The rank of ensign in the Russian army was introduced in 1630 as the primary chief officer rank for foreign regiments, and was then enshrined in the Charter of 1647. In rank, an ensign was higher than a corporal and lower than a lieutenant. Since 1680, by decree of the then Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, the rank of ensign was extended to all regiments, including the Streltsy, where before that an equal rank did not exist. In terms of status, the rank of ensign became higher than sub-ensign and lower than lieutenant.
In 1722, with the introduction of the Table of Ranks, Peter I tried to replace the rank of ensign with the rank of fendrik, but it did not take root. The rank of ensign disappeared only in the artillery and pioneer troops, where the rank of bayonet cadet was introduced, which was listed a grade higher. Ensigns of all other branches of the military belonged to the XIV class of the Table, ensigns of the guard - to the XII class, and were titled “your honor.” Until 1845, the rank of ensign was given by hereditary nobility, then until 1856 - only personal, and from 1884 - only hereditary honorary citizenship. In the cavalry, the rank of ensign was replaced by the rank of cornet in 1731, but was restored again in 1765 and finally abolished in 1798. In the life campaign that existed in 1741-1762, an ensign belonged to the VI class of the Table, his status was higher than a sergeant and lower than an adjutant. In other troops, the ensign was higher in status than the sergeant major (sergeant in the cavalry) and lower than the second lieutenant.
In 1765, in the artillery, bayonet cadets were recertified as ensigns from the artillery, in 1798 this rank was abolished, in 1811 the rank of ensign was returned for the artillery and pioneer troops, and assigned to the XIV class of the Table, although previously all other chief officer ranks of special troops were listed one class higher. With the formation of the “Young Guard” units in 1813, the ensigns in them were assigned to class XIII of the Table. In the company of palace grenadiers, formed in 1827, warrant officers belonged to the XI class of the Table and were higher in status than sergeant majors and lower than second lieutenants, as in the entire guard. In army units, since 1826, warrant officers were higher in status than sub-ensigns (artillery conductors) and lower than second lieutenants.
Since January 1, 1827, the insignia of an ensign has been one star on the chief officer's epaulette, and since April 28, 1854, an ensign's shoulder strap has appeared. The shoulder strap had one gap, and the rank of ensign was indicated by one asterisk on this gap.
After the reform of 1884, the rank of ensign became an optional wartime rank for the army and guard, where it was restored in all units except the company of palace grenadiers. To be awarded the rank of ensign, an education of at least four years was required.
Since 1886, all warrant officers at the end of hostilities had to either be promoted to second lieutenant or midshipman, or be transferred to the reserve. Mass production of ensigns took place with the beginning of the First World War to cover the loss of personnel. officers in front-line units, and they were both trained in special schools (schools for warrant officers), and were produced in an accelerated manner from volunteers and non-commissioned officers; for the latter, it was enough for the latter to have two military awards and four classes of a parochial school.
Since 1907, and due to the introduction of the rank of ordinary warrant officer, warrant officers have become higher in status than ordinary warrant officers and lower than second lieutenants.
Usually warrant officers were appointed as platoon commanders and to positions equal to them. An ensign, awarded an order or an award weapon for military distinction, was subject to promotion to second lieutenant (an ensign in the Admiralty of a naval personnel - to midshipman), but during the First World War this rule was occasionally violated, as a rule - in relation to ensigns who were promoted from non-commissioned officers and had no
The junior lieutenant of the Red Army in rank corresponded to the pre-revolutionary ensign of education (even elementary at the level of a two-year college or parochial school).
In the white armies, since 1919, the rank of ensign was abolished. Ensigns were subject to recertification as cornets and second lieutenants, but volunteer ensigns newly accepted into the army remained in this rank for some time.
In the Red Army, the rank of ensign corresponded to the rank of junior lieutenant, introduced in 1937 on August 5, 1937 as an addition to the resolution of the Central Executive Committee and Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of September 22, 1935 on the introduction of military ranks.
In 1917-1972 in the Red Army, then in the Soviet Army until 1972, the rank called ensign did not exist. It was introduced on January 1, 1972. At the same time, the rank of midshipman was equated to him, which previously corresponded to a land sergeant major and had the corresponding shoulder strap. The former midshipman began to be called the chief ship's foreman. In terms of their official position, duties and rights, warrant officers occupied a place close to junior officers, being their closest assistants and superiors for soldiers (sailors) and sergeants (foremen) of the same unit. In this period, the status of an ensign was higher than that of a sergeant major and lower than that of a junior lieutenant. If we compare it with pre-revolutionary ranks, then the Soviet ensign was equal to the pre-revolutionary ensign (See: Table of correspondence of military and civilian ranks of pre-revolutionary Russia to their equivalents in the armies and civil departments of the USSR and the Russian Federation). Since 1981, the higher rank of senior warrant officer was introduced, corresponding to the pre-revolutionary mediocre warrant officer. The military rank of ensign was awarded, as a rule, upon completion of ensign schools.
The position of ensign appeared in the Russian Streltsy army shortly after the appearance of warrant officers themselves - junior officers who were initially responsible in battle for the movement and preservation of the banner (ensign) of the Streltsy hundred. Due to the high responsibility of the task performed, the most intelligent “low” non-commissioned officers were appointed as assistants to the warrant officer, which led to the fact that lieutenant warrant officers began to be considered the most senior among non-commissioned officers. During the campaign, it was they, and not the ensigns, who carried the unit’s banner.
Sub-ensign (belt-ensign) of the 33rd Old Ingermanland Regiment, estandard cadet of the 7th Dragoon Novorossiysk Regiment and sub-ensign of the Life Guards of the Ural Cossack Squadron.
In Russia in the 17th-20th centuries, lieutenant officer is one of the non-commissioned officer ranks, first introduced by the Decree “On Military Ranks” in 1680 for all regiments - riflemen, soldiers and reiters, with a status higher than corporal and lower than ensign. In 1698-1716, before the adoption of Peter the Great's Military Regulations, the status of a lieutenant officer was lower than a captain's captain and higher than a sergeant. In 1716-1722, before the adoption of the Table of Ranks, a lieutenant ensign was higher in status than a corporal and below a captain, then until 1765 - above a captain and below a sergeant. In 1765-1798 - above the captain and below the junior sergeant, in 1798-1826 - above the junior non-commissioned officer and below the sergeant. In the Guard, since 1838, the rank of lieutenant ensign was abolished and restored only in 1884, although it was retained as an optional rank for students educational institutions guard, equal to the rank of cadet, until 1859. In the life campaign in 1741-1761, lieutenant ensigns belonged to the VIII class of the Table together with fouriers and vice-sergeants, that is, they were equated to captain-lieutenants of the guard.
Sub-ensign of the Reiter regiments. 1680s.
Sub-ensign Dudnikov. Portrait by V. A. Poyarkov.
In the portrait of the full St. George cavalier Dudnikov, on the shoulder straps of the ensign, the sergeant major's stripes sewn on top are clearly visible.
Since 1716, in accordance with Peter's Charter, ensigns were entrusted with the responsibility of commanding those lagging behind on the march and supervising the sick and wounded during the campaign. Sub-ensigns of Russian origin received an annual salary of 13 rubles. Foreign ensigns were paid 72 rubles. In 1731, this difference was eliminated, and all ensigns were paid 72 rubles a year. From 1800 to 1826, after the abolition of the rank of sergeant, the lieutenant officer occupied a position between the junior non-commissioned officer and the sergeant major, and from 1826 until the introduction of the rank of ordinary ensign in 1907, the lieutenant officer became the most senior of the non-commissioned officer ranks, occupying a position above the sergeant major and below ensign. The reason for this move was not only the fact that, in accordance with formal logic, the ensign should be located under the ensign, but also the fact that since the abolition of the rank of sergeant, the commanders of the plutongs (platoons) were the ensigns. In general, during the 18th-19th centuries, the range of responsibilities of ensigns and the requirements for the level of their military and general educational training changed repeatedly. From the middle of the 18th century until the reform of 1826, the rank was also a kind of analogue of the rank of volunteer - persons who had a complete classical secondary education and, as a consequence, the right to be promoted to chief officer were automatically promoted to it. Before the introduction of the system of cadet schools, students of higher military educational institutions were promoted to lieutenant officers. Moreover, in those days even the shoulder straps of a lieutenant officer were the same as those of a cadet. It was an ordinary soldier's shoulder strap, trimmed along the side edges and the top edge with narrow gold braid. In 1880-1903, cadets who graduated from infantry cadet schools were automatically promoted to lieutenant ensigns before they were awarded the first chief officer rank. Until 1880 and since 1903, cadets who had not shown even minimal success in their studies or had committed some particularly disgraceful offenses, and were therefore released under the 3rd category (i.e., who were not promoted upon graduation) were released into the army as ensigns. to chief officers), they could not subsequently be promoted to belt-warrant officers or ordinary warrant officers, and could not serve the rank of warrant officer, but retained the right to be promoted directly to second lieutenant, subject to long, unblemished service and successful passing of exams under the warrant officer training program stock. In practice, such proceedings usually took place in the third year of service, and the examinations were taken rather formally.
Sub-ensign of the 10th New Ingermanland Infantry Regiment Grigory Selinchuk, March 1916.
After platoon commanders were assigned to the regular category of chief officers, only assistant platoon commanders began to be promoted to lieutenant warrant officers. Since 1907, the title was awarded exclusively to long-term servicemen. Their shoulder straps acquired a hexagonal shape, like those of officers. On their shoulder straps, ensigns had a longitudinal badge made of sword belt braid 5/8 of an inch wide, in the same color as the regiment's instrument metal. In addition to this stripe, they wore transverse stripes for their position. Two stripes - for the position of a detached non-commissioned officer, three stripes - for the position of a platoon non-commissioned officer, one wide - for the position of a sergeant major. In other positions, lieutenant officers did not have transverse stripes. The salary of a lieutenant officer in 1913 was 28.5 rubles per month in the first three years of service and 33.5 rubles in the following. For completing the first two years of service, a lieutenant officer received a one-time allowance of 150 rubles, and for 10 years of continuous service - a one-time allowance of one thousand rubles.
It should be borne in mind that since 1826, in the guard (in the so-called “old guard”), second ensigns were equal to army second lieutenants, but did not belong to the corresponding class of the Table of Ranks, in contrast to the sergeants and sergeants of the guard who were previously listed above them. Since 1843, in legal terms, cadets have been equated with ensigns and the same insignia has been installed for them - shoulder straps trimmed along the edge with narrow gold braid. Sub-ensigns (usually from the nobility), appointed to perform the duties of officers (commanders of individual units, etc.), wore a sword belt with a chief officer's galloon and an officer's lanyard on bladed weapons, and until 1907 were called sword belt-ensigns or, in the absence grounds for subsequent promotion to chief officer - ordinary warrant officer (until 1884), although, contrary to popular belief, this was not a separate rank or position at that time. In terms of status, the belt-ensign was equal to the belt-cadet. Despite the general similarity to the point of indistinguishability of the status of the sword belt-ensign and the ordinary warrant officer until 1907, the fundamental difference between them was that the sword belt-ensign could under no circumstances wear an officer’s uniform and insignia, and was not titled “your honor,” i.e. e. remained precisely a non-commissioned officer, although performing chief officer duties.
If a non-commissioned officer was promoted to lieutenant officer for distinction or as a candidate for promotion to chief officer, he wore non-commissioned officer's stripes on his shoulder straps over the braid of his previous rank (sergeant major or senior detached non-commissioned officer).
Shoulder straps for a lieutenant warrant officer for the position of sergeant major. 2nd Siberian Rifle General-Adjutant of Count Muravyov-Amursky Regiment.
Since 1801, non-commissioned officers from the nobility who had served at least three years in the rank received the right to be promoted to ensign upon retirement. Other non-commissioned officers, when placed on indefinite leave or resignation, could be encouraged to be promoted to the next rank. In practice, non-commissioned officers were most often promoted to lieutenant warrant officers or conductors. The position of guards ensigns was special - even without being promoted to guard ensigns, they could retire with an “army rank” or enter civil service. At the same time, for example, until 1859, a guard lieutenant officer could retire or transfer to the army as an army second lieutenant. For the cavalry, such practice in the process of promotion to cornets was allowed only if they passed an exam in the training program for cavalry cadets.
According to the statute of the insignia of the Military Order (St. George's Cross) from 1913, any military personnel awarded its 1st degree were automatically promoted to lieutenant warrant officers (of course, in those branches of the military and units where this rank existed), and those awarded the 2nd degree were promoted to lieutenant warrant officers upon retirement or transfer to the reserve. With the outbreak of the First World War, this rule began to be systematically violated.
On November 23, 1917, the rank of lieutenant officer was abolished, like all other ranks, ranks and titles.
Ensigns in the army - special category military personnel. The ensign is not interested in increasing his rank; length of service matters very much to him. small value, and, besides the rank of “senior warrant officer,” there are simply no promotions provided for him. The position of warrant officers also rarely changes, but if it does, it does not bring an increase in status: there are no higher positions for warrant officers that they could occupy. This position leaves its mark on the ensign’s personality, and it is difficult to say whether social position influences character or whether such a position is initially occupied by a person with a special character. Rather, the second is true, because over-conscripts who have been promoted become warrant officers, and any contract soldier always has the choice of studying to become a warrant officer or an officer. If he does not make any special efforts to go to study to become an officer, but simply goes where he was offered - in this case, to become an ensign - it means that by this very indifference he determines his future position: the position of an ensign. This means that his character is quite adequate to his position. In rare cases, a warrant officer receives an officer after some time.
An ensign usually holds positions related to the management of army property, so he can fully support himself financially. Unlike an officer, he does not have any special ambitions, and the warrant officer is quite content with the piece of bread that he receives thanks to his position. All this forms (or manifests) the character traits of the ensign. Considering that a position often forms a character adequate to it, breaks a person, then there is no contradiction between the expressions “forms” and “manifests”: even if he was different, he still becomes adequate to the proud title of “Ensign”.
An ensign in the army is much more humane than an officer, since he lives a civilian life and simply goes to his unit to work; Only a few warrant officers actually serve. In addition, all warrant officers are actually subordinate to either the deputy commander for logistics, or the deputy commander for weapons, or others like them officials, who form their own teams from the warrant officers, share the stolen goods with them and provide them with protection and patronage. Ensigns are almost taken out of the jurisdiction of the main command of the unit, which they, by and large, do not care about - they have their own command.
They also don't care about ordinary officers. Not everywhere, of course: in some places one has to take into account the fact that officers occupy a higher social position. But, in any case, they should only show the officers signs of official military respect, and not obey them.
In special forces, a warrant officer can also act as an instructor in any narrow area military training, such as hand-to-hand combat, snorkeling, etc. and so on. But even in this case, the main properties social status and the character of the warrant officer's personality remain valid. Only here can they be supplemented with such a quality as ideological fanaticism for working in the specialty for which he is engaged, which makes the ensign even less sensitive to his social status.
As a result, the ensign feels quite at ease. He is his own commander. I will say more, the warrant officer represents a special psychological and social type of army person. He is less imbued with the army than other military personnel. For him, the army is attractive because you don’t have to work as hard in it as in civilian life, or because you have the opportunity to do what you love only here. But for soldiers, the ensign is even more terrible than the officer, since, by and large, he doesn’t care what the officer says about his actions with the soldier. At the same time, a warrant officer is certainly closer to a soldier than an officer - closer after a sergeant, for whom warrant officers are generally the most scary people. And both the way of thinking and the very intellectual state of the ensign have an effect: rather primitive individuals usually become ensigns. Therefore, they turn out to be tougher commanders if they need to perform command functions. Good warrant officers are an exception to the rule, which in the army serves more as an element of humor than as an objective reality, they are so rare and even impossible in army conditions.
Instructed to resolve the issue of returning 55 thousand warrant officer and midshipman positions to the army. But a fundamental condition was put forward: they would be assigned exclusively to service complex equipment of weapons systems.
In the near future, a directive will be prepared on when and to what positions warrant officers and midshipmen can be appointed and accepted. But it is already obvious that, by limiting the list of positions where warrant officers and midshipmen can serve, strictly prohibiting their access to material assets, the Ministry of Defense has quietly made a disappointing diagnosis for this category of military personnel. However, most experts are inclined to believe that the return of warrant officers to the army is a fair decision, for example, the vice-president of the College of Military Experts of Russia, Alexander Vladimirov, told Our Version that this will have a positive impact on combat readiness Russian army.
Ensigns were eliminated to stop theft
The ensign in the Russian army and the midshipman, his counterpart in the navy, stand apart from other military personnel; they have long become almost folklore characters, a kind of barracks brownie, to whom all human vices seemed to be attributed: greed, stupidity and thievery.
Army wits write derogatory jokes about them and come up with various nicknames for them, the most harmless of which are “piece” and “chest”. But, of course, this is not what ensigns were designed for. Institute of Warrant Officers and Midshipmen modern type appeared in 1972, the idea of such an intermediate rank between officers and sergeants was borrowed from the Czechoslovak army. Initially, it was assumed that this would become a continuation of the career ladder for worthy long-term conscripts.
For the rank of warrant officer, it was necessary to provide for appropriate positions that would be neither officer nor sergeant, in which it was futile and unprestigious for lieutenants to serve, and it was too early to entrust these powers to sergeants. In the troops, they were given command positions as company foremen, commanders of special platoons, and in the logistics and logistics support system - heads of vegetable bases, warehouses and canteens. The position of company sergeant major was considered the most difficult, but, agreeing to it, every sensible warrant officer, sorting through foot wraps in his quarters and furtively taking out another soldier's pea coat for sale outside the unit gates, dreamed of becoming the head of some warehouse, preferably fuel and lubricants, in order to have the opportunity to stable income.
Let us recall that in 2009, under the banner of the fight against theft in the army, it was decided to deal with warrant officers as its main symbol. To justify this decision, the Ministry of Defense even summed up the almost 40-year period of existence of this rank. It turned out that “up to 82% of these military personnel before the start of the reform held economic positions - warehouse chiefs, clerks, heads of laboratories, pharmacies” and “only a small number of them actually commanded units.”
In this regard, it was decided to get rid of warrant officers in highly paid military positions and redistribute their responsibilities between contract soldiers and civilian personnel. It was assumed that about 142 thousand dismissed warrant officers and midshipmen would be replaced primarily by professional sergeants. Even though it was not possible to train and recruit such a number of professional junior commanders, already at the end of 2009 all positions of warrant officers and senior warrant officers were urgently reduced.
Analogue Russian warrant officers there is even in the USA
As the head of the analytical department of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, Alexander Khramchikhin, told Our Version, the creation of ensign institutes coincided with technical re-equipment army at the turn of the 60s and 70s. During this period, the army and navy began to receive highly complex equipment, the effective operation of which required competent specialists. The ranks of warrant officers and midshipmen began to be awarded to professional technical specialists with secondary technical education, with higher education who graduated from special schools.
Thus, warrant officers and midshipmen began to appear en masse in high-tech troops, such as air defense, air force, and navy, and took places in the crews and crews of combat and special vehicles, ships, airplanes and helicopters. Most warrant officers were engaged in the maintenance and operation of complex military equipment and weapons that soldiers could not master during the period conscript service. For some time, warrant officers occupied the lowest positions in the army - tank commanders and even drivers of heavy tractors, who today trust even private conscripts.
The new selection system forced the abandonment of the idea of making the rank of warrant officer the highest rank for sergeants. They, along with privates, sergeants and officers, finally turned into separate category military personnel with their own recruitment and training system. However, it turned out to be quite flawed. Upon receiving rank and finishing their service, warrant officers were retired to the reserve, with rare exceptions, in the same rank and from the same position. As a result, the army received a half-finished officer who practically matched his status, but was absolutely devoid of any career incentives, which negatively affected his service qualities. By the way, the main argument for retaining warrant officers and midshipmen in the Russian army is the availability of warrants from the Americans. It is believed that in their position they are very similar to each other.
Indeed, both of them occupy an intermediate position between sergeants and officers, but despite their external similarity, the main difference is precisely the principles of service. There is fierce competition among warrants, which is stimulated by a well-thought-out system of continuous selection for appointment to higher positions. Alexander Khramchikhin believes that in order for warrant officers to become a significant category of military personnel in Russia, the system of their selection and training will have to be radically revised.
20 thousand warrant officers experienced layoffs
Experts also have great doubts about the use of warrant officers and midshipmen as technical specialists. This can be seen in the example of the crews of nuclear submarines. Even in Soviet time the number of midshipmen on board steadily decreased. Even then, more than 20 years ago, midshipmen were not qualified for most positions, they often did not meet the requirements, and sometimes they simply lacked the level of education. That's why everything on submarines more responsibilities was transferred from midshipmen to officers, who today have replaced them from the positions of operators of the most complex equipment and systems, such as a nuclear reactor, a hydroacoustic complex, and a combat information and control system.
The absence of any career prospects, as the main incentive for a military man, formed a completely new type of military personnel. The spectacle is quite pitiful - low official zeal, a vicious ability to adapt and peacefully “lie” in office. All this did not contribute to their transformation into full-fledged junior commanders. The only advantage of an ensign is the experience gained from his stay for a long time in one position, but more often than not it was not used for the interests of the service.
The biggest army commanders took warrant officers, skilled in the intricacies of army life, as their adjutants, so that they would primarily solve their personal problems. Often, devoted warrant officers not only made life easier for their benefactors, but also learned to benefit from their official position. So, at the end of March, employees law enforcement revealed the theft of more than 150 municipal apartments in the Moscow region with a total value of 1 billion rubles, which were intended for military personnel. According to investigators, the group was engaged in theft for three years. It consisted of employees of legal and real estate firms, and was led by a former adjutant of the commander-in-chief Ground Forces General Alexander Postnikov-Streltsov, senior warrant officer Valery Danielyan. Moreover, it should be noted that at the time when the gang of scammers was operating, it was announced that the ensigns in the army were finished.
It is obvious that, although the decision of the previous Minister of Defense to abolish warrant officers and midshipmen was largely justified, they, like a persistent virus, turned out to be paradoxically tenacious. Even after the decision to reduce them, commanders at all levels simply sabotaged this order as best they could. Ensigns were “hidden” in staffing tables, they were transferred to the positions of foremen and. As a result, three years after the reduction of these positions in the troops, more than 20 thousand remained.
Jokes about warrant officers
During firing practice, a soldier reports:
- Comrade warrant officer, the shells are out!
- Every single one?
- Yes sir!
- Stop shooting!
- Tell us, Comrade Warrant Officer, what is glasnost?
- Glasnost is when you all criticize me, criticize me, and you will get nothing for it - no felt boots, no foot wraps, no overcoats.
Have you heard that a new piece was introduced in chess? Called "ensign". He walks as he wants, when he wants, but you can’t cut him down.
Ensigns and midshipmen are our secret weapon, antipode neutron bomb. If after the use of this terrible bomb people disappear, but material values remain, then after the action of the warrant officers, material values disappear, but people remain.
Alexander Stepanov
Who is an ensign, who were the most famous ensigns in Russian literature and why in the 20th century the ensign turned into the hero of jokes
Prapor of the 17th century
1841-1862
Chronology
1630
The first mention of ensign as a permanent military rank dates back to 1630. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered that the standard bearers in the regiments of the “foreign system” be called this way (the word “prapor” is translated from Church Slavonic as “banner”).
1722
Under Peter everything military ranks they began to call them in the German manner - and the ensigns turned into fendriks (from German: Fähnrich). It was under this name that they were included in the Table of Ranks of 1722. In addition to the usual ones, it also mentions “engineer fendricks,” that is, standard bearers at artillery batteries.
1730
In the 1730 edition of the Table of Ranks, the option “ensigns” returned. Now this is the name given to the most junior officer rank, corresponding to the rank of midshipman in the navy or collegiate registrar in civil service. There was a wall between the ensign and the private or non-commissioned officer: the first, as a rule, was a nobleman or, in the 19th century, a commoner, the second was a peasant or tradesman who had almost no chance of crossing the social border that separated him from the officers. Ensigns were no different from everyone else officer corps neither origin, nor education, nor reputation. For example, Mikhail Bakunin, the future ideologist of anarchism, retired with the rank of ensign.
Captain and ensign of musketeer companies infantry regiment from 1763 to 1786 From the work of A. Viskovatov “ Historical description clothing and weapons of Russian troops", 1841-1862
1884
In 1884, warrant officers were actually abolished during the next military reform and replaced with second lieutenants. However, the reform was half-hearted, so in fact warrant officers remained: this rank began to be given to non-commissioned officers without education for military merit, which after the end of hostilities had to be confirmed by passing a mandatory exam for the officer rank.
1914
First world war warrant officers are experiencing a real revival: due to the huge losses of the officer corps, it was necessary to replenish the army with people who had completed a short course of military training, and en masse to promote privates with at least some combat experience to junior officers. It was then that the ensign from the jokes was born - a poorly educated, incompetent, cunning and stupid junior officer, who is either too arrogant or too familiar in relation to the soldiers.
Ensign. 1916 Literary and Memorial Museum of A.P. Gaidar, Arzamas 1972
After the revolution, warrant officers again fade into oblivion, only to reappear in 1972 after another military reform. It was from this moment that the era of army folklore about ensigns began to flourish, in which they appear as stupid, thieving and useless scoundrels. Probably, these stories have a basis in reality, since the Soviet ensign turned out to be even lower in rank than the pre-revolutionary one and, accordingly, had even lower qualifications, representing a middle link between privates and officers and not really relating to either one.
2009
In 2009, it was decided to replace all warrant officers with professional contract sergeants.
2013
Ensigns, having already survived two military reforms, seem to be heading for a third: in 2013, it was announced that this rank would be restored.
Literary ensigns of the 19th century
1. Peter Grinev, main character"The Captain's Daughter" by Pushkin. The son of a poor provincial nobleman, a retired military man. He proves himself to be an honest, brave and devoted officer.
2. Lapshin, the main character of Alexander Kuprin’s story “Army Ensign.” Typologically similar to Grinev: a young, honest, courageous man from a poor noble family who has not lost his illusions.
3. Alanin, the hero of Leo Tolstoy’s story “The Raid” - the first of the Caucasian cycle. A very young officer, looking forward to his first battle, in which he will die, rushing to attack the Highlanders at the head of his platoon.
Officers of the Dukhovshchinsky regiment. On the left is an ensign. 1916 Multimedia art museum Folklore ensigns of the 20th century
The era of folklore about ensigns flourished in last decade existence of the USSR. This is probably connected with the war in Afghanistan - in any case, many stories about ensigns relate specifically to it.
Ensigns are credited with the following qualities, which become the butt of jokes:
1. Pointlessness.
“An Afghan dushman sniper is lying in a trench. He looks - a military man appears, and there is a stripe in pursuit. He looks into the directory: “Corporal, bonus - 5 Afghanis.” Just as he was about to shoot, he saw another military man with two stripes. He looks into the directory: “Junior sergeant, bonus - 10 Afghanis.” He raised his rifle and the sergeant disappeared somewhere. He looks and another military man appears, with two stars on his shoulder straps. Without hesitation, he shoots. He looks in the directory: “Warrant officer, fine - 50 Afghanis.”
2. Love for useless drills and drills.
“A private and an ensign on the beach.
- Over there, on the left, good legs. Isn't that right, Comrade Warrant Officer?
“I don’t know, I haven’t seen her march yet.”
3. Stupidity and tyranny.
“The ensign assigned two cadets the task of whitewashing the change house. Accepts work:
- What is it?
- Your shadow, comrade ensign.
“White it anyway!”
4. Thieving.
“The warrant officer is walking through the checkpoint and carrying a wheelbarrow full of garbage. The duty officer asks him:
- What did you steal?
- Yes, I didn’t steal anything, I’m going to throw out the trash.
- It can not be! Admit what you stole?
- Yes, I take out the trash! I didn't steal anything!
- Let's show you the trash.
Prapor dumps a bunch of garbage in front of him. The duty officer looked and looked - indeed, it was just rubbish. Prapor shoved everything back, drove the wheelbarrow further and muttered: “What did you steal, what did you steal... He stole the wheelbarrow!”
5. An inferiority complex associated with the fact that the rank and file did not consider warrant officers to be real officers.
“An ensign is walking through the desert, and a donkey meets him.
Donkey:
- Who are you?
The ensign looked around and said quietly:
- I am an officer, and who are you?
The donkey looked around and quietly said:
“And I’m a horse!”