As insignia for the ranks of the Red Army, buttonholes were sewn onto the collars of tunics, tunics and overcoats. The rank was recognized by the shape of the geometric figures attached to the buttonholes, and the specific rank by their number. There were also additional insignia in the form of galloon charcoal chevrons sewn onto the sleeves between the elbow and the cuff.

The insignia of senior command personnel were rhombuses (by the beginning of the war, replaced by 5-pointed stars), for senior officers - rectangles or, as they were also called, “sleepers”, and for junior officers - squares or cubes (in common parlance, lieutenants were called “cubes”) . For non-commissioned officers - triangles.

And so, now specifically about titles.

MILITARY RANKS OF HIGH COMMAND STAFF:

Marshal of the Soviet Union - 1 large star between laurel branches
Army General - 5 little stars
Colonel General - 4 stars
Lieutenant General - 3 stars
Major General - 2 stars

The major general's two stars are apparently somehow connected with the abolished position-rank of "brigade commander", who wore one diamond on his buttonhole.

SENIOR TEAM AND MANAGEMENT STAFF:

Colonel - 4 sleepers
Lieutenant Colonel - 3 sleepers
Major - 2 sleepers
Captain - 1 sleeper

AVERAGE TEAM AND MANAGEMENT STAFF:

Senior Lieutenant - 3 dice
Lieutenant - 2 dice
Junior Lieutenant - 1 die

JUNIOR TEAM AND MANAGEMENT STAFF:

For all ranks (except for the Red Army soldier), there was a narrow strip along the buttonhole and a golden triangle was attached to the upper corner of the buttonhole. In addition, the sergeant major's buttonhole was trimmed with gold edging.

Petty Officer - 1 stripe and 4 triangles
Senior Sergeant - 1 stripe and 3 triangles
Sergeant - 1 stripe and 2 triangles
Junior Sergeant - 1 stripe and 1 triangle

RED ARMY MEMBERS:

Corporal - 1 lane
The Red Army soldier is an empty buttonhole.

In addition to the lapel insignia, as mentioned earlier, there were also braided sleeve stripes indicating a specific rank, and in some cases, rank.

So the chevron on the sleeves of ranks from major general to colonel general inclusive was the same. the chevron for major and lieutenant colonel was also the same, since the rank of lieutenant colonel did not exist in the Red Army until 1940. These stripes were present only for combat ranks, and they were absent for quartermasters, military technicians, doctors and military lawyers. All political instructors, regardless of rank, had a red star sewn on their sleeves with a crossed hammer and sickle embroidered on it with gold thread.

In 1943, a change occurred in the insignia of the Red Army. Lapel insignia are replaced with shoulder straps.

ON THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW INSIGNIA FOR PERSONNEL OF THE RED ARMY
1. Satisfy the request of the People's Commissariat of Defense and introduce, instead of existing ones, new insignia - shoulder straps for Red Army personnel.

2. Approve samples and descriptions of new insignia for Red Army personnel.*

3. The People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR to establish the deadlines for the transition to new insignia and make the necessary changes to the uniform of the Red Army personnel.**

Moscow Kremlin. January 6, 1943

ORDER ON THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW INSIGNIA AND CHANGES IN CLOTHING UNIFORMS
RED ARMY
No. 25 of January 15, 1943

In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army”
I order:

1. Establish the wearing of shoulder straps:
field - military personnel in the active army and personnel of units preparing to be sent to the front;
everyday - by military personnel of other units and institutions of the Red Army, as well as when wearing full dress uniform.

2. All Red Army personnel should switch to new insignia - shoulder straps in the period from February 1 to February 15, 1943.

3. Make changes to the uniform of the Red Army personnel, according to the descriptions in appendices No. 1, 2 and 3.

4. Put into effect the “Rules for wearing uniforms by Red Army personnel” (Appendix No. 4).

5. Allow the wearing of the existing uniform with new insignia until the next issue of uniforms, in accordance with the current deadlines and supply standards.

6. Unit commanders and garrison commanders must strictly monitor compliance with the uniform and correct wearing of the new insignia.

People's Commissar of Defense I. STALIN

The shoulder strap is made of specially woven braid: for field shoulder straps - from khaki silk, for everyday ones - from gold wire.

And so, the insignia is as follows:

Shoulder straps and insignia of the Soviet Union Marshals and Generals.

The size of the stars on the shoulder straps of generals is 22 mm, on the shoulder straps of generals of the medical and veterinary services - 20 mm.

Number of stars by military rank:

Marshal of the Soviet Union is one big star;
General of the Army - four stars;
Colonel General - three stars;
Lieutenant General - two stars;
Major General - one star;

On February 4, 1943, by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 51 in the addition to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of new insignia for personnel of the Red Army,” changes were made to the shoulder straps of Marshals of the Soviet Union and shoulder straps were introduced for marshals of aviation and artillery and armored forces.

October 27, 1943 by order of the NKO USSR No. 305 on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 9, 1943. Additionally, military ranks have been established for senior command personnel:

ORDER OF THE DEPUTY PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONER OF DEFENSE
WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR
“ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL MILITARY RANKS FOR SENIOR COMMAND STAFF OF THE RED ARMY”

I announce for the leadership the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 9, 1943 “On the establishment of additional military ranks for the senior command staff of the Red Army.”

Deputy People's Commissar of Defense
Marshal of the Soviet Union VASILEVSKY

DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE USSR
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL MILITARY RANKS
FOR SENIOR COMMAND STAFF OF THE RED ARMY

In addition to the decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940 and January 16, 1943, to establish the following military ranks for the senior command staff of the Red Army:

Chief Marshal of Artillery,
Air Chief Marshal,
Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces,
Marshal of the Signal Corps,
Chief Marshal of the Signal Corps,
Marshal of the Engineering Troops,
Chief Marshal of the Engineering Troops.

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M. KALININ
Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A. GORKIN
Moscow Kremlin. October 9, 1943

The changes at the end of 1943 resulted in the following:
Marshal of Soviet Soz - 1 large star and the state emblem above
Chief Marshal (branch) - 1 large star in a wreath and the emblem of the military branch above it
Marshal (army branch) - 1 large star

There were no changes to the generals' insignia.

Shoulder straps and insignia of SENIOR AND MIDDLE COMMANDS.

On the shoulder straps of the middle command staff there is one gap and silver-plated stars;
On the shoulder straps of senior officers there are two gaps and large silver-plated stars.
The stars on the shoulder straps are metal. From junior lieutenant to captain inclusive, the size of the stars from corner to corner is 13 mm, from major to colonel - 20 mm.

The number of stars on the chase - by military rank:

Colonel - three stars,
lieutenant colonel - two stars,
major - one star,
captain - four stars,
senior lieutenant - three stars,
lieutenant - two stars,
junior lieutenant - one star.

Shoulder straps and insignia of junior command and rank and file. Field of shoulder straps:

field - from khaki cloth,
everyday - from colored cloth according to the branch of service.

Stripes on field shoulder straps for junior command and command personnel:

narrow - 1 cm wide,
wide - 3 cm wide,
longitudinal patch on the sergeant's shoulder straps - 1.5 cm wide.

The shoulder straps of junior command personnel have stripes corresponding to their military rank:

foreman - narrow longitudinal and wide transverse stripes,
senior sergeant - wide transverse stripe,
sergeant - three narrow transverse stripes,
junior sergeant - two narrow transverse stripes,
corporal - a narrow transverse stripe.

With the Bolsheviks coming to power, all military ranks and insignia were abolished. However, the experience of the civil war soon showed the need for some way of allocating command personnel. Until the winter of 1919, the process of introducing insignia was not regulated by anyone. There were insignia in the form of red armbands with the inscription of the position, a different number of red stripes around the sleeve, a different number of stars on the sleeve, headdress, on the chest, etc. These insignia were introduced by the commanders of brigades, divisions, and regiments. On January 16, 1919, by order of the RVSR No. 116, insignia of the military branches in the form of colored buttonholes on collars and insignia of commanders in the form of stripes on the left sleeve above the cuff were introduced. By this order, insignia were introduced only for combatant commanders and their deputies. Political commissars, staff soldiers, and servicemen of auxiliary services did not have any insignia according to this order. The insignia were stripes made of red fabric in the form of triangles, squares and diamonds placed above the cuffs of an overcoat, jacket, jacket, jacket, tunic or other outerwear. Above these signs was a red star cut from the same fabric with a diameter of 11 cm. for commanders from squad to regiment; diameter 14.5 cm. from the brigade commander and above.

Junior command staff wore triangles:

One is the squad leader
Two - deputy platoon commander
Three - sergeant major of a company (division)

Middle and senior command personnel wore squares:

One - platoon commander
Two - company commander
Three - battalion commander
Four - regiment commander

The senior command staff wore diamonds:

One is the brigade commander
Two - division commander
Three - army commander
Four - front commander

Very quickly other military personnel began to wear these insignia. Most often, the corresponding commander's deputies wore one badge less than the commander's. Based on the approximate correspondence of their positions to the legal status of the commanders, other military personnel began to sew on the badges.

By Order of the RVSR No. 1406 of August 22, 1919, distinctive insignia on the left sleeve above the elbow in the form of rhombuses measuring 11x8 cm were introduced for military servicemen of the military communications service. and a red armband for military commandants of railway stations and piers with the same sign depicted on it.

Until September 1935, insignia corresponded only to the position held. With the introduction of a single headdress - budenovka - in 1919, the color of the sewn star began to indicate the type of military service

infantry.........crimson
cavalry......blue
artillery.....orange
aviation.........blue
sappers.........black
border guards..green

At the ends of the collar of an overcoat or shirt, buttonholes were sewn in the color of the star. In the infantry, it was prescribed that the regimental number be painted on the buttonholes in black paint.

In April 1920, sleeve insignia of the military branches were introduced. These signs are made of cloth and embroidered with colored silk. The signs are placed on the left sleeve of the shirt or caftan in the middle between the shoulder and elbow.

Let's remember about the Cheka-GPU-OGPU

06/13/1918 the Internal Troops of the GPU-OGPU were created as a corps of troops of the Cheka
05/25/1919, together with other auxiliary troops, the Internal Troops became part of the Internal Security Troops of the Republic (VOKhR)
09/01/1920 VOKhR, reinforced by a number of contingents, formed the Internal Service Troops (VNUS)
01/19/1921 Independent troops of the Cheka were again separated from the VNUS
02/06/1922 The Cheka troops were reorganized into the Internal Troops of the GPU-OGPU.

The protection of places of detention and escort were carried out by the Convoy Guard of the Republic. Until 1923, it was part of the structure of the People's Commissariat of Justice, but was operationally subordinate to the GPU.

In June 1934, all OGPU institutions were included in the all-Union People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD), where the Main Directorate of State Security was formed. The Internal Troops were renamed the Internal Guard of the NKVD. The first uniform for the GPU bodies and internal troops was introduced on June 27, 1922. The items of clothing and equipment adopted by the GPU bodies and troops initially differed from the Red Army only in color and some details.

Uniforms and insignia underwent significant changes in 1934.

System of official ranks of the OGPU in 1922

GPU employee

Agent 3 rank...................1 triangle
Agent 2 rank...................2 triangles
Agent 1st rank...................3 triangles

Special assignment officer. 1 square
Beginning operational point.....2 squares
Beginning inspection department.........3 squares
Beginning investigative part......4 square

Military instructor of the inspection...............1 diamond
Beginning GPU departments............2 diamonds
Deputy Beginning department of the GPU............3 diamonds
Head of the GPU department......4 diamonds

The highest military rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union was established on June 26, 1945 and awarded to I.V. Stalin. On the dress uniform, instead of shoulder straps, epaulettes with the Coat of Arms and a star were used.

After receiving the rank of marshal in 1943, Stalin was given a special suit. It was a closed light gray tunic with a turn-down collar and four pockets of the same cut that Soviet generals wore before the introduction of shoulder straps. The tunic had shoulder straps of the Marshal of the Soviet Union and general's overcoat buttonholes - red with gold piping and buttons. The collar and cuffs were edged with red piping. The loose-fitting trousers with red stripes were made from the same fabric as the jacket. No one else wore such a suit. In it, J.V. Stalin was depicted in official portraits and posters. He became the only uniform of the Generalissimo of the Soviet Union.

Buttonholes were the insignia of NKVD workers. In general, like all paramilitary units in the pre-war period. However, in addition to the buttonholes, insignia were also located on the sleeves of tunics and service jackets. In addition, rank could also be determined by the appearance of the departmental patch on the sleeve. The rank insignia of NKVD workers differed from those accepted in the Armed Forces. This applied not only to operational personnel, but also to NKVD troops and border guards. For the first time in Soviet history, stars appear on insignia. In addition, all NKVD employees were assigned special ranks different from military ones.

Two red sleeve truncated triangles - state security sergeant;
- three red sleeve truncated triangles - junior lieutenant of state security;
- one sleeve star embroidered with silver - lieutenant of state security;
- two sleeve stars embroidered with silver - senior lieutenant of state security;
- three sleeve stars embroidered with silver - captain of state security;
- one sleeve star embroidered in gold - state security major;
- two sleeve stars embroidered in gold - senior major of state security;
- three sleeve stars embroidered in gold - State Security Commissioner of the 3rd rank;
- four sleeve stars embroidered in gold, one of them at the bottom is a commissar of state security of the 2nd rank;
- four sleeve stars embroidered in gold, one of them at the top is the Commissar of State Security of the 1st rank;
- one large star on the cuff of the sleeve - General Commissioner of State Security.

Actually, the same thing happened on the buttonholes. The commanding officers of the GUGB wore a longitudinal tourniquet on their buttonholes, namely:

silver cord - sergeant, junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant and captain;
golden tourniquet - major, senior major, state security commissioner of the 3rd, 2nd and 1st rank. Well, the General Commissioner of State Security, respectively.

In addition, a departmental emblem was sewn onto the left sleeve, also indicating the rank of the owner:

From GB sergeant to GB captain - the oval and sword are silver, the hilt of the sword and the sickle and hammer are gold,
From the GB major to the 1st rank GB commissar - the oval of the shield is golden, all other details are silver.

The October Revolution of 1917 in Russia abolished civil and military ranks, orders, ranks, titles, and abolished officers, generals, admirals, ambassadors, ministers and diplomats. Everyone became comrades. Everything was level, like beds in a barracks, like boards in a fence.

But it was soon noticed that equality, for the sake of which the whole mess was brewed, was unattainable. Suddenly it turned out that in the army someone had to give orders, and someone had to carry them out. And the first stratification of the single and monolithic mass of comrades into fighters and commanders of the Red Army took place.

Comrade commanders began to be distinguished from fellow fighters by red bows, rags and other identification marks. But here’s the problem: one loud-mouthed commander commands, and another no less loud-mouthed commander gives commands. One says one thing, and the other says something completely different. And who to obey? Know your commanders by sight?

Not bad, of course, but there are just a lot of faces. You can’t remember everyone. Besides, time flows, and with it everything changes. Yesterday someone was a regiment commander, and everyone knew him by sight. And today a comrade was demoted to private. The broad masses of soldiers remember him in one capacity, but he is already in another. How can we avoid misleading people?

Therefore, commanders began to be distinguished by triangles, squares, rectangles and diamonds. I went for a promotion - they sewed on an extra diamond. Demoted - the diamond was removed. But the problem was that the command staff consisted not only of battalion, regiment and division commanders.

Here comes the chief of staff of the army. How to contact him? They came up with the idea - chief of the army. The head of the army's operations department began to be called nachoperodshtarm, and his senior assistant began to be addressed as starpomnachoperodshtarm. At the front headquarters, accordingly, there is a senior deputy of the staff of the front.

There was, for example, a position: deputy commander for naval affairs - deputy commander. Everyone will agree that it does not sound very aesthetically pleasing. Such a commander arrives at a military unit, but how do you address him? “Allow me to address you, comrade deputy commander.” And if the whole crew meets him on the ship. The sailors shout loudly and joyfully at 500 gulps: “We wish you good health, deputy commander.” What if people have a good sense of humor? What could all this lead to? Same thing.

They wanted to do the best in the Red Army, but what happened? Previously, even under the tsar, officers wore shoulder straps on their shoulders. Here comes the captain, and here the captain stands. Look at the shoulder straps and apply according to the regulations. And since there are no military ranks, since everyone is comrades, then you have to apply according to your position. This is inconvenient, and not everyone will remember. And sometimes it’s very difficult to pronounce.

In addition, a military secret is revealed. It’s one thing to be called a colonel, and another to be called the head of army intelligence. Therefore, they spat on universal equality and introduced military ranks.

By the mid-30s, military ranks in the Red Army had finally developed into a strict system. More precisely, they did not fold, but returned to their original position. Where they started dancing is where they ended. But the command staff were not called officers and generals. Red commander - that's it. And the generals and officers sounded too counter-revolutionary.

In 1935, personal military ranks were introduced. But there was no talk about shoulder straps. Some 15 years ago, gold chasers were beaten during the Civil War. Therefore, it never occurred to anyone to compare themselves with the tsarist officers. The insignia was assigned a place on the buttonholes. Sergeants and foremen were given triangles. The lieutenants were given dice. For senior officers - rectangles. In common parlance they were called sleepers.

The senior command staff began with the captain. They gave him one sleeper. Major - two sleepers. The colonel received three sleepers. On September 1, 1939, a new military rank was introduced - lieutenant colonel. He received three sleepers. Accordingly, the colonel added one more to his three sleepers.

Highest insignia of the Red Army (from left to right)
Marshal of the Soviet Union, Army Commander 1st Rank, Army Commander 2nd Rank

The senior command staff could not be called generals. Admiral Kolchak was beaten and beaten. General Denikin was beaten and beaten. General Wrangel was beaten and beaten. So what kind of generals and admirals can there be? That's why they called them differently. Brigade commander - one diamond, division commander - two diamonds, corps commander - three diamonds. Commander of the 2nd rank - four diamonds, commander of the 1st rank - four diamonds and a star. And the highest rank is Marshal of the Soviet Union. This is one big star. There were no marshals in the tsarist army. Therefore, this title did not sound counter-revolutionary.

You also need to know that the brigade commander did not always hold the position of brigade commander, and the division commander did not always hold the position of division commander. That is, military ranks in the Red Army did not always correspond to the position held. The point here is that there were much more diverse positions than titles.

For example, deputy corps commander or head of the 5th Directorate of the General Staff. In addition, commanders were often transferred from one position to another. This happened very quickly, and the assignment of the next title was delayed. Therefore, a brigade commander could command a division, and a division commander could command a corps.

Divisional commander D. Schmidt commanded the 8th mechanized brigade. He was demoted from this position, but his rank remained the same. And Divisional Commander G. Zhukov stood at the head of the corps, then became deputy commander of the Belarusian Military District in the same rank. Then he was appointed commander of the 57th Special Rifle Corps in Mongolia, remaining a division commander. When the corps was deployed into an army group, G. Zhukov was awarded the rank of corps commander.

In addition to purely commander ranks, there were also special ranks. For example, a brigade commander corresponded to a brigade commissar, a brigade engineer, a brigintendant, and a brigade officer. This system existed until 1940, when general ranks were introduced, but without shoulder straps.

It should immediately be noted that between the old ranks of corps commanders, army commanders and new generals - there was no connection. Well, firstly, according to the old scale, there were 5 military ranks between Marshal of the Soviet Union and Colonel. This is from brigade commander to 1st rank army commander. And according to the new system, there were only 4 military ranks: major general, lieutenant general, colonel general, army general. Therefore, one cannot speak of a direct analogy under any circumstances.

Secondly, in 1940 they carried out a complete recertification of the entire command staff of the Red Army. The old ranks were forgotten, and new ones were assigned based on the results of the audit. For example, Army Commander 2nd Rank I. Konev became Lieutenant General, and Corps Corps F. Remezov received the same rank. G. Zhukov was a corps commander and became an army general. And this affected everyone.

Stalin with marshal's shoulder straps. The generalissimo's shoulder straps were never invented

Military ranks in the Red Army also extended to the NKVD. However, in terms of their weight and significance, they did not always correspond to the army ones. The entire NKVD consisted of several divisions:
GUGB - Main Directorate of State Security;
GURKM - main directorate of the workers' and peasants' militia;
GUPVO - Main Directorate of Border and Internal Security;
GUPO - main fire department;
GULAG – no translation needed here;
GTU – main transport department;
GEM – Main Economic Directorate;
GUSHOSDOR - main highway department;

The GUGB system included 10 ranks: sergeant, junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain, major, senior major, commissar of ranks 3, 2, 1. Two significant words were added to each title at the end - “state security”. A GB sergeant was equivalent to an army officer. He wore two cubes in his buttonhole, just like a tank or aviation lieutenant. And he received twice as much as a senior lieutenant in the Red Army. In addition, he had access to a special trade, where all goods were sold at bargain prices.

Higher GUGB ranks wore insignia two levels higher than their military colleagues with similar army ranks.
A GB junior lieutenant had three dice, just like an army senior lieutenant.
The GB captain showed off with three sleepers, just like the army colonel.
Major GB belonged to the highest command staff. He had one diamond on his buttonholes - exactly the same as the brigade commander's.
GB commissars of the 3rd, 2nd, 1st ranks corresponded to the corps commander, commander of the 2nd, 1st rank.

A little later, Stalin introduced the highest security rank - General Commissioner of GB. This is a big star, just like the Marshal of the Soviet Union. Only she pleased the eye not on the scarlet buttonholes, but on the blue ones. Such a high military rank was held by 3 people: G. Yagoda, N. Ezhov and L. Beria.

The workers' and peasants' militia had their own ranks. And in all other divisions of the NKVD, military ranks corresponded exactly to army ranks.

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was created on February 23, 1918. It existed with this name until November 25, 1946 and was renamed the Soviet Army. In January 1943, shoulder straps were introduced. Life itself forced me to do this, since with shoulder straps it is much easier to distinguish a rank than with buttonholes. This was of no small importance in a combat situation. Everyone greeted the innovation differently, but it quickly proved its effectiveness.

Currently, military ranks in the Red Army have become history. But you need to know them. After all, this is a piece of our past. Even if it was not always happy and joyful, it is a memory of our ancestors, who should be respected and revered. Don’t forget, one day you will become ancestors and you will also lay claim to the memory of your descendants. So let her be bright and kind.

The section is very easy to use. Just enter the desired word in the field provided, and we will give you a list of its meanings. I would like to note that our site provides data from various sources - encyclopedic, explanatory, word-formation dictionaries. Here you can also see examples of the use of the word you entered.

The meaning of the word brigade commander

brigade commander in the crossword dictionary

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

brigade commander

brigade commander, m. (new military). Abbreviation of words: brigade commander; see (com) 2.

New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

brigade commander

Brigade commander.

A person holding such a position.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

brigade commander

abbreviated title for the position of brigade commander.

Military rank of senior command personnel in the Ground Forces and Air Force in the Red Army in 1935-40.

Brigade commander

military rank in the Ground Forces and Air Force of the Red Army in 1935–40. Introduced by a resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on September 22, 1935. In the Navy, the rank of K corresponded to the rank of captain of the 1st rank, and in the military-political composition of the army and navy - brigade commissar. Canceled May 7, 1940 (see Military ranks).

Wikipedia

Brigade commander

Brigade commander- in Russian after 1917, a reduction in the position of brigade commander, as well as the personal military rank of the highest command staff of the Red Army in the period from to, corresponding to the rank of brigadier or brigadier general in the armed forces of other countries. The next military rank is division commander.

In modern Russian armed forces, the brigade commander usually has the rank of colonel.

Examples of the use of the word brigade commander in literature.

Comrade brigade commander, arrest the car with the truck crane, and let them continue to cut up the tanks, and on Monday we will deliver the remaining ones.

Brigade commander captivates the priest's daughter with his thunderous anti-religious lecture at the club and takes her away on a cavalry saddle.

Yes, and here pampering is pampering, but in ten to fifteen minutes I trained brigade commander almost a kettle of fish.

Yakir's associate, writer, commander of one of the first heavy divisions, miraculously surviving camp inmate, brigade commander Ilya Dubinsky, who was returned to the rank of colonel instead of general, left a retelling of the army commander’s speech to the district soldiers: the goal of the maneuvers was to intimidate the aggressor and win peace for another two or three years.

Ahead of the regiment, he rode on a steppe horse brigade commander Maslak, filled with drunken blood and the rottenness of its fatty juices.

Met and brigade commander, with whom Ivan Yegorovich somewhat relieved himself while waiting for the plane, because brigade commander didn’t like Petushkov, even saying something about him that there are some who have a penny’s worth of ammunition and half a penny’s worth of ambition.

Petushkov did not disdain to fabricate the case, Colonel Ryakhichev called comrade Petushkov and so gave it to him in the dugout brigade commander that he fully woke up only after seeing an unusually white face with a shaking jaw.

Brigade commander agreed not very willingly, sometimes laughing quietly to himself.

I don’t know if Gabriel Urmanov managed to hear what was transmitted brigade commander congratulations on the radio on his being awarded the Order of Lenin.

I realized what an amazing poet Bagritsky was, already from his youth grabbed by the throat by illness, who managed to transform the difficult material of his life into a cheerful, singing, trumpeting, blue-blue, with horses and sabers, with brigade commanders and children, with hunters and fish, a vision.

Turns out, brigade commander He said that there is so much iron under us and around us - and the carriage, and the howitzer, and the locomotive - that we live, as it were, in iron mountains.

Afghanistan and will camp near Jalalabad, near a eucalyptus grove that was said to brigade commander, was once imprisoned by some Russian diplomat.

But brigade commander The ninth knew Zarubin well and, when the official conversation ended, he asked: “Is it hard for you, Alexander Vasilyevich?”

In general, he would have completed his service if he had not missed an important telegram, for which he was awarded a double honor - he was personally kicked brigade commander, and then exiled to atone for his misdeeds with blood in the second ambush battalion for the remainder of his service.

The messengers reported brigade commander that the punitive forces are now attacking from three sides.

The period under consideration covers the time from September 1935 to May (November) 1940.

Despite the introduction of a disguised system of military ranks in 1924, the need to introduce a full-fledged system of personal ranks was obvious. The leader of the country, J.V. Stalin, understood that the introduction of ranks would increase not only the responsibility of the command staff, but also authority and self-respect; will increase the authority of the army among the population and raise the prestige of military service. In addition, the system of personal ranks facilitated the work of army personnel authorities, made it possible to develop a clear set of requirements and criteria for the assignment of each rank, systematized official correspondence, and would be a significant incentive for official zeal. However, part of the senior command staff (Budeny, Voroshilov, Timoshenko, Mehlis, Kulik) resisted the introduction of new ranks. They hated the very word “general.” This resistance was reflected in the ranks of the senior command staff.

By the resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated September 22, 1935, the division of military personnel into categories (K1, ..., K14) was abolished and personal military ranks were established for all military personnel. The process of transition to personal ranks took the entire fall until December 1935. In addition, rank insignia were introduced only in December 1935. This gave rise to the general opinion of historians that ranks in the Red Army were introduced in December 1935.

Private and junior command personnel also received personal ranks in 1935, which, however, sounded like job titles. This feature of the naming of ranks has given rise to a widespread mistake among many historians, who claim that in 1935 privates and junior command personnel did not receive ranks. However, the Charter of the internal service of the Red Army of 1937 in Art. 14 clause 10 lists the ranks of ordinary and junior command and command personnel.

It should, however, be noted that there is a negative point in the new rank system. The military personnel were divided into:

• 1) Command staff.
• 2) Commanding staff:
• a) military-political composition;
• b) military-technical personnel;
• c) military-economic and administrative composition;
• d) military medical personnel;
• e) military veterinary personnel;
• f) military-legal staff.
• 3) Junior command and management personnel.
• 4) Rank and file.

Each squad had its own ranks, which made the system more complex. It was possible to partially get rid of several rank scales only in 1943, and the remnants were eliminated in the mid-eighties.

P.S. All ranks and names, terminology and spelling (!) are verified according to the original - “Charter of the internal service of the Red Army (UVS-37)” Edition 1938 Military Publishing House.

Private, junior command and command personnel of the ground and air forces

Command staff of ground and air forces

*The rank of “Junior Lieutenant” was introduced on 08/05/1937.

Military-political composition of all military branches

The rank of “Junior Political Instructor” was introduced on August 5, 1937. It was equivalent to the rank of “lieutenant” (namely a lieutenant, but not a junior lieutenant!).

Military-technical composition of the ground and air forces

Category	Rank
Average military-technical personnel	Junior military technician*
	Military technician 2nd rank
	Military technician 1st rank
Senior military technical personnel	Military engineer 3rd rank
	Military engineer 2nd rank
	Military engineer 1st rank
Higher military-technical personnel	Brigengineer
	Development Engineer
	Coring Engineer
	Armengineer

*The rank of “Junior military technician” was introduced on 08/05/1937, corresponding to the rank of “junior lieutenant”. Persons with a higher technical education upon entering the army as technical personnel were immediately awarded the title “Military Engineer of the 3rd Rank.”

Military-economic and administrative, military-medical, military-veterinary and military-legal personnel of all branches of the military

Category	Military-economic and administrative composition	Military medical staff	Military veterinary staff	Military-legal composition
Average	Quartermaster technician 2nd rank	Military paramedic	Military veterinarian	Junior military lawyer
	Quartermaster technician 1st rank	Senior military paramedic	Senior military veterinarian	Military lawyer
Senior	Quartermaster 3rd rank	Military doctor 3rd rank	Military veterinarian 3rd rank	Military lawyer 3rd rank
	Quartermaster 2nd rank	Military doctor 2nd rank	Military veterinarian 2nd rank	Military lawyer 2nd rank
	Quartermaster 1st Rank	Military doctor 1st rank	Military veterinarian 1st rank	Military lawyer 1st rank
Higher	Brigintendant	Brigdoctor	Brigvet doctor	Brigvoenurist
	Divintendant	Divdoctor	Divvetdoctor	Divvoenurist
	Corintendent	Korvrach	Corvette doctor	Corvoyurist
	Armintendant	Arm doctor	Armed veterinarian	Armmilitary lawyer

Persons with a higher education upon enlistment or conscription into the army were immediately awarded the rank of “3rd Rank Quartermaster”; higher medical education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the rank of “Military Doctor of the 3rd Rank” (equal to the rank of “captain”); higher veterinary education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the title “Military Veterinarian of the 3rd Rank”; higher legal education upon admission or conscription into the army was immediately awarded the title “Military Lawyer of the 3rd Rank”

The emergence of general ranks of the Red Army in 1940

In 1940, general ranks appeared in the Red Army, which was a continuation of the process of returning to the system of personal military ranks, openly begun in 1935, and in a disguised form since May 1924 (the introduction of the so-called “service categories”).

After much debate and deliberation, the system of general ranks of the Red Army was introduced by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940. However, they were introduced only for command personnel. The commanding staff (military-political, military-technical, military medical, military-veterinary, legal, administrative and quartermaster staff) remained with the same ranks, which will be changed only in 1943. However, the commissars will receive the rank of general in the fall of 1942, when the institution of military commissars will be abolished.

Only one who first of all defeated his own people could defeat a strong opponent.

V century BC

We started the story about the “black” divisions and corps with the 63rd Rifle Corps of the 21st Army. And then they mentioned Corps Commander Petrovsky and Brigade Commander Fokanov. Why aren't they generals? The answer here is simple. In the “black” corps and divisions, not only soldiers and officers, but also senior commanders were veterans of “barracks towns for lumberjacks.” Until 1940, the military ranks of “brigade commander”, “divisional commander”, “komkor”, “commander” were established for senior command personnel in the Red Army. Diamonds in the buttonholes were used as insignia: one diamond for the brigade commander, two for the division commander, etc. But in May 1940, Stalin made a gift to the senior command of his army - he introduced general ranks, stripes, stars instead of diamonds. The new ranks: major general, lieutenant general, colonel general, army general are in no way related to the old military ranks. The government commission carried out a complete recertification of the entire senior command staff, and many brigade commanders became colonels, that is, they were demoted to the level at which they had been a few years ago. Some brigade commanders became general 240 majors, and brigade commander I.N. Muzychenko - Lieutenant General. Many army commanders became colonel generals - O.I. Gorodovikov, G.M. Stern, D.G. Pavlov, N.N. Voronov. Army commander V.Ya. Kachalov was demoted lower - lieutenant general. But corps commander G.K. Zhukov receives the highest general rank - army general. By the way, a little known fact:

This is how he describes his liberation:

“My wife visited the NKVD, flew back from there as if on wings, said that she was received very well, they spoke politely, they were interested in how she lived, whether she needed help with money... ...On the night of March 5, 1941, at two o'clock, in a passenger car, the investigator took me to Komsomolskaya Square to my friends. Having handed me over, he politely said goodbye. “Here is my phone number. If anything happens, call me at any time. Count on my help.”

As a relic, I took with me a bag of patches, galoshes and pitch-black lumps of sugar and dried goods, which I kept in case of illness" (A.V. Gorbatov. Years and Wars. P. 168-169).

The comparison with burying in a coffin and digging up is not my idea. I borrowed this from Army General Gorbatov: “I consider the fifth of March the day of my second birth.” Brigade commander Gorbatov was released (like many others), having precisely calculated the time: a month of vacation in a sanatorium, reception of cases, and then the time - TASS message. And now the brave brigade commander with his “Annushki” is already secretly moving to the west.

And like a real prisoner, he stashed away the “souvenirs” of the Gulag for good reason. We didn’t need them, and that’s good. And some needed it. Here is brigade commander I.F. Dashichev put on his galoshes for the second time. Released in March 1941, it sat in October and sat until at least 1953.

Brigade commanders, division commanders, and corps commanders were used to replenish the First Strategic Echelon. Here is brigade commander S.P. Zybin received the 37th Rifle Corps, division commander E. Magon - the 45th Rifle Corps of the 13th Army, brigade commander M.S. Tkachev - 109th Rifle Division of the 9th Special Rifle Corps. Brigade commander N.P. Ivanov - Chief of Staff of the 6th Army. Divisional Commander A.D. Sokolov is the commander of the 16th Mechanized Corps of the 12th Army. Divisional Commander G.A. Burichenkov is the commander of the Southern Air Defense Zone. Divisional Commander P.G. Alekseev is the commander of the 13th Army Air Force. Brigade commander S.S. Krushin - Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the North-Western Front. Kombrig A.S. Titov - chief of artillery of the 18th Army. And many, many others. Brigade commanders and division commanders filled the voids after the Second Strategic Echelon secretly moved to the borders.

Here is brigade commander N.I. Khristofanov - military commissar of the Stavropol Territory. Brigade commander M.V. Khripunov is the head of a department at the headquarters of the Moscow Military District. The headquarters, as we know, after all the commanders left for the Romanian border, was occupied by security officers who do not really understand military affairs. So, to help themselves, poor Khripunov was discharged from the Gulag.

But still, the main purpose of division commanders, brigade commanders, and corps commanders is the Second Strategic Echelon. This echelon is staffed by “lumberjacks”, and the commanders here are the same. This is where we find Corps Commander Petrovsky. We remember that his last position was deputy commander of the Moscow Military District. After that, he sat down. Released in November 1940 and ordered to form the 63rd Rifle Corps. That's when the "black" cases appeared! Of the three divisions of the corps, two are commanded by brigade commander Ya.S. Fokanov and V.S. Rakovsky. The third division is commanded by Colonel N.A. Clothes. Not a brigade commander, but... he was sitting.

Colonels were also imprisoned and then released to staff the Second Strategic Echelon. And majors, and captains, and lieutenants too. The neighboring 67th corps of the same army is overcrowded with brigade commanders. Even at the head of the corps, brigade commander F.F. Zhmachenko (later Colonel General). Turn your discerning eye to any army moving secretly from the depths of the country, and everywhere you will see herds of brigade commanders released the day before. Here in the 22nd Army there are two corps and both have brigade commanders: Povetkin - 51st Corps, I.P. Karmanov - 62nd. Look at the chiefs of staff, chiefs of artillery, engineering troops, logistics and any other service or branch of the military - all of these have been released from prison. In this army, two divisions are very black, obviously from the “lumberjacks”, but also the commanders are from the same environment: 112th Rifle - Brigade Commander Ya.S. Adamson, 174th - brigade commander A.I. Zygin. Let us not clutter up the presentation with dozens of other names and numbers of divisions and corps. Anyone interested in the history of the Second World War can collect for themselves a collection of names released from prison by senior commanders to whom Stalin “gave the opportunity.”

The communists say that this is Stalin’s defensive reaction: sensing evil, he strengthens his army. No, this is not a defensive reaction! The process of liberating brigade commanders, division commanders and corps commanders was started by Stalin before the Barbarossa plan arose. The peak of this process occurs not at the moment when German troops stood on the Soviet borders, but at the moment when they left for France. Now imagine that Stalin is persistently cutting corridors to the borders of your state, destroying neutral states that stand in his way. At the same time, Stalin gives a “rebirth” to an unknown but huge number of commanders condemned to quick or slow death. These people were given weapons and power, but each of them is essentially a suicide bomber, burning with the desire to return to the heights from which Stalin overthrew him with deeds and blood (his own and others’). And so a mass of troops, under the leadership of commanders released from prison, secretly rushed to your borders, while Stalin officially assured that nothing serious was happening. What would you do in this situation?