Wound sign (Wound number sign). Breastplate of servicemen of the armed forces of the USSR who were wounded on the fronts of the Second World War. Badges of wounds on the military uniform of the German army

The courage and fearlessness of warriors shown in battles have been praised in every era. Those who showed these qualities were awarded orders, which testified to the self-sacrifice they demonstrated. One of the distinctive signs was stripes for wounds.

History of appearance

It should be noted that in the Russian Empire, in one of the first states in modern history, signs of injury appeared for soldiers and officers of this format. Their issuance was established in 1906. At that time, wounded and shell-shocked participants in the war with Japan were given medals with a ribbon and a bow.

World War I

The last Russian Tsar decided to reward those wounded during the fighting of the First World War. The issuance procedures and all related rules were approved in the order of 1916. It became impossible to maintain the design of the previous decals. And this time the Russian Empire provided galloon and basson strips. Lower ranks received such stripes in red, and officers - in gold and silver. They were placed on the left sleeve.

Wearing rules

All those who were wounded in the war wore them on every type of their uniform - on a tunic, uniform, shirt and overcoat. The issue was based on the number of wounds. Moreover, if a wounded soldier became an officer, he wore stripes for wounds in red, soldier's color, for wounds received before receiving the rank. Patches were always attached horizontally. Injuries that preceded this war were also marked with this sign. It was mandatory for officers to wear them in a contrasting color: for gold shoulder straps - silver stripes, and for silver ones - gold. While for all soldiers the chronology of injuries was not taken into account, and all stripes were red.

These signs were worn only in active units. In the rear, they were strictly prohibited, with the exception of the military, who had at least three stripes. With the end of hostilities, all military personnel were given the right to wear these signs at any time.

During the bloody war between the whites and the reds, special stripes existed for both sides of the fighting. The Red Army soldiers used rectangles of silver tinsel.

The Great Patriotic War

Patches for wounds from the Second World War have become legendary. They were introduced into use only a year after the start of hostilities - in 1942. By that time, the obviousness of their need had increased to the limit. And the resolution of the Defense Committee introduced special badges. They were issued to all military personnel who were injured during battles with the enemy, or to injured soldiers who were at their combat posts at that time.

All fighters with stripes for wounds were very respected. The situation became tense because orders and medals took a very long time to prepare for issuance to the fighter. Documents on awards were reviewed for a long time - sometimes months. While the life of each fighter constantly hung in the balance. At any moment in every battle, everything ended in a funeral or hospital for many Red Army soldiers.

After the hospitals, it was almost impossible to be back in the unit with comrades. This distinguished the Soviet system from the German one. The situation was simpler for officers and pilots. And for a soldier from the infantry troops, the path to his former colleagues lay through the regimental or divisional medical battalion. This is after receiving minor injuries.

From a front-line hospital or from a rear hospital, one could forget about returning to brothers in arms. The soldiers were sent to convalescents, and then the thinned units were replenished with them. Because of this system, many of the rightful accolades from the state were lost to the fighters who deserved them.

Some of the veterans received their orders and medals 15 years after the victory.

This was the advantage of stripes for WWII wounds, that they were received in a simplified manner. A certificate and a note in the Red Army soldier’s book was enough. Every fighter carried one of these with him. When injured, everyone sewed on their own braid. Although shell-shocked people were not given decals. However, according to rumors, it was allowed to sew on purple or dark chevrons to those who had suffered shell shock.

Naval insignia

Certain liberties existed in the navy of those times. Wound badges for sailors were placed on the sleeves of uniforms. Nevertheless, many sailors sewed them, as in the army, on the chest on the right side. Naval insignia were placed according to the chronology of injuries received rather than the priority of the gold-colored stripes. This was typical for both privates and officers.

Deprivation

Once issued, the decals were not torn off when they were sent to penal battalions. At the same time, awards were torn down and titles were taken away. This always happened by order of the commanders; no decrees were issued about this. The galloon strips were sewn tightly; they were torn off only, as they say, “with meat.”

With the outbreak of hostilities, the presence of wound badges was recognized as an acceptable insignia. And closer to the end of the Great Patriotic War, it was considered an exceptional phenomenon in the army when a wounded man, especially many times, did not have government awards. This was the commander's oversight.

There was a lot of brilliant stuff among the staff members both in the rear, and there weren’t enough stripes on the front lines. And yet, some of the fighters went without shiny orders. A yellow or red stripe was clear evidence that the fighter did not walk in the rear, but was a real veteran who had smelled gunpowder and shed blood for his Fatherland.

Appearance

The patches were rectangular, reaching 43 mm in length and 6 mm in width. They were silk, red for light wounds, and yellow for severe wounds. The number of stripes showed the number of injuries received.

Injuries of mild severity were considered to be injuries in soft tissues when vital organs, bones, joints, and largest blood vessels were not affected. These also included 2nd and 1st degree burns.

Severe injuries were defined as injuries involving damage to a bone, joint, vital organ, or large blood vessel. These were any injuries that were life-threatening. These included serious through wounds, frostbite, and 3rd and 4th degree burns.

Treatment of all injuries of the Red Army soldier was confirmed by the provision of relevant documents. They were issued in hospitals and similar organizations during the war. The commanders of the Red Army were required to make a mark on their personal ID cards, certified by the signatures of their superiors.

For ordinary soldiers, a similar note was included in the Red Army book. The signature of the chief of staff was required.

The stripes were attached to the right side of the tunics next to the middle buttons. Or over the chest pocket. In the post-war era, they were attached to any uniform on the right side of the chest 1 cm above orders and medals.

Appearance in the fleet

In the Red Army Fleet, these distinctive signs were rectangular in shape and made of silk fabrics. They were sewn in a horizontal direction. The width reached 5 mm, and the length - 43 mm. Golden stripes indicated severe injuries affecting vital organs, burns and frostbite of the 3rd and 4th degrees, and penetrating wounds. The burgundy rectangles are light. There were small gaps of 3 mm between the stripes.

Conclusion

The fighters, and later veterans, were proud of the traumas they had once experienced, because they contained many memories of difficult but glorious moments of battle. They were reminded of the trials they went through to save their country and their loved ones. They reminded us of those comrade-colleagues who did not return from the fiercest battlefields.

With the end of the battle, the enemy troops were destroyed with great effort. But such special stripes on uniforms remained a reminder of the immortal feat of millions of citizens of the Soviet state. Therefore, these rectangles are considered valuable to this day, almost a century after the beginning of the war years.

It must be emphasized that only in 1985, on the fortieth anniversary of the Victory, all participants in the hostilities were given orders in memory of the Patriotic War. All wounded and shell-shocked veterans were awarded 1st degree orders.

Badges for serious wounds, Red Army. Original.

RESOLUTION OF THE STATE DEFENSE COMMITTEE GOKO-2039
July 14, 1942 Moscow, Kremlin.
ON THE INTRODUCTION OF IDENTIFICATIONS FOR WOUNDED MILITARY SERVICEMEN OF THE RED ARMY ON THE FRONTS OF THE PATRIOTIC WAR

1. Introduce for Red Army soldiers, command and political personnel of the Red Army who were wounded in the battles for our Soviet Motherland against the German invaders, a distinctive sign indicating the number of wounds to be permanently worn on their uniforms.
2. Approve the Regulations on distinctive insignia for wounded servicemen of the Red Army on the fronts of the Patriotic War and the samples of insignia attached to it.
3. Wear a distinctive wound sign on the right side of the chest.
4. The right of military personnel to wear a distinctive sign of injury is noted:
for Red Army soldiers and junior commanding officers in the Red Army book;
for middle, senior and senior command and political personnel in the identity card and service record.
5. For illegal wearing of a sign indicating injury, the perpetrators will be held criminally liable.
6. The distinctive wound sign established by the Regulations for military personnel of the Red Army shall be used from the day the Patriotic War began.
Chairman of the State Defense Committee I. STALIN

“Approved by GOKO Resolution 2039 of July 14, 1942.
REGULATIONS on distinctive insignia for wounded servicemen of the Red Army on the fronts of the Patriotic War.

Key points:
1. For Red Army soldiers, command and political personnel of the Red Army, wounded in battles for our Soviet Motherland against the German invaders, a distinctive wound sign is established.
Right to wear the distinctive wound badge
2. The right to wear the distinctive sign of wounds is enjoyed by all servicemen of the Red Army who were wounded in battles with the enemy, or wounded by the enemy in the performance of their official duties.
3. For each simultaneous wound, military personnel have the right to wear one distinctive badge, depending on the nature of the wounds.
4. By their nature, injuries are divided into mild and severe.
The category of “minor wounds” includes soft tissue injuries without damage to internal organs, bones, joints, nerve trunks and large blood vessels, as well as 1st and 2nd degree burns.
The category of “severe wounds” includes injuries with damage to bones, joints, internal organs, large nerve trunks and large blood vessels, as well as burns and frostbite of the III and IV degrees.
5. The fact of each injury is certified by a “certificate of injury” issued by military medical institutions and an extract from the order for the unit (institution).
Description and method of wearing the distinctive wound badge
6. A distinctive sign of wounds is a rectangular patch 43 mm long and 5-6 mm wide.
The patch is made of silk galloon, dark red in color for light wounds, and golden in color for severe wounds.
7. The wound identification patch is placed on a fabric rectangular shield in the color of the uniform on the right side of the chest, according to the approved description.
Correct: Khryapkina"

The distinctive sign of the number of wounds is a rectangular shield made of fabric in the color of the uniform, with parallel beveled sides, on which horizontal strips of silk braid are sewn, 5-6 mm wide and 43 mm long.
Each wound is indicated by a braid sewn onto the shield: for a light wound it is dark red, for a severe wound it is golden.
The distance between sewn strips is 3-4 mm.
The length of the shield corresponds to the length of the colored braid being sewn, and its width depends on the number of strips sewn.
The wound sign is sewn on the right side of the chest at the level of the middle button of the placket, at a distance of 7-8 cm from it; and if there is a pocket, above the right chest pocket, towards its inner edge.

Due to the “movement” of a number of orders and badges to the right side of the chest, stripes for wounds were given a place 8-10 mm above the awards, that is, more honorable than for orders.
Without a doubt, when developing the design of the patches, the system of honors for wounds introduced in the Russian Imperial Army in December 1916 was analyzed and rethought. While maintaining the principle of using fabric patches and their differentiation by color, the Soviet command abandoned the distinction by rank (rank) of those awarded in the benefit of color determination of the severity of wounds. The size was changed in similar proportions: the length from 1.5 inches (66-67 mm) was reduced to 43 mm (almost 1 top), the width from 1/5 inches (9 mm) was also reduced by one and a half times to 5-6 mm . It can be assumed that in difficult military conditions, the use of cheap soutache cord or braid (the production of which was mastered by industry) as a mass insignia seemed preferable to the establishment of a fundamentally new metal insignia.
Photo chronicles of the war years and surviving uniform items indicate that many servicemen could wear 4-7 stripes per wound.

Even before the end of the war, unregulated purple or black stripes began to appear among military personnel; there was an opinion that this could be used to indicate shell shock. In isolated cases, other “author’s additions” were observed.
At the same time, another trend was observed: military personnel who were wounded did not always wear stripes. In some cases, this could be due to the personal aesthetic tastes of a soldier or officer, and sometimes due to the lack of braid.

In the navy, the sign of the number of wounds was established by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy of the USSR 179 dated July 18, 1942. The difference lay in the method of wearing, namely: the sign was worn on the right sleeve of the upper items of naval uniform at a distance of 10 cm from the shoulder seam to the bottom strip, and the stripes located across the sleeve. The number of wounds sign was not supposed to be worn on items of work and inventory clothing issued for short-term use. On the general army uniform, the sign of the number of wounds should be worn, as established for the Red Army.

In the “Illustrated description of the insignia of personnel of the USSR Navy,” approved by the Order of the People’s Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov on May 5, 1943 and published in 1944, it was specified that “The stripes are sewn from bottom to top in the order of injury.” Thus, when placing sleeve insignia for the number of wounds in the fleet, not a typological, but a chronological principle was applied.

However, the “naval” version of the wound stripe is extremely rare in photo chronicles of the war years. It seems that the order of placement of galloon stripes was determined not by the priority of golden stripes over dark red ones, but by the chronology of wounds, even among officers. Sailors sometimes wore signs of the number of wounds on their chests, even on naval clothing.

For some time, braided stripes were considered quite a sufficient insignia for the wounded. However, at the final stage of the war, in the active army they began to consider it abnormal that the wounded, especially repeatedly wounded, soldiers did not have government awards (at that time orders and medals were called government awards, not state awards). The facts of the presence in the military unit of servicemen who were wounded and did not have awards began to be considered as serious omissions in the work of the command and political agencies.

Signs of the number of wounds were worn quite en masse by soldiers, sergeants, officers and even some generals of the ground forces by participants in the Victory Parade.

A distinctive award badge (breastplate and more) for military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces (Russian Army and Navy, USSR Armed Forces (USSR Armed Forces)) who were wounded on the fronts of the First World War, the Great Patriotic War and during the fighting of the post-war period.

The badge was a rectangular patch 43 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, made of silk braid of dark red color (for a slight wound) or golden (yellow) (for a severe wound).

Military personnel of the USSR Armed Forces who were wounded in battle or in the line of duty by the enemy had the right to wear a wound badge.

The number of stripes indicated the number of wounds and their degree; there were two: light and severe wounds.

Minor injuries included:

soft tissue injuries without damage to internal organs, bones, joints, nerve trunks and large blood vessels;

1st and 2nd degree burns.

Severe injuries included:

injuries with damage to bones, joints, internal organs, large nerve trunks and large blood vessels;

burns and frostbite of the III and IV degrees.

The fact of treatment of each injury (burn and frostbite) of a serviceman was certified by a certificate of injury issued by the military medical commission, military medical institution, and an extract from the order of the military medical institution (military unit).

For persons of the commanding staff of the Red Army, notes on the right to wear award badges of wounding were entered in section 3 “Awards and special rights assigned to the owner of the certificate” of the identity cards of persons of the commanding staff of the Red Army, certified by the signature of the commander of the unit (institution) and the seal of the unit (institution).

For privates (Red Army soldiers, Red Navy men) of the Red Army and Navy of the USSR Armed Forces, notes on the right to wear award badges of wounding were entered in section III “Participation in campaigns, awards and distinctions” of the Red Army book by the company commander, according to the orders for the unit; when transferred to another unit, information about the service was signed by the chief of staff of the unit with a seal attached.

The badges were sewn on the right side of the tunic (tunic) at the level of the middle button, and if there was a pocket, above the right chest pocket. After the war, it was worn on all forms of clothing on the right side of the chest 8-10 mm above orders and medals, and in the absence of the latter - in their place.

The Navy (RKKF) determined that the badge is a rectangle made of fabric in the color of the uniform, on which horizontal stripes of silk braid 5 mm wide and 43 mm long are sewn. Each wound is indicated by sewn onto a rectangle:

in case of severe injury - a golden stripe;

in case of a slight wound - a dark red stripe.

In this case, the length of the rectangle corresponds to the length of the strips, and its width depends on the number of the latter. The gaps (distances) between the stripes are 3 mm, the strips themselves are sewn from bottom to top in the order of wounds, but the Badge is worn on the right sleeve of the upper items of naval uniform at a distance of 10 cm from the shoulder seam to the bottom strip, and the strips are located across the sleeve. On items of work and inventory special clothing issued for short-term use, the number of wounds sign is not worn.

Attention: materials were obtained from open sources and published for informational purposes. In case of unknowing copyright infringement, the information will be removed after a corresponding request from the authors or publishers.

And it was considered an indisputable sign of the personal valor and courage of a serviceman; the need arose to establish external insignia worn on the uniform. The first organized, mass award was made in Russia; on March 1, 1906, it was established that wounded and shell-shocked participants in the Russo-Japanese War on the battlefield, awarded the medal “In Memory of the Russo-Japanese War” (established on January 21, 1906) should were wearing a medal on a ribbon with a bow.

During the Russo-Japanese War, about 158,600 people were wounded and shell-shocked in battle. And other trials awaited Russia ahead.

The procedure for executing the establishment, special differences for the wounded, shell-shocked and poisoned by asphyxiating gases, was announced by order of the military department No. 750, dated December 25, 1916, it was not possible to repeat the previous insignia (bow). Therefore, in the Russian Imperial Army, signs in the form of galloon or basson strips were introduced. They were stripes of red braid (for lower ranks) and gold or silver galloon (for officers) on the left sleeve, worn on all types of uniforms (tunic, uniform, shirt and overcoat), according to the number of wounds. If an officer had distinguished himself from the soldiers, then he continued to wear red stripes for those wounds, which he received before being promoted to officer. Approved marks of Excellence were worn at a distance of 0.5 inches (22 mm) above the left cuff of a tunic, jacket, uniform or overcoat and were horizontal stripes measuring 1.5 x 0.2 inches (67 x 10 mm). For officers who were wounded in the ongoing First World War (Great War, Second Patriotic War), they were made of galloon according to the color of the metal device (for gold shoulder straps - gold, for silver ones - silver). Officers wounded in past wars (Russian-Turkish (1877-1878), Russian-Japanese (1904-1905)) had to wear galloon stripes in a counter-color: with gold shoulder straps - silver, with silver ones - gold. For soldiers and non-commissioned officers, the chronology of wounds did not matter - the stripes were made of red braid.

Civil War period

The wearing of badges continued during the Civil War on all sides. Other signs also began to appear.

“The Military Government, considering the issue of the fight against Bolshevism and wishing to note the zealous defenders of the Orenburg Cossack Army, decided: ... 2. To all the wounded when protecting Troops, install blue on the left sleeve patch according to the model patches for the wounded, announced in the order of the Military Department"

3. The badge, embroidered with silver tinsel, is assigned to everyone wounded in the ranks of the Red Army, as well as to all those who served in units, departments and institutions operating at the front for at least a year, provided that the latter participated in one of the battles.

Sign of injury at the gymnasium.

Persons of the commanding staff of the Red Army are marked with the right to wear wound awards The identity cards of the commanding personnel of the Red Army were entered in section 3 “Awards and special rights assigned to the owner of the certificate”, certified by the signature of the commander of the unit (institution) and the seal of the unit (institution).

see also

Notes

Literature

• Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GSB), Third Edition, published by the publishing house "Soviet Encyclopedia" in - gg. in 30 volumes;
• Encyclopedia, Civil War and Military Intervention in the USSR, M., 1983, p. 366;
• Military Encyclopedic Dictionary (VES), M., VI, 1984, 863 pages with illustrations (ill.), 30 sheets (ill.);
• Signs of injury //

On July 14, 1942, at a meeting of the State Defense Committee, the question of the differences between military personnel wounded on the fronts of the Patriotic War was raised, and resolution No. GOKO-2039 was adopted on this matter. According to indirect data, the initiator of this was the head of the Main Military Sanitary Directorate of the Red Army, correspondent E.I. Smirnov.

It is interesting to note that this document had a historical precedent in the old Russian army, when by order of the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander No. 1815 of December 31, 1916, the badge for wounding, located half an inch above the left cuff. For officers it was silver or gold, along the shoulder strap, for lower ranks it was red braid. In general, it should be noted that since the winter of 1941-1942, when relative stabilization of the front began, I.V. Stalin, for every proposal coming from any authority, began to demand historical information about how it was before.

The GKO resolution approved the “Regulations on distinctive insignia for wounded servicemen of the Red Army on the fronts of the Patriotic War.” They were of two types: for a light wound and for a serious one, which was determined by the “Certificate of Wound.” The right to wear badges was noted in Red Army books or identity cards and service records of command personnel. This resolution was announced by order of the NKO of the USSR No. 213 of July 14, 1942 and by order of the NK of the USSR Navy No. 179 of July 18, 1942.

However, there was an urgent need to clarify the concept of “light” and “severe” injury, introduce a single “certificate of injury,” and also determine who could issue it and when. All this was carried out in the order of the Main Military Sanitary Directorate of the Red Army No. 263a dated July 23, 1942, where a list of injuries was given that should be classified as one or another category of wounds, a form of “Certificate of Injury” was given and it was determined that it could only be issued by those medical institutions where the final outcome of the injury was determined.

These signs were worn on the right side of the chest at the level of the middle button of the front placket, at a distance of 7-8 cm from it, and if there was a pocket, above it. They were located one above the other at a distance of 3-4 mm from each other. At the same time, for a serious wound it is higher than for a light one. Later, the wearing of these signs was allowed only on everyday and field clothing, and with the introduction on July 26, 1969 by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 191 of new Rules for wearing military uniforms - they are worn with all forms of clothing on the right side of the chest 8-10 mm above orders or , in their absence, in their place.

In the navy, the rules for wearing these signs were somewhat different. On May 5, 1943, the NK of the USSR Navy approved a description of the insignia of the Navy personnel, where, in contrast to general army rules, they were worn on the right sleeve at a distance of 10 cm from the shoulder seam to the bottom strip. They were sewn on from bottom to top in order of injury. These rules existed until the merger of the military ministries in 1953 and the introduction into force by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 105 of June 30, 1955 of the uniform Rules for the wearing of military clothing by marshals, generals, admirals and officers of the SA and the Navy, as well as the order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 120 of August 4, 1956 on the introduction of uniform Rules for the wearing of military clothing by sergeants, petty officers, soldiers, sailors, cadets and students of the SA and Navy.

Description of "Sign of Wound"

A horizontally elongated rectangle made of silk braid: for a light wound - dark red, for a severe wound - golden. It was attached to a rectangular piece of fabric, similar in color to the uniform fabric, as wide as a sign, and 3-4 mm high above and below it when sewn onto clothing. The size of one sign is 6X43 mm.