Legendary marine jersey - how much meaning is invested in these words! This is the story of more than one generation. The vest is valued on a par with the shrine. In Russia, it has become not only part of the uniform of the Marine Corps and the submarine Navy, but also the airborne armed forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the border troops, special forces and the internal army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Each Russian army has its own vest with a unique color of stripes, the selection criteria of which, one might assume, characterize the field of activity of each…
Navy
German opponents spoke about the sailors and marines of the times of the Great Patriotic War as "striped devils". This branch of the military wears jerseys with black stripes. It was not about the color, not about how many stripes on the vest, and not even about the extremely strong-willed qualities of Russian sailors. The roots of such a nickname go back to the history of Europe, where in the past for a very long time striped clothes were worn by heretics rejected by society, lepers, executioners who did not own any rights. When the Germans saw marines on land, they were overwhelmed with fear on the geneticlevel. Sailors, even in battles on land, refused to change their main parts of the uniform: a peakless cap and a vest with a pea jacket. This is what differentiated them from infantry soldiers.
For camouflage, the Marines dressed up in the uniform of the ground forces. But even in it, the vest remained an undershirt. If someone wore it in a duffel bag, because they wanted to keep it longer, then before the fight it was always put on. Indeed, since ancient times there has been a Russian tradition: to put on a clean undershirt before the start of the battle. Someone thinks that the power of Russian sailors is hidden in a special jersey - its colors and how many stripes on the fighter's vest.
After all, at one time the French Navy adopted a standard in 1852, according to which a vest should have 21 stripes. This is the number of victories of the great Napoleon.
Fearlessness
Sailors have always had a special bold spirit. Throwing an overcoat and a pea jacket on the ground, dressed in a vest, they walked towards the enemy with a bayonet in their hands. The first battle on land among the sailors took place in June 1941, on the 25th.
Sergeant Prostorov at the head of the B altic corsairs, under the cry of "Polundra", drove the Germans in disgrace, who were known as winners in Europe. The strike force of the Russian army was formed from fighters in vests. The whole point is not how many stripes are on the vest, but in the inner strength of the Russian spirit. The command knew: these warriors would not retreat! They were where it was most dangerous to fight. The Marine Corps of the Soviet Union plunged into panic and instilled fear in the enemy…
Origin
The history of the vest itself dates back to the time of the conquest of the geographic space of the Earth - in the seventeenth century. Then the maritime professions were just developing. Accordingly, there was a lack of staff. Most of the European fleet was made up of sailors from Brittany. Most likely, the Bretons did not care how many stripes on the vest - they put on black and white work shirts, which played the role of a talisman against sea evil spirits.
Besides, in such a sailor's shirt you can see better against the background of the surrounding landscapes. In addition, dirt is not so conspicuous. Most of the Breton nautical personnel ended up on Dutch ships. Here they paid well and did not forbid the Bretons to wear striped overalls. By the end of the 17th century, it would become the underwear of sailors throughout Europe.
Distribution
Russians were no exception. It is not known for certain how many stripes are on the sailor's vest and when exactly it entered the life of the Russian fleet. But, most likely, the Dutch brought the vest to Russia in the middle of the seventeenth century. Their merchant ships began to go to Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory. The Dutch and the British were reputed to be trendsetters in fashionable marine ammunition. Therefore, Peter I adopted the form of the Dutch for the Russian flotilla, which was in its infancy.
But she was still without the Breton striped shirts. They spread more widely among Russian sailors of the second middle of the 19th century. There is a legend that in 1868 Prince Konstantin Romanov,being also an admiral, he received the crew of the frigate. All sailors came to the meeting in European striped sweatshirts.
They praised their virtues so much that after a while the prince signed a decree with the emperor on the official inclusion of a vest in the ammunition of Russian sailors (1874).
It became a cult garment later - after the Russo-Japanese War. When there was demobilization, sailors filled the cities. All around you could hear the rhythms of sea dances and stories of the brave battles for Port Arthur.
They were looking for adventure. This is the time when the culture of the flotilla was widely included in the masses, the concept of “sea soul” appeared, the symbol of which was a vest.
VDV and striped sweatshirt
When and how did the cult clothing of the fleet become the paraphernalia of blue berets and how many stripes are on the Russian paratrooper's vest? History says that back in 1959 they were awarded to a skydiver for a jump into the water, which is considered one of the most dangerous.
Then the vests appeared in the uniforms of the paratroopers (unofficially). But the key person who made the naval jersey the uniform of the Airborne Forces was the legendary commander Vasily Margelov. It didn't matter at all how many stripes were on the Navy's vest - it didn't matter to the paratroopers. The introduction of the "sea soul" into blue berets was opposed by Sergei Gorshkov, Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy. He said that these are anarchic manifestations in the troops of paratroopers.
But Margelov harshly said that he fought in the marines. And so he knows what he deserves andno paratroopers!
Officially, the blue striped vest made its debut at the Prague events in August 1968: Soviet paratroopers, dressed in a striped sweatshirt, proved to be a decisive force in stopping the Prague Spring. Blue berets received a baptism of fire, bypassing all the bureaucratic issues - with the blessing of Margelov.
The new form has not been spelled out in any official document. And it doesn’t matter how many stripes are on the Airborne Forces vest (the number simply depends on the size of the sweatshirt) - it has become a symbol of masculinity and a special spirit of fearlessness. Even future fighters are honored to walk around in a striped jersey.
Modernity
Today, Russian troops of various kinds wear a vest. The set of cadets of naval, civil river and sea educational institutions includes a marine vest as an obligatory element of the uniform. Although the border guards, thanks to the creation of the border flotilla of the White, B altic and Caspian Seas, put it on back in 1893, and in 1898 it became with green stripes. In the 90s of the XX century, vests were officially developed for border guards - green, special forces of the VV - maroon, special forces of the FSB and the presidential regiment - cornflower blue, Ministry of Emergency Situations - orange.
Of course, you can just count how many stripes on the sea vest, but it will not work. Ever since the USSR period, the number of stripes depends on the size of each military man, whether it be a sailor, marine or border guard. Conditionally: the forty-sixth size holds 33 strips, the fifty-sixth - 52.
Problems of quantitystripes has a symbolic numerology root in French vests. The same symbolism was used by the Dutch and the British. They preferred shirts with 12 stripes, like the number of human ribs, thus wanting to deceive fate: as if it were not a person, but a ghost-skeleton of the deceased…
