Nowadays, beret is the authorized headdress of many military branches and military units of different countries of the world, but this was not always the case. The mass popularization of this form of clothing began only in the second half of the 20th century. The phenomenon of beret as a uniform headdress will be discussed in this article.
Origin of beret
Initially, the beret was an element of the national costume of the Celtic peoples who inhabited Britain and Western Europe. This headdress, apparently due to its sophistication and convenience, was also adopted by the peoples living in the neighborhood. So beret gained popularity in the Middle Ages. This headgear was especially common in the fragmented states of Italy and Germany. There, berets were worn by both civilians of noble origin, whose hats were embroidered with gold threads and encrusted with precious stones, as were ordinary people. The beret style itself was constantly changing depending on the fashion trends of those times. The headdress of the medieval military was more rustic. His style was the same for everyone, and even the top command staff did not trim it with gold threads. Beret was also an integral attribute of some professions, for example, fishermen in France and painters around the world. Artists prefer this headdress today.
Despite the fact that the berets were worn by the medieval military, officially the beginning of its use as a charter headdress dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The fact is that in the 18th century the berets of the medieval military were replaced by cocked hats, and at about the same time a military charter arose in the sense in which it exists today. Therefore, it is believed that the headdress of medieval military personnel was not part of a military uniform, but a civilian accessory, since no one established a uniform of a military man at that time.
The oldest military berets
The first military men in the world to wear berets were the Celtic peoples. So, the beret was a uniform of the Scottish highlanders in the regular army of the British Empire. It is also known that such a hat was worn by the Basques, a people living in northern Spain and southern France. They probably borrowed berets from the Gauls, the Celtic people who inhabited the territory of modern France before the arrival of the Romans.
Takes in the armed forces of the world
At the beginning of the twentieth century, military technology made significant progress, in particular, the first tanks were invented. At that time, most of the troops of the European powers wore caps. They protect well from the wind, and their visors - from the sun. But in a cramped combat vehicle there was no sense in a cap; on the contrary, it prevented the tankman from fulfilling the assigned tasks. The British Empire was the first to notice such inconvenience, and it was on Foggy Albion that the first charter berets of tank forces appeared. From the beginning of the 20th century until the end of World War II, the army of the British Empire was one of the most powerful and formidable in the world, so many took the example from it. Perhaps that is why the military beret quickly gained popularity in the armies of other states. After the First World War, the recently appeared landing troops liked the comfortable headgear, since it is simply impossible to parachute in a cap.
Nowadays, berets are worn by the military around the world, and not only in the tank and landing troops. The Israeli army loves berets most of all. There is simply no other uniform headdress in Tsahal. Each military branch wears takes a particular color. Some units have their own headgear color.
The social factor of wearing a beret
Among the military branches in the army there is its own unwritten hierarchy. For example, the fleet, landing troops, as well as special forces are considered and have always been considered the elite of the armed forces. Their service is considered the most painful, and the importance for all the armed forces is enormous. At all times, the military elite tried in every possible way to stand out among other branches of the army. During the Second World War, tank troops were considered elite, since in many respects the outcome of the battle depended on them. For example, the success of the famous Battle of Kursk was achieved mainly thanks to armored forces. Therefore, the beret, which was first put on by British tankers, entrenched as a distinctive headdress of the military elite. Subsequently, he was taken over by paratroopers, as well as special forces.
Nowadays, beret is no longer an attribute of the military elite, since it is widely used in various branches of the armed forces. At the same time, the elite’s headgear still differs from the berets of other servicemen in their stripes, which have been preserved since the days when only elite units had such a right.
Takes in the Soviet Army
The Soviet Army began to use berets later than the armies of other states. The first such uniform hat appeared in 1941 as an element of the female summer military uniform of all military branches.
In 1963, berets were introduced for the Marine Corps as field-hats. The decision was caused not so much by military-tactical necessity as by political motivation. The introduction of berets for the Soviet paratroopers was a logical response to the creation of special forces by the North Atlantic Alliance, dressed in the same headgear, the purpose of which was to conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations on the territory of the USSR-friendly states. Later, berets were introduced for the paratroopers. They also tried to introduce a new outfit for the border troops, experimenting with the uniform of Kaliningrad cadets, but he did not take root in the form of Soviet border guards.
The style of the Soviet military beret was the same for all the military branches, its front part was highly raised, the bottom was trimmed with leather substitute, and ventilation holes were left on its sides.
Only in 1989, already at the decline of the existence of the USSR, the final form of the beret was introduced, which was worn by absolutely all special forces, including from the ranks of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Takes the Airborne Forces of the Soviet Army
The airborne troops of the Soviet Union were awarded the wearing of a comfortable and practical beret only in 1967. The USSR Airborne Beret was designed by the artist Zhuk along with other clothes of the paratrooper. He was subsequently approved by Colonel-General Margelov as the headdress of the parade uniform of the airborne troops. The approved beret was crimson, as was the case with the airborne arms in the armies of other states. Berets were both officers and soldiers. On the officer’s prototype, a front cockade of the air forces was sewn on the front, and on the soldier’s, a red star with ears of corn. In 1968, the color was changed to blue. This color of the beret of the airborne forces of the USSR was preserved in the current airborne troops of Russia.
The evolution of the headgear of the Soviet airborne
The USSR Airborne Beret underwent a number of changes during its formation as a uniform headdress of the Soviet landing. It was originally a crimson color. In another way, it is also called maroon beret airborne. It was created to give the paratrooper a more modern and comfortable look. On its side was a blue flag, or, as it is also called, a corner. But already in 1968 it was replaced with a blue seamless beret of the airborne forces, because, according to the top military leadership, the sky color was more suitable for the paratroopers. On soldiers' berets, the star with ears was replaced with a star in an oval wreath.
A feature of the new product was also the lack of a clearly regulated corner. The flag got its name because it looked like a right triangle. The corner of the Beret airborne of the new sample was necessarily red, but its size could be any.
Only on the fourth of March 1989, the size of the corner became strictly regulated.
Landing berets in modern Russia
The Russian Federation retained the headgear of the Soviet landing force almost in its original form. It takes the Russian airborne forces of the same blue color. In front of him, as in the Soviet model, is a red star in an oval of ears of corn. The corner on the Beret airborne is sewn on the left side. It is a Russian tricolor, followed by the development of the St. George ribbon. In the foreground on the right is a golden parachute - the coat of arms of the airborne forces.
Takes the military landing of Ukraine
Ukraine, like Russia, inherited the blue color of the dress. Front takes the Ukrainian Airborne Forces has a yellow trident in a blue oval, framed by golden ears of wheat. On the right is a red corner, at the bottom left of which is the coat of arms of the Airborne Forces of Ukraine. It is a golden parachute in ears of corn, at the base of which is the emblem of Ukraine. The rest is consistent with the Soviet model.
The value of the blue beret for the airborne
The devotion of the paratroopers of Russia and some CIS countries to this shade of uniform dressing is no coincidence. Blue Beret Airborne - this is one of the symbols of this kind of troops. Every recruit or cadet who has fallen in the military landing is obliged to prove in practice that he is worthy to wear this honorable headgear. Among the awaiting trials of young paratroopers will be exhausting marching throws, disassembling and assembling weapons and, of course, parachuting. But one of the exceptional skills that a young fighter must possess is the ability to beat takes. This means that you need to give it a shape in accordance with the characteristics of the head of the paratrooper, as a result of which he must sit, as required by the charter. There are many ways to recapture takes an airborne. Some paratroopers just soak it in a basin of water, and some craftsmen experiment with gasoline and other fuels and lubricants.
In practice, far from everyone who theoretically knows how to take back an airborne assault is not everyone. Therefore, this task is considered a test along with a march-throw and other military skills.
Blue beret in military culture
The Airborne Forces is not only a branch of the armed forces and a profession, but also a whole culture. The main manifestation of this culture, of course, is the song. Although paratroopers are rude men, songs about them are often very lyrical. But, for example, the words of the song "Airborne Forces" ("Blue Berets" - the group that performs it) show us decisive warriors, purposeful and capable of feats. It emphasizes the importance of friendships between soldiers. Another popular song of Russian paratroopers is "Blue". It poetically describes the sky through the eyes of a landing parachuting.
And the blue beret, the main symbol of the airborne troops, remains the leitmotif of all the songs.