Uniforms and insignia of the Red Army (1917–1924)

In its nascent years, the Red Army's uniform was defined by two main factors: the revolutionary symbology developed in 1917 and the abysmal logistical realities of a country in crisis. This typically meant soldiers marching to the front in shabby World War hand-me-downs and rustic peasant shoes made of bark, if even that. At this time insignia was also primitive, scant strips of red cloth at best. As the Soviet state consolidated however, these would become more developed; uniforms became more distinctive and insignia more specific in their meanings, evoking symbols of labour or a mythologised Russian historical continuity. Yet this often wouldn't last: once the revolutionary period had ended, many of these elements would be abandoned or even reversed entirely under the coming regime.
On 23 February 1917, Russia burst into a revolution and with it came the fall of the Tsardom and the establishment of a Provisional Government. The defining factor in the fall of the Autocracy was the lack of support from the military: both soldier and sailor rebelled against their officers and joined the masses. The symbols of the old regime, including those of the military, were the target of a campaign of iconoclasm from the populace that would form the basis of Soviet military symbology for years to come.
The Provisional Government was meant to be only a temporary measure in order to host the first elections to the Constituent Assembly, therefore they made few reforms to the old tsarist uniforms. For the most part these seem to have been made to appease the fiery sentiments of the rank and file. To them the worst symbol of the old order were shoulder boards, especially those of officers. This hatred was so great that officers would sometimes be surrounded by gangs of soldiers and have their shoulder boards forcibly torn from their uniforms and in other instances even murder was committed over them. Men also began to refuse taking orders from officers wearing tsarist monograms on their shoulders. The reasoning behind these acts was aptly described in the diary of an officer paraphrasing his men's interpretation of Order No.1 from the Petrograd Soviet: 'Saluting acknowledges epaulettes which were created by the Tsar: the Father Tsar is no more, so there is no need for epaulettes, and no need to salute'. Early after February shoulder boards were not yet universally hated, with some adding red sewn material or ribbons to their own, but later the idea that shoulders boards were a relic of the Autocracy became monolithic. The renouncing of shoulder boards was a radical expression of equality and this was likely a consideration for the Red Army when creating its own rank insignia (the term officer would not be reintroduced until 1935, even if this was a mostly superficial change).
After February, the culture of the revolutionary underground came to dominate Russian society along with its love for the colour red. For centuries red (krasnaia in Russian) had been the international colour of defiance and revolution but within Russia it had its own unique meanings. Red had been a favoured colour of the Tsars, using it prominently in their architecture such as in the Red Square for example. Iconic buildings in Russia already sporting a revolutionary hue, alongside krasnaia also meaning beautiful, not to mention its populist appeal, gave the colour additional propaganda usage to the Bolsheviks who would succeed in associating the colour with their brand of communism. It is then unsurprising that it would feature so prominently in the Red Army.
There are a few stories of how the red star came to be the symbol of the Red Armed Forces. One credible source says that in 1917, members of the Moscow garrison were ordered to wear white tin stars on their caps to differentiate themselves from the mass influx of troops returning from the front against the Central Powers. When a revolutionary air came over them, the garrison painted these stars red with the Bolsheviks approving so much of the idea that it would become the official symbol of the Soviet military. Another, though this account is highly questionable, claims that the star was introduced by the large section of Jews in the young government and military who, allegedly, saw the Revolution as the in-progress building of the Promised Land in Russia. The official line from the Bolsheviks, however, was that the star represented world revolution on the 'five continents'.
Yet the red star was by no means a new symbol, for it had religious implications deeply rooted in peasant superstition. One pamphlet from 1918 justified to the peasant soldier why he wore the red star in folkloric terms:
The beginnings of the Red Army and its continuation of this revolutionary symbology can be seen in the Red Guards that preceded it in 1917. These armed bands, primary composed of factory workers, were a wholly volunteer force where commanders were elected during militia meetings. As more men returned from the front their ranks were swelled with soldiers and sailors as well as international volunteers, during the first months of 1918.
Red Guard uniform, or lack thereof, was a melting pot of both military and civilian garments. Guardsmen wore whatever was available with their scant red symbols being the only thing that united them aesthetically, if worn. German and Austro-Hungarian POWs turned Red Guards would continue wearing their old uniforms due to a lack of alternatives. During the civil war years, the Red Army would inherit such a situation until new uniforms could be provided.
After their formation following the February Revolution, Red Guards began to wear diagonal (top right to bottom left) red cloth strips on caps and red ribbons alongside red cloth armbands, however the extent to which any of these were worn varied. Some armbands would have writing displaying date of formation, locality or factory of origin, detachment number and/or simply the words 'Red Guard'. Later after October others could have designs (an example being a depiction of Saint George from Moscow) or badges (such as the militia shield badge introduced under the Bolsheviks).
In the first years of its life, the uniform of the Red Army was anarchic: Both military and civilian garb was worn, men fought each other over life saving army coats in the winter whilst some had to wear ladies' boots. Leon Trotsky had even said to a conference of army political workers in December 1919 that "Comrades, I don't want to frighten you, but ... although we have not been brought down by Denikin or Kolchak, we may yet be brought down by overcoats and boots".
In the first half of 1918, it had become apparent that the new model of army was inadequate, both small in number (200,000 by April) and typically ineffectual in the face of the Germans and the reactionary Volunteer Army. The elections and volunteerism of the Red Guards was abandoned and conscription for men ages 21 to 26 was introduced on 12 June, swelling the size of the army. This engorged force, along with the appalling state of the country's logistics, meant that the introduction of new uniforms and insignia would only be on paper for large portions of the army who would continue on using old tsarist stock and whatever else they could get their hands on.
Though the situation would improve over the civil war years, at no point during it could it be said that there was one true uniform; Not even the supposedly ubiquitous red star would be worn by everyone in the army, with some exceptions, until the end of 1919.
In the early period of the civil war, when troops often had to supply or produce their own uniforms, the cultural obsession with the colour red manifested once more. Soldiers sought out red materials to make their tunics and according to G.H. Mikhailovsk, a Russian diplomat, an entire unit outfitted in the colour occupied Sevastopol in 1919: 'Over all the city... [from] Nakhimovsk Avenue to Ekaterininsk Street [there] was ... a red cavalcade all in red garments from head to toe, with high white gaiters on some... so that they looked like a new type of American red Indian'. Even experienced commanders would wear women's coats with some sense of pride if they sported a suitably proletarian hue.
After the beginning of the Allied intervention, some foreign uniform pieces began to make their way into the Red Army as Lenin recalled during a 1920 conference: '... and to us now one after [another] approach trains with splendid English equipment, [which] frequently meet Russian Red [Army] men. Whole divisions invested in ... English [clothes] and[,] ... [as] one comrade in the Caucasus [related to me], [a] whole [Red Army] division [wearing] Italian bersale. I feel very sorry that I do not have [any photos] of these ... Red [Army] men ... . I must [admit] ... that the Red Army [is] beholden to English merchants[; merchants] that dress our men via their soldiers, which the Bolsheviks beat and will beat still many more times...'. There was much truth behind these words as shown by British Major General Knox's outrage at the situation in Siberia during 1919: 80% of the White Army's conscripts had run off to the Red side of the front, presumably taking 200,000 British uniforms with them. Commissar Trotsky sent a letter to Knox thanking him for his donation. Foreign uniforms in the Red Army predate such events however as foreigners who joined would sometimes retain their old uniforms in spite of orders to do the contrary.
The most prevalent piece of headwear for both sides during the civil war was the peaked service cap (furashka) of the Imperial Army. These would have varied from khaki to olive in colour with a black leather peak, and sometimes a leather chinstrap, with caps made wholly of leather being favoured by commanders when available. Some cap peaks and chinstraps were made of the same cloth as the rest of the hat. Leather peaks were supposed to be painted khaki in the field and were sometimes crumpled as was fashionable. The M1910 winter cap (papakha) was also worn as well as innumerable different types of fur hat. The papakha consisted of a khaki headpiece with an upward folded front flap and a wider upward folded rear flap that could be folded down to cover the ears and neck; The flaps were made of either light grey natural or artificial astrakhan fur. A khaki side cap (pilotka) was introduced in 1916 for Russian soldiers to wear under French supplied Adrian helmets. In the Red Army these were often worn by cadets.
Occasionally, when on parade, some units would wear Shakos from old Imperial stores.
The different variants of the M1910 and M1912 winter wool and the M1914 summer cotton field shirts (all called gymnastiorkas) were very common, especially amongst the lower ranks. These all had standing collars fastened by two buttons as well as two or three buttons that, along with the opening to be fastened, stopped about halfway down the khaki to olive shirt (they could turn an off white with enough hard wear and washing however). Among commanders 'French' tunics were popular, this being a slang term for tunics of British or American style: Such tunics typically having turnover or standing collars, four external pockets (two chest and two waist), and buttoned cuff flaps. Officers additionally wore M1909 and M1913 kitels which were similar to the 'French' but with standing collar, internal skirt pockets, and no cuff flaps. Black leather jackets of varying styles were also popular among Red commanders just as it came to be in the last war.
The mid-shin length greatcoats (shinel) had falling collars and were grey to brown with hooks instead of buttons, some with decorative buttons, or light blue-grey with two rows of six buttons. The cavalry variant coat was longer, cut just above the ankle, and had cuffs that curved to a point at the back and front; all were cinched at the rear with a half-belt with two buttons. Sometimes a bashlyk, a kind of stand-alone hood, would be worn as well.
Both officers and other ranks wore trousers (sharovari). For some officers these took the form of breeches whilst most soldiers wore semi-breeches (tight at the calf and loose at the thigh but less so in both cases than full breeches). These were typically olive-khaki but could vary greatly in colour depending on from where in the Imperial Army they originated, sometimes with brightly coloured stripes down the leg. Once again leather was especially popular with commanders.
During World War 1 the black leather jackboots worn by the army had to be supplemented with puttees and ankle boots; critical shortages of either of these lead to the introduction of lapti, a kind of slipper made of leather or woven birch-bark fibres (bast) by peasants, for many in the Red Army. Both military and civilian leather boots, puttees, and leather or canvas gaiters were in use, the first being, again, popular with Red commanders. Valenki felt overboots would have been worn in winter when available.
The most commonly worn equipment for the average soldier was either the brown ammunition belt with one or two ammunition pouches, and in some cases the old Romanov eagle buckle, or a fabric/canvas bandolier (the canvas version was introduced during the World War). A variety of haversacks and backpacks were worn usually of cloth or canvas. When not worn, and if procured, greatcoats would be fastened in bandolier-style over the shoulder and under the arm; this could provide some limited protection against sabre slashes. During the early parts of the Civil War, ammunition belts for machine guns were worn criss-crossed over the chest either for convenience or due to necessity. Bayonet frogs, Linnemann entrenching tools, a curved debout knife and/or water bottle-tin bowl combinations could also have been worn.
Commanders in the field typically wore a brown leather braceless belt with one or two separate straps crossed across the chest, typically a sabre on the left strap and a pistol on the right, whilst others would wear belts with either two vertical shoulder braces (this being the Tsarist M1911 and M1912) or a single diagonal one over one shoulder. After November 1917 wearing two front braces vertically was banned, presumably to help differentiate between friend and foe, but this was not universally followed. Upon these belts were worn map cases, pistol holsters (although simply tucking pistols into belts was common practice until 1922), kindzhal daggers, binocular cases, and whistles on the brace; the Mauser C96, with its wooden holster-stock combination, was the sidearm favoured most. Sabres and shashkas were worn in the 'oriental' manner, this being on a separate over-the-shoulder strap with the cutting edge facing backwards. Leather equipment of Caucasian chic, black with chased silver ornaments, was especially fashionable amongst those on the southern fronts.
During the Red Army's brief flirtation with military democracy, insignia was essentially along the same lines as that of the Red Guards; the only further development beyond this at that time was a cloth red star above the left cuff indicating a commander of a force of any size. After its return to form, the army began to slowly introduce its own distinct insignia. The first of these, introduced by the Supreme Military Soviet (SMS) on 29 July, was 'the Revolutionary Military Symbol of the Red Army': a red enamel or painted star containing a bronze hammer-and-plough device set within a silver wreath (an oak branch on the left side and a laurel on the right). This was essentially the Red Army's membership badge which was worn on the left breast. It was initially worn by only commanders and cadets but soon could be worn by all Red Army servicemen (if this or the sleeve star was not worn the quality of a man's uniform could imply his status as a commander). Under these badges or in the bottom gap between the laurel and the star, shoulder board branch badges from the old army would sometimes be worn.
On the same day a dedicated cap badge of a slightly convex enamel or painted star with hammer-and-plough was also introduced. This was intended to be worn on the band but would often be worn on the crown instead. In 1918 the star was actually worn "upside down" (two points up and one down) but would be changed to the expected orientation by the end of the year. In lieu of official red stars, one of the unofficial locally made variants, or Red Guard style cloth insignia, soldiers would sometimes wear the golden stars from old tsarist officers' shoulder boards and in other cases tsarist branch of service shoulder badges on their caps (an example would be the crossed cannons of the artillery).
Not until 1920 would the Red Army have its own branch insignia and so innumerable unofficial designs were worn, if not tsarist symbols on caps. These were sometimes based on the branch insignia designs of the old Imperial Army, such as the machine gun worn on the shoulder boards of imperial machine gunners, but now worn on the upper left sleeve in embroidered gold wire.
On 21 October, the month the Soviet government adopted the Geneva Convention, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RMCR) signed Order No. 120 which elaborated on the insignia to be worn by sanitary personnel in the army: 'Due to the fact of enemy violence towards the sanitary personnel, providing aid for the wounded and sick servicemen, it is prescribed: ... To the military-sanitary personnel to have the enamel mark of the Red Cross on the cap-band instead of the former [imperial] cockade, and to those working on a battlefield, besides – the Red Cross [on a white] armband on the left sleeve'.
Above the left cuff, cloth or braid red or yellow wound stripes were sometimes worn; this was a continuation of those introduced in 1916.
In the previous year the RMCR created one 'Commission on the Elaboration of Uniform' on 25 April. The purpose of the commission, as the name implies, was to host a competition starting on 7 May to design new uniforms and insignia for the Red Army. Many prominent artists and designers took part with the commission's decisions on new uniforms, insignia, and branch of service colours finalised on 18 December. The RMCR backed these decisions on 16 January 1919 through Order No. 116 which announced their official adoption into the army.
It has been erroneously claimed that the M1919 Red Army uniform actually originated in 1913 in order to commemorate the tricentenary of the Romanovs. These uniforms, with three tabs across the chest apparently commemorating each century of the dynasty, would have supposedly been taken from already existing stores and modified for Red Army use. This is likely due to the fact that the budenovka hat was originally designed in 1913 for the Imperial Army (though never seeing use) being blown out of proportion.
The most distinctive piece of the new M1919 uniform was the budenovka, although it only became commonly worn from 1920. This woollen khaki headgear, intended for winter use, could easily be identified by the blunt cloth "spike" that protruded from the top below which was a cloth peak and a cloth flap, secured with branch colour buttons and leather straps, which could be rolled down to cover the neck, ears, and chin. On the front was worn a cloth star (4.3–8.8 cm in diameter) in branch of service colour with black lines within the star following close to its edges; black stars had red lines around the edges (both 5–6 mm in width). A second pattern was introduced on 8 April 1919 with a taller point, a stiffening rod to prevent the point drooping, and a larger star (10.5 cm in diameter) with an enamel Red Army cap badge worn in its centre. Men who modified their budenovkas to have taller points were jokingly nicknamed umootvod, meaning rod-brains: the taller the point the more feeble the mind. A light khaki cotton version was also worn in the summer.
The hat was named after the famed and mustachioed cavalry commander Semyon Budyonny however, budenovka was just one of a few names this unique headpiece was known by, although it was the most prevalent. The official name was shlem (helmet) but it was first widely known as a bogatirka due its semblance to the helmets of the medieval bogatyrs of Russian legend; the hat was designed by the artist Victor Vasnetsov who was well known for his folkloric paintings of such figures. For a time it was also known as the frunzevka in tribute to Mikhail Frunze, another Red commander, whose troops included weavers who were some of the first to produce and wear the hat.
The new khaki tunic, introduced from 8 April 1919, was very similar to the Tsarist gymnastyorka but with a few notable additions and changes. The two buttons that went down the chest were now concealed under a cloth strip and it forwent buttons for the standing collar in favour of two sets of hooks; two buttons fastened the gathered cuffs and flapless internal waist pockets were added; three horizontal mirrored spearhead shaped tabs called razgovory were worn across the chest button flap (22 cm x 4.5 cm), as well as a smaller one across the neck (8 cm x 2.5 cm), all in branch colour. In the field khaki razgovory would sometimes replace the coloured ones. Commanders would sometimes have their old gymastiorkas tailored so that they would better resemble the new tunic.
The kaftan was the new greatcoat for the army that, much like the new gymnastiorka, had only changed in few ways from its predecessor. The colour was now khaki with a darker khaki for the collar, pocket flaps and cuffs; two vertical internal pockets were at the waist and two at the breast with the former having flaps and the latter none; the kaftan's dark khaki cuffs would curve upward at the back; instead of a half belt at the rear, the kaftan had smaller half-belts on both left and right sides; the diamond-shaped collar tabs were in branch colour as well as the three smaller razgovory chest tabs with buttons that went down the right side fastening the coat opening, which was also off centre, along with four sets of hooks; branch colour piping would sometimes be worn on the collar and cuffs. Just as with the new tunic, in the field khaki razgovory were meant to be worn.
The razgovory were in all likelihood meant to evoke the chest tabs worn by the Streltsy who had themselves revolted against the Autocracy in 1698. The meaning behind this nickname isn't definitively known as it can be understood as meaning 'a conversation', 'a mess', or 'to mess around'. The first interpretation could be linked to how Red commanders and commissars were, supposedly, the first to receive the new coats and so their men saw the garb as synonymous with their 'big talking' superiors whilst the latter could simply refer to the fiddly nature of fastening the tab's buttons.
As the army became more conventionally hierarchical, the lack of any kind of distinctive rank insignia beyond the universal, and vague, red sleeve star became a greater issue. This was attested to by commanders such as I.P. Uborevich of the 18th Rifle Division who went to the lengths of creating a system of symbols for his own unit not long before the introduction of the official rank markings. This official insignia took the form of a red cloth star (11 cm in diameter) with a black border (printed with ink) near the inner edge and a black hammer and sickle (also ink) above the left cuff (centred 12.5 cm above the cuff): under this star would be one to four triangles (4 cm a side), squares (3 cm a side), or diamonds (3.5 cm height and 3 cm width) organised in a horizontal line also of red cloth with the black inner edge stitching. The senior ranks, which used diamonds, had a larger star (14.5 cm in diameter) which had an additional black inner edging within the first: the diamonds also had this additional edging. Various local and unofficial variants of these insignia also existed, with some of these combining both rank and branch distinctions. Often commanders would also organize the shapes into varying patterns until uniformity could be properly enforced.
The ranks were as follows:
The new 1919 regulations also introduced distinct branch colours to the army. These were as follows:
On 22 August, RMCR Order No. 1406 was implemented which introduced sleeve insignia for military transportation personnel. This consisted of a black, velvet, horizontal diamond (12 cm by 8 cm) edged green (3mm width) and containing a two winged railcar wheel embroidered in silver on the left sleeve. Commanders wore this patch on a red armband (12 cm width) with black lines near the top and bottom edges; attached commissars the same but with dark yellow edging rather than green.
During the year it had become a popular practice to return deserters back to their unit with a black armband sewn to their sleeve; at the beginning of 1920 however, this practice was phased out as it would lead to said deserter being antagonised by their fellow soldiers, sometimes to the point of violence or death.
1920 saw the introduction of official branch insignia via one RMCR Order No. 572. The decision to implement such insignia was taken at the end of 1919 which was then followed, on 5 January, by the first design illustrations from the artist V.M. Popov: these being for the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Engineers. The designs were approved by the RMCR and so a commission was established to further elaborate on them. This commission further assessed these badges, as well as a new design for aviation, over 15 days after which, on 1 March, the final variations were agreed to by the RMCR and were added to the official uniform on 3 April as per the order.
These patches were worn on the upper left sleeve with each consisting of a shape in branch colour with gold (or silver for the Engineers) embroidery near the edges; in the centre of this would be a red star on a sun from which sunbursts (in the same embroidery) would emanate; on the lower half of the patch, superimposed over the sunburst, would be a green semi-circle or wedge in green representing the earth upon which would be an embroidered or metal branch emblem.
The specifics for each badge are as follows:
These would be edged to denote the acts of a servicemen: in gold for a member of a unit awarded the Order of the Red Banner and in silver for receiving a wound or for serving with the army in the field for over a year whilst also taking part in a major battle.
By 1922 the Soviet state had achieved what many had thought to be impossible – even by some of its own leaders. It had survived years of civil war, famine, and revolt and had now reached a time of relative peace in which a recovery from its state of siege could finally occur. In a sense, this was also true of the Red Army, now set the task of its own professionalisation and standardisation; this would of course include its uniform which during the Civil War could barely be described as such.
To this end a new uniform, common to all ranks and all branches, was introduced on 31 January. All previous items were officially abolished, except branch sleeve badges and leather lapti, but old pieces were tolerated until 1923. This uniform was to be highly regulated and of shades of grey rather than the old khaki; this was never fully achieved however as uniforms of khaki, and in some cases white, were still common and by 1924 this was reversed entirely. Only exacerbating this lack of uniformity was the fact that instead of a single unit being entirely reclothed, it was common to distribute individual pieces among several units instead. Whilst this may seem like a small departure from those issues of supply so prevalent during the Civil War, progress was made and the Red Army was more than ever before deserving of the title 'men in uniform'.
In winter, the budenovka continued to be worn but was modified; the hat was now dark grey with a branch-colour cloth star 9.5 cm in diameter containing a red star badge. A new piece of headgear was also introduced for summer use, this also being a budenovka, made of light grey or khaki fabric and with a front peak that extended around its sides to form a back flap. Over this was a chinstrap and above that was a branch-colour cloth star (9.5 cm diameter) and star badge. This summer budenovka was nicknamed 'zdravstvuy-proshay', meaning 'hello-goodbye', by troops due to its similar front and rear peaks. This new hat would not fully replace the old peaked service caps however, which were still often worn, whilst wide-brimmed khaki Panama-style hats could be seen among troops instead in Central Asia.
The new tunic, although similar to that of 1919, did make some significant departures: the opening and its three buttons – hidden under a cloth flap – extended halfway down the shirt with an additional two fastening a turndown collar; on this collar would be worn rectangular tabs (8–8.5cm x 4cm) in branch colour and piped by branch on all but the most inner edge; below these were worn razgovory chest tabs (16cm x 3.25cm and 5cm apart) in branch colour – although during material shortages these were cancelled; two vertical slit pockets were worn at the waist with commander's having an additional internal breast pocket; cuffs were fastened by two buttons with two sleeve tucks just above; the colour was now officially grey, light for summer and dark for winter, with the only other difference in cut between the two being that the summer tunic used hooks instead of buttons along the front. Despite these official regulations however, details could often be inconsistent due to variance in production.
The greatcoat was also similar but with a few modifications: the colour was now light grey with dark grey collar and cuffs, although there are examples of these – as well as chest tabs in some cases – also being made of the light grey material; the back was cinched by a single half-belt with buttons; the coat seemed to vary in length with most reaching down to the ankle whilst some ended at about mid-calf. The Tsarist greatcoat continued to see use at this time and in some cases was modified with razgovory tabs.
Sharovari trousers were still worn, now in summer light and winter dark grey as well as khaki, with some commander's sharovari having branch-colour piping down the outer leg seam.
Black leather jackboots were the standard footwear but brown leather ankle boots with puttees were also seen during shortages.
The M1911 brown leather belt could still be seen among commanders, with either a single brace crossed or two braces crossed or vertical, whilst other soldiers wore a braceless brown leather belt with a single leather ammo pouch worn to the side. On a commander's belt would often be a pistol holster and a shashka or sabre.
In 1922, the rank insignia was changed. Whilst a series of triangles (2.5 cm a side), squares (2 cm a side), and diamonds (2 cm by 3 cm) were still used, they were now organised vertically under a red star within a spearhead shaped patch just above the left cuff. This patch (5–7 cm by 18 cm) was to be in branch-colour – during shortages of coloured cloth the patch would be made out of the base shirt or coat material – and was piped scarlet on all sides except the bottom most. The shapes that made up ones rank were scarlet for military commanders and blue for administrative staff, although there are examples of administrative personnel wearing red rank markings.
Branch insignia was modified slightly and new additions were made: armour, the Escort Guards of the Republic, and the Revolutionary Military Tribunals now had their own badges (see branch uniforms).
Collar coding was also introduced – this being a detailed system of symbols that conveyed branch, sub-branch unit, and/or district – to be worn on branch-colour collar tabs. These were stamped from metal, either gold or silver in colour, and typically consisted of a branch collar badge near the outer edge of each collar patch with roman numerals, Arabic numerals, and/or an abbreviated district name near the inner edge. On coat tabs these would be arranged vertically with the branch badge at the top (see branch uniforms).
Red Army Staff did not wear any kind of collar badge or coding whilst districts staffs wore the initials of their military district.
The military districts, and the initials used to represent them, were:
Province and country military registration and draft centres where designated by the initials 'ВК', fronts were designated with their initials, armies with roman numerals and the letter 'А', and corps with roman numerals and the letter 'К'.
The Red air force, being a descendant of the Imperial air force, inherited much of its fashion; this was done for the sake of both necessity and style as most of the communist's pilots originated from amongst the Tsar's squadrons and so brought its uniform with them (as ever this varied greatly due to the Red Army's chronic issues of supply). This typically consisted of a black side cap or peaked cap piped in red – this being the service cap of the Imperial air force – but khaki peaked caps were also worn with captured British caps being especially coveted; both gymnastiorkas and 'French' tunics were worn by airmen, often in the air service's dark blue; breeches were black with red piping whilst footwear consisted of either black riding boots or a combination of leather breeches and shoes which could vary in colour from one another.
In the air leather equipment and clothing would be worn: leather flying helmets and goggles of all imaginable kinds, most commonly the brown leather M1914 helmet; black leather jackets especially the M1914 pilot's jacket, with its red-piped black cloth collar and two rows of six silver buttons, as well as sometimes the French Air Service's horizon blue thigh-length flying coat (some aviators served in France during the Great War).
Air service insignia, much like the other branches, began as a continuation of the old Imperial emblems: Whilst some pilots wore the red star on their caps, more common were the old shoulder board branch emblems, either the M1914 brass or oxidised-silver propeller with wings (nicknamed the utka or duck) or the old Imperial double-headed eagle badge clutching sword, flaming grenade, and propeller with the crown removed (derided as the kuritsa or chicken); these could also be worn pinned onto the Red Army chest badge or as designs seen on sleeve patches; on flying helmets would be worn the M1913 double-headed eagle over propeller badge with the crown above replaced with the red star; upon belts could be worn dirks, essentially the badge of the Imperial air force; fashionable among those who flew there was the practice of wearing French pilot's insignia.
Two collar badges were introduced for aviation units, a winged propeller and a winged anchor.
Civil war uniforms for armoured units, just as it was during World War 1, were defined by the rich use of black leather. Service caps with larger than normal crowns and squared visors in either leather or olive-khaki cloth were worn however, so were more typical caps of less exaggerated proportions; when not in use, goggles would often be worn across the band of these caps. In addition to service caps, black leather budenovkas were also sometimes seen. The effectively universal garment was a black leather jacket which could be of any type or cut but with the most common being the 1912 issue double-breasted 'Swedish' jacket (the imperial air service jacket was used by some) under which was worn a gymnastiorka. Below the belt were worn leather or cloth breeches with leather jack boots or boots with gaiters of varying shades of leather.
Although at this time a part of the engineers (they would become their own branch in 1922), armoured troops much preferred their own distinct insignia with its motifs inherited from the Imperial Army. These sleeve badges varied between armour sub branches, and in some cases within, but common were designs of the Imperial armour's wheels, wings and machine gun emblem (in some cases the exact same badges that were used on shoulder boards) whilst the same but with a steering wheel rather than a machine gun (also a tsarist badge) could be seen as well. Armoured train insignia typically took the form of combinations of railway, artillery, and machine-gun emblems or sleeve patches depicting the crew's train with its name and/or number.
Seven collar badges were initially introduced for armoured units: a hand holding a sword over a helmet; an armoured train on a disk; an armoured car on a disk; a tank on a disk; a crossed rifle and automatic gun over a horseshoe; an armoured handcar on a disk; and a crossed hammer and wrench on a disk. All of these badges would be replaced however, by a badge depicting a sword and swirling lightning bolt wielded by a gauntlet superimposed on a shield under a winged railcar wheel on 29 May 1922.
Brigades were represented with Arabic numerals.
In the civil war years, the uniforms worn by most cavalrymen varied only slightly when compared to the other branches: A carbine and sabre or shashka was carried, bandoliers were common whilst dark blue breeches were sometimes seen, and stirrups were worn over boots. In addition to these, a cavalry variant of the 1919 issue kaftan was also introduced (8 April) which only differed in having an open slit down the back of the skirt starting 14 cm below the waist. A branch arm badge was also introduced in 1920.
A Cossack's uniform varied depending upon which host he originated from and seemed to have been a continuation of the old Imperial uniform but with the appropriate changes of insignia. Cossacks of the Kuban Host wore their traditional garb: a short black fleece hat (kubanka) with red crown; a red service or drab-coloured linen shirt (beshmet) over which would be worn a drab-coloured, sleeved, ankle-length robe (cherkeska) with a deep v-neck and 7-11 decorative cartridge tubes (gaziry) on each breast which were a traditional indicator of rank (these would sometimes be used to carry ammunition and modified to show off the bullets of rifle stripper clips in a way that was trendy during World War 1); dark blue breeches which were piped red; soft leather, heelless boots which would be worn without stirrups as Cossacks traditionally used a short leather whip (nagaika) to drive their mounts (although conventional boots and stirrups may also have been worn); a red or drab-coloured bashlyk hood; and a decorative black leather belt with dangling straps and silver chased ornamentation from which would hang a kindzhal dagger and a shashka sabre.
Don Cossacks wore a much more conventional uniform: khaki gimnastyorkas; tall black fleece hats with red crowns or leather peaked caps with dark blue crowns, red bands as well as red crown piping; and lastly loose, dark blue trousers with wide red stripes down the outer seams tucked into jackboots.
The Orenburg Cossacks, combining the Kuban and Don styles, wore khaki gimnastyorkas but with decorative cartridge tubes. Along with these were worn dark blue, leather peaked caps with light blue bands and crown piping as well as dark blue, loose trousers with wide light blue stripes with boots.
Although most cavalry units wore fairly unremarkable uniforms, this was not wholly the case: vividly coloured and distinctive garments could be seen amongst some cavalrymen, who scavenged from the old Imperial storehouses of the Hussar regiments. Foremost amongst these units was the Zavolzhskaya Brigade of Red Hussars of the 14th Cavalry Division otherwise known as Vatman's Red Hussars Brigade. The Brigade, consisting of three regiments, wore the parade uniforms of both the 1st Sumskoy and 3rd Elisavetgradsky Hussar regiments. This uniform consisted of a light blue dolman upon which were yellow tunic cords and brass buttons, the shoulder-knots (a tsarist indicator of rank) were removed; red chakchiry breeches with yellow piping down the sides tucked into cavalry jackboots with the hussar rosette in brass on the fronts; The peaked cap was also light blue with yellow piping on the crown as well as above and below the band which varied in colour depending on from which Hussar unit it originated from: the 1st Sumskoy's was scarlet whilst the 3rd Elisavetgradsky's was white. The peak of these caps was black leather and smaller than those of the army service caps, often being worn crumpled in the fashion of the time. Instead of dolmans, commanders would wear the more conventional French tunics along with the proper rank insignia. Some of the Red Hussars, in lieu of red stars, would wear on their caps a metal badge consisting of a silver horseshoe behind two silver crossed sabres which in itself was superimposed by a gold horse's head. Regimental musicians would have worn gold lyres rather than stars as well. Some squadrons would also have had lances with two-colour pennants.
Although the Red Hussars are the most well known unit to wear such uniforms, they were not the only one. The 10th Kuban Cavalry Division's 55th 'Narva' Cavalry Regiment had a uniform which varied from Vatman's Brigade only in having white piping, tunic cords, and metal fittings as well as a yellow cap band which had all originally belonged to the 13th Narvsky Hussar regiment. Another unit was the 21st Rifle Division's Independent Cavalry Battalion which wore the orange caps and dolmans, blue cap bands, red breeches, and white piping and cords of the 15th Ukrainian Hussar Regiment however, brown busbys with light blue bags and white metal chin-scales would also have been worn.
The branch collar badge for cavalry was two crossed sabres superimposed over a horseshoe.
A variant of the M1922 greatcoat was worn by cavalry troops and those who had previously served with them. This coat was a tan-brown colour, with the exception of the cuffs and collar, had cuffs that came to a point at the front and back, and a rear slit which started 14 cm below the waist – this could be fastened with either four hooks or four buttons. Trousers worn by cavalry were sometimes dark blue instead of grey or khaki and could have leather reinforcement down the inner leg.
Army commissars wore much the same as red commanders with the exception of the 1918 and 1919 rank insignia. If a commissar wore a distinguishing mark, this would be in the form of a large red star edged gold on the left sleeve containing either the hammer and plough or the hammer and sickle.
There were fourteen collar badges for engineer units: two crossed axes; a crossed pickaxe and spade; a crossed axe and spade; two wheels under a winged steering wheel and column; a winged wheel mounted by two bicycle bells; a wheel with upwards pointing wings; an anchor superimposed over two crossed axes; a torch superimposed over two crossed lightning bolts; a crossed axe and spade superimposed over two crossed lightning bolts; a flaming grenade superimposed over a crossed pickaxe and spade; a masquerade mask superimposed over a crossed laurel branch and sword; an anchor and screw superimposed over two crossed axes; an anchor superimposed over crossed mines; and the letter C with a crossed spade and axe.
Other units not within a division or detached brigade would wear the anchor over two axes collar badge.
In 1919 the Red Army's General Staff received its own, rather eccentric, uniform. It consisted of a scarlet service cap and riding breeches, both piped yellow, originating from the old Lifeguard Hussar Regiment stockpile; a dark crimson 1919 issue tunic with black velvet chest tabs, cuffs, and left sleeve star; silver aiguillettes on the right shoulder and spurred jackboots. This garb was woefully unpopular with staff members, who saw it as pompous. Some refused to wear the crimson tunic and instead gave them away to the seamstressing of their wives to be made into ladies' jackets. Conveniently, the aiguillettes came to be 'short in supply'. The hat and breeches became somewhat popular however and would be worn alongside a khaki shirt with the previous black velvet affects if not with the crimson one. The service uniform also included a crimson 1919 issue greatcoat with black velvet collar, chest tabs, pocket flaps, cuffs, and sleeve star all piped light green.
The field uniform added a knee-length, open-collared kaftan of high quality pea green material with black velvet collar, razgovory, pocket flaps, cuffs, and sleeve star, all piped crimson. Rows of metal edging topped with loops were sometimes worn on the collar and cuffs, 1–4 gold stripes for general officer equivalents and 3–4 silver stripes for field officer equivalents. A pea green budenovka with a black velvet star piped crimson and black velvet buttons would complete the ensemble.
From 1922, general staff officer's rank patches used shapes made of white/silver metal or embroidery, rather than scarlet or blue cloth, to indicate rank.
Serving as both train crew and personal guard of Commissar of War Trotsky, the Red Sotnia's (or Red Hundred's) uniform was made up of distinctive red leathers. By 1919, Budenovkas, jackets, trousers, and jackboots all in red leather were worn as well as a badge worn on the left sleeve: a silver shield embossed with a steaming train imposed over the Sun's rays, a red streak across it in enamel reads 'Revvoyensoviet' whilst more enamel across the top states 'RSFSR', both in Cyrillic.
The collar badge for this branch was that of a crossed rifle and sabre within a laurel wreath.
See infantry section.
The infantry's collar badge was two crossed rifles within a laurel wreath; this was specifically intended for use by those within a division.
Special regimental teams within an infantry regiment (machine gunners, combat engineers, telephone operators, reconnaissance, administrative staff etc.) did not wear distinct collar badges, wearing the regiment's badge and coding instead.
Red cadets, continuing a theme, took from old stores to assemble their uniforms, although not without some modifications being made. The khaki side caps so abundant in warehouses became the standard headwear for cadets, although now dyed dark green. Additionally, piping and a pill-shaped patch on the right side of the cap in branch-colour were added, with the pill having one or two brass buttons to fasten the black leather chin-strap that stretched across the top. As ever, the red star or an old metal shoulder badge was worn on the cap. Besides this, cadets wore standard-issue uniforms but of higher quality, with any greatcoats being worn typically having collar patches, upon which were brass buttons and branch badges.
Some schools, especially those stationed in Petrograd, were required to participate in regular parades. In these formative years of the Soviet state, such units would make use of the parade uniforms of the old lifeguard regiments and military academies however, these were not always supplied as full sets with jarring combinations being on display. The ornate Tsarist shakos and czapkas worn in such ensembles would be suitably sovietised with red stars and paint in place of eagles.
Due to the Red Army's constant shortages, suitable footwear was in short number for cadets leading to cases of those on field exercises borrowing the shoes and boots of those who remained within barracks – medical patients, orderlies, and the like.
Cadets of the 1st Tver Soviet Cavalry Commander's School were known to wear the opulent 'gala' uniform of imperial cadets of the old Tverskoy Cavalry College. This consisted of a black czapka with light blue and silver accents and a white plume; a dark green tunic with a light blue cloth panel at front and silver buttons and stitching at cuff and collar; a dark green and light blue striped belt and blue breeches tucked into riding boots that cover the knee. However this was not their everyday wear: a peaked or peakless service cap with dark green band and light blue crown with dark green piping was worn; khaki gymnastiorka and sharovari breeches; cavalry jackboots; and a cavalry greatcoat with light blue collar patches piped dark green.
Another example of cavalry cadets wearing such fanciful garb would be the Life Guard Hussar Regiment uniforms worn by attendants of the 1st Petrograd Soviet Cavalry Commander's School. This took the form of a brown busby with white plume, a scarlet dolman, blue breeches, and a white pelisse all with yellow cords; sabretaches were discarded.
Once graduated, the cadets of these schools would shed their uniforms for a new one: a commander's light grey peaked cap, black gymnastiorka, blue, blue-grey, or khaki breeches, and jackboots. Chevrons with the school or branch emblem were sometimes worn on the left sleeve.