Attention to detail

Shoulder straps special troops NKVD are rare, so when you come across a photograph of a serviceman with these insignia, it is a good addition to the collection.
The category of employees of the NKVD special service included persons who had the special rank of private and junior command personnel and served in the supervision and maintenance of prisons, camps and other places of detention, in guard guards, in courier communications and in special forces of the military. fire department(VPO).
In accordance with the established order of the NKVD of the USSR No. 126 dated 02/18/1943, special forces were provided with shoulder straps 5 cm wide with a semicircular top and buttons with a hammer and sickle, and for military personnel of the special forces of the Higher Professional Educational Institution of the GUPO NKVD - 5-corner shoulder straps 6 cm wide and Red Army buttons. Stencils were applied with yellow paint, but this was not always observed.

The photo shows an ordinary special forces soldier serving as a supervisor of the camps. The photo was taken on March 2, 1953 in Magadan. On the left is an authentic shoulder strap from the collection of A. Sorokin.

You can carefully study the drawing from order No. 126 under the cut.

And an example of a junior field communications sergeant wearing shoulder straps is, unfortunately, a low-quality photograph. But still, the braid running along the edge of the shoulder strap is clearly visible.

Sewn from English cloth during the war. Purchased from a veteran's family. Above the pocket there is a clear trace of two Orders of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War! Guaranteed original from the war. Size 44-48.

Based on accepted norms, detailed regulations were prepared in secret on the supply of clothing to the army fighting fighting. On June 30, 1941, hastily finalized in connection with Germany's unexpected attack on the USSR, this information was announced by a circular from the chief quartermaster for the information of the entire Red Army. However, at this moment, the first priority was not supplying the front, but rescuing front-line supplies from those areas where the troops were retreating.

The beginning of the war turned out to be extremely unfavorable for the Red Army. Large military reserves of food, weapons and clothing located in border military districts fell into the hands of the enemy or were surrounded. Uniform resources for replenishment turned out to be significantly reduced, and therefore, on July 13, 1941, it was decided to temporarily replace the cap with a cap and the overcoat with a padded jacket or padded jacket for the period of conscript training in reserve units.

By the end of the sixth week of the war, the vulnerability of the command staff (primarily command staff) and generals at the front became obvious due to their too noticeable differences. On August 1, 1941, an order was distributed by telegraph ordering the abolition of the wearing of sleeve insignia for all command personnel located in the theater of military operations and in marching units, the establishment of all branches of the army in the field army wearing khaki buttonholes with protective insignia, and also issue at the front generals have a protective tunic and trousers without stripes. By the end of August 1941, protective buttonholes and insignia were distributed to the fronts.

On August 3, 1941, a new one was installed female uniform(for non-combatant command personnel): takes khaki, dress and coat. The dress (cut in 1937 for female NKVD commanders) was made from cotton fabric, later a similar dress made of woolen fabric appeared. For women holding command positions, the tunic, skirt and overcoat were retained.

On August 11, 1941, by secret order, the issuance of new clothing to personnel of the rear units and institutions of the Red Army was stopped. By August 25, all available new uniforms should have been transferred to provide units leaving for the front.

Back in the summer months of 1941, preparations were launched to provide Red Army personnel with warm clothes for the winter. Basic warm clothes, primarily fur coats and felt boots, were not only sought out in various warehouses, but were also widely collected from the population in the form of voluntary donations, and were energetically produced by industry with accepted standards. war time material and technological tolerances. These measures made it possible to fully satisfy the troops of the active army with basic warm clothes by the beginning of the winter counter-offensive and led to some diversity in the color and cut of uniforms in the winter of 1941/1942.

By the spring of 1942, there was a shortage of overcoats, and therefore, from April, by decree of the State Defense Committee, junior commanders and rank and file of rear units and institutions, motor transport units of combat formations, as well as drivers of all branches of the military, began to be issued a double-breasted cotton jacket instead of an overcoat. . Great tension with the provision of clothing was due to the decline in the output of light industry products, some of the enterprises of which had not yet established production in evacuation, and those remaining locally experienced difficulties with raw materials, energy and labor force. For the same reason, the project prepared for May 1942 on the introduction of new insignia, which envisaged providing the entire Red Army with shoulder straps by October 1, 1942, was postponed.

To improve the procedure for spending clothing property, on May 14, 1942, the “Regulations on the clothing supply of the Red Army and supply standards in wartime” were put into effect. It established the priority and clear rules for the issuance of clothing, responsibility for its safety and use, the return of worn-out uniforms for use in the rear, the division of things into personal and inventory, as well as detailed standards for the issuance of uniforms for all groups of military personnel and special clothing for personal composition of various branches of troops and services. The introduced provision continued to be in force throughout the entire period of the war.

The uniform of the Red Army also no longer required changes, since it had already been optimized to the limit of its practical properties. Only in order to speed up the production of individual items of uniform and save materials, from time to time, small deviations from pre-war standards were adopted, such as straight cuffs for a Red Army overcoat, a through fastener for a tunic for command personnel, a lighter cloth cap, etc.

On January 6, 1943, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, shoulder straps were introduced for military personnel of the Red Army. In this regard, it was necessary to make changes to the existing uniform. On January 15, 1943, an order was issued describing the changes and new rules for wearing uniforms by Red Army personnel.

On overcoats it was now necessary to sew field or everyday buttonholes of a modified form, sewing was introduced to the ceremonial caps of marshals and generals, the stand-up collar of the ceremonial uniforms of generals and officers was replaced by a rigid stand-up collar, and sewing was also introduced to these uniforms. Everyday general and officer uniforms included a tunic of the previous general's type, but with a rigid stand-up collar; A soft stand-up collar with a two-button fastener was introduced on the tunics of all Red Army personnel. Instead of two breast patch pockets on the tunic, command personnel were given the same, but welt pockets, and junior commanders and rank and file were given one back pocket on their trousers. Due to the introduction of shoulder straps, sleeve insignia were abolished.

All personnel of the Red Army were ordered to start wearing shoulder straps on February 1, 1943. By February 15, the transition was supposed to be completely completed, but the day before the deadline, a new order was issued: to extend the transition until March 15, 1943. From now on, until the next issue of uniforms, shoulder straps were supposed to be worn with the existing uniform.

Shoulder straps for NKVD agencies and troops were installed on February 9, 1943. According to the order of February 18, 1943, more than two months were immediately allotted for the transition to shoulder straps: from March 10 to May 15. Changes in uniforms in the NKVD system occurred, generally similar to those in the army. A significant difference was the patch pockets on the officer's tunic and the ceremonial uniforms of the border and internal troops of the NKVD. Double-breasted uniforms made of castor cloth sea ​​wave were reserved for generals, and khaki woolen fabric for the rest of the personnel. With full edging, partial edging or without edging (respectively): for generals and officers, junior command personnel, privates.

For the initial training of military personnel and the education of children who have lost their fathers, on August 22, 1943, nine Suvorov military schools were formed in the system of the People's Commissariat of Defense. On September 21, 1943, for pupils - boys 9-10 years old - a black uniform was introduced, similar to the pre-revolutionary uniform cadet corps: casual and formal.

In July 1944, in connection with complaints received from female military personnel about the unsatisfactory quality and quantity of clothing supplies, a special survey was carried out to identify shortcomings in women's uniforms. As a result, on August 5, 1944, changes and additions were made to the uniform and supply standards for female soldiers. Thus, in combat units it was decided to issue a “non-combatant” dress (as a second summer set), in the rear units - to issue a dark blue wool-blend beret (instead of khaki), and also to introduce welt breast pockets on the tunics of private women and sergeants.

On September 16, 1944, the remaining sergeants and Red Army soldiers were also officially allowed to have breast pockets, but only if they received unwearable officer uniforms after putting them in order.

Thanks to the widespread repair of worn items, an increase in clothing resources was achieved, this increased the supply of troops and made it possible to accumulate reserves of new uniforms for emergency needs.

Air Chief Marshal in winter dress uniform, 1943-45.
Guard senior sergeant, infantry, 1944
Partisan Pavel Lipatov, 1943-44.
Lieutenant of Justice and casual uniform, military legal service, 1943-45.
Lieutenant General of Aviation in full dress uniform, 1945

So, by April 20, 1945 - the start day Berlin operation, - the preparation period of which coincided with the end of the winter season, managed to fully provide all its participants - officers, sergeants and Red Army soldiers - with new summer uniforms. From the rear, several thousand tons of new uniforms were delivered to the fronts and armies of the first echelon line along with the ammunition, fuel, spare parts and food necessary for the offensive.

At the end of May 1945, the Council of People's Commissars made changes to the dress uniform of marshals and generals of the Red Army. Served as a prototype dress uniform sample 1943 generals of the NKVD troops. Sea-green castor cloth was approved as the material for the ceremonial cap, double-breasted uniform and trousers, and the pattern of sleeve embroidery for generals was changed.

For the historic Victory Parade, held in Moscow on June 24, 1945, more than 250 new-style ceremonial general uniforms were sewn, and in total more than 10 thousand sets of various uniforms for parade participants were produced in factories, workshops and studios in Moscow in three weeks.

In October 1945, shortly before the next November military parade in Moscow, marked by the victory over Japan and the end of World War II, a gold tinsel belt with the image of State emblem USSR on a gold plated buckle.

In February 1946, the People's Commissariats of Defense and navy were merged and transformed into a single Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR, and the armed forces themselves acquired new names: “ Soviet army" and "naval forces". Thus, the events of 1945 end the historical stage associated with the existence of the Red Army.

"... another grandfather, Evsei Samuilovich Dozortsev, was the head of the air defense department of the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry (died in 1941 near Leningrad)"
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"Snob"
27.05.2015
https://snob.ru/selected/entry/92809/page/2
Evsey Dozortsev - Viktor Shenderovich's maternal grandfather - in a uniform similar to the uniform of an NKVD officer
(Army commanders (RKKA) on their buttonholes, since the 20s, had the following signs: for senior command personnel - rhombuses, senior - rectangles, middle - squares and junior - triangles, some NKVD units had stars in their buttonholes)
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http://isrageo.com/2014/12/27/prsge049/
Vladislav KATS
About the fate of grandfather Shenderovich - Jewish heroes of the Great Patriotic War, whose names are not heard
Dec 27, 2014
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The buttonholes in the photo with two stars horizontally - there were no such things in the 30s, not in the Red Army, not in the police - may correspond, given what we already knew about Yevsey Dozortsev (middle command staff - before the war, head of a department in the departmental VOKhR , then a senior lieutenant in the army), and these buttonholes of a GULAG NKVD employee
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This form was introduced by order of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 233 dated June 25, 1936. - uniforms and official insignia of personnel of the Gulag and the Department of Labor Colonies (OTK) of the NKVD of the USSR - and existed until the introduction of shoulder straps and a uniform uniform in 1943.
Unlike state security agencies, police and NKVD troops, the insignia of GULAG employees did not reflect a military or special rank, but the position of an employee. The insignia of the GULAG workers of the NKVD of the USSR was located on buttonholes sewn at the ends of the collar. Attached to the Order were lists Nos. 1 and 2, which stipulated positions entitled to wear uniforms(so-called certified employees).
(V.T. Vlasenko “Uniform and insignia of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR”, chapter “Uniform and insignia of the Gulag 1930-1943.”)
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http://echo.msk.ru/programs/beseda/1256544-echo/

Viktor Shenderovich, 02/11/2014

“Like every person, I sometimes make mistakes, and in this case I apologize. Last time I apologized quite recently, literally days ago, for a factual error made in one of my texts."

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Here is another text by a humorist, where a factual error may have crept in

V. Shenderovich, “Raisins from a bun”:

“My maternal grandfather, Yevsey Dozortsev, at the beginning of the war was the head of the air defense department of the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry. And in September 1941, a certain colleague of my grandfather started a public conversation in Russian folk theme"Jews know how to get comfortable." They say the Russians are fighting, and these...

That same day, Yevsey put his “reservation” on the table and went to the front. When I say “on the same day,” this should be taken literally: the grandfather did not say goodbye to the grandmother, passing the letter through her sister.

Probably, the grandfather was afraid that the grandmother would dissuade him.

Senior Lieutenant Dozortsev died in November 1941 near Leningrad."

Have you ever wondered what this strange air defense department in the People's Commissariat is?
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A. Selyavkin (in the 20-30s, deputy commander of the USSR convoy troops (NKVD), then head of the Main Directorate of Paramilitary Security of the USSR (NKVD), then head of the Main Directorate of Military and Air Defense of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry of the USSR):
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"Service air defense

The rapid development of aviation with a long range in case of war created a threat to industrial facilities, railway junctions and cities located even at a considerable distance from state border. Thus, life itself put forward the urgent task of creating a strong civil air defense, which, in combination with the air defense system of the Red Army, would ensure effective protection of industrial facilities and cities, and the successful elimination of the consequences of raids.

Training of personnel, creation and training of working units, construction of bomb and gas shelters, blackout of objects, communication and alarm systems, procurement of special property and equipment - all this and much more was part of a complex set of functions of the Main Directorate [War and Air Defense of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry of the USSR] . The work had to be carried out at a rapid pace, with reasonable expenditure of public funds.

My paramilitary security colleagues and army workers moved to the new Main Directorate."

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As we see, it was not anti-aircraft gunners who sat in the air defense departments of the People's Commissariats of Industry.
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Local air defense was part of the NKVD system - the Main Directorate of Local Air Defense (GUMPVO) of the NKVD of the USSR was formed on October 29, 1940 by NKVD order No. 001378. I believe that the air defense of industrial facilities, especially military industry, through the military and air defense departments People's Commissariats was also supervised by the NKVD.
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There were no independent “air defense departments” in the People’s Commissariats at that time - they were all part of the VOKhR and Air Defense Directorates (Directorate of Paramilitary Security and Air Defense) of the People’s Commissariats - looking through documents for 1941, we find many references: “Directorate of Paramilitary Security and Air Defense of the People’s Commissariat of Machine Tool Industry of the USSR ", "Central Directorate of Paramilitary Security and Air Defense of the People's Commissariat of the River Fleet of the USSR", ...

And how did Evsey Samuilovich Dozortsev end up in a cushy position in the ministry? Where did you serve before? In the military and air defense departments under the People's Commissariats, the chiefs were usually retired military officers and retired security officers, and they were headed by former high-ranking security officers, such as Selyavkin and Andreev. So after the war, we find at the head of the security department of the VOKhR Directorate of the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry a certain Matvey Moiseevich Potashnik, an “honorary employee of the Cheka-GPU”, dismissed from the MGB to the reserve for “compromising family ties and use of official position for personal gain."

It should also be noted that in those years when Shenderovich’s grandfather served as a Vokhrov worker in Narkomugol, some of the miners were prisoners - “the organization of their use at work should be entrusted to Narkomugol.” Several instructions and orders from the People's Commissariat of Coal Industry were issued on this matter.

Directive of the NKVD "On reception, placement, protection and use at work":

"The labor use of prisoners should be organized at the enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Coal Mining in compact groups, mainly at well-guarded work sites."

In the report of the head of the Gulag V.G. Nasedkin to People's Commissar of Internal Affairs L.P. Beria “On the work of the Gulag during the war years (1941-1944)” (08/17/1944) it is mentioned that before the war, the camp labor force from prisoners was allocated to 350 enterprises and construction projects of other people’s commissariats, including the coal industry. At these enterprises, the GULAG organized special correctional labor colonies of the NKVD.

Here is also, for example, a remarkable biography of the head of the Central Directorate of Military and Air Defense and Air Defense of the People's Commissariat of Medium Engineering and Tank Industry

Andreev (Sheinkman) Mikhail Lvovich (1903-1988)

Senior Major GB (1935).

Party member since 1919

Born in the village. Meleshkovichi of the Mozyr district of the Minsk province in the family of a carter.

Since 1919, in underground Komsomol and party work, he was in charge of the book warehouse of the Mozyr underground city committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania and Belarus.

After the liberation of Belarus in the Cheka bodies in Mozyr district (authorized and deputy head of the Politburo), Minsk (investigator of the Belarusian Cheka), Bobruisk district (deputy chief and head of the Politburo of the Cheka of Bobruisk district), again in Mozyr (chief of the Politburo of the Cheka of Mozyr district). Since 1923, in the Secret Department of the OGPU PP for the Western Territory//OGPU PP for the Belarusian Military District (authorized officer, head of the department, assistant head of the department). In 1929-1930, head of the SO PP OGPU for the Western Region (Smolensk). From January 1931, in the central apparatus of the OGPU, he was the head of the 5th department of the SO; from March 1931, after the organization of the OGPU SPO, he was assistant to the head of the 4th department. In September of the same year, he was appointed head of the Tver operational sector of the OGPU. From April 1934, he was appointed deputy plenipotentiary representative of the OGPU for the Central Black Earth Region (from July 1934, deputy head of the NKVD Voronezh region). From October 1936 - Deputy Head of the NKVD (from January 1937 - Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs) of the Kazakh SSR L.B. Zalina (Andreev worked under his leadership in Minsk and Smolensk). In August 1937, he was transferred to the central apparatus of the NKVD to the post of deputy head of the 6th (transport) department of the GUGB NKVD of the USSR, from March 1938, after reorganization, he was the head of the 2nd department of the 3rd directorate (from September 1938 - Chief transport department) NKVD of the USSR (until June 1939)

Since 1939, he worked in senior positions in the security of defense enterprises - deputy director of the 1st State Bearing Plant (GPP), head of the Central Directorate of Military and Air Defense and Air Defense of the People's Commissariat of Medium Engineering and Tank Industry, Ministry of Agricultural Engineering of the USSR (until November 1948)

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In Shenderovich's memories of his grandfather Yevsey, except for the description of his heroic departure to the front, there is not a single word. Which is very strange, because we're talking about about a war hero or, in any case, a person who died with dignity. But the life of another grandfather, a “prominent Trotskyist”, the renegade Semyon Markovich (Shlyoma Mordukhovich) Shenderovich, who was in the rear during the war, named after.
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Perhaps because, before moving to the VOKhR of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, Evsei Dozortsev served in the NKVD system - the buttonholes on the uniform of the 30s of the last century correspond to the uniform of a number of NKVD units - state security, the Gulag, internal troops (security, convoy units, ...) - and do not belong to the Red Army, not to the police (also, incidentally, the NKVD).

GULAG ("Main Directorate of Camps, Labor Settlements and Places of Detention") came under the jurisdiction of the newly formed NKVD of the USSR on June 10, 1934, but was, in fact, a separate organization with its own special insignia.) Examples can be found among the employees of the NKVD GULAG buttonholes similar to those shown in the photo, and, given Dozortsev’s relatively low position, the most likely choice is this one

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Heads of departments of the Gulag departments; heads of sectors and the secretary of the Gulag; heads of independent departments of camp administrations; heads of departments of OMZ UNFVD; heads of camp departments and districts; camp security chiefs; heads of prisons and colonies of 1st-4th categories
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In the Gulag there were also similar buttonholes with two stars - heads of Gulag departments - but Yevsey Dozortsev did not rise to the “general” position.
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Buttonholes of the Gulag employees of the NKVD of the USSR
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Also, two horizontal stars in the buttonholes were worn in the NKVD by senior state security majors - a rank too high for Dozortsev - it was equivalent to the rank of division commander.
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Buttonholes of state security officers of the NKVD of the USSR (GUGB NKVD)
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However, in both cases, the Gulag and state security, on the buttonholes of the tunic there are horizontal stripes that are missing in Dozortsev’s photo.

There were no horizontal stripes on the buttonholes of members of the NKVD internal troops. Until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, units of convoy troops guarded places of detention. But they didn't have stars in their buttonholes.

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Since 1937, the personnel of the NKVD troops had a system of insignia adopted by the Red Army.
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No military or special ranks were introduced in the Gulag system and insignia existed according to official categories. In reality, however, it turned out that the majority of leading workers in the Gulag system still had special ranks state security or internal service NKVD - either they were awarded personal ranks of the internal service of the NKVD for any merits, or this was a consequence of their transfer (with the preservation of personal ranks) to the Gulag from operational work in the NKVD or from state security. That is, former employees of state security, police, and internal troops, when transferred to the Gulag system, came there with their personal ranks. Thus, in the GULAG a mixture of former GB employees, police and VV officers was formed, who coexisted with the actual indigenous GULAG sheep.
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And there is also a question regarding the “armor” allegedly thrown on the table.
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The fact is that in September 1941, the evacuation of the People's Commissariats from Moscow, including the People's Commissariat of Coal Mining, was already in full swing, as well as the reduction of their staff - by decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated June 29, 1941. By order of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated 5 July 1941, the heads of the People's Commissariats and central institutions of the USSR and the RSFSR were instructed to carry out the timely evacuation of all valuable documentation deep into the country. At the same time, it was prescribed to relieve the archives and current office work of the People's Commissariats and institutions from materials that do not have operational and scientific-historical significance. That is, the evacuation from Moscow began long before the famous decision taken on October 15, 1941 by the State Defense Committee of the USSR to evacuate Moscow.
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On the transfer of People's Commissariat and Main Directorates from Moscow
Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks

June 29, 1941
Strictly confidential
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In order to relieve the city of Moscow from institutions, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks decide:
1. Transfer from Moscow to other cities Soviet Union People's Commissariats and departments in full, in accordance with Appendix No. 1 and in part, in accordance with Appendix No. 2.
2. Establish the following procedure for the transfer of people's commissariats that are completely evacuated:
a) first of all, approximately half of the apparatus with 2-3 deputy people's commissars is transferred, so that both parts can perform their functions of managing the work, especially in implementing the mobilization plan;
b) after the evacuated part of the apparatus begins to function normally at the new location, the rest of the People’s Commissariat leaves together with the People’s Commissar;
c) after the evacuation of the People's Commissariat in Moscow, only one deputy remains. People's Commissar as a commissioner with a small apparatus to carry out the instructions of the People's Commissar and maintain contact with government agencies. The People's Commissars listed in Appendix No. 2 allocate part of the apparatus to evacuation points, sending the first deputy People's Commissar as an authorized one.
3. Oblige people's commissars and heads of departments, in agreement with the NKPS and the People's Commissariat of River Fleet, submit for approval by the Evacuation Council the timing of the transfer of people's commissariats and departments from Moscow.
4. Oblige the people's commissars, in connection with the move, to establish a reduced staff of the people's commissariats (departments), agreeing on the size of the reduction with the com. Kosygin and Golev.
5. Oblige the regional committees (territorial committees) of the CPSU (b), regional (territorial) executive committees to reduce as much as possible the number of regional, city and district institutions and their staffs and transfer part of the institutions to other cities and district centers of the region, providing vacated premises to the resettled people's commissariats. Also allocate part of school buildings and buildings of higher educational institutions for these purposes. The allocation of buildings of higher educational institutions shall be carried out with the permission of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.
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10. People's Commissariat for Coal - in the city of Molotov [now Perm].
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Ballerina Inna Zubkovskaya recalls: “In 1941, I graduated from college and was accepted into Grand Theatre. The war has begun. My dad held a prominent position in the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry. This People's Commissariat was one of the first to evacuate, and, of course, dad did not leave me, a seventeen-year-old girl. That's how I ended up in Perm." People's Commissariat employees were evacuated along with their families - in other memoirs we read: "People's Commissariat employees along with their families were evacuated by water on a motor ship along the Moscow-Volga Canal, then along the Volga."
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Since the head of the bomb shelters, Evsei Dozortsev, was unlikely to be considered a particularly valuable specialist in the coal industry or high-ranking ministerial bosses, did he simply get laid off and, after created a scandal, was sent to the front?
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Although in the most important People's Commissariats employees did receive reservations: “Almost from the very beginning of the war (at the end of June 1941), all the main employees of the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry were given reservations from conscription to the front, and the People's Commissariat apparatus was transferred to a barracks position. In several offices of houses 16 and 22 on Ulansky Lane, sleeping places were equipped, and in a number of office rooms, folding beds were simply placed for sleeping. The employees of the apparatus went home once a week to wash and change clothes, and they did this on a staggered schedule - so that there would always be employees in the headquarters. To resolve operational issues, at the same time, free three meals a day for employees was introduced in the People's Commissariat canteen."
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But, if you believe Shenderovich, Yevsey also received a reservation (and therefore the right to evacuate his family), then it turns out that due to a minor quarrel with a colleague, he not only went to the front, but also deprived his family, who was still in Moscow ( “I didn’t say goodbye”), the opportunity to evacuate along with the People’s Commissariat employees beyond the Volga!
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Some strange story...
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But the comedian’s ancestors on the other, paternal, side were much more fortunate - the grandmother, “old Bolshevik” (party member since 1918) Eidlya Abramovna Plotkina with her children, together with the families of Narkomtyazhmash employees, left Moscow for Sverdlovsk on July 25, 1941 ., where they were placed at the directors' dachas of Uralmash. As Shenderovich’s father recalls: “Despite the difficult times for the country, we, at least the children, lived there like in Christ’s bosom. Uralmash supplied us with everything we needed and fed us excellently.”
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Just in case, let's take a look at the uniform of the paramilitary units
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Paramilitary personnel
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"In each Nakromat, a VSO (armed guard guard), a VPO (militarized fire service) was created, and in some people's commissariats, VGSCh (militarized mountain rescue units). Their insignia were: senior command personnel - stars, senior command personnel - pentagons, middle command personnel - circles, junior command personnel - semicircles."
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I believe that Evsei Dozortsev, who received a senior lieutenant (middle command) upon entering the army, could not have worn the stars of the highest command in his buttonholes while guarding the People's Commissariat for Coal Mining. For comparison, in the highest command of the fire department, only the fire chiefs of the cities of Moscow, Leningrad and Kyiv had three stars, and two stars, for example, the fire chief of Kharkov.

Part 3.
Internal troops of the NKVD 1937-1942.

First we need to remind you what the internal troops of the NKVD were like by 1937.

In 1937, the Main Directorate of Border and Internal Security (GUPVO NKVD) was renamed the Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops of the NKVD of the USSR.

On February 2, 1939, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted the Resolution "On the reorganization of the management of border and internal troops", according to which the Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops of the NKVD of the USSR was divided into six main departments:
- Main Directorate of Border Troops of the NKVD of the USSR;
- Main Directorate of the USSR NKVD troops for the protection of railway structures;
- Main Directorate of the USSR NKVD troops for the protection of especially important industrial enterprises;
- Main Directorate of Convoy Troops of the NKVD of the USSR;
- Main Directorate of Military Supply of the NKVD of the USSR;
- Main Military Construction Directorate of the NKVD of the USSR.

November 20, 1939 By order of the NKVD of the USSR, the “Regulations on the escort troops of the NKVD of the USSR” were introduced.
They carried out tasks of escorting persons in custody and provided external security for individual prisons. This Regulation provided for wartime tasks related to the escort and protection of prisoners of war.

I should note that the escort troops carried out their functions mixed with the paramilitary guards of the Gulag (VOKHR GULAG NKVD).
Some places of detention were guarded by soldiers of convoy units, others by military personnel.
Below we will discuss the uniform and insignia:
-troops of the NKVD of the USSR for the protection of especially important industrial enterprises,

- NKVD troops for the protection of railway structures,

- NKVD escort troops. In addition, before the start and in the first weeks of the war, several rifle divisions of the internal troops of the NKVD were formed, whose personnel, numbers, and weapons hardly differed from the rifle divisions of the Red Army. These divisions took part in battles at the front along with the divisions of the Red Army.

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The uniform and insignia of the NKVD border troops were no different from other NKVD troops, except that the buttonhole field was not maroon with crimson edging, but green with crimson edging. The caps also had different colors. Therefore, the article will not say anything about border troops. The reader just needs to keep in mind these differences between the border guards. End note. In the picture, servicemen of the NKVD troops in uniform model 1937. On the left is a Red Army soldier in

summer uniform
, in the center is an infantry lieutenant of the NKVD troops in winter uniform, on the right is a senior political instructor of the NKVD troops in a jacket.
So, below we will talk about uniforms and insignia:
-rifle units and formations of internal troops of the NKVD,
- units and divisions of the NKVD of the USSR for the protection of especially important industrial enterprises,

- units and divisions of the NKVD for the protection of railway structures,
- convoy units and divisions of the NKVD.

It should be noted that if in the NKVD troops all military personnel bore ranks and insignia identical to the army, then NKVD employees (various types of departments, institutions, etc.) bore ranks with the prefix either “...internal service” or "....state security." For example, “internal service captain”, “state security sergeant”. This means that the employee has this title only while he is working in the NKVD system and his title is, so to speak, “for internal use.” But a serviceman of the NKVD troops retains his rank in all cases in the same way as a serviceman of the Red Army. Simply put, the difference between a lieutenant of the Red Army and a lieutenant of the NKVD troops is only that one is subordinate to the NKO, and the second to the NKVD.

Resolution of the Central Executive Committee and Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated July 10, 1937 personnel NKVD troops were transferred to the system of insignia adopted by the Red Army.

In pursuance of this resolution of the NKVD of the USSR, on July 15, 1937, Order No. 278 was issued, in accordance with which the following changes were introduced in the uniform:
- a cap with a light blue crown instead of blue;
- in the previous color of the tunic, the collar and sleeve cuffs were trimmed with crimson piping;
- instead of a jacket, a jacket made of khaki woolen fabric with chest patch pockets and six fastener buttons was introduced; there was crimson piping on the collar and cuffs of the sleeves;
- the untucked trousers were now also khaki, and not dark blue.

The color of the buttonholes and the edging remained the same (maroon field and crimson edging), only the longitudinal strip in the center disappeared.
The maroon buttonholes of middle, senior and high command personnel did not have a colored edging, but were trimmed along the edge with narrow golden braid (3 mm wide), similar to the Red Army
The maroon buttonholes of the middle, senior and senior commanding personnel (political, technical, administrative, economic, medical, veterinary personnel, justice) had, like those of the junior commanding and commanding personnel and privates, a crimson edging.

The sizes of buttonholes on tunics and overcoats have decreased slightly compared to 1933:
the buttonholes on the tunic had the shape of a parallelogram, 10 cm long and 3.25 cm high;
The buttonholes on the overcoat were in the shape of a diamond with rounded concave upper sides with a buttonhole height of 11 cm and a width of 8.5 cm.

Insignia for junior command and command personnel from one to four triangles measuring 1x1cm made of copper coated with dark red enamel.
Insignia for middle command and command personnel: two or three squares (commonly referred to as “cubes” or “cubes”), 1x1cm in size, made of copper coated with dark red enamel.
Badges of senior command and command staff from one to three rectangles (commonly called “sleepers”) made of copper measuring 1.6x0.7 cm, coated with dark red enamel.
The insignia for senior command and command personnel were diamonds 1.7 cm high and 0.8 cm wide, made of copper coated with dark red enamel; number from one to four diamonds.

Wearing the emblems of military branches and services in their buttonholes was mandatory for everyone except political personnel.

In the Red Army things were somewhat different. The main types of troops - infantry and cavalry - did not have emblems at all. Specialists - tank crews, signalmen, artillerymen, etc. - differed from the main branches of the military in their emblems.

Besides:
* middle, senior and senior command staff of the NKVD troops wore rank chevrons on the sleeves above the cuff (cuff) similar to those adopted in the Red Army,
*military-political personnel of the NKVD troops wore commissar stars on their sleeves above the cuff (one star regardless of rank),
*the rest of the middle, senior and highest command staff (technical, medical, veterinary, quartermaster (administrative and economic), legal) of the NKVD troops did not have any insignia on their sleeves.

From the author. The colors of the buttonholes and insignia of military personnel of the internal troops of the NKVD and employees of the NKVD bodies (and the GB bodies that were part of the NKVD system) were completely the same. The difference was that all military personnel of the NKVD troops wore emblems, including the main units - infantry and cavalry. But employees of the NKVD and state security agencies did not wear emblems.

None. Like commissars in the army. But state security officers wore the 1935 GB badge on both sleeves above the elbow.

The emblems for the branches of the NKVD troops were installed as follows:
Here you should pay attention to the following points:
1. The emblems in the buttonholes are worn by all rank and file, command and command personnel, except for the military-political personnel.
2. All military-technical personnel in all branches of the military wear a single emblem “engineering and technical personnel”.
4. The cavalry emblem is worn differently from how it will be worn in the Red Army cavalry when it is introduced there in 1943. In the cavalry of the NKVD troops, the emblem is with the hilts of the sabers up, and in the cavalry of the Red Army, the hilts of the sabers are down.
5. The famous infantry emblem was introduced into the NKVD troops in July 1937, and into the Red Army in July 1940.
6. The images of the emblems are taken from a secondary source and I could neither accurately date it nor refer to the document from which it was taken.

Therefore, errors cannot be ruled out here. Note from Veremeev Yu.G.

I have never been able to find a single directive document from the government or NGO that introduced this emblem for the Red Army infantry. The only document is NKO order No. 226 dated July 26, 1940, where the infantry emblem is simply shown in the drawings of the new insignia as already existing.

I am inclined to think that the NGO simply borrowed this emblem from the NKVD.

And please also pay attention - the NKVD infantry commanders and the Red Army infantry commanders wore almost the same buttonholes and exactly the same insignia (cubes, sleepers, diamonds).
It is usually possible to distinguish between the crimson (Red Army) and maroon (NKVD troops) color of buttonholes only if you see them at the same time. And in black and white photographs of that time it is completely impossible to distinguish. A golden braid along the edge of the buttonholes was worn in both departments. Thus, if there is no exact dating of the photograph, it is absolutely impossible to determine who is in the picture - the infantry commander of the NKVD troops or the infantry commander of the Red Army.
Therefore, the presence of this emblem in the buttonholes in photographs literally misleads everyone as to whether these emblems were in the Red Army or not.
Insignia for the ranks of private and junior command and command personnel since 1937:
1. Red Army soldier. Infantry of the NKVD troops.

From the author. 2.Detached commander. Cavalry of the NKVD troops.
For comparison - after all, with the introduction of personal military ranks in 1935, members of the senior command staff received ranks very similar to the names of the positions - brigade commander, division commander, corps commander, army commander.

Insignia of ranks of middle command and command personnel since 1937:

Command composition:
1.Ensign. Infantry of the NKVD troops.
2. Lieutenant. Cavalry of the NKVD troops.
3.Senior lieutenant. Armored units of the NKVD troops.

Notes:
The rank of junior lieutenant was introduced on August 20, 1937.
by resolution of the Council of People's Commissars

The buttonholes do not have colored edging, but are trimmed with narrow gold braid (3mm)
Examples of senior management ranks are shown below:
4. Junior military technician.
Note - the buttonholes have a crimson edging, the buttonhole must have the emblem of the military-technical personnel, there are no sleeve insignia.
The rank of junior military technician was introduced by decree of the Council of People's Commissars on August 20, 1937.

A military technician of the 2nd rank had two dice, a military technician of the 1st rank had 3 dice.
5.Military paramedic.
Note - the buttonholes have a crimson edging, the buttonhole must have the emblem of the medical service (veterinarians have the emblem of the veterinary service), there are no sleeve insignia.

senior military paramedic - 3 cubes
6. Political instructor.
Note - the buttonholes have a crimson edging, there are no emblems in the buttonholes, the sleeve patch is a commissar's star.

On August 20, 1937, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, the rank of junior political instructor was introduced (2 cubes in buttonholes).

Insignia of ranks of senior command and command personnel since 1937:
Senior command staff:
1.Captain. Infantry of the NKVD troops.
2. Major. Infantry of the NKVD troops.

3. Colonel. Cavalry of the NKVD troops.

Below are examples of senior command buttonholes:
4.Military engineer 3rd rank. Automobile units of the NKVD troops.
Notes: Emblem is not accurate. As a general rule, all military personnel were required to wear the emblem of the engineering personnel, but this rule was often violated,

A military engineer of the 2nd rank had 2 sleepers, and a military engineer of the 1st rank had 3 sleepers.
5. Military doctor 2nd rank.
A military doctor of the 3rd rank had 1 sleeper, and a military doctor of the 1st rank had 3 sleepers.

The same goes for veterinarians.
6. Regimental commissar.

The senior political instructor had 1 sleeper in his buttonholes, the battalion commissar had 2 sleepers.

Command composition:
Insignia of ranks of senior command and command personnel since 1937:
1. Brigade commander,
2nd Divisional Commander,
3-Komkor. Note. In the NKVD troops highest rank

was a corps commander.

Below are examples of command buttonholes:
Note. The military-technical personnel had only two ranks - brigade engineer and divisional engineer.
Accordingly, one or two diamonds.
5. Military doctor.
The military medical staff had two ranks - brigade doctor and division doctor. The military veterinary staff is a brigvet doctor and a division veterinary doctor.
6. Corps commissar.
Note. The senior military-political personnel, unlike the rest of the commanding personnel, had not two ranks, but three. In addition to the brigade commissar, the division commissar also had the title of corps commissar (this is not a mistake - it is “corps”, not “corps”).

Naturally, the highest military-economic personnel had the titles of brigintendant and divintendant, and the military-legal personnel had the titles of brigvoenurist and divintendant.

1940
In 1940, the scale of ranks of senior and senior command and control personnel changed slightly.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1940, new military ranks were introduced for the senior command staff of the Red Army to replace the ranks of division commander, corps commander, and army commander.

Accordingly, these changes are reflected in the NKVD troops.
However, changes in ranks are not made automatically, but by appropriate orders. As a rule, new titles were awarded to:
Divisional commander - major general,

Comcor - Lieutenant General.

Yesterday's brigade commanders, in the order of recertification, were assigned, depending on their position, either the rank of colonel or major general. However, this process dragged on and by the time the war began, there were still several brigade commanders in the NKVD troops who still wore one diamond in their buttonholes.

With regard to brigade commissars, the then head of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army achieved a decision according to which the rank of “brigade commissar” was no longer awarded, but the existing brigade commissars retained their rank and insignia until they were assigned the next rank (divisional commissar). Thus, some brigade commissars carried their rank until the complete abolition of the scale of ranks of political workers in the fall of 1942.
The sleeves are similar to the chevrons of the Red Army generals. both major generals and lieutenant generals wear the same chevrons.

For the rest of the senior command staff, there were no changes in insignia compared to 1937. They continued to wear their diamonds in their buttonholes of the same shape.

From the author. Please note that the brigade level in 1940 was abolished only for command and military-political personnel. The ranks of brigengineer, brigintendant, brigdrach, brigvetvrach, brigvoenyurist and their insignia were preserved.

On July 26, 1940, by order of the USSR NKO No. 226, the ranks of “lieutenant colonel” and “senior battalion commissar” were introduced, and in connection with this, the insignia of senior command and command personnel was changed. now three sleepers are worn by the lieutenant colonel and the senior battalion commissar, and the colonel and regimental commissar each wear four sleepers.
On August 5, 1940, by order of the NKVD of the USSR No. 642, the order of the NKO of the USSR No. 226 of July 26, 1940 on changing the insignia was extended to the NKVD troops.

From Veremeev Yu.G. There is an interesting point here. Commanding officers with the ranks of military engineer 1st rank, quartermaster 1st rank, military doctor 1st rank, military veterinarian 1st rank, military officer 1st rank just as they wore three sleepers in their buttonholes until 1940, so they remained with three sleepers. In fact, nothing has changed at all, because... They were already considered a step below the colonel. But if previously they had as many sleepers on their buttonholes as the colonel, now it turned out that they had all been demoted in rank. There were a lot of grievances, to the point that many of them arbitrarily attached the fourth sleeper.The regimental commissars were pleased, because they now wore four sleepers and in this way they differed from quartermasters, engineers, and military doctors of the regimental level, i.e. their more

high status
, equal to the regiment commander. But the battalion commissars were dissatisfied (especially those who were about to be awarded the next rank) due to the fact that between their rank and the coveted rank of regimental commissar
another one was wedged in.
Insignia of middle and senior command personnel of the NKVD troops since July 1940:
1. Junior lieutenant. Infantry.
2. Lieutenant. Cavalry.
3.Senior lieutenant. Armored units.
4.Captain. Infantry.

Among the middle and senior commanding personnel, with the exception of the military-political personnel (3 sleepers - senior battalion commissar, and 4 sleepers - regimental commissar), the insignia did not change in 1940.

From the author. Please note the change in sleeve patches. Now these are gold braid sewn onto a red cloth chevron. The number and width of galloons depend on the rank. At the major and lieutenant colonel sleeve insignia are the same.

And yet, these signs can only be called chevrons. Chevron means "angle" in French. Hence, only a patch in the shape of an angle can be called a chevron. Moreover, it does not matter where this patch is attached - on the sleeve, shoulder strap, headdress or on the chest. All other signs that do not have the shape of an angle are simply called stripes. Unfortunately, the general blatant ignorance in uniform design led to the fact that in post-Soviet times any sleeve stripes began to be called chevrons. Unfortunately, this illiteracy has also penetrated into regulatory official documents.

In November 1940, the names of the ranks of the junior command and command staff of the Red Army and, accordingly, the NKVD troops were radically changed. These ranks in the Red Army were announced by order of the NKO No. 391 of November 2, 1940, and by the NKVD troops and by order of the NKVD of November 5, 1940.

Naturally, the insignia also changes.

For the newly introduced rank of "corporal" the insignia was a horizontal red stripe on the overcoat buttonhole 1 cm wide, and 5 mm wide on the tunic buttonhole. In addition to triangles, all other junior command and command personnel also have the same stripe on their buttonholes.
The sergeant major additionally received gold 3rd trim on his buttonholes. a braid, however, unlike the middle and senior command staff, this braid was placed not instead of a crimson edging, but between it and the field of the buttonhole.

Insignia and ranks of private and junior command and command personnel:
1. Red Army soldier. Infantry of the NKVD troops.
2. Corporal. Infantry of the NKVD troops.
3.Junior sergeant. Infantry of the NKVD troops.
4. Sergeant. Cavalry of the NKVD troops.
5. Senior Sergeant. Automobile units and units of the NKVD troops. The same emblem was worn by all car drivers in all units of the NKVD troops,
6. Foreman. Cavalry of the NKVD troops.

From the author. It is worth focusing on the fact that the word "sergeant major" has always existed in our armed forces in two meanings - sergeant major as military rank, and foreman as a position (company foreman, squadron foreman, artillery division foreman). And the position of unit sergeant major did not necessarily have to be occupied by a serviceman with the rank of sergeant major.

He could have the rank of staff sergeant or sergeant. But a serviceman with the rank of foreman necessarily holds the position of company foreman or an equal position (for example, head of a radio station, head of a canteen). Or even higher. For example, the position of support platoon commander. During the war, when there was a shortage of officers, commanders of combat platoons, or even companies, were often appointed from among the sergeants. And usually they were given the rank of sergeant major. Servicemen of the NKVD troops wore rank insignia of the 1940 model until their introduction in the winter of 1943
new form and insignia (epaulets). With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in August 1941 (Order of the USSR NKO No. 253 dated August 1, 1941), field buttonholes of green color without edging and without braiding were introduced in the Active Army.
We also purchased triangles, cubes, sleepers

green color

. However, in units not related to the Active Army, pre-war insignia were retained. Thus, in the NKVD troops, field insignia actually switched to only in the rifle divisions of the NKVD troops, who fought at the front along with the Red Army divisions. It is generally impossible to distinguish a serviceman of the NKVD rifle division from a serviceman of the Red Army when both wear the same field insignia. Note by Veremeev Yu.G. This is where the confusion with famous emblem

infantry (crossed rifles against the background of a target). If in the infantry of the NKVD troops this emblem was introduced back in 1937 and was mandatory for everyone to wear, then in the infantry of the Red Army it appeared only in July 1940 (and even then somehow

in a strange way
- the NKO order on its introduction is unknown, and in NKO order No. 226 July 1940 it is only painted on the buttonholes of the Red Army infantry). Military personnel of the NKVD troops, in order to emphasize (considering service in the NKVD more honorable than in the Red Army) that they were from the NKVD system, and not NKOs, sought to retain their emblems even when their rifle division was withdrawn from the subordination of the NKVD and transferred to the Red Army . Sources and literature
1. Magazine "Tseykhgauz" No. 1 - 1991
2. Materials
5. V. Voronov, A. Shishkin “NKVD of the USSR: structure, management team, uniform, insignia 1934-1937" - Moscow. LLC Publishing House"Russian Intelligence". 2005
6. L. Tokar. History of the Russian uniform suit. Soviet police 1918-1991. Exclusive.
Saint Petersburg. 1995 7. Great Patriotic War