Ober – officer, headquarters officer is division into ranks.officers in the Russian army until 1917. The last of them was higher - from major to colonel. And the chief officer is a junior officer - from ensign to captain. The term “junior” in our case should be distinguished from the term “non-commissioned officer” - a transitional title between soldiers and officers, which was given to especially distinguished soldiers who did not have a noble title.
An analogy can be made with the modern army:For the rank of officer, you must have a higher military education, so there are "transitional" titles - foremen and warrant officers. We turn directly to the ranks of senior officers.
Прапорщики – обер-офицеры, носившие на погоне one asterisk (in some cases none) is the lowest rank in the officer’s career path. In the artillery of this rank did not exist - it corresponded to the bayonet-junker. Thus, the ensign is one of the main characters in Bela M. Yu. Lermontov - Pechorin.
Ober officers could also have the titlesecond lieutenants. They had two stars on their shoulder straps. The cornet and the cornet in the cavalry were also equated with the rank of second lieutenant. The first rank was met only among the Cossacks, the second - from other cavalry branches. In the Navy, this title corresponded to the midshipman.
It is necessary to understand that in the army and navy everythingwhile military reforms were underway. Ober officers were also drawn into them. From 1884, the rank of ensign was abolished, and the first junior officer rank became a second lieutenant and cornet.
Обер-офицеры получали и звания поручиков.In the Cossack troops corresponded to the centurion. The lieutenants wore epaulets with three stars on each. By the way, this title is often found in various heroes in Russian classical literature. And there is an explanation: the lieutenants are young people, but not youths. Now they make "adult" mistakes and miscalculations. Among them are the losers in the cards, and the heroes, and cowards, and others. The lieutenant corresponds to the rank of senior lieutenant in the modern Russian army.
In cavalry, the rank of captain correspondedthe rank of captain-in-chief, among the Cossacks, the head of the porch. They wore shoulder straps with four stars on each. Let us recall once again the work of M. Yu. Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time”. There, this rank was worn by the ingenuous and kind Maxim Maximovich.
Captain - the highest ober-officer rank. In cavalry he was met by the captain, and by the Cossacks he was called a sesul. The captain commanded a company or battery, the captain - a squadron.
The chief officer of the Life Grenadier Regiment used a special honor in the Russian army. Those who carried this title always emphasized this during any conversation.
The Life-Grenadier Regiment is the elite of the Russianroyal army. It received its name from a hand grenade with a wick - grenada. The first grenadiers are soldiers who threw such grenades. For this it was necessary to quickly get to the enemy. Naturally, the grenadiers suffered the greatest losses in the battles. For them, they have always made exceptions in the statute and in the recruitment of personnel.
In 1756, in Riga, the firstGrenadier Regiment by decree of Empress Elizabeth. Before that, the Grenadier companies were auxiliary in the infantry regiments. The first Grenadier Regiment heroically proved himself in the battle of Kunersdorf during the Seven Years War. It was his attack that decided the outcome of the whole battle. In 1760, the unit occupied the outskirts of Berlin. The regiment was distinguished by its bravery in the Russian-Turkish wars, and in 1775 he was given the title of the Life-Grenadier Regiment. Serving in it was considered an honor, and when it was assembled, a strict selection of candidates was carried out.
Do not forget that the officers in Russia beforeRevolutions are not only a military post, but also a public title. Before the revolution, he was considered a synonym for the notion of a “nobleman,” since it was from nobles who considered it their duty to serve the Fatherland that officers were recruited. For this state and gave them privileges. Only the military officer service was considered honorable among the privileged class.
Не случайно большевики во время революции в negatively use the term "officer", emphasizing their class identity. During the reform of the Soviet army, during the Great Patriotic War, many of the militant Soviet military divisions and com-corps who fought in the Civil War for the Red Army, wrote en masse reports on layoffs. They said that the concept of “officer” is perceived in their minds as “enemy”, “nobleman”, therefore they cannot bear the title of “Soviet officers”.
Then the motivation for introducing innovation wasnext: the Germans threatened not the Soviet regime, but the Motherland, so it was necessary to forget the ideological and political differences and defend the interests of Russia. The reform created a spirit of continuity with the royal military victories. Prior to this, any mention of the glorious victories of Russian commanders in the pre-revolutionary period was forbidden.
Even Peter the Great understood that a tough casteThe system in Russia had a negative effect on the development of the state: almost the entire population was in a state of apathy and indifference. The nobles knew that in any case they would move up the career ladder. The rest, on the contrary, understood that under no circumstances it is impossible to “jump over your head.” The great reformer broke this centuries-old tradition: in the Table of Ranks, ranks appeared to which all classes could reach.
Революционным оказалось то, что по достижении this rank man acquired the title of a nobleman. His future children also had the right to receive this title. In fact, there was a revolution that abolished the tough caste system in our country. However, those children who were born before the father received the necessary rank were given a special status - “sons (children) of chief officers”.
So, we will analyze in more detail what is thiscase of nobility. How could the son of an ober officer get a privileged title? Only personal merit. For all the others, a special non-existent class was introduced, which was higher than their original position, but lower than the nobility. Later, in 1832, the "children of senior officers" will receive a special status - "honorary citizens."
