The Imperial Russian Army, short IRA (Russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, РИА), used particular ranks and rank insignia, oriented to German speaking and Anglophone armed forces. However, the entire ranking system was closely connected to the Russian military historical traditions as well. The successor armed forces, the Red Army, abolished the historically crown ranks and the rank insignia in 1917. Military units engaged in the so-called White movement and in the champagnes of the Russian Civil War used these ranks until the year 1923.
Ranks and rank designation[]
General officers[]
| Desigantion | Commander in chief & higher commanders | |||
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| Rank dersignation shoulder strap | ||||
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| Rank insignia | General Field Marshal | General of the branch | Lieutenant general | Major general |
| native desigantion | (Генерал-фельдмаршал) (General-feldmarschal) |
(Генерал рода войск) (General roda woisk) |
(Генера́л-лейтена́нт) (General-leitenant) |
(Генера́л-майо́р) (General-maior) |
| NATO rank | OF-10 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OR-6 |
- Remark
- The abbreviation "OF" stands for de: "Offizier / en: officer / fr: officier / ru: офицер".
Officers[]
| Desigantion | Herausgehobene Kommandeure, Einheitsführer & Offiziere | |||||||
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| Rank insignia shoulder strap | ||||||||
| Rank insignia | Polkovnik | Podpolkovnik | Major | Kapitan | Stabskapitän | Porutchik | Podporuchik | Praporshchik |
| Native desigantion | Полковник | Подполко́вник | Майо́р | Капитан | Штабс-капитан | Пору́чик | Подпору́чик | Пра́порщик |
| Cavalry | Stabsrittmeister | Kornet | ||||||
| Cossack army | Podesault | Sotnik | Chorunschi | |||||
| Rank group | Stab-ofizer | Ober-ofizer | ||||||
| NATO rank | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | |||
Non-commissioned officers & enlisted men[]
| Desigantion | Non-commissioned officers, Unterführer & enlisted men (1. Newski Infantery regiment) | ||||||||
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| Rank insignia shoulder strap | |||||||||
| Rank insignia | Zaurjad-praporshtchik (1907-1917) |
Podpraporshchik (1855-1917) |
Feldwebel | Unterfeldwebel | Unteroffizier | Gefreiter | Rjadowoi | ||
| native desigantion | (Зауряд-прапорщик) | (Подпрапощик) | (Фельдфебель) | (Старший унтер-офицер, starschi unter-ofizer) |
(Младший унтер-офицер, mladschi unter-ofizer) |
(Ефрейтор) | (Рядовой) | ||
| Rank group | Unter-ofizer | Soldat | |||||||
| NATO rank | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-4 | OR-2 | OR-1 | ||
Other regiments[]
Examples pertaining to shoulder straps/ cadet corpus of the Imperial Army are illustrated below.
(kaiserl. Hoheit Nikolai I)
(Karopolian Dragoon)
.jpg "Pogony russkikh imperatorskikh kadetskikh korpusov(Pskov).jpg (79 KB)")
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The Imperial Russian Navy (Russian: Российский императорский флот), also regular Russian navy of the Russian Empire, has been established en of the 17th century, under regency of Tsar Peter I. und by personal leadership of Franz Lefort. It existed until the October Revolution in the year 1917.[1] In this connection, in European naval forces at that time common usual ranks and rank insignia have been treated.
Flag officers[]
| Bezeichnung | Commander in chief & higher flag officers | |||||||
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| Rank insignia shoulder strap & cuff title | ||||||||
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| Rank insignia | Generaladmiral | Admiral | Vizeadmiral | Konteradmiral | ||||
| native desigantion | (General-admiral) | (Admiral) | (Wize-admiral) | (Kontr-admiral) | ||||
| NATO rank | OF-10 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | ||||
Officers[]
| Bezeichnung | Commanders at sea (afloat units)/ units & officers | |||||
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| Rank insignia shoulder strap | ||||||
| Rank insignia | Kapitän zur See | Fregattenkapitän | Oberleutnant zur See |
Leutnant zur See |
Michman | |
| native desigantion | (Kapitan perwowo ranga) | (Kapitan wtorowo ranga) | (Starschi leitenant) | (Leitenant) | (1909-1917) | (1884-1909) |
| Rank group | Stab-ofizer | Ober-ofizer | ||||
| NATO rank | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-1 | |||
Non-commissioned officers & enlisted men[]
| Bezeichnung | Petty officers, NCOs & enlisted men | ||||||
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| Rank insignia shoulder strap | |||||||
| Rank insignia | Stabsbootsmann | Gardemarin Kondukteur Oberfeldscher |
Bootsmann | Bootsmannsmaat | Quartiermeister | Obermatrose (Matrosengefreiter) |
Matrose |
| native desigantion | (Starschi bozman) | (Gardmarin, Konduktor Starschi feldscher) |
(Bozman) | (Bozmanmat) | (Kwartirmeister) | (Matros perwoi stati) | (Matros wtoroi stati) |
| NATO rank | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-4 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |
See also[]
- History of Russian military ranks
- Ranks and rank insignia of the Red Army 1918–1935 and ... 1935–1940
- Ranks and rank insignia of the Red Army 1940–1943
- Army ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation
Regerences[]
- ↑ Erich Donnert: Peter the Great (de: Peter der Große), Koehler & Amelang, Leipzig, page. 130
The original article can be found at Ranks and rank insignia of the Russian armed forces until 1917 and the edit history here.