Three stars and one stripe on shoulder straps. The real state of affairs

Shoulder insignia of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are not much different from the military. With the fleet, the situation is more significant, since the ranks there are completely different.

Three stars on shoulder straps, which will be discussed in this article, are found in all categories of employees except for the rank and file:

• middle;
• older;
• higher.

But even one star is not easy to earn. Ranks are received exclusively by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the rank of private or one of the commanding positions.

The noun "police" is added to some names of special titles. It is mandatory upon submission. "Retired" refers to a similar situation and is also a mandatory prefix to the rank of a citizen who is no longer in the service of justice.

Special ranks of the police Russian Federation marked with the appropriate symbolism on the shoulder decals are always accompanied by a red border on a blue background. Other differences are based on composition and rank.

Stars and badges of junior commanding staff

The lower ranks of the junior staff are easily identified by the presence of longitudinal or transverse stripes. stripes yellow color easily visible on a blue background and if you know what they mean, it will be easy to understand the position of a policeman:

• junior sergeant - two narrow transverse stripes;
• sergeant - three narrow transverse stripes;
• senior sergeant - one wide transverse stripe;
• foreman - one wide longitudinal bar.

Only two ranks from this composition have stars:

• ensign - two small stars located along;
• senior warrant officer - three small stars located along.

All these identification marks are easy to remember if you are really interested in the issue of recognizing police ranks.

Stars of the middle, senior and higher commanding structures

There are no stripes on the shoulder straps of the trains above the youngest, but there are longitudinal narrow red stripes (gaps) in the amount of one or two pieces. They are made completely similar to the edging material, but stand out very clearly against the blue background of the main embroidery.

In the average composition, there is only one gap, located strictly in the middle of the shoulder strap. But he is absent on false shoulder straps. The stars are always small.

Shoulder straps of the middle commanding category of the police:

• junior lieutenant - one star located in the gap, in the middle of the shoulder strap relative to the width, but slightly away from the center in relation to the length;
• lieutenant - two stars located across the shoulder strap on the sides of the clearance;
• senior lieutenant - three stars, two of which are located on the sides of the gap, like a lieutenant, the third - in the gap, like a junior lieutenant, thereby forming a kind of triangle;
• captain - four stars, three of which are located like a senior lieutenant, but instead of one, there are two in the clearance, one after the other.

The senior commanding category has large five-pointed stars, there are two gaps each:

• major - one star between gaps;
• lieutenant colonel - two stars located across the shoulder strap in the gaps;
• colonel - three stars in a kind of triangle (two in the gaps and one between them, but higher).

At the highest commanding staff, all the stars are located vertically and are even larger in size than those of the elder, and there are no stripes or gaps:

• major general - one five-beam;
• lieutenant general - two five-beam;
• colonel general - three five-beam;
• general - one huge five-beam and with the coat of arms of the Russian Federation located above.

Shoulder straps of the prosecutor's office

Prosecutors do not have ranks, they have class ranks, which are assigned accordingly to the position they hold, based on work experience and professional growth.

The background of the prosecutor's shoulder straps is saturated blue, and the gaps are blue. There are three stars for:

• 2nd class lawyer - attached in the same way as a senior police lieutenant;
• Senior Counselor of Justice - attached in the same way as a police colonel;
• state adviser 1st class - attached in the same way as a colonel general.

Why do the military have STARS on shoulder straps?

Hello!

Asterisks in the military on shoulder straps indicate military rank. The number, location and size of the stars on the chase determines the seniority of the servicemen in relation to each other. In the Soviet army, such shoulder straps appeared during the winter of 1943.
According to one version, the introduction of shoulder straps with stars made it possible to distinguish command personnel in battle. After the revolution and the establishment of Soviet power, shoulder straps were abolished, the entire army was dressed in the same uniform, and the only difference in rank was a few "cubes", "triangles" or "sleepers" on the buttonholes. It was almost impossible to see the military rank from the side and behind. And in order to act and carry out the orders of the commander during the battle, he had to be singled out from the entire personnel.
According to another version, shoulder straps were revived due to the fact that during the turning point of the war, the leaders of the country had to admit that no new traditions had formed in the army. Therefore, they revived the old ones, saluting the courage and valor of the army pre-revolutionary Russia. In the same period, the orders of Suvorov, Alexander Nevsky, Kutuzov began to be awarded for outstanding services in military art. And shoulder straps were introduced as a tribute to the merits of the old Russian army.

A bit of history:
The first stars appeared on the epaulettes of the Russian army in 1827 to designate chief officers, staff officers and generals in some military branches. But the rulers changed, and the form changed.
In the entire Russian army, only in 1854 did shoulder straps for the first time receive the function of a determinant of officer and general ranks. At this time, officers and generals receive a new marching overcoat and galloon epaulettes for it. The epaulette was of a soldier's type (assigned to the regiment in the color of the epaulette), on which for the chief officers two strips of galloon of a special pattern were sewn along so that there was a gap of 4-5 mm between the strips. One strip of wide and two strips of a narrower galloon, also with gaps between them, were sewn onto the shoulder straps of headquarters officers. The galloon could be silver or gold (according to the color of the instrument metal assigned to the regiment) general's epaulette a strip of wide gold galloon with a zigzag pattern was sewn on. The size of the stars for all officers and generals was the same.
The ranks of officers differed as follows:
One light:
ensign - 1 star,
second lieutenant - 2 stars,
lieutenant - 3 stars,
staff captain - 4 stars,
captain - no stars.
Two gaps:
major - 2 stars,
lieutenant colonel - 3 stars,
colonel - no stars.
As for the shape of the stars, they were five-pointed.

Why a star? And why five-pointed?
Stars in heraldry and emblems differ both in the number of rays forming them and in color. The combination of both gives different semantic and national values every star. Five-pointed star (pentagram; star turned "head", i.e. one of the rays up) - ancient symbol protection, safety, security. It is of oriental origin.
IN Ancient Greece it could be found on coins, on the doors of houses, stables and even on cradles. Among the Druids of Gaul, Britain, Ireland, the five-pointed star (druidic cross) was a symbol of protection from external evil forces. And until now it can be seen on the window panes of medieval Gothic buildings.

Great French revolution revived the five-pointed stars as a symbol of the ancient god of war Mars. They denoted the rank of the commanders of the French army - on hats, epaulettes, scarves, on the tails of the uniform.
The military reforms of Nicholas I copied the appearance of the French army - this is how the stars "rolled down" from the French sky to the Russian one.

You can read about the history of shoulder straps, stars and insignia on these pages.

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Shoulder straps are an invariable thing for any military man. They appeared in Russia a long time ago, and today every person should be able to distinguish them in order to understand who he encountered in this or that department, what kind of person is next to him. It would be useful to find out if the stars on military-style shoulder straps differ from those worn by employees law enforcement. In this article we will try to answer all these questions, and most importantly, what does one star sewn on shoulder straps mean.

Brief history of shoulder straps

Many historians will say that before the advent of regular troops, soldiers and officers had very little difference from each other. Which can be identified key points? For example, a slightly different cut of clothes, weapons. The situation changed a little during the coming to power of Peter the Great. Officers then wore special scarves with heraldry - gorgets. And only in the 19th century uniforms began to be used, very similar to those that are customary to wear now.

At first, the main item that indicated the difference in ranks was caps with different stripes. But gradually this role was taken over by epaulettes. The generals had golden ones, the officers had details that matched the uniform in color. But many insignia remained unclear, there was practically no difference between the lower military ranks. Even the soldiers themselves confused all these points.

In the 19th century, in the 20s, such a thing as a "star" finally appeared. At the same time, the following provisions were fixed:

1. One star, located on shoulder straps, meant the rank of ensign.
2. Two made it clear that the military man had the rank of major.
3. Three stars on shoulder straps - lieutenant colonel.
4. Four - staff captain.

Those shoulder straps that are most similar to modern ones appeared at the end of the 19th century. This is due to the introduction of a comfortable hiking overcoat and the need to determine ranks quickly, in military conditions. Galloons were embroidered on shoulder straps, there was also a star, and sometimes several.

Further development

Serious changes after the revolution were inevitable. Shoulder straps were simplified, but remained, but uniforms, overcoats and other types military clothing changed. In the 43rd year in Soviet army finally introduced into the circulation of the star. Then two types of models were created. One was required for everyday wear, the second - for field conditions.

If we talk about the first type, then the type of troops was also indicated, there were brass buttons. By the way, in the Soviet Union the star was much larger in size than it is now. Accordingly, the distance between the stripes was smaller.

The real state of affairs

IN modern world Russia still uses stars that were previously used in the Soviet Union. They don't look exactly the same, but the placement of these patches can say a lot about the person wearing them. One problem - many still confuse all these quantities and features. As time went on, the shape and color changed, but the stars did not disappear from shoulder straps. However, the changes can be called minimal:

• stars on shoulder straps have a slightly ribbed shape;
• they may be gold;
• the shoulder straps themselves have the shape of a rectangle;
• depending on the type of troops, the edging differs in color.

The last document that regulates the type of distinctive signs was adopted in 2010. Almost all shoulder straps today have at least one button. employees of the Airborne Forces, space troops, air departments have a blue border. In the FSB and security services - there is no edging.

Number of stars: what does one or more stripes mean

One star is not always found in the lower ranks. For example, generals may only have one such patch, but it is significantly larger than the standard insignia. Also on shoulder straps there are gaps - they depend on the rank of the person. Ordinary employees do not have stars on shoulder straps at all.

In Russia, a unified system of distinctive signs has been adopted, which is valid for the military, the police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It is customary to interpret stars on shoulder straps differently only in the navy and in Cossack squads. Two stars can be found in both lower and higher command ranks. When determining the rank, it is important to look not only at the decals, but also at their size and the general appearance of the shoulder strap. How to learn to determine the title? We will tell you about this further.

A bit of history

Military rank appeared in Ancient Russia, but then it was a kind of position that was honorable to hold. Over time, the thousanders increasingly needed to command troops. It was then that the title appeared in the modern sense of the word. This term comes from the verb "to call". On the basis of the first hierarchy, a system of ranks of the archery troops was later created. It is believed that it partially became the basis for ranks in the Cossack troops. Among the Cossacks, a couple of stars on shoulder straps can be found at:

• sergeant major;
• cornet;
• Cossack general.

Cossack troops today have the most established system of distinctive symbols in Russia. Modern system military ranks appeared during the Second World War, along with the renaming of the Red Army into the Soviet one.

In 1972, only one change was made to the approved system: the ranks of ensigns and midshipmen were added. These positions were added to get rid of long-term employees who practiced hazing and corporal punishment. The leadership of the country considered it inappropriate to replace them with officers. Ensigns were assigned to work in the supply sector, assigned to them the positions of foremen of companies and platoons, in addition, they are responsible for the work of a number of posts and services.

What system operates in most branches of the military

As we have already said, a couple of stars on shoulder straps in the army can be found different size. From their location on shoulder straps and size depends on what title the owner of this distinctive badge has:

1. The ensign has the smallest distinctive signs located along the green shoulder strap without distinctive edging and stripes on the field uniform. On the casual clothes on shoulder straps there is a thin red piping running along the long edge.
2. On the field shoulder straps of a lieutenant, two small stars are located across, closer to the sleeve. On everyday, a thin red stripe runs between the stars.
3. The lieutenant colonel wears more conspicuous insignia. If he has to wear field uniform, then it has two stars larger in size than the lieutenant. On everyday insignia, a lieutenant colonel has two red stripes, arranged along the length. They have two stars attached to them.
4. The lieutenant general in the field wears shoulder straps of a different kind. Despite the fact that the two embroidered stars on them are green, by the type of shoulder straps you can immediately determine that they are worn by the highest generals. On everyday shoulder straps, the decals are embroidered with yellow thread.

Representatives of the aerospace defense forces and paratroopers have everyday shoulder straps blue color. Instead of red stripes, marking lines are applied with bright blue threads.

If you can quickly determine the military rank of the representatives of the armed forces, then it will not be difficult for you to do the same with the rescuers or the police. In the police, epaulettes differ only slightly in appearance- have a rounded edge and a bluish color. People holding the rank of lieutenant general of the police have shoulder straps even in uniform the same as those of the military.

The emblem of this service is located on the shoulder straps of the rescuers, and it is not difficult to determine the rank by them: the presence of red stripes and the size of the stars are the same as those of the military. Just like the police, they have one rounded edge.

Hierarchy in the Navy

However, not all military men have two stars meaning the above army ranks. On the shoulder straps of representatives of the Navy, you can also find this distinctive sign, but it needs to be interpreted differently:

• midshipman (for those bearing this rank, the distinctive symbols are located along the black shoulder strap with gray edges);
• lieutenant (signs located across on a black background are separated by a thin yellow line);
• captain of the second rank (two medium-sized stars, located across and attached to wide yellow stripes);
• vice admiral (they have the largest insignia with a pattern on the central part - you can clearly distinguish the anchor there; they go along from the outer edge of the shoulder strap).