Ober-officer, headquarters officer - this is the division into the ranks of officers in the Russian army until 1917. The last of them was higher - from major to colonel. And the chief officer is the junior officer, from ensign to captain. The concept of "junior" in our case should be distinguished from the term "non-commissioned officer" - a transitional rank between soldiers and officers, which was given to particularly distinguished soldiers who did not have a noble title.
An analogy can be made with the modern army: for the rank of officer, a higher military education is necessary, therefore there are "transitional" ranks - foremen and ensigns. We proceed directly to the ranks of chief officers.
Ensign
Warrant officers - chief officers who wore a single star on the pursuit (in some cases none) - this is the lowest rank on the path of an officer career. In artillery this rank did not exist - a bayonet-junker corresponded to it. So, the ensign is one of the main characters in the "Bel" M. Yu. Lermontov - Pechorin.
Second Lieutenant, Coronet and Cornet
Ober officers could also have the rank of second lieutenants. On the shoulder straps they could see two stars. The cornet and the cornet in the cavalry were also equated with the rank of second lieutenant. In this case, the first rank was found only among the Cossacks, the second - in other cavalry military branches. In the Navy, this title corresponded to the midshipman.
You must understand that in the army and navy, military reforms have been ongoing all the time. Ober officers were also drawn into them. Since 1884, the rank of ensign was abolished, and the first junior officer rank was second lieutenant and cornet.
Lieutenant
Ober officers received the rank of lieutenants. In the Cossack troops they corresponded to the centurion. Gauntlets wore epaulets with three stars on each. By the way, this title is often found among different heroes in Russian classical literature. And there is an explanation for this: the warrants are young people, but not youths anymore. Now they are making "adult" mistakes and miscalculations. Among them are losers in cards, and heroes, and cowards, etc. The lieutenant in the modern Russian army corresponds to the lieutenant.
Headquarters captain
In the cavalry, the title of headquarters captain corresponded to the title of headquarters captain, among the Cossacks - a subheading. They wore epaulets with four stars on each. Let us recall once again the work of M. Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”. There this rank was worn by the innocent and kind Maxim Maximovich.
Captain
The captain is the highest officer rank. In the cavalry, the captain corresponded to him, and for the Cossacks - Yesaul. The captain commanded a company or battery, the captain commanded a squadron.
Life Grenadier Regiment
The chief officer of the life-grenadier regiment enjoyed special honor in the Russian army . Those who wore this title always emphasized this in any conversation.
The life-grenadier regiment is the elite of the Russian tsarist army. It got its name from a hand grenade with a wick - Grenada. The first grenadiers were soldiers who threw such grenades. To do this, it was necessary to get as close to the enemy as possible. Naturally, the grenadiers suffered the greatest losses in the battles. For them, exceptions were always made both in the charter and in staffing.
In 1756, in Riga, the first grenadier regiment was formed by decree of Empress Elizabeth. Prior to this, the grenadier companies were auxiliary in the infantry regiments. The first grenadier regiment showed itself heroically in the battle of Kunersdorf during the Seven Years War. It was his attack that decided the outcome of the whole battle. In 1760, the unit occupied the vicinity of Berlin. The regiment was distinguished by its courage in the Russian-Turkish wars, and in 1775 he was awarded the title - Life Grenadier Regiment. It was considered honorable to serve in it, and during his recruitment a strict selection of candidates was carried out.
Nobility as a factor in staffing officers
We must not forget that officers in Russia before the revolution are not only a military position, but also a public title. Before the revolution, he was considered synonymous with the concept of "nobleman", since it was from the nobles who considered their duty to serve the Fatherland that officers were staffed. For this state and gave them privileges. Only military officer service was considered honorable among the privileged class.
It is no accident that the Bolsheviks used the term “officer” in a negative vein during the revolution, emphasizing their class affiliation. During the reform of the Soviet army, during the Great Patriotic War, many Soviet combat commanders and comrades who fought in the Civil War for the Red Army massively wrote dismissal reports. They said that the concept of “officer” is perceived in their minds as “enemy”, “nobleman”, therefore they cannot bear the title of “Soviet officers”.
Then the motivation for introducing the innovation was as follows: the Germans did not threaten the Soviet regime, but the homeland, so it was necessary to forget the ideological and political differences and defend the interests of Russia. During the reform, a spirit of continuity was created with tsarist military victories. Before that, any mention of the glorious victories of the Russian commanders in the pre-revolutionary period was forbidden.
"Children of the Chief Officers"
Even Peter the Great understood that the rigid caste system in Russia negatively affected the development of the state: almost the entire population was in a state of apathy, indifference. The nobles knew that in any case they would move up the career ladder. The rest, on the contrary, understood that under no circumstances it was impossible to "jump above the head." The great reformer violated this centuries-old tradition: ranks appeared in the Table of Ranks, which all classes could reach.
It turned out to be revolutionary that upon attaining this rank, a person acquired the title of a nobleman. His unborn children also had the right to receive this title. In fact, a revolution occurred that abolished the hard caste system in our country. However, those children who were born before their father received the desired rank were given a special status - “sons (children) of chief officers”.
So, we will analyze in more detail what the nobility is in this case. How could the son of the chief officer receive a privileged title? Only personal merit. For all the rest, a special exorbitant estate was introduced, which was higher than their original position, but lower than the nobility. Later, in 1832, the "children of chief officers" will receive a special status - "honorary citizens."