Patches on the military uniform. Form of the Russian army. Military chevrons

The military of most armies in the world have signs that make it possible to distinguish between ranks and patches on a military uniform. The Russian Federation is no exception. Russian servicemen, as well as their Ukrainian and Belarusian counterparts, are actively using elements that make it possible to determine the soldiers' belonging to one or another army, parade and field clothing. When did the stripes appear? What elements of clothing historically preceded them? How are they usually worn?

What are patches?

The personnel of the armed forces of virtually any army of the world are represented in a variety of military ranks. In order to understand which of the military - soldiers, and who - the general, there are so-called insignia. The main of them are shoulder straps, fixed, as a rule, on shoulder areas of military uniforms. But, besides them, there are also other types of signs of differences, among which are patches. On the military uniform they are attached with sewing stitches - hence the name.

They are located mainly on the sleeves of military clothing. In addition to the distinctive function, the patches can sometimes reflect certain achievements of the serviceman, belonging to some sort of troops or units. This element of army clothing is popular in a civilian environment. With the help of patches people denote belonging to any organization, movement, association.

Technologies for making stripes

There are no universal standards for the manufacture of patches, each garment factory uses its own technologies. The variant is quite popular when the patch is a cloth glued with high-quality non-woven fabric (for stiffening). Such samples, as a rule, are resistant to external influences, washing. Their form will last a long time. There are stripes made using sublimation (or thermal transfer). They are characterized by the possibility of applying any images to them. Sewing can be sewn to the fabric by hand or by sewing machines. There are devices capable of applying strips within the limits of large batches of clothing - a "conveyor" method. There are those that are adapted to the processing of certain types of clothing - trousers, jackets, baseball caps.

What is a chevron

Among the popular insignia are chevrons. This word is of French origin, means (in the most common interpretation) rafters (usually shipborne). Chevrons are the stripes on the military uniform in the form of V-shaped elements. Can be made of galloon, cord, braid. Are, as a rule, on the sleeves. At a time when the armed forces of our country were called the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, what is now called the chevron was called the "sleeve insignia".

This element is used in heraldry (as part of flags and coats of arms), as an architectural component (for describing parts of structures, ornaments), on combat military equipment (mainly as insignia). Many soldiers of the Russian army, called upon to serve, are called chevrons pictures or stripes on clothes, which do not necessarily have a V-shape.

History of appearance of chevrons

As such, the word "chevron" appeared and began to spread in the Middle Ages. The fact is that in even more ancient times officers of sailing ships sewed sleeve-insignia on camisoles in the form of rafters, that is triangular. This was done so that the commanders of the ship could be clearly seen during the battle. Chevron, as already mentioned above, is a "rafter" in French. Despite the fact that the shape of the patches on the military uniform could be different from the classical triangular in the years to come, the name "chevron" remains.

Historians note that with the passage of time the design of chevrons changed. During some periods military chevrons on the arms of soldiers meant seniority in rank. In other times, the number of patches could mean the number of wounds received by the soldier or the length of service. Chevrons were not an exclusive attribute of military clothing. They were also used in civil life. For example, as symbols of the professional or social belonging of the wearer's clothing.

How are signs distinguishing ranks in the army

Patches for military uniforms are one of the many insignia used in the armed forces. Among others - epaulettes, cockades (on headdresses), epaulettes, gorgets, buttons, edges. Signs of distinction are fixed on military uniforms in order to designate the rank of military, class rank, post, or personal military rank. Often - to determine the soldier's belonging to a particular army or department. The first insignia appeared at the time of the tribal relations. They were used so that people belonging to different genera could distinguish one another (and those that were from one, to make mutual identification). Signs of difference helped people form a hierarchy in relationships. The prototypes of modern badges are considered by some historians to be tattoos. The first signs of distinction, attached or depicted on clothes, according to a number of historians, were in ancient China. Legionnaires in the army of the Roman Empire also used such signs. Gradually, strips on the military uniform began to deploy and the soldiers of other European powers.

Military and non-military form

In Russia, the status of the military form is determined at the state level by the Heraldic Council under the President. This type of clothing is worn by citizens who serve in several government bodies. These are the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, FSO, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as the Federal Agency for Special Construction of the Ministry of Defense and the Main Directorate for Special Programs of the President of Russia. For other departments, there are two other forms of uniforms-clothing for public servants of the state law enforcement service, with special ranks, as well as clothing for civil servants of law enforcement and civil service with class ranks.

Elements of distinction of military ranks on buttonholes

In a number of modern armies or military units (for example, in the armed forces of Russia), so-called petty-colored insignia are used. These are emblems (almost always paired), located on the collar of the uniform (buttonhole). In the days of the Russian Empire, the main distinction was the epaulettes.

But the buttonholes appeared after the revolution of 1917. Historians first recorded their use in 1922. The emblems of the arms of the armed forces were introduced in 1924, and a year later the USSR military command decided that soldiers were required to wear buttonholes with signs of distinction according to service categories and specialties, as well as with emblems of units (units). In 1935 there were military ranks in sound, close to modern. Petty-colored insignia were used in the Soviet Army until 1943, when shoulder straps were introduced (and instead of emblems buttonholes began to place a button on themselves).

In the future, the rules for wearing this sign of differences have changed. In the 1950s, the tradition of wearing emblems was restored, and it was preserved until 1994. After the buttonhole was not worn (except for the location of the emblems on the corners of the collars and shoulder straps). But in 2004, the "classical" emblems were introduced. The form of the Russian army contains petty-colored insignia in almost all branches of the army.

Chevrons in the Russian Army

The official name of the chevrons in the modern Russian army is the "sleeve insignia". They determine the belonging of a serviceman to a specific army formation. The location of the patches on the uniform is the left sleeve of the uniform.

Officially chevrons are in most branches of Russian troops, but not in all. Patches of distinction are worn by servicemen of the General Staff of Russia, Land Troops soldiers , Russian Defense Ministry employees, Russian Air Force pilots, Navy sailors, airborne troops, as well as soldiers serving in the Missile Forces and Air Defense units of the Russian Armed Forces.

Army of Ukraine: elements of military uniforms

Among the countries, whose army uses patches for military uniforms, is Ukraine. In particular, the armored elements are on the uniforms of the soldiers of the Marine Corps. Such patches are used to determine which part the military serves.

They are worn on the left sleeve and are located 10 cm from the edge of the shoulder strap. On the field form in another way: on the left sleeve there is an overhead pocket. A badge is attached to it.

Army of Belarus: features of distinction of titles

Patches on the military uniform as marks of difference are actively used by the Belarusian military. Depending on the rank, servicemen of the Republic of Belarus wear a certain type of clothing and epaulettes. For example, soldiers and sergeants (when wearing ceremonial tunics) wear red shoulder straps, ensigns - protective colors, officers - golden. Regardless of rank, on the field form we use shoulder straps of protective color, besides they are removable. On the ceremonial shirts - shoulder straps of the same color as on the tunic, but, as in the case of the field uniform, they are removable.