Army Shoulder Boards of the Soviet Superpower (1960-1978)

This section displays the shoulder rank boards worn by Soviet ground forces: army, the air defense forces (PVO), and strategic rocket forces <1>.  Spread over two pages, they cover all ranks from private soldier to general grade officers.  Marshal and chief marshal boards are not shown as originals are very difficult to obtain.  The first page displays the rank boards of the 1958 reforms which the army began the period with, while the second lists those of the 1969 regulations and the subsequent changes that followed.

In the section below you will find the rank boards of the 1958 reforms, which were worn by the army for a decade through events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Prague Spring.  While generally considered modern, the uniforms still retained traces of their wartime origins.  In 1969 a number of highly placed officials felt that it was time to change the appearance of the army and navy yet again to reflect the changing times.

This began with an order No. 417 of the Soviet Ministry of Defense on 30 May 1969 <2>.  This order ushered in the new uniform regulations.  This order was followed by Decree No. 4024-VII of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 30 May 1969 which mandated even wider changes to rank insignia, uniform ornamentation and embroidery.  These broad reforms were the final departure from the insignia of the Patriotic War era, and projected the image of a thoroughly modern military force.

In the years that followed, only two minor changes would be made to these regulations.  The first was Decree of Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 18 November 1971 which established the rank of warrant officer (praporchik) in the ground forces <2>.  The second was Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 1 November 1974 which abolished the 4-star General of the Army rank board in favor of one featuring a single large Marshal's star.  This rank board was further modified in 1975 to define the star as being 34mm across <2>.

Back to Insignia Index

1958 Pattern

1969 Pattern

 
Boards for Great Coat & Tunic (4-sided)

• General and Marshal

• Senior Officer

• Junior Officer
  
   

Boards for Shirt (6-sided)

• General and Marshal

• Senior Officer

• Junior Officer

Enlisted Boards

• Branch of Service Colors

• Enlisted Ranks For Coat (4-sided)

• Enlisted For Tunic (5-sided)

• Officer Cadets

Boards for Great Coat & Jacket
(4-sided)

• General Officers

• Senior Officers

• Junior Officers
   

Boards for Shirt (6-sided)

• General Officers (for Shirt)

• Senior Officers (for Shirt)

• Junior Officers (for Shirt)

Warrant Officer Boards

• For Coat and Tunic (4-sided)

• For Shirt (6-sided)

Enlisted Boards

• Branch of Service Colors

• Enlisted Men

• Officer Cadet

Shoulder Boards for Greatcoat and Tunic (Four sided)

In this section you will find the 1958 officer pattern shoulder rank boards worn on greatcoats, jackets, and tunics.  The rank boards came in three different types based on when they were to be worn.  The first was the basic officer parade rank board which can be found in the first column.  Parade boards for the support services (medical, justice, administrative, intendant, and veterinary) were issued in reversed colors and were narrower than the standard issue boards <1>.  Additionally, the rank stars used on the boards were of opposite color as the boards themselves.  For everyday use an officer would commonly wear the service/field pattern boards, and when the greatcoat was worn it would be fitted with special boards of its own.

All of the four-sided boards were designed to be sewn directly onto the shoulders of the uniforms.  Branch of service color still varied on the service/field boards, but to a lesser degree than in the previous regulations.  Additional rank boards ranging from soldier to Marshal to be placed in this section as they are obtained.

 Generals and Marshals

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

 Coming Soon!
(except Administrative)

Coming Soon!

 Senior Officer

Shoulder Boards for Shirt (Six-sided)

The six-sided officer shoulder boards were designed to be worn with a variety of tunics and the newly introduced shirt sleeve uniform.  These rank boards were designed to be slipped through loops on the shoulders and secured by a 14mm button that was sewn through to the tunic.

The parade boards were worn on special occasions, while the service boards were worn for everyday affairs and in the field.  All stars and insignia would be gold/silver when worn as an everyday uniform, but were changed to camouflage stars for field duty.

 Generals and Marshals

 Senior Officer

 Coming Soon!

 Junior Officer

The enlisted shoulder boards established in 1958 continued the earlier 1955 pattern of three colors to denote the branch of service of enlisted personnel.  The colors remained identical to the 1955 regulations.  Examples of the two ground forces boards are shown below.

 1958 Pattern Enlisted Shoulder
Boards for Greatcoat and Jacket (4-sided)

Here you will find the shoulder rank boards worn by enlisted conscripts and extended servicemen on greatcoats and jackets following Order #170 of the USSR Ministry of Defense in 1958 <1>.  As these types of uniforms were becoming more popular in the Soviet inventory, the four sided boards became more widely used.

The cloth boards were very simple in design, being the branch of service color on one side and olive green on the underside.  The only markings found on the colored side would be strips denoting rank.  The stripes were yellow on the service pattern and green on the field pattern <1>.  The boards were designed to be sewn directly onto the shoulders of the uniform.

 1958 Pattern Enlisted Shoulder
Boards for Shirt (5-sided)

The five sided shoulder rank boards were worn with uniforms such as the field gymnastiorka and the parade-walking out mundir.  In appearance they were identical to the 1955 enlisted pattern rank boards <1>.  The service boards were the branch of service color on the top and olive green on the bottom.  Maker markings would often, but not always, be stamped on this underside portion.  Some of the boards were designed with a strap that could be pulled through the loops on a tunic then fastened with a button, others were simply sewn onto the shoulder area after removing any straps that may have already been present on the uniform.

In either case all enlisted boards were retained to the uniform by an 18mm brass button sewn through the uniform.  These buttons were identical to their wartime counterparts and featured a hammer and sickle within a star.  The buttons on the service boards were brass, while those on the field boards were painted green.

 Officer Cadets

Officer Cadets of the Soviet army wore their own shoulder boards to indicate their status.

1 - Voennaya Odezhda Voorukennik Sil CCCP i Rossii (1917-1999- godi), Redkaya Kniga, 1999. Print
2 - Soviet Army Uniforms 1961, United Kingdom War Office, 1961. Print