In many armies of the world, berets indicate that the units using them belong to the elite troops. Since they have a special mission, the elite units must have something to separate them from the rest. For example, the famous "green beret" is "a symbol of excellence, a sign of valor and distinction in the struggle for freedom."
History of the military beret.Given the practicality of the beret, the informal use of the beret by the European military goes back thousands of years. An example is the blue beret, which became the symbol of the Scottish military in the 16th and 17th centuries. As an official military headdress, the beret began to be used during the War of Succession to the Spanish Crown in 1830, commissioned by General Tomás de Zumalacárregui, who wanted to make headdresses resistant to the vagaries of mountain weather, easy to care for and used on special occasions in an inexpensive way. .
1. Other countries followed suit after the creation of the French Alpine Chasseurs in the early 1880s. These mountain troops wore clothing that included several features that were innovative for the time. Including large berets, which have survived to this day.
2. Berets have features that make them very attractive to the military: they are cheap, can be made in a wide range of colors, can be rolled up and tucked into a pocket or under a shoulder strap, they can be worn with headphones (this is one of the reasons why tankers have adopted beret).
The beret was found to be especially useful for armored car crews, and the British Tank Corps (later the Royal Tank Corps) adopted this headgear as early as 1918.
3. After World War 1, when the issue of official changes in the form of clothing was considered at a high level, General Elles, who was a promoter of berets, made another argument - during maneuvers it is comfortable to sleep in a beret and it can be used as a balaclava. After lengthy debate in the Ministry of Defense, the black beret was officially approved by His Majesty's decree of March 5, 1924. The black beret remained the exclusive privilege of the Royal Tank Corps for quite some time. Then the practicality of this headgear was noticed by the rest, and by 1940 all armored units in the UK began to wear black berets.
4. German tank crews in the late 1930s also adopted the beret with the addition of a padded helmet inside. Black has become popular in the headgear of tank crews as it does not show oil stains.
5. The Second World War gave berets a new popularity. English and American saboteurs, thrown behind the Germans, in particular, to France, quickly appreciated the convenience of berets, especially dark colors - it was convenient to hide hair under them, they protected the head from the cold, the beret was used as a comforter, etc. Some English units introduced berets as a headdress for formations and military branches. For example, it was with the SAS - the Special Aviation Service, a special forces unit engaged in sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines - they took a sand-colored beret (it symbolized the desert, where the SAS had to work hard against Rommel's army). British paratroopers chose a crimson beret - according to legend, the writer Daphne DuMaurier, the wife of General Frederick Brown, one of the heroes of the Second World War, suggested this color. For the color of the beret, paratroopers immediately received the nickname "cherries". Since then, the crimson beret has become the unofficial symbol of military paratroopers around the world.
6. The first use of berets in the US military dates back to 1943. The 509th Airborne Regiment received crimson berets from their English colleagues as a sign of recognition and respect. The use of a beret as a headdress for military personnel in the Soviet Union dates back to 1936. According to the order of the NPO of the USSR, women soldiers and students of military academies were supposed to wear dark blue berets as part of summer uniforms.
7. Berets became the default military headgear at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, just like the cocked hat, shako, cap, cap, cap, at one time in the respective eras. Berets are now worn by many military personnel in most countries around the world.
8. And now, in fact, about the berets in the elite troops. And we will start, of course, with the Alpine Jaegers - the unit that introduced the fashion for wearing berets in the army. The Alpine Chasseurs (Mountain Fusiliers) are the elite mountain infantry of the French Army. They are trained to fight in mountainous terrain and in urban areas. They wear a wide dark blue beret.
9. The French Foreign Legion wears light green berets.
11. French Navy commandos wear a green beret.
12. French Marines wear dark blue berets.
14. French Air Force Commandos wear dark blue berets.
15. French paratroopers wear red berets.
17. German airborne troops wear maroon berets (Maroon).
18. German special forces (KSK) wear berets of the same color, but with a different emblem.
19. The Swiss Guards of the Vatican wear a large black beret.
20. The Dutch Royal Marines wear dark blue berets.
21. Airmobile Brigade (11 Luchtmobiele Brigade) Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands wear maroon berets (Maroon).
22. Finnish Marines wear green berets.
23. Italian paratroopers of the Carabinieri regiment wear red berets.
24. Soldiers of the special unit of the Italian Navy wear green berets.
25. The Portuguese Marine Corps wears dark blue berets.
26. Soldiers of the British Parachute Regiment wear maroon berets (Maroon).
27. Paratroopers of the 16th Air Assault Brigade of the British Army wear the same beret, but with a different emblem.
28. Special Air Service (SAS) commandos have been wearing beige berets (tan) since World War 2.
29. The British Royal Marines wear green berets.
30. Riflemen from Her Majesty's Gurkha Brigade wear green berets.
31. Canadian paratroopers wear maroon berets.
32. The Australian Army's 2nd Commando Regiment wears green berets.
33. American Rangers wear a beige beret (tan).
34. The American "Green Berets" (United States Army Special Forces) naturally wear green berets, which were approved for them in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.
35. The US Army Airborne troops wear maroon berets (Maroon), received in 1943 from their British colleagues and allies.
And in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), berets are not worn. In 1951, the Marine Corps introduced several types of berets, green and blue, but they were rejected by tough warriors because they looked "too feminine."
39. South Korean Marines wear green berets.
40. Special forces of the Georgian army wear maroon berets (Maroon).
41. Serbian special forces soldiers wear black berets.
42. The air assault brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan wears blue berets.
43. Hugo Chavez wears the red beret of the Paratrooper Brigade of Venezuela.
Let's move on to the valiant elite troops of Russia and our fellow Slavs.
44. Our response to the appearance in the armies of NATO countries of units that wore berets, in particular parts of the US SOF, whose uniform headgear is green, was the Order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR dated November 5, 1963 No. 248. According to the order, a new field uniform is being introduced for special forces units of the USSR Marine Corps. This uniform was supposed to be a black beret, made of cotton fabric for sailors and sergeants of military service and woolen fabric for officers.
45. Cockades and stripes on the berets of the marines changed many times: replacing the red star on the berets of sailors and sergeants with a black oval-shaped emblem with a red star and bright yellow edging, and later, in 1988, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR No. 250 of 4 March, the oval emblem was replaced by an asterisk bordered by a wreath. There were many innovations in the Russian army too, and now it looks like this.
After the approval of the new uniform for the Marine Corps, berets appeared in the airborne troops. In June 1967, Colonel General V.F. Margelov, then commander of the Airborne Forces, approved sketches of a new uniform for the airborne troops. The designer of the sketches was the artist A. B. Zhuk, known as the author of many books on small arms and as the author of illustrations for the SVE (Soviet Military Encyclopedia). It was A. B. Zhuk who proposed the crimson color of the beret for paratroopers. A raspberry-colored beret was at that time an attribute of belonging to the landing troops all over the world, and V.F. Margelov approved the wearing of a raspberry beret by military personnel of the Airborne Forces during parades in Moscow. On the right side of the beret was sewn a small blue triangular flag with the emblem of the airborne troops. On the berets of sergeants and soldiers in front there was a star framed by a wreath of ears, on the berets of officers, instead of an asterisk, a cockade was attached.
46. During the November parade of 1967, the paratroopers were already dressed in a new uniform and crimson berets. However, at the very beginning of 1968, instead of crimson berets, paratroopers begin to wear blue berets. According to the military leadership, the color of the blue sky is more suitable for the airborne troops and by order No. 191 of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of July 26, 1969, the color blue was approved as a parade headdress for the Airborne Forces. Unlike the crimson beret, on which the flag sewn on the right side was blue, the flag on the blue beret became red.
The beret is a soft headdress without a round visor. It came into fashion during the Middle Ages, but for a long time it was considered an exclusively male headdress, since it was mainly worn by military people. Currently, berets are part of the military uniform of various troops of the Russian Armed Forces, each of which has its own characteristic coloring of berets, which can be used to determine whether an employee belongs to one or another branch of the Armed Forces.
History reference
In our country, they began to include this headgear in the uniforms of military personnel in 1936, taking an example from the West. Initially, in the army of the Soviet Union, dark blue berets were supposed to be worn by female soldiers and only in the summer. At the end of World War II, they were replaced by khaki berets.
Massive use of this headgear in the uniforms of the Soviet Army began much later, having appreciated all the advantages of the beret: it is able to protect the head from various precipitations, it is extremely comfortable to wear, and because of its compact size and soft material, this headgear is extremely convenient to remove if necessary. , for example, in a pocket.
In 1963, the beret officially became part of the uniform of the military personnel of individual special forces structures.
Today, in the uniform of the troops of the Russian Armed Forces, there are such varieties of hats as black, blue, blue, maroon, green, light green, orange, gray, cornflower blue, raspberry, dark olive and olive berets.
- Black berets indicate that a soldier belongs to the Marine Corps.
- A blue beret on the head of a soldier indicates that he serves in the Russian Airborne Forces.
- The blue beret refers to the military uniform of the Russian Air Force.
- - uniform headdress of employees of special forces units of the troops of the National Guard of Russia.
- Green berets belong to the intelligence elite of the internal troops.
- Headdresses of light green color are worn by representatives of the Border Troops of the Russian Federation at solemn and official events.
- Orange berets are worn by employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
- Gray - military special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- Wearing a cornflower blue beret indicates that its owner belongs to the special forces of the FSB of Russia and the special forces of the FSO of Russia.
- Crimson berets were worn by those representatives of the troops who served in the Airborne Forces until 1968, since then they were replaced by blue berets.
- The dark olive beret is the uniform headdress of the special forces units of the railway troops.
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Soldiers wearing olive berets are perhaps the most difficult to identify as belonging to any type of military service.
Olive color: belonging to the troops
The olive beret is part of the military uniform of the National Guard. Until 2016, it was worn by representatives of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and special forces of the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense. These troops carry out activities to ensure the internal and public security of Russia from various kinds of unlawful encroachments.
The troops have the following purpose:
- ensuring the territorial integrity of Russia;
- protection of objects of the country of special importance;
- interaction with other troops of the RF Armed Forces;
- ensuring the security of Russian citizens;
- suppression of the activities of terrorist groups.
Very little is known about those who wear olive berets, since information about their activities is classified, wearing such berets is a great honor and pride for their owners, and much effort must be made to earn the right to own them.
Getting the insignia
To earn the honorary right to wear an olive beret, you must go through several stages of the most difficult physical and psychological tests, because only the best employees wear olive berets. The surrender for the olive beret takes place once a year. Absolutely every serviceman of Russia can participate, but not all members of the army can pass the olive beret exam, the selection of candidates is extremely tough. According to statistics, only about half of the candidates reach the last stage of the examination tests. To pass the standards for obtaining a beret, you need to carefully prepare both physically and mentally.
For a member of the army, applying for the right to own an olive beret, the following requirements are imposed on the exam:
- demonstration of physical fitness;
- marching through complex relief terrain with water obstacles;
- ambush definition;
- rescue of the victim;
- overcoming the assault barrier;
- demonstration of aimed fire skills;
- demonstration of hand-to-hand combat skills.
The surrender to the olive beret begins with a preliminary stage, which includes such types of physical activity as pull-ups, push-ups, cross over a distance of 3 km. At the next stage of the exam, the applicant for the possession of the olive beret will have to go through an obstacle course, storm the building and demonstrate hand-to-hand combat skills.
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During the passage of the obstacle course for two hours, the applicant in uniform weighing more than 12 kg must overcome water and other difficult obstacles. This test is conducted without the right to respite and delay. The applicant must then demonstrate marksmanship skills. With a 12-minute sparring with a change of partners, the surrender to the olive beret ends. Note that there are some similarities with
The colors of the berets of the armed forces of the Russian Federation
CRIMSON- in 1967-68. units of the Airborne Forces, in 1968 replaced by a blue beret.
BLUE- airborne troops and special forces of the GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate). The GRU special forces are the only one of all that can wear the uniform of completely different units and formations of the Ministry of Defense (Airborne Forces, signalmen, chemists, etc.). This is due to the increased level of secrecy in the places of deployment of the Special Forces of the GRU (in other words, disguise). Most of the GRU special forces units wear the blue berets of the Airborne Forces. Until 1968, the Airborne Forces wore a raspberry beret for just over a year.
THE BLACK- marines, riot police, combat units of coastal troops, SOBR, tank troops.
MARKED- the distinctive sign of the special forces units of the internal troops. The right to wear is given only after passing the standards or in the form of an award for merit.
GREEN- Intelligence (The right to wear is given only after passing the standards or in the form of an award for merit).
GREEN (light)- Border Troops of the Russian Federation, an element of the dress uniform of the military personnel of the Border Guard Service of Russia.
OLIVE- special-purpose units, intelligence of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (the military command and control body of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - the Ministry of Defense of Russia, responsible for nuclear technical support and security). The right to wear, as well as maroon or green, is given only after passing the standards or in the form of an award for merit.
ORANGE- Ministry of Emergency Situations.
GREY- special purpose units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
CORNFLOWER- special forces units of the FSB, special forces of the presidential regiment, Special Forces of the FSO.
DARK BLUE- since the 1970s, it was introduced on a "private" basis by the commanders of the USSR Navy units, not only as an element of the "technical" form of clothing, but also as everyday and even ceremonial for not very solemn occasions (political studies, dismissals, etc.)
Accordingly, military personnel wearing a beret wear vests of the same color.
Given the practicality of the beret, the informal use of the beret by the European military goes back thousands of years. An example is the blue beret, which became the symbol of the Scottish military in the 16th and 17th centuries. As an official military headdress, the beret began to be used during the War of Succession to the Spanish Crown in 1830, commissioned by General Tomás de Zumalacárregui, who wanted to make headdresses resistant to the vagaries of mountain weather, easy to care for and used on special occasions in an inexpensive way. .
Other countries followed suit, after the creation of the French Alpine Chasseurs in the early 1880s. These mountain troops wore clothing that included several features that were innovative for the time. Including large berets, which have survived to this day.
Berets have features that make them very attractive to the military: they are cheap, can be made in a wide range of colors, can be rolled up and tucked into a pocket or under an epaulet, they can be worn with headphones (this is one of the reasons why tankers adopted berets) . The beret was found to be especially useful for armored car crews, and the British Tank Corps (later the Royal Tank Corps) adopted this headgear as early as 1918.
After World War 1, when the issue of official changes in the form of clothing was considered at a high level, General Elles, who was a promoter of berets, made another argument - during maneuvers it is comfortable to sleep in a beret and it can be used as a balaclava. After lengthy debate in the Ministry of Defense, the black beret was officially approved by His Majesty's decree of March 5, 1924. The black beret remained the exclusive privilege of the Royal Tank Corps for quite some time. Then the practicality of this headgear was noticed by the rest, and by 1940 all armored units in the UK began to wear black berets.
German tank crews in the late 1930s also adopted the beret with the addition of a padded helmet inside. Black has become popular in the headgear of tank crews as it does not show oil stains.
The Second World War gave berets a new popularity. English and American saboteurs, thrown behind German lines, in particular, to France, quickly appreciated the convenience of berets, especially dark colors - it was convenient to hide hair under them, they protected the head from the cold, the beret was used as a balaclava, etc. Some English units introduced berets as a headdress for formations and military branches. For example, it happened with the SAS - the Special Aviation Service, a special forces unit engaged in sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines - they took a sand-colored beret (it symbolized the desert, where the SAS had to work hard against Rommel's army). British paratroopers chose a crimson beret - according to legend, this color was suggested by the writer Daphne DuMaurier, the wife of General Frederick Brown, one of the heroes of the Second World War. For the color of the beret, paratroopers immediately received the nickname "cherries". Since then, the crimson beret has become the unofficial symbol of military paratroopers around the world.
The first use of berets in the US military dates back to 1943. The 509th Airborne Regiment received crimson berets from their English colleagues as a sign of recognition and respect. The use of a beret as a headdress for military personnel in the Soviet Union dates back to 1936. According to the order of the NPO of the USSR, women soldiers and students of military academies were supposed to wear dark blue berets as part of summer uniforms.
Berets became the default military headdress at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, just like the cocked hat, shako, cap, cap, kepi, at one time in their respective eras. Berets are now worn by many military personnel in most countries around the world.
And now, in fact, about the berets in the elite troops. And we will start, of course, with the Alpine Jaegers - the unit that introduced the fashion for wearing berets in the army. The Chasseurs Alpine (Mountain Fusiliers) are the elite mountain infantry of the French Army. They are trained to fight in mountainous terrain and in urban areas. They wear a wide dark blue beret.
The French Foreign Legion wears light green berets.
The French Navy commandos wear the green beret.
The French Marines wear dark blue berets.
French Air Force Commandos wear dark blue berets.
French paratroopers wear red berets.
German airborne troops wear berets in maroon (Maroon).
The German Special Forces (KSK) wear berets of the same color but with a different emblem.
The Swiss Guards of the Vatican wear a large black beret.
The Royal Dutch Marines wear dark blue berets.
The Airmobile Brigade (11 Luchtmobiele Brigade) of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands wears maroon berets (Maroon).
The Finnish Marines wear green berets.
Italian paratroopers of the Carabinieri regiment wear red berets.
Soldiers of the special unit of the Italian Navy wear green berets.
The Portuguese Marines wear dark blue berets.
Soldiers of the British Parachute Regiment wear maroon berets.
Special Air Service (SAS) commandos have been wearing beige berets (tan) since World War 2.
The British Royal Marines wear green berets.
Riflemen from Her Majesty's Gurkha Brigade wear green berets.
Canadian paratroopers wear berets in maroon (Maroon).
Australian Army 2nd Commando Regiment wears green berets
American Rangers wear a beige beret (tan).
The American "Green Berets" (United States Army Special Forces) naturally wear the green berets that President John F. Kennedy approved for them in 1961.
US Army Airborne troops wear maroon berets, which they received in 1943 from their British counterparts and allies.
And in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), berets are not worn. In 1951, the Marine Corps introduced several types of berets, green and blue, but they were rejected by tough warriors because they looked "too feminine."
South Korean Marines wear green berets.
Georgian Army Special Forces wear maroon (Maroon) berets.
Serbian special forces soldiers wear black berets.
The Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan wears blue berets.
Hugo Chavez wears the red beret of the Venezuelan Paratrooper Brigade.
Let's move on to the valiant elite troops of Russia and our fellow Slavs.
Our response to the appearance in the armies of NATO countries of units that wore berets, in particular parts of the US SOF, whose uniform headgear is green, was the Order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR dated November 5, 1963 No. 248. According to the order, a new field uniform is being introduced for special forces units of the USSR Marine Corps. This uniform was supposed to be a black beret, made of cotton fabric for sailors and sergeants of military service and woolen fabric for officers.
The cockades and stripes on the berets of the marines changed many times: replacing the red star on the berets of sailors and sergeants with a black oval-shaped emblem with a red star and bright yellow edging, and later, in 1988, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR No. 250 of March 4, the oval emblem was replaced by an asterisk bordered by a wreath. There were also many innovations in the Russian army, and now it looks like this. After the approval of a new uniform for the marines, berets appeared in the airborne troops. In June 1967, Colonel General V.F. Margelov, then commander of the Airborne Forces, approved sketches of a new uniform for the airborne troops. The designer of the sketches was the artist A. B. Zhuk, known as the author of many books on small arms and as the author of illustrations for the SVE (Soviet Military Encyclopedia). It was A. B. Zhuk who proposed the crimson color of the beret for paratroopers. A raspberry-colored beret was at that time an attribute of belonging to the landing troops all over the world, and V.F. Margelov approved the wearing of a raspberry beret by military personnel of the Airborne Forces during parades in Moscow. On the right side of the beret was sewn a small blue triangular flag with the emblem of the airborne troops. On the berets of sergeants and soldiers in front there was a star framed by a wreath of ears, on the berets of officers, instead of an asterisk, a cockade was attached.
You will need
- Takes a drop (choose your size, look at 54-55),
- water (preferably hot)
- shaving foam or gel
- hairspray (colorless),
- disposable razor,
- scissors,
- any plastic card
- cockade.
Instruction
To begin with, we cut out the lining at with scissors, but at the same time we do not cut off the insert for the cockade. Next, immerse the beret in hot water and wait 2 minutes for it to completely soak. We take it out, slightly squeeze it, insert the cockade exactly in the center (we are guided by the insert inside the beret), put it on the head and tighten the ropes at the back of the head, tie it.
Without removing the beret, we begin to smooth it with our hands in the right directions. We smooth the left side back, bringing the hand to the back of the head. We stroke the top of the head to the right side, create a half-disk at the right ear. We make the arch for the cockade as follows: we hold the cockade, and with the right we smooth it from the crown forward, creating an edging.
Then everything is much simpler, you just need to trim these sides and remove stains and pits. Do not be afraid to smooth it harder, the beret will not tear. Pay special attention to the arch and half-disk at the ear, make them more prominent and even (it is advisable to iron the half-disk back to the back of the head after its formation, press it well to the ear and bend the ends). Your choice of how you want the half-disk to look like: covering the half-disk, lightly touching it, or just hanging in the air above it.
After we have made the form, we continue to improve it. We take shaving foam and apply on the beret in large quantities. We coat everything thoroughly, each section (we don’t remove the beret !!!). Then we wait a few minutes, you can also iron the sides a little, but not much. Then we wet our hands with water and begin to rub the foam (which is on the beret) with movements from side to side, with medium pressure.
Having removed all the stains and white spots, we iron the shape a little more, smooth out the flaws and leave our creation alone. In no case do we remove the beret, we walk in it for about 1.5 hours, or even more. It is advisable to be in a warm place so that it dries on you.
When it gets dry on your head, you can put it on a table or on a battery to dry completely, but so that the half-disk hangs from the edge. Then a completely dry beret, we must get rid of the pellets that formed from our foam and water. We take a razor and shave in the same directions where we smoothed the creation. We shave so that the surface is smooth and without defects, everything is neat and not in a hurry.
After that, we take hairspray and spray it on the inside of the beret, that is, where we cut out the lining. Spend all the varnish, do not spare it, the more the better. All this is done in order to make the beret harder. You will feel the result after such an operation.
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