in three sizes.

In 1924, major changes were made to the Air Force. Their summer and winter uniforms of general army cut began to have a dark blue color, their headgear became one - a cap, and finally, instead of an overcoat, a blue coat began to come in to supply the Air Force. Patches were introduced for military pilots, military balloonists on tethered and free balloons ^{[40] [41]} , and in 1925 for aircraft mechanics (technical staff) ^{[42] [43]} . In 1925, changes again followed for the commanding staff of the Air Force, starting with medium and higher. The uniform kit included an ordinary infantry overcoat, a half-open single-breasted jacket in English khaki , a shirt, tie and breeches ( breeches ) of the same color with a jacket, as well as an ordinary cap of the 1924 model ^{[42] [30]} .

By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR dated April 27, 1926 No. 223, military units of naval aviation “were transferred to be granted to naval ports for simplification of supply”, in connection with which a naval uniform was established for all naval aviation personnel. Patch of aviation insignia was not included in the description of the naval uniform, but was automatically transferred to it, and was invariably worn by military personnel of the flight-lifting personnel of naval aviation until 1943 ^[44] .

In connection with the appearance of national formations in the North Caucasus , a uniform was established for them, mainly corresponding to the one worn by Cossack units in the tsarist army.

On December 7, 1926, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 721, buttonholes were introduced for the chemical parts of black cloth with black edging, and the emblem established by the same order ^[45] . As a result, the number of emblems of the military branches (services) began to equal 25 ^[46] .

In the same year, dark blue trousers were introduced for the commanding ground forces (for blue cavalry and equestrian artillery). At the end of 1926, the clothes of the Air Force changed again, turning blue again, but with a white shirt and black tie. In 1927, at the initiative of S. M. Budyonny, a color scheme for caps in cavalry was introduced. Each division had its own color, the color of the circle depended on the number of the regiment or special squadron. It lasted only two years and in 1929 it was abolished, with the introduction of a pan-cavalry cap. In other troops since 1928, a single khaki cloth cap was installed. In 1927, a white summertime shirt was introduced for all military branches to be worn out of order. In 1929, new models of summer and winter shirts of a dark protective color were adopted for all military branches. In 1931, for the personnel of cavalry and horse artillery, instead of an overcoat, a cotton jacket was accepted for supply, and the commanding personnel were allowed to wear hats, a raincoat and bekhes in winter. Also in 1931, a leather helmet was entered to supply the tankers and a uniform short fur coat with a long skirt was introduced for all military branches, and short wadded jackets were introduced for the personnel of the cavalry and horse artillery of the Siberian Military District and the Far East .

In 1926, the rules for wearing military uniforms were first introduced. Everyday, guard and marching uniforms were installed, each of which was divided into winter (cloth helmet, shirt, harem pants, overcoat, boots or boots with gaiters or windings, a belt) and summer (cap, summer shirt and harem pants, overcoat, shoes, belt). In cold areas, the winter form was supplemented by felt boots, a short fur coat and warm linen. The guard and marching forms assumed the presence of one or another equipment.

Everyday uniform was worn out of service, in the service and, in some cases, in the ranks. Starting from the middle commanding staff, it was allowed to carry personal weapons. The guard uniform existed only for the ordinary and junior commanding officers, and assumed the presence of weapons and one cartridge bag. The uniform was used in guards, patrols, etc., as well as during military ceremonies. The marching uniform assumed an everyday uniform with put weapons, a trench tool, a gas mask and a full combat outfit.

In 1932, for the commanding staff (starting with the middle) of the ground forces and the Air Force, a single camping equipment was adopted, consisting of a waist belt, front and rear shoulder belts, holsters and a field bag. Everything was made of brown leather. In everyday uniforms, equipment was worn with one shoulder strap and a holster, while traveling with two straps, a holster, a field bag, binoculars, a flask and a gas mask. Air Force personnel always wore only one shoulder strap.

On November 18, 1932, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 220, the "Rules for wearing uniforms by the Red Army soldiers" were introduced. These Rules for military attaches established blue buttonholes with a black edging, and a Red Army star of red cloth sewn on them with a gold edging, a sickle and a hammer ^{[47] [48]} .

Red Army Naval Forces

В 1925 году была установлена форма для Военно-морских сил РККА (ВМС РККА). Было установлено деление обмундирования на основное и добавочное для всех категорий военнослужащих, и на обмундирование начальствующего состава (исключая младший) и рядового состава. В обмундирование начальствующего состава входили пальто цвета маренго , тужурка с жилетом и галстуком, тёмно-синий китель, белый китель, зимние чёрные брюки, белые летние брюки, чёрная фуражка (летом с белым чехлом), зимняя шапка из чёрного сукна с подкладкой и козырьком, высокие сапоги или ботинки гражданского образца. Рядовой и младший начальствующий состав в зависимости от времени года или исполняемых обязанностей, носили пальто, бушлат, фланелевую и форменную рубахи, зимние и летние брюки, рабочую одежду из парусины или синей нанки, сапоги, бескозырку и шапку. Знаки различия флотского командного состава представляли собой установленное количество жёлтых галунов определённой ширины, над которыми располагалась звезда с золотистой окантовкой для плавсостава и серебристой для остальных. У рядовых краснофлотцев звезда была без окантовки; также у рядовых и младшего командного состава на левом рукаве нашивался нарукавный знак специальности.

• Военная одежда вооружённых сил СССР и России : 1917—1990-е годы / М. М. Хренов ; И. Ф. Коновалов ; Н. В. Дементюк ; М. А. Теровкин. — М. : Воениздат , 1999. — 445 с., [2] с. silt : цв. silt — (Редкая книга). — ISBN 5-203-01758-1 .
• Иллюстрированное описание обмундирования и знаков различия Советской Армии (1918—1958 гг.) / сост. О. В. Харитонов ; under the general. ed. полк. И. П. Ермошина. — АИМ ГАУ МО СССР . — Л. , 1960. — 150 с., 179 с. silt — (За нашу Советскую Родину!).

• Форма одежды личного состава Военно-морских сил РККА / УВМС РККА . — Л. : Отдел Издательства НКО СССР ; М. , 1934. — 70 с. : ill. - 5,000 copies.