There was such an officer rank in the old Russian army - second lieutenant. Two small stars across one clearance. Who today does not recognize lieutenant epaulets in these insignia?
After spending half a decade in the higher military school, cadets become officers. This event is solemnly celebrated, special military rituals are provided , including the obligatory passage of graduates with a ceremonial step before the formation. After the ceremonial lieutenant epaulets were issued, all certified military specialists begin a new life associated with serving the Fatherland.
An interesting story is the emergence of this sign, which determines the rank of a soldier. Officers in Peter's times dispensed with stars on their shoulders. But the rank-and-file composition since 1696 had special straps that did not allow the belt of the gun to slide during the march.
Alexander I introduced the recognition system, which became the prototype of the modern army hierarchy, however epaulettes did not mean ranks, but belonging to the regiment. The figure, and if a military man served in the Life Guard, then the letter was heavily applied to the epaulet of the corresponding color (red, blue, white or green), depending on the number occupied by the unit in the division.
In 1911, according to the order of the Military Department, as the Ministry of Defense was then called, insignia were established, which became the basis of the Soviet system of ranks.
From 1917 to 1943, our officers did without shoulder straps. They were replaced by "sleepers", "cubes", rhombuses on buttonholes. It was believed that the Red Workers 'and Peasants' Army (RKKA) is fundamentally different from the armed forces of other states (not to mention the Russian Empire) in that the commanders for soldiers now are not commanders, but simply friends and comrades.
After Stalingrad and Kursk, shoulder straps were returned to Soviet soldiers and officers. A significant role in this was played by the fact that the enemies, by the habit of all the soldiers of the Red Army, were called Russians regardless of nationality. In addition, patriotism is easier to propagate, based on old traditions.
Where did the lieutenant epaulets come from? Photos, yellowed from time to time, which depict Russian officers during the First World War, indicate continuity. The dimensions, clearance and sprockets are the same as those of the second lieutenant of the imperial army, with the exception of numbers indicating the part number. It is understandable: the task of determining the location of military units should not always be facilitated by enemy intelligence .
“One gap in life, and even that on uniform,” joked the young officers who had recently graduated from college. They had in mind a low official salary combined with distribution to distant garrisons, with an unsettled life and more than a modest supply. So it was in the fifties, and in the sixties, and in the seventies, and in the eighties. In the last decades of the existence of the USSR, lieutenant epaulets lost their prestige.
Then came the nightmarish nineties. Officers' families, directly dependent on the state, found themselves in such a humiliating position as the Russian army had not known since 1917. The servicemen, who wore not only lieutenant epaulets, but also larger stars, massively quit the service or tried to earn extra money by any means available.
The officer corps in any civilized country is the elite of society. Defending the homeland is an honorable occupation. In recent years, the country's leadership has realized the importance of this part of our society. Once Napoleon I expressed the idea that a state that poorly maintains its army is subsequently forced to feed a stranger well.
Today, Russian officers, including the younger ones, receive quite a decent monetary allowance. The lieutenant epaulets are again honored and prestigious.