It is believed that the budenovka was developed back in tsarist times - during the First World War. However, this opinion today is recognized as only one of the versions of the origin of the universally recognizable headdress. When did the idea of sewing budenovka actually appear?
"Royal" version
This version is supported by modern historical literature. According to this hypothesis, to participate in the Victory Parade in Berlin in 1915, a headdress was developed for the Russian Imperial Army that was reminiscent in shape of the Budenovka that was subsequently worn by the Red Army. But because of the war, the headdress remained in warehouses. And only after the October Revolution in 1918 it came into the possession of the Bolsheviks.
The version turned out to be quite slender. However, according to journalist and writer Boris Sopelnyak, this theory is just “one of the most common, but there is not a word of truth in it.” And he emphasizes that the USSR also partly supported this version of the origin of Budenovka. Documentation containing orders and reports on the development of new uniforms for the Red Army and signed by the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Soviet Republic, Leon Trotsky, was always cited as evidence. The uniform approved for the Red Army soldiers included Budenovka, which at that time was lying in the former tsarist army warehouses. But in the version in which this headdress was being preserved, it could not be used. The coat of arms of the Russian Empire and the double-headed eagle, which were present on the cap, could not serve as symbols of the Red Army. And they were covered with a large five-pointed star. Moreover, it was originally blue.
By the way, the documents cited as evidence, dating from the post-revolutionary years, were used by many Soviet historians as a counter-argument against the “tsarist version” of the origin of Budenovka. Moreover, neither the military nor the civil archives inherited from the Russian Empire contain any papers that would indicate the development of new uniforms for the tsarist army.
In February 1918, the Red Army was created, which required its own uniform, different from the uniform previously adopted in tsarist times. To this end, on May 7, 1918, by order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the Republic, a competition was announced to develop a new uniform. Even world-famous artists took part in this competition - V.M. Vasnetsov, B.M. Kustodiev, S.T. Arkadyevsky and the master of the historical genre M.D. Ezuchevsky.
Sketches of the new uniform were accepted for a whole month - until June 10, 1918. Moreover, the headdress, overcoat, and other parts of the uniform were described in detail in the order itself. All artists had to adhere to these criteria. On December 18, 1918, the winter version of the budenovka was approved. And already at the very end of that year, the first combat unit of the Red Army - a detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk - received a new uniform and went to the Eastern Front at the disposal of Mikhail Frunze. That is why Budenovka was first called “Frunzevka”. By the way, this hat also had another name - “heroka”, due to the similarity of its shape with the ancient Russian helmet.
Opponents of the Red Army origin of the budenovka pointed out in their research that at the time of the October Revolution, a new uniform was already lying in the quartermaster warehouses, developed, by the way, according to the sketches of Vasily Vasnetsov, who subsequently participated in the May 1918 competition. The royal uniform consisted of long overcoats with arrow fasteners and cloth helmets, which were a stylization of the Old Russian heroic helmets. Evidence of this form also appeared in emigrant memoirs. However, all this can be questioned. Moreover, the sketch of a new uniform presented in 1918 by Vasnetsov, which repeated (and only!) the uniform of the tsarist army for the parade, apparently, also pleased the Bolsheviks. But the uniform lying in the warehouse was a dress uniform, not a military one! Therefore, most likely, Vasnetsov made adjustments to his previous version.
However, there is one “but” that leads to slight confusion from the “Soviet” origin of the budenovka. The country was financially ruined after the revolution and the First World War. And where were the Bolsheviks able to get so much money to provide the new Army with uniforms? But here it is worth remembering that the royal uniform was made for the parade, which means that there were not so many sets of it. In other words, the Bolsheviks still had to sew it, and not right away. Therefore, during the Civil War (1918-1922), instead of budenovka, many Red Army soldiers wore hats and caps from the tsarist army on their heads.
From blue to orange
The star on Budenovka was not originally red. At first it was made in a blue version, and then it was assigned its own color depending on the type of troops. For the infantry they sewed a crimson star, for the cavalry they left a blue one, for the artillery it was made orange (and in 1922 it became black). The engineering troops were assigned a black star, the armor forces (future armored forces) received a red star, and the aviators a blue star, etc. A copper red star was also attached on top of the cloth star.
The Chekists received the Budenovka only in June 1922. Moreover, they had it in a dark blue color, and the star was made of dark green cloth. In 1923, their Budenovka was “repainted” black, and the star – crimson. In 1924, their helmet became dark gray and the star became maroon.
From summer helmet to winter version
Budenovka model 1918 was intended for the cold season. She had a long backplate, which was folded in half and fastened on the sides with 2 buttons. If necessary, it was unfolded to cover the ears and neck.
From April 1919 to February 1922, budenovka became an all-season dress. And on January 31, 1922, a linen Budenovka was introduced without a backplate and with two visors, which were located at the back and front of the helmet. For this reason, people nicknamed the headdress “Hello and Farewell.” In addition, it very much resembled a German helmet due to its sharp tip. This often led to confusion among the White Guards. For example, in the summer of 1920 there was a case in Northern Tavria (in Crimea), when a white officer, who had fought in the First World War, mistook Red Army soldiers for Germans.
Therefore, the helmet, which resembled a German helmet, was replaced with a cap in May 1924. As for the budenovka, approved back in 1918, it returned to the Army again in February 1922, becoming a winter headdress. At the same time, its shape acquired roundness, and the pommel ceased to be so sharp and very prominent. In this version, the budenovka existed until 1927. True, from the summer of 1926 to the spring of 1927, this Budenovka was “deprived” of a star, because it was not possible to attach it.
During the war with Finland, the helmet did not perform well. Therefore, it was abolished in July 1940, replacing it with a simple earflap hat. But since a huge number of earflaps were required, Budenovka had to be worn until 1942. And in some cases, Budenovka was issued to soldiers even until March 1943.
From “lightning rod” to symbol
Budenovka had many names, including “lightning rod” or “mind rod”. It received such an offensive name because of its sharp pommel. There is even a legend about this: the Red commander, who served in the Far East in 1936, liked to ask his subordinates what the “spire” on Budenovka meant. And then he himself answered: “This is for when they sing “The Internationale,” so that with the words “Our indignant mind is seething,” steam can escape through this spire...”
However, artists, directors and writers managed to change the offensive and mocking attitude towards this helmet. True, the romantic image of budenovka appeared only in the 1950s. And from that moment on, she was actively depicted on posters and postcards, since she was recognizable. By the way, thanks to the efforts of these people, Budenovka remains a firm symbol of Russia for foreigners to this day.
Let us immediately make a reservation that the question of the origin of the headdress, later known as the “Budenovka” and the rest of the uniform corresponding to it, is ambiguous and there are several points of view on it. The official position has taken root in Soviet military and historical literature, stating that the budenovka (as well as an overcoat, tunic, etc., discussed below) appeared in 1918 and was created specifically for the emerging Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). However, in modern historical, and especially popular scientific literature, there is virtually no doubt about the version that this uniform appeared around 1915 and was developed for the Victory Parade of the Russian Imperial Army in Berlin and Constantinople. Let's try to understand this incident.
The main argument of Soviet historians is the lack of documents clearly indicating the creation of a new form under the tsarist government. And indeed it is. Such papers have not yet been found either in military or civilian archives. At the same time, historians had at their disposal a complete set of documentation from 1918, which allowed them to draw seemingly completely reliable conclusions. First of all, this is the order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs No. 326 of May 7, which spoke of the creation of a commission to develop a new uniform. Its members included famous Russian artists V. M. Vasnetsov, B. M. Kustodiev, M. D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadyevsky and others.
Sketches were accepted until June 10 of the same year, therefore, less than a month was allotted for everything. The same order indicated in some detail how the People's Commissariat saw the new uniform. This is important, especially when coupled with extremely tight deadlines. It is also documented that already at the end of 1918 the first combat unit received a new uniform. This was a Red Guard detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, which went to the Eastern Front to join the troops of Mikhail Frunze. And, by the way, they called the new headdress “Frunzevka” or “Bogatyrka”. The first cavalry army of Semyon Budyonny did not yet have a new uniform.
It would seem that everything is clear, but only at first glance. There is indirect, but quite documentary evidence.
Thus, in the study by O. A. Vtorov “The Beginning of the Continuation. Russian entrepreneurship and Russian social democracy” we read:
“...In the quartermaster warehouses there was already a new uniform, sewn by the concern of N. A. Vtorov according to the sketches of Vasily Vasnetsov. The uniform was sewn according to orders from the Court of His Imperial Majesty and was intended for the troops of the Russian army, in which it was to be worn at the Victory Parade in Berlin. These were long-brimmed overcoats with “conversations”, cloth helmets, stylized as old Russian helmets, later known as “Budenovki”, as well as sets of leather jackets with trousers, leggings and caps, intended for mechanized troops, aviation, crews of armored cars, armored trains and scooters. During the organization of the Cheka, this uniform was handed over to the employees of this structure - the armed detachment of the party."
So, the first evidence has been found. Let us immediately note that this is not the only confirmation of the “imperial” version; it was also found in the emigrant memoirist, but in Soviet Russia this source was neglected.
The second argument is metaphysical, which does not deprive it of its weight. The fact is that the style of the new form did not fit into the ideology of the revolutionary republic at all. Old Russian motifs, obviously visible in helmets or “heroic” hats, loose tunic shirts and long overcoats with “conversations” (transverse arrow fasteners), emphasized the national identity of the soldiers, which did not fit into the cosmopolitan concept of the world revolution. All the above documents bear the signature of L. D. Trotsky, who could not have missed such a blatant discrepancy. By the way, the stars on Budenovkas were originally blue, but they had a red liner with a plow and a hammer sewn on them. The hammer and sickle, as well as multi-colored (by branch of service) stars appeared only in subsequent modifications of the form.
At the same time, the new form fits perfectly into the style of Vasily Vasnetsov’s works. The singer of the ancient Russian knights was, in fact, the creator of the heroic image, which is used in the concept of the new patriotic uniform. And there is enough evidence that the artist was designing military uniforms. Let us note that Soviet military historians do not reject the authorship of V. Vasnetsov; they only postpone the moment of creation of the form to a later time.
There is also a purely economic aspect. Was it realistic to sew a sufficient number of new uniforms in a country devastated by war and disorganized by the revolution in just a few months? This looks like a utopia. As well as the fact that in a month it was possible to develop a uniform concept and almost immediately bring the idea to industrial production. You need to understand what the technical conditions and speed of information transfer were like in 1918.
Most likely, the form actually already existed, and the commission only approved it and finalized it. Apparently, this had more to do with symbolism rather than an ideological concept. Trotsky chose the lesser evil - he, in fact, had no other option. Either use what was in warehouses, or do without new uniforms at all, as the People’s Commissar himself initially proposed to do. And the story with the commission and the competition was invented in order to break the chain of historical continuity, because it was inappropriate for the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army to flaunt in overcoats sewn for the triumph of the imperial troops. And the lack of documents is probably due to this. Mentions could have been destroyed so as not to discredit the new revolutionary mythology, of which the legendary Budenovki became a part. By the way, the name of Trotsky himself was also almost completely erased from the archives of the Red Army.
So, apparently, the uniform designed for the Great War Victory Parade actually existed. It was created by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty around 1915-1916.
The ideological concept was developed by the artist Vasily Vasnetsov; perhaps someone else helped him in technical matters. The uniform was sewn by M.A. Vtorov's concern at Siberian factories and stored in army warehouses. It seems that the number of sets of the new uniform was not large, which could indicate its ceremonial character. Indirectly, this is evidenced by the fact that in practice the new form did not perform well and after 20 years it completely fell out of use.
The last episode was the Finnish war, after which budenovkas were finally replaced with fur hats with earflaps, and overcoats with quilted jackets and short fur coats.
The fate of the form turned out to be unenviable, although it could have been glorious. And, you see, this is very symbolic. Vasnetsov’s form repeated the history of the entire country reshaped by the revolution: instead of a quick victory and peace, we got a long-term civil war with millions of new victims. And the triumphant “hero” of Russian soldiers remained in the people’s memory as the Red Banner “Budenovka”.
Name
From "hero" to "frunze"
There is a version in journalism that the Budenovka was developed back in the First World War: the Russians were supposed to wear such helmets in a victory parade through Berlin. However, no confirmed evidence of this has been found. But the documents clearly show a competition for the development of uniforms for the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
The competition was announced on May 7, 1918, and on December 18, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic approved a sample of a winter headdress - a “helmet” - which was introduced by order of January 16, 1919. At first the helmet was called the “heroka”, in the division of V.I. Chapaev - “Frunzevka” (after the surname of Army Commander-5 M.V. Frunze), but in the end they began to be called by the surname S.M. Budyonny, to whose 4th Cavalry Division the helmets were among the first to be sent...
There were no analogues to the pointed cloth cap of khaki color in the regular armies of Europe. It resembled the spheroconic “sheloms” of Ancient Rus' with chain mail aventails descending onto the shoulders.
Design
Stars crimson, blue, orange
The Budenovka was created for the cold season (although from April 1919 to February 1922 it was already considered an all-season headdress). Its back cover, folded in half, bent upward and fastened with two buttons on the sides of the cap, could be lowered and fastened with two buttons under the chin, covering the ears and neck. A five-pointed cloth star was sewn on the front in the color of the military service. For the infantry - crimson, for the cavalry - blue, for the artillery - orange (black since February 1922), for the engineering troops - black, for the armored forces (future armored forces) - red (black since February 1922), for the aviators - blue, for border guards - green, for convoy guards (since February 1922) - blue.
Until February 1922, stars had to be surrounded (at a distance of 3 mm from the edge) with a black (and for black stars red) stripe 5-6 mm wide. The red army cockade - a copper red star - was attached to the cloth star.
On June 27, 1922, the Budenovka was also assigned to the security officers. At first it was dark blue with a dark green cloth star, and for security officers in transport, from March 1923, it was black with a crimson star. Since April 1923, the star on the dark blue helmet was, depending on the type of service, black with a white edging, gray or blue, and in August 1924, the helmet of the security officers (except for transport workers) became dark gray with a speckled star.
Battle path
They welcomed 1941
Budenovka did not gain much popularity in Civil. The reigning devastation did not allow the entire Red Army to be dressed in new uniforms, and the vast majority of the Red Army soldiers fought in caps and hats of the Russian army.
On January 31, 1922, the summer Budenovka was introduced - made of linen or cotton fabric in gray or a similar color, without a backplate, with two visors - front and back. “Hello and goodbye” - this is how this “summer helmet” was dubbed (already very much reminiscent of a “Pickelhaube” - a German helmet covered with a protective cover with a pointed top). In the summer of 1920, in Northern Tavria, there was a case when a white officer - a participant in the First World War - could not understand anything, peering into the advancing chains of the Reds. What the hell, are they really Germans?..
However, this helmet turned out to be inconvenient, and already in May 1924 it was replaced with a cap.
Since February 1922, the “classic” Budenovka again became the winter headdress of the Red Army. Now this “winter helmet” was made not from protective, but from dark gray cloth and became more rounded and not as elongated upward as in the Civilian one. Its silhouette was especially low, with a weakly defined “spire” in 1922 - 1927.
From August to October 1926 (and in fact until the spring of 1927: it was not possible to re-establish the machine “stitching” of stars) there was no cloth star on it. Since November 1932, the backplate was supposed to be lowered only at -6 Celsius and below.
Since December 1935, Air Force command personnel had dark blue helmets, while those of the armored forces had steel-colored helmets.
On July 5, 1940, the Budenovka, which provided poor protection from the cold during the “winter war” with Finland, was abolished and replaced with a hat with earflaps. But it took a long time to sew millions of earflaps, and Budenovkas were worn even in 1941-1942. Let us remember the film footage of the parade on Red Square on November 7, 1941 - a unit with Lewis light machine guns taken “on the shoulder” (also a legacy of the Civil Army) marches in Budenovkas. A fighter in a budenovka and a summer tunic (!) is also captured in a photograph taken in May 1942 near Kharkov. And the front-line soldier, whose memories were recorded by military translator Elena Rzhevskaya, was given a “lightning rod helmet” back in March 1943...
Legends
Farewell to the "lightning rod"
The romantic aura of Budenovka appeared only in the 1950s, when it firmly established itself on posters, illustrations, and postcards. And already in 1964, critic Felix Kuznetsov blamed the author of the “Arctic Novel” Vladlen Anchishkin for the “duty” image of the guardian of revolutionary morality, grandfather Surmach, with a “greasy Budenovka” on his head...
And before that, the helmet was not very respectfully called a “lightning rod” (due to the “spire” extended upward), or even a “mind rod”. In the Far East in 1936, one commander liked to ask, pointing to the “spire” of his helmet: “What is this, don’t you know? This is when they sing “Our indignant mind is boiling” [the third line of the then anthem of the USSR - “Internationale”. - A. S.], steam comes out of this spire"...
K.Yu. Goncharov
The traditions of military heraldry and symbols, uniformology, vexillology (flag studies) go back more than one century in the armies of one state or another. Thus, until the beginning of the 20th century, signs and various types of emblems worn on uniforms served to complement the diversity inherent in the colors and designs of the elements of military uniforms themselves. And the uniform itself was more of an example of aesthetics and ceremonial beauty, rather than being adapted for wearing in combat and field conditions in our modern understanding.
Over time, the uniform of protective colors has become practically the only and universal type of military uniform used in all armies of the world. For the first time, the British introduced protective colors of uniforms (the so-called “khaki”) in their army during the Anglo-Boer War (1899 - 1902).
As a result of the technical revolution, the specialization and versatility of the military branches has increased, and accordingly there has been a need for more careful development of practical, comfortable uniforms and military insignia and insignia.
In Russia, after the revolution of 1917, all traditions of the Russian army were largely abolished or completely destroyed. Since 1918, in the future Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), created on the basis of the Red Guard detachments, the historical symbols of the Russian army were almost completely discarded, and in subsequent years a new uniform was introduced.
However, at first it was impossible to suddenly come up with, develop and produce in mass quantities a new type of uniform for the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Having destroyed what was before, it is much more difficult to create something else from scratch - and even in the conditions of the civil war in Russia. Therefore, when forming units of the Red Army, stocks of uniforms from the old Russian army were used, but mostly without insignia. It was also allowed to wear military uniforms of any design and civilian clothing. In this connection, the order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs L. Trotsky (Bronstein) dated September 30, 1918 No. 929 stated:
“Recognizing that it is desirable to supply the army with completely suitable uniforms and footwear brought with them by people called up for military service, I authorize:
- To purchase, by order of the military authorities, clothing and footwear for money from the named persons, provided that these items are fully wearable.
- Prices for all items of uniform and footwear purchased from persons entering service in the Red Army are set periodically for a period of 3-4 months by resolutions of meetings at the district commissariats for military affairs, announced in orders for the district.”
All Red Army personnel mainly wore cloth caps, hats (sometimes with a red ribbon on the headdress), protective shirts with a stand-up collar, cloth trousers tucked into boots or windings with boots, overcoats and sheepskin coats. Commanders, commissars and political workers often wore leather caps and jackets. British and American French jackets have become widespread since 1919. Leather jackets were adopted from the aviation units of the tsarist army.
On May 7, 1918, by order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs, a competition was announced to develop new uniforms for military personnel of the Red Army, in which famous Russian artists V.M. took part. Vasnetsov, B.M. Kustodiev, M.D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadyevsky and others.
On December 18, 1918, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) approved a new type of headdress, as well as distinctive insignia of command personnel - in the form of triangles, squares, diamonds, depending on the position held. At the same time, the colors of the instrument cloth were determined to distinguish the uniforms of the military branches. The army units tested 4 thousand headdresses, which were then called “heroes” because they resembled ancient Russian helmets in appearance. The Red Army soldiers of Ivanovo-Voznesensk were the first to put on the “heroka”. Subsequently, the Red Army “heroka” helmet was called after the names of the military leaders, whose units were the first to receive new uniforms - M.V. Frunze and S.M. Budyonny: “Frunzevka” and “Budenovka”. The last name took root and entered the Russian language dictionaries, and is known to this day.
Original origin version
There is a version that a headdress of such an original shape was developed before the revolution and began to be produced during the First World War, but was stored in warehouses and was not delivered to the troops. It was planned to dress soldiers in pointed cloth helmets at a parade in Berlin, planned for the summer of 1917, where they were supposed to portray Russian knights - heroes (hence the name “heroka”). The models of the hat and overcoat were designed by artist Viktor Vasnetsov.
Since specialized publications on the uniform of the Red Army ignore the version of the creation of a headdress reminiscent of an ancient Russian helmet even before the revolution, we will still try to pay attention to some important points.
Firstly, they are often credited with the creation of all the symbols of the Red Army - the five-pointed star (and it’s blue, not red!), new breastplates, etc. none other than Trotsky. Right down to the “idea” of such a headdress as the future “Budenovka”. Let’s make a reservation right away: it is very, very doubtful that the “demon of the world revolution” Leiba Bronstein, under the pseudonym Trotsky, suddenly became inflamed with a love for everything Slavic and would give the idea of harmonizing the new uniform of the new army of the Republic of Soviets with ancient Russian images. It is known that Trotsky was appointed People's Commissar of Military Affairs in February 1918, and he was the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (and the People's Commissariat of Transport in combination, from 1920 to 1921) since 1919. In 1925, Trotsky was removed from his post as People's Commissar of Military Affairs for opposition activities. Even if Trotsky proposed something like this in terms of developing a new uniform and symbols, it is unreasonable to assign all the laurels to the “gentleman with a cane,” as one of the party members (I.I. Skvortsov) nicknamed him, and even to a Russophobe and a lover of executions of every tenth the Red Army and other radical measures are simply stupid.
Secondly, the artist Viktor Vasnetsov actually often used the image of a Russian knight when creating his patriotic posters during the First World War. For example, we can see a similar image of a Russian knight-hero fighting the three-headed “Snake Gorynych” on a poster created in 1914. The poster was dedicated to the “Charity Bazaar to help victims of war.” Therefore, it is quite understandable that Viktor Vasnetsov could have previously taken the ancient Russian helmet as a model when creating a new ceremonial headdress.
Thirdly, there is information about who exactly could have put into production such a headdress as the “hero”:
“...in the quartermaster warehouses there was already a new uniform, sewn by the N.A. concern. Vtorov based on sketches by Vasnetsov and Korovin. The uniform was sewn according to orders from the Court of His Imperial Majesty and was intended for the troops of the Russian army, in which it was to be worn at the victory parade in Berlin. These were long-brimmed overcoats with “conversations”, cloth helmets stylized as Old Russian sholoms, later known as “Budenovki”, as well as sets of leather jackets with trousers, leggings and caps, intended for mechanized troops, aviation, crews of armored cars, armored trains and scooters. This uniform was transferred during the organization of the Cheka to the employees of this structure - the armed detachment of the party."
It seems quite logical that overcoats in the Streltsy style (with “conversation” straps on the chest) and “helmets of the Russian knight” - “heroes” were developed under Nicholas II to raise the spirit of soldiers, and reminders of the great history of Russia (the cut itself and the appearance of this overcoat is reminiscent of the Streltsy caftan of the second half of the 16th century).
Be that as it may, the most common type of military clothing of that time was a khaki shirt (later it became known as a tunic) with a stand-up collar, green trousers tucked into boots or boots with windings, and a cloth “pointed” helmet. In cold weather, Red Army soldiers and commanders wore a soldier's or officer's overcoat fastened with hooks.
In general, it should be noted that until 1922, the appearance of various units of the Red Army, volunteer formations of the Red Army and the personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet was stunning in its diversity, parrot-like diversity and idiocy, a completely ridiculous mishmash of uniforms and the most varied, sometimes contradictory, symbols . A brilliant description is given by the Russian diplomat G.N. Mikhailovsky, who found himself in Sevastopol, not yet occupied by the Reds, in May 1919, who once saw how
“A literally “red cavalcade” drove through the entire city along Nakhimovsky Prospekt from Ekaterininskaya Street - all dressed in red from head to toe, with white high spats - not so much Red Army soldiers, but “Red Indians” of a new type. A crazy cavalcade (special detachments of the Crimean Cheka) swept through the empty city in a very picturesque manner, which looked like a page from a cinematic novel...”
Nevertheless, the need to introduce regulated uniforms for the Red Army became obvious to the military-political leadership of Soviet Russia. It is not for nothing that difficulties in supplying the Red Army, and not only with uniforms, but for all items of military expenditure, led to the creation on November 10, 1918 of the Extraordinary Commission for the Supply of the Red Army, headed by L.B. Krasin. A.I. was appointed Chusosnabarm. Rykov, whose supply work “gave particularly valuable results in supplying the army with weapons and ammunition.”
The devastation in the heads and, accordingly, in the country devastated by the civil fratricidal war could continue for a long time, but it was impossible to destroy everything ad infinitum and to the “foundation, and then...”. This destruction “to the ground” threatened the Bolsheviks themselves with the fact that it would be impossible to restore anything from the ruins. And even more so “to build a world where those who were nothing will become everything” in the desert into which the same convinced Trotskyists and their leader really wanted to turn Russia. Apparently in order to lead someone again for another forty years through another desert. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 1929 the “great revolutionary” Leonid Trotsky was expelled from the USSR for anti-Soviet activities. What happened to him next is well known to everyone who is interested in history.
History of uniform changes
By order of the RVSR No. 116 of January 16, 1919, the first description of winter headdress for all branches of the military was announced. It was a helmet made of khaki cloth with a cotton lining. The helmet cap consisted of six spherical triangles, tapering upward. A round plate with a diameter of 2 cm, covered with the same cloth, was sewn into the top. At the front of the helmet there was a stitched oval visor, and at the back there was a downward nape plate with elongated ends fastened under the chin with buttons. When folded, the backplate was fastened with loops on leather straps to two buttons of the cap, covered with colored cloth. Above the visor, a cloth star with a diameter of 8.8 cm was sewn onto the helmet in the color of the branch of service, outlined along the contour with a black edging (for a star made of black cloth, a red edging was provided). A cockade badge was attached to the center of the star.
A sample of the cockade badge for headdresses was established by order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs on July 29, 1918 No. 594. It was made of yellow copper and had the shape of a five-pointed star with a crossed plow and hammer in the center (not to be confused with the hammer and sickle - this emblem appeared on military badges in 1922). The front side of the badge was covered with red enamel. The outer ends of the star fit into a circle with a diameter of 36 mm, and the inner ends - 20 mm.
The cloth helmet with a quilted soft visor had a colored five-pointed star, colored according to the type of military service (at that time the red star was sewn only on the left sleeve of a summer shirt or overcoat). So, in the infantry they wore a crimson star on their helmet, in the cavalry - blue, in the artillery - orange (the order calls it “orange” color), in the engineering and sapper troops - black, airplane pilots and balloonists - blue, border guards - traditionally green. . The star had a black edge; Accordingly, a red border was introduced for the black star. The helmet was worn in cold weather. Of the three types of similar headdresses created for the Red Army, cloth helmets from the Civil War were the tallest and had large stars.
By order of the RVSR No. 628 of April 8, 1919, the uniform of the Red Army soldiers was regulated for the first time. A summer shirt, infantry and cavalry overcoats (in the order they are called caftans) and a headdress were introduced. The newly approved and somewhat modernized cloth helmet became a headdress for the cold season. This sample was called “Budenovka” - after the division of S.M. Budyonny, in which he first appeared. The star of the winter headdress, in accordance with the new description, had a diameter of 10.5 cm and was 3.5 cm upward from the visor.
Despite the uniforms introduced, until 1922 the troops were not fully provided with them, so many wore the uniforms of the old Russian army, which remained in large quantities in warehouses or were captured by the Red Army as trophies. As footwear, in addition to the established leather bast shoes, boots with windings, simple bast bast shoes or old soldier's boots were often used. Red Army commanders could wear officer-style boots or even civilian boots, but in this case they were made at their own expense.
By order of the RVSR No. 322 of January 31, 1922, all previously established uniform items, with the exception of leather bast shoes, which still continued to exist, were canceled, and instead of them a single, strictly regulated uniform was introduced. A single cut of the overcoat, shirt and headdress was established.
A winter and summer type headdress (helmet), slightly modified, was introduced. Following the example of the winter helmet, the summer headdress also acquired a pointed spherical-conical shape. The summer helmet for all branches of the military was made of tent canvas or cotton fabric in light gray or a similar color and did not have a lapel on the back of the head (in May 1924, this headdress was again replaced by a cap). A chin strap made of the same fabric as the helmet was fastened at the front.
The cut and color of the winter helmet have been significantly changed. The 1922 model helmet was made of dark gray uniform cloth; the helmet cap became lower and more rounded. The diameter of the sewn star increased and became 9.5 cm.
On April 13, 1922, the Red Army badge was changed. Instead of a plow and a hammer, they began to depict a hammer and sickle on it.
In 1926, the color of the cloth of the helmet was changed from dark gray to protective, in accordance with the color of the cloth uniform of the Red Army of the 1924 model. In addition, on August 2, 1926, by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 415, the cloth star sewn on the winter headdress was abolished, and the Red Army badge should have been attached directly to the helmet, at a distance of 7 cm from the sewing of the visor. The buttons on the helmet cap were ordered to be sewn on small metal ones, installed in 1924.
In this form, the helmets existed until 1927, despite the hasty cancellation of this order in October 1926 and the formal restoration of the cloth star. Various models and modifications of this headdress were used by the troops until the end of the 1930s, when the budenovka was finally replaced by caps, caps and winter hats. Thus, by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 176 dated December 3, 1935, new uniforms and insignia were introduced for all personnel of the Red Army. At the same time, the winter headdress of the command and command staff still remained the winter helmet, established by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR No. 474 dated September 3, 1927. Although this winter helmet differed only slightly (from semi-rough cloth of a dark gray color) from the previously established model in 1922, on the front of the new helmet was still sewn the correct five-pointed star from instrument cloth, assigned to the branch of the military in the color with the Red Army badge attached to it. The outer ends of the star were located on a circle with a diameter of 8 cm.
The famous headdress of the Red Army soldiers, the budenovka, existed until July 1940. By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 187 dated July 5, 1940, instead of a winter helmet, i.e. “Budenovki”, hats with ear flaps were introduced: for senior, senior and mid-level command staff and long-term servicemen - made of woolen fabric and natural fur of gray color, for conscripts - from cotton helmet cloth and artificial fur of gray color.
Higher, senior and middle management personnel are allowed to sew hats at their own expense from natural lamb and gray astrakhan fur.
Nowadays, “Budenovka” is only an attribute of feature films about the Red Army and the Civil War, and has become a collectible item for lovers of military history, a souvenir for foreigners - we are talking about a remake souvenir, “Budenovka”, which is replicated using tailoring by enterprising craftsmen.
K.Yu. Goncharov
1 People's Commissar for Military Affairs - People's Commissar for Military Affairs.
2 People's Commissar of Railways - People's Commissar of Railways.
3 People's Commissar for Military and Maritime Affairs - People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs.
4 Vtorov Nikolai Alexandrovich (1866-1918), Russian financial figure, entrepreneur. Owner of the partnership “A.F. Vtorov with his sons" (large trade in Siberia) and a number of industrial enterprises. Founded the Moscow Industrial Bank (1916), created (by 1917) an industrial and financial concern. Encyclopedia of Russian merchants. Website of the Society of Merchants and Industrialists of Russia: www.okipr.ru.
5 It is possible that instead of the artist’s surname Korovin, the surname Kustodiev should have stood. In any case, in all other sources (see the list of references) it is B.M. who is mentioned. Kustodiev as co-author V.M. Vasnetsov when developing new elements of the Russian army uniform.
6 Chusosnabarm - Extraordinary Commissioner of the Defense Council for Army Supply.