Military ranks of the Soviet Union (1935–1940) explained

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 3, 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.

Land forces Air Force	Naval forces	equivalent in GUGB/NKVD
Enlisted men & junior leading staff
Red Army Man	Red Fleet Man (from 1943: Matros)	No equivalent
Otdeljonnyi komandir
Junior commander	No equivalent
Starshina
Commanding staff
Lieutenant		Sergeant of the state security
		Mladshy leytenant of state security
		Lieutenant of state security
	Captain 3rd rank	Starshy leytenant of state security
		Kapitan of state security
		Mayor of state security
	Flag officer 2nd rank	Starshy mayor of state security
		Commissioner of state security 3rd rank
		Commissioner of state security 2nd rank
		Commissioner of state security 1st rank
	No equivalent	State Security Commissioner general

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 &<br />Air Force	Naval forces
No rank established		Military technician 2nd rank		Technical intendant 2nd rank	Army-surgeon	Veterinarian army-surgeon	Junior military jurist
Political leader		Military technician 1st rank		Technical-intendant 1st rank	Senior army-surgeon	Senior veterinarian army-surgeon	Military jurist
Senior political leader		Military engineer 3rd rank		Intendant 3rd rank	Military physician 3rd rank	Military veterinarian 3rd rank	Military jurist 3rd rank
Bataillon commissar		Military 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	Military physician 1st rank	Mil-vet-physician 1st rank	Military jurist 1st rank
Brigade commissar		Brigade engineer	Engineer Flag officer 3rd rank	Brig-intendant	Brig-physician	Brig-vet-physician	Brig-mil-jurist
Division commissar		Division engineer	Engineer Flag officer 2nd rank	Div-intendant	Div-physician	Div-vet-physician	Div-mil-jurist
Corps commissar		Corps engineer	Engineer Flag officer 1st rank	Corps intendant	Corps physician	Corps vet-physician	Corps 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

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

Junior commanders and enlisted men

Designation		Junior commanders			Enlisted men
Rank insignia	Coat-collar
	Gymastjorka
Russian		Russian: Старшина Russian: Starshina	Russian: Младший комвзвод Russian: Mladshiy komvzvod	Russian: Отделенный командир Russian: Otdelennyy komandir	Russian: Красноармеец Russian: Krasnoarmeyets
English		Starshina	Junior platoon commander	Section commander	Red Army man
Rank designation after 1940		No change	Senior sergeant	Sergeant	No change

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
Russian	Russian: Флагман флота 1-го ранга Russian: Flagman flota 1-go ranga	Russian: Флагман флота 2-го ранга Russian: Flagman flota 2-go ranga	Russian: Флагман 1-го ранга Russian: Flagman 1-go ranga	Russian: Флагман 2-го ранга Russian: Flagman 2-go ranga
English	Flag officer of the fleet 1st grade	Flag officer of the fleet 2nd grade	Flag officer 1st grade	Flag officer 2nd grade
Rank designation after 1940	Admiral of the Fleet	Admiral	Vice admiral	Counter admiral

Officers

Designation	Commanding officers and unit leaders
Sleeve insignia
Russian	Russian: Капитан 1-го ранга Russian: Kapitan 1-go ranga	Russian: Капитан 2-го ранга Russian: Kapitan 2-go ranga	Russian: Капитан 3-го ранга Russian: Kapitan 3-go ranga	Russian: Капитан-лейтенант Russian: Kapitan-leytenant	Russian: Старший лейтенант Russian: Starshiy leytenant	Russian: Лейтенант Russian: Leytenant	Russian: Младший лейтенант Russian: Mladshiy leytenant
English	Captain 1st grade	Captain 2nd grade	Captain 3rd grade	Captain lieutenant	Senior lieutenant	Lieutenant	Junior lieutenant

Sub-unit leader and enlisted men

Designation	Sub-unit leaders, specialists & enlisted men
Sleeve insignia
Russian	Russian: Главный боцман Russian: Glavnyy botsman	Russian: Старшина Russian: Starshina	Russian: Отделенный командир Russian: Otdelennyy komandir	Russian: Краснофлотец Russian: Krasnoflotets
English	Chief Boatswain	Starshina	Squad commander	Red Navy man
Rank designation after 1940	Midshipman	Chief Petty Officer	Petty Officer 1st Class	No change

See also

• History of Russian military ranks
• Ranks and insignia of the Imperial Russian Armed Forces
• Military ranks of the Soviet Union (1918–1935)
• Military ranks of the Soviet Union (1940–1943)
• Military ranks of the Soviet Union (1943–1955)
• Military ranks of the Soviet Union (1955–1991)
• Ranks and rank insignia of the Russian Federation's armed forces 1994–2010

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Book: Rosignoli . Guido . Army badges and insignia of World War 2: Book 1 . Blandford Press Ltd. . limited . MacMillan Colour Series . 1972 . New York . 72-85765.

Notes and References

1. Rank insignia and sequence of ranks of the “Workers' and Peasants' Red Army” as to order number 2590 of the “USSR Central Executive Committee” and “Council of People's Commissars” from September 22, 1935. Other solutions to ground forces and navy of the “Workers' and Peasants' Red Army” were disposed by order 2591.
2. Order number 176 of the „People's Commissar of Defence of the USSR” from December 3, 1935 pertaining individual military ranks of the land forces and the Navy of the “Workers' and Peasants' Red Army”.