He takes airborne troops. Beret Airborne Forces of the USSR

In our time, beret is a statutory headgear for many arms and military units of different countries of the world, but it was not always so. 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.

The origin of beret

Initially, it was an element of the national costume of the Celtic peoples who inhabited Britain and Western Europe. Probably because of its refinement and convenience, this headgear was adopted by the peoples living in the neighborhood. So beret gained popularity in the Middle Ages. Especially common this headdress was in the fragmented states of Italy and Germany. There berets were worn as civilians of noble origin, whose headdresses were embroidered with gold threads and inlaid with precious stones, and ordinary people. The shape of the beret was constantly changing depending on the fashion trends of those times. The headpiece of the medieval military was more simple. His style was the same for everyone, and even the highest command structure did not sew him with gold threads. Beret was also an indispensable attribute of some professions, for example, fishermen in France and painters around the world. Artists prefer this hat even today.

Despite the fact that the berets were worn by the medieval military, the official beginning of its use as a statutory headgear dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The fact is that the berets of the medieval military already in the 18th century were replaced with cockles, and around the same time, a military charter arose in the sense in which it exists today. Therefore, it is believed that the headpiece of medieval soldiers was not part of the military uniform, but a civilian accessory, since no uniform form of serviceman at that time was established.

The oldest military berets

The first in the world military, wearing berets, were the Celtic peoples. So, takes was the uniform of the Scottish Highlanders in the regular army of the British Empire. It is also known that such a headdress was worn by Basques, people living in the north of Spain and the south of France. Probably, they borrow 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

In the early twentieth century, military technology has made significant progress, in particular, the first tanks were invented. At that time, most of the servicemen of European powers wore caps. They are well protected from the wind, and their visors are from the sun. But in the close combat vehicle from the cap there was no sense, on the contrary, it prevented the tank man from performing the assigned tasks. The first such inconvenience was noted by the military of the British Empire, and it was on the Foggy Albion that the first charter berets appeared in the tank troops. From the beginning of the 20th century until the end of World War II, the army of the British Empire was one of the strongest and most formidable in the world, so many took an example from it. Perhaps that is why the military takes quite quickly gained popularity in the armies of other states. After the First World War, a convenient headdress attracted the newly appeared landing troops, since it is simply impossible to jump with a parachute in a cap.

Nowadays, military wears are worn all over the world, and not only in tank and amphibious troops. The Israeli army loves most of the berets. In Tsakhal, there simply is not another uniform headdress. Each type of army wears a beret of a certain color. The color of the headdress is also in some units.

The social factor of beret wearing

Among the arms of the army, there is an unofficial hierarchy. For example, the fleet, amphibious forces, 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 significance for all armed forces is enormous. At all times, the military elite has tried in every possible way to stand out among other arms. During the Second World War, tank troops were considered elite, since the outcome of the battle depended largely on them. For example, the success of the famous Battle of Kursk was achieved, mainly thanks to tank troops. Therefore, takes, which was first put on by British tankmen, entrenched as a distinctive hat of the military elite. Subsequently, it was adopted by paratroopers, as well as special forces.

Nowadays, taking is no longer an attribute of the military elite, since it is widely used in different kinds of troops. At the same time, the elite headgear is still different from the berets of other servicemen by its patches, which have been preserved since those times when this right was only for elite units.

Beret in the Soviet Army

The Soviet Army began using berets later than armies of other states. The first such uniform headdress appeared in 1941 as an element of a female summer military uniform of all arms.

In 1963 berets were introduced for marines as field uniforms. The decision was not so much a military-tactical necessity as a political motive. The introduction of berets for Soviet paratroopers was a logical response to the creation by the North Atlantic Alliance of special forces, equipped with a similar headgear, the purpose of which was conducting reconnaissance and sabotage operations on the territory of friendly states. Later berets were introduced and for paratroopers. The new dress was also tried to introduce for the border troops, experimenting with the form of Kaliningrad cadets, but it did not take the form of Soviet border guards.

The style of the Soviet military beret was the same for all arms, its front part was highly elevated, underneath the garment was trimmed with a skin substitute, and holes for ventilation were left on its sides.

Only in 1989, already at the end of the existence of the USSR, was introduced the final form of the beret, which was worn by all the special forces, including from the ranks of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Takes the Airborne Troops of the Soviet Army

The airborne troops of the Soviet Union were awarded a comfortable and practical beret only in 1967. Beret Airborne USSR was designed by the artist Zhuk along with other paratrooper clothing. He was subsequently confirmed by Colonel-General Margelov as the headpiece of the parade uniform of the airborne troops. The approved beret was crimson in color, as well as in the landing troops in the armies of other states. Berets wore both officer and soldiers. On the officer's model a cockade of air forces was sewn from the front, and on the soldier's a red star with ears. In 1968, the color was changed to blue. This color of the Beret of the Airborne Forces of the USSR has been preserved in the active airborne troops of Russia.

Evolution of the headgear of the Soviet Airborne Forces

Beret Airborne Forces of the USSR underwent a number of changes during its formation as a uniform headdress of Soviet troops. Initially it was crimson. In another way, it is also called the airborne berth of the Airborne Forces. It was created to give the paratrooper a more modern and comfortable look. On its side there was a blue flag, or, as it is also called, a corner. But already in 1968 it was replaced with a blue seamless airborne beret, because, according to the highest military leadership, the sky color was more suited to the paratroopers. On the soldiers' berets, a star with ears of corn was replaced with a star in an oval wreath.

The peculiarity of the new product was also the absence of a clearly regulated corner. The flag got this name, because it looked like a rectangular triangle. The angle of the new airborne beret beret was necessarily red, but its size could be any.

Only on March 4, 1989 the size of the corner became strictly regulated.

Berets landing in modern Russia

The Russian Federation retained the headpiece of the Soviet landing force almost in its original form. Takes the airborne of Russia of the same blue color. In front of him, as in the Soviet model, is a red star in an oval of ears. The corner on the airborne beret is sewn on the left side. It is a Russian tricolor, behind which the St. George Ribbon is developed. In the foreground on the right is a golden parachute, the arms of the Airborne Forces.

Takes the military assault of Ukraine

Ukraine, like Russia, inherited the blue color of the dress. The front takes the airborne of Ukraine has a yellow trident in a blue oval framed with golden ears. On the right is a corner of red color, on the left below it there is the coat of arms of the Airborne Forces of Ukraine. It is a golden parachute in the ears, at the base of which is the coat of arms of Ukraine. In other respects, the beret corresponds to the Soviet model.

The value of the blue beret for the Airborne Forces

The devotion of the paratroopers of Russia and some CIS countries to such a shade of uniform dressing is not accidental. The blue Beret Airborne is one of the symbols of this kind of troops. Every rookie or cadet who has got into the military landing is obliged to prove in practice that he is worthy of wearing this honorable hat. Among the waiting young test-raiders will be exhausting march-throws, disassembly and assembly of weapons and, of course, parachute jumping. But one of the exceptional skills that a young fighter must master is the ability to beat a beret. This means that you need to shape it according to the characteristics of the paratrooper's head, as a result of which he must sit, as required by the charter. There are many ways how to fight off taking an airborne. Some paratroopers simply soak it in a basin of water, and some craftsmen experiment with gasoline and other fuels and lubricants.

In practice, of those who theoretically know how to beat off the airborne troops, not everyone does it. Therefore, this task is considered a test, along with a march-throw and other military skills.

Blue beret in military culture

VDV is not only a kind of troops and a profession, but also a whole culture. The main manifestation of this culture, of course, is the song. Although the paratroopers are rude men, the songs about them are often very lyrical. But, for example, the words of the song "VDV" ("The Blue Berets" - the group that performs it) show us decisive warriors, purposeful and capable of feats. It emphasizes the importance of friendly relations between soldiers. Another popular song of Russian paratroopers is Sineva. It describes poetically the sky through the eyes of the landing force, descending on parachutes.

And the leitmotif of all the songs is still the blue beret, the main symbol of the airborne troops.