Ranks and insignia of the Red Army and Navy 1935–1940

Kapitan/ military pilot of the Red Army´s Air Force, uniform with distinction insignia ca. 1935/40.

Individual rank insignia to the (Army) ground forces and (Navy) naval forces (1935–1940) were established by orders 2590 and 2591, effective from September 22, 1935.^[1]

This was mainly directed to supreme commanders, commanding officers, and personnel in charge to exert command and control in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, published by order number 176 of the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense, dated from December 03, 1935.^[2]

Situation in 1935

According to these new orders, new insignia of command personnel should indicate:

• Branch of service (e.g. Army, Air Force, or Navy), or special troops
• Qualification, professional responsibility, specific knowledge
• Rank insignia, operational/ tactical responsibility, e.g. level of military command, formation, unit, or sub-unit.

The top military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created by order of the USSR Central Executive Committee and the “Council of People's Commissars” from September 22, 1935 onward, before the new ranks were issued.

Military ranks

The military ranks created as a result of the joint decision of the “USSR Central Executive Committee” and the “Council of People's Commissars” from November 21, 1935 are contained in the table below. These replaced the ranks used from 1924.

Additional regulations

The same orders mentioned above provided for separate ranks for the Political commissars and military specialists, as in the table below.

Military-political staff all service branches		Military-technician staff		Military-administration and support all service branches	Military-medical service all service branches	Military-veterinarian all service branches	Military-legal service all service branches
Land forces & Air Force	Naval forces
No rank established		Mil-technician 2nd rank		Technical-intendant 2nd rank	Army-surgeon	Veterinarian army-surgeon	Junior military jurist
Politleader		Mil-technician 1st rank		Technical-intendant 1st rank	Senior army-surgeon	Senior veterinarian army-surgeon	Military jurist
Senior political leader		Mil-engineer 3rd rank		Intendant 3rd rank	Military physician 3rd rank	Military veterinarian 3rd rank	Military jurist 3rd rank
Bataillon commissar		Mil-engineer 2nd rank		Intendant 2nd rank	Mil-physician 2nd rank	Mil-vet-physician 2nd rank	Military jurist 2nd rank
Regimental commissar		Mililitary engineer 1st rank		Intendant 1st rank	Mil-physician 1st rank	Mil-vet-physician 1st rank	Military jurist 1st rank
Brigade commissar		Brig-engineer	Engineer Flag officer 3rd rank	Brig-intendant	Brig-physician	Brig-vet-physician	Brig-mil-jurist
Division commissar		Div-engineer	Engineer Flag officer 2nd rank	Div-intendant	Div-physician	Div-vet-pysician	Div-mil-jurist
Corps commissar		Cor-engineer	Engineer Flag officer 1st rank	Cor-intendant	Cor-physician	Cor-vet-pysician	Cor-military-jurist
Army commissar 2nd rank		Army engineer	Fleet Engineer Flag officer	Army intendant	Army physician	Army veterinarian	Army military-jurist
Army commissar 1st rank		No equivalent ranks created

1937

More regulations were established in 1937, following general instructions of the Red Army. According to paragraph 10 of this instruction, the following subdivision of personnel was made:

• Leading staff: Military officers and heads of departments, military administration and commissariat, medical service, veterinarian service, military legal service
• Commanding staff: Personnel with the ranks commander in chief and commander
• Junior commanding staff
• Enlisted men/ratings

Paragraph 14 of this instruction contained the individual ranks and rank designations according to the order of September 22, 1935, and thus officially sanctioned the additional established OF-1c ranks (Junior lieutenant and Junior military technician), taking effect on August 5, 1937.

1939

By decision of the extraordinary session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (end of August until early September 1939) the law on universal compulsory service took effect, and the new OF4-ranks of Podpolkovnik and Battalion commissar were introduced as a result of the amendments to the rank regulations of 1935. An equivalent OF4-rank for the Soviet navy was not established, however.

Rank designations

Example Polkovnik armoured corps with rank insignia big (coat), small (battle jacket) 1940.

In addition to individual ranks the establishment of defined rank insignia was made in December 1935 as well. From this time military staff, including political commissars, military administration, commissariat, medical service, veterinarian service, and military legal service of the Red Army wore rank insignia as follows:

• Rank insignia chevron: on both sleeves (short above the cuff)
• Rank insignia big: on both collar-edges of the uniform coat
• Rank insignia small: on both collar-edges of the battle jacket (Gymnastjorka)

However, naval military staff wore sleeve insignia (stripes and stars) on both sleeves of the uniform.

Commander in chief, higher commanding officers and top appointments OF10 to OF6

• Rank insignia, big (overcoat): on a rhombic padding, gold coloured border, one to four rhombic red enameled badges, gold coloured Soviet star small/ big
• Rank insignia, small (Gymnastjorka): on rectangle padding, gold coloured border, one to four rhombic red enameled badges
• Sleeve insignia (overcoat): one to four gold colored chevrons, Soviet star small/ big, one red coloured extra chevron OF10

Commanding officers and unit leaders OF5, OF3 and OF2

• Rank insignia big (over coat): on rhombic padding, gold coloured border, one to three red enameled rectangle badges
• Rank insignia small (Gymnastjorka): on rectangle padding, gold coloured border, one to four red enameled rectangle badges

Subunit leader OF1

• Rank insignia big (over coat): on rhombic padding, gold coloured border, one to four red enameled square badges
• Rank insignia small (Gymnastjorka): on rectangle padding, gold coloured border, one to four red enameled square badges

Sub-subunit leader and enlisted men OR8 to OR1

• Sub-subunit leader
  • Rank insignia big (over coat): on rhombic padding, gold coloured border, one to three red enameled triangular badges
  • Rank insignia small (Gymnastjorka): on rectangle padding, gold coloured border, one to four red enameled triangular badges
• Enlisted men: simple rank insignia big (over coat)/ simple rank insignia small (Gymnastjorka)

Table of rank insignia land forces and Air Force 1935–1940

Higher commanders

Designation		Higher commanders
Rank insignia	Coat-collar
	Gymnastjorka
	Sleeve chevron
Rank designation		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Komandarm 1st rank	Komandarm 2nd rank	Komkor	Komdiv	Kombrig
(native designation)		(Маршал Советского Союза)	(Командарм 1-го ранга)	(Командарм 2-го ранга)	(Комкор)	(Комдив)	(Комбриг)
OF-equivalent		OF10	OF9		OF8	OF7	OF6
Rank designation after 1940		No change	General of the Army (Chief marshal of the branch & Marshal of the branch)		Colonel general	Lieutenant general	Major General

Middle and senior commanders

Designation		Senior commanders			Middle-level commanders
Rank insignia	Coat-collar
	Gymnastjorka
	Sleeve chevron
Rank designation		Polkovnik	Major	Kapitan	Starshy leytenant	Lieutenant	Mladshy leytenant (adopted 1937)
(Native designation)		(Полковник)	(Майор)	(Капитан)	(Старший лейтенант)	(Лейтенант)	(Младший лейтенант)
OF-equivalent		OF5	OF3	OF2	OF1

Junior commanders and enlisted men

Designation		Junior commanders			Enlisted men
Rank insignia	Coat-collar
	Gymastjorka
Rank designation		Starshina	Junior platoon commander	Section commander	Red army man
(native designation)		(Сташина)	(Младший комвзвод)	(Отделённый командир)	(Красноармеец)
OR-equivalent		OR8	OR7	OR6	OR1
Rank designation after 1940		No change	Starshiy serzhant	Serzhant	No change
(native designation)			(Старший сержант)	(Cержа́нт)

Table of rank insignia for the navy 1935–1940

The following ranks and insignia were used by the Soviet Navy from 1935 to 1940.

Flag officers

Designation	Commander in chief, higher commanders and top appointments
Sleeve insignia
Rank designation	Flag officer of the fleet 1st rank	Flag officer of the fleet 2nd rank	Flag officer 1st rank	Flag officer 2nd rank
(native designation)	(Флагман флота 1-го ранга)	(Флагман флота 2-го ранга)	(Флагман 1-го ранга)	(Флагман 2-го ранга)
OF-equivalent	OF9	OF8	OF7	OF6
Rank designation after 1940	Admiral of the Fleet	Admiral	Vice admiral	Counter admiral

Officers

Designation	Commanding officers and unit leaders
Sleeve insignia
Rank designation	Kapitan 1st rank	Kapitan 2nd rank	Kapitan 3rd rank	Kapitan leytenant	Starshy leytenant	Leytetant	Mladshiy leytenant (from 1937 onward)
(native designation)	(Капитана 1-го ранга)	(Капитана 2-го ранга)	(Капитана 3-го ранга)	(Капитан-лейтенанта)	(Стазший лейтенанта)	(Лейтенанта)	(Младший лейтенант)
OF-equivalent	OF5	OF4	OF3	OF2	OF1

Sub-subunit leader and enlisted men

Designation	Sub-subunit leaders, specialists & enlisted men
Sleeve insignia
Rank designation	Starshina	Squad commander	Krasnoflotets
(native designation)	(Старшина)	(Отделенный командир)	(Краснофлотеец)
OR-equivalent	OR7	OR6	OR1

See also

• History of Russian military ranks
• Ranks and rank insignia of the Russian armed forces until 1917
• Ranks and insignia of the Red Army and Navy 1918–1935, and ... 1940–1943
• Ranks and rank insignia of the Soviet Armed Forces 1943–1955, and ... 1955–1991
• Ranks and rank insignia of the Russian Federation´s armed forces 1994–2010

References