The courage and fearlessness of warriors manifested in battles was praised in every era. Those who showed these qualities were awarded orders that testified to their self-sacrifice. One of the hallmarks was the wound patch.
Appearance story
It should be noted that in the Russian Empire, one of the first among other states of modern history appeared signs of injury for soldiers and officers of this format. Their extradition was established in 1906. Then the wounded and shell-shocked participants in the war with Japan relied on medals with a ribbon and a bow.
World War I
The last Russian Tsar decided to reward the wounded during the battles of the First World War. The issuance procedures and all related rules were approved in a 1916 order. It has become impossible to maintain the design of previous decals. And this time, the Russian Empire provided galloon and basson stripes. The lower ranks received such strips in red, and the officers in gold and silver. They were placed on the left sleeve.
Wearing rules
All wounded in the war wore them on every kind of uniform - on a tunic, uniform, shirt and overcoat. Extradition was by the number of wounds. Moreover, if a wounded soldier became an officer, he wore stripes for wounds of red, soldier's color, for wounds received before receiving the rank. Patches have always been attached in a horizontal direction. Necessarily noted with such a sign and injuries preceding this war. For officers it was obligatory to wear them in a contrasting color: for gold epaulets - stripes of silver color, and for silver - gold. While for all soldiers the chronology of injuries was not taken into account, and all the stripes were red.
These signs were worn only in active parts. In the rear, they were strictly prohibited except for the military, which had from three stripes. With the end of hostilities, all military personnel were vested with the right to wear these signs at any time.
During the bloody war of white and red, special patches existed for both sides of the hostilities. The soldiers used silver tinsel rectangles.
The Great Patriotic War
Patches for injuries during the Second World War became legendary. They were brought into use only a year after the start of hostilities - in 1942. By that time, the evidence of their need had grown to the limit. And the decree of the Defense Committee introduced special badges. They were issued to all military personnel who were injured during battles with the enemy, or injured soldiers who were at that time in their combat posts.
All fighters with wound patches were highly respected. The situation was aggravated by the fact that orders and medals had been preparing for extradition for a soldier for a very long time. Documents on awards considered for a long time - sometimes for months. While the life of each fighter constantly hung in the balance. At any moment in every battle, everything ended with a funeral or a hospital for so many Red Army soldiers.
After the hospitals, it was almost impossible to be back with the military comrades in the unit. This distinguished the Soviet system from the German one. The situation was simpler for the officers and pilots. A fighter from the infantry troops, the path to former colleagues was through the regimental or divisional medical battalion. This is after injuries of mild severity.
From the front hospital or from the rear, one could forget about returning to brothers in arms. The fighters were sent to the recovering, and then replenished with their thinned parts. Because of this system, many of the legitimate praises from the state were lost by the soldiers who deserved them.
Some of the veterans received their orders and medals 15 years after the victory.
That was the advantage of the patches for injuring the Second World War, that they received them in a simplified manner. There was enough information and notes in the book of the Red Army man. Every fighter carried this with him. With the injury, everyone independently sewed galloons. Although shell-shocked decals were not issued. However, according to rumors, it was allowed to sew purple or dark chevrons to those who were concussed.
Navy characters
Some liberties existed in the fleet of those times. Patches for injuring sailors were placed on the outfit sleeves. Nevertheless, many sailors sewed them, as in the army, on the chest on the right side. Marine decals were placed according to the chronology of the injuries received, and not according to the priority of the stripes of gold color. This was characteristic of both privates and officers.
Deprivation
The decals issued once did not break when hit in the penal battalion. While at the same time the awards fell, the ranks were taken away. This always happened by order of the commanders; there were no decrees about it. Galloon strips were sewn tightly, they were torn off only, as they say, "with meat."
With the outbreak of hostilities, the presence of wound patches was recognized as an acceptable insignia. And already closer to the end of the Great Patriotic War in the army ranks it was considered an exceptional phenomenon when the wounded, especially many times, lacked government awards. This was an oversight of the commander.
There was a lot of brilliance among staff officers and in the rear, and the front patches were not enough. And yet, some of the soldiers went without brilliant orders. The yellow or red strip was clear evidence that the fighter did not go to the rear, but was a real veteran who sniffed gunpowder and shed blood for his Fatherland.
Appearance
The stripes were rectangular, reaching 43 mm in length and 6 mm in width. They were silk, for light wounds - a red tint, and for a severe wound - yellow. The number of stripes indicated the number of injuries sustained.
Injuries of mild severity were considered injuries in the soft tissues when vital organs, bones, joints, and the largest blood vessels were not affected. They also included burns of the 2nd and 1st degrees.
Injuries with injuries to the bone, joint, vital organ, and large blood vessel were recognized as severe wounds. These were any life-threatening injuries. These included serious through injuries, frostbite, burns of the 3rd and 4th degree.
The treatment of all injuries of the Red Army was confirmed by the provision of relevant documents. They were issued in hospitals and similar organizations of the war years. The commanders of the Red Army necessarily made a mark in their personal identity cards, certified by the signatures of higher authorities.
Ordinary fighters made a similar mark in the Red Army book. Mandatory was the signature of the chief of staff.
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 shape on the right side of the chest 1 cm above orders and medals.
The appearance of the fleet
On the Red Army fleet, these decals were rectangular in shape, made of silk fabrics. They were sewn in a horizontal direction. They reached 5 mm in width and 43 mm in length. Streaks of golden hue indicated severe injuries affecting vital organs, burns and frostbite of the 3rd and 4th degrees, through wounds. Rectangles in a burgundy hue are light. Between the strips there were small gaps of 3 mm.
Conclusion
The fighters, and later veterans, were proud of their traumas, because they harbored many memories of difficult but glorious minutes of fighting. They recalled the trials they went through to save their country and their loved ones. They reminded of those fellow comrades who did not return from the fields of fierce battles.
With the end of the battle suffering with great efforts, the enemy troops were destroyed. But such special strips on their 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 start of the war years.
It must be emphasized that only in 1985, on the fortieth anniversary of the Victory, orders were issued to all participants in the hostilities in memory of the Patriotic War. All injured and shell-shocked veterans were honored with orders of the 1st degree.