The pride of the Armed Forces of Russia - the airborne troops - the reserve of the Supreme Commander and the basis of the mobile rapid reaction forces of the Russian army. No wonder the motto of the Airborne Forces: "No one but us!".
A paratrooper is a person who combines the true masculine traits - strong, brave, courageous. Belonging to the airborne troops are proud not only of men who served in the armies of the USSR and the Russian Federation, but also of their wives (even there is a special sign of the Airborne Forces “The wife of the paratrooper”), so the airborne medals are a special award for the paratrooper, deservedly inherited by its owner, a subject of pride veterans and airborne troops.
The history of the appearance of signs of the Airborne Forces
From the moment the airborne troops appeared in individual divisions, they began to create special insignia of the Airborne Forces, and the design, even at the initial stage of their existence, was significantly different from the signs of other combat arms. The peculiarity lies in the fact that various signs of the Airborne Forces were designed to reflect the history of a particular military unit.
This led to the fact that the divisions of distinction between the Airborne Forces of individual divisions have insignificant differences in details, but on the whole they are similar in many ways. For example, an essential attribute of almost all the breastplates of the assault force, regardless of the division, is blue, a traditional symbol of nobility and devotion to heaven.
Lapel stripes and buttonhole signs on the paratrooper's uniform are complemented by chevrons, the shape of which has received certain changes over time. But in general, the emblems depicted on them are timeless. In 2018, an order was signed, according to which modern chevrons should have a rectangular shape, at the bottom of which is located the emblem of the kind of troops. Although the history of the appearance of chevrons and their interpretation in the classical sense implies that the chevron is a galloon (vash) V-shaped.
Emblems and signs Airborne
There are small, medium and large emblems of the airborne troops:
- The Small Emblem of the Airborne Forces depicts a golden, flaming grenada with wings;
- The medium emblem of the Airborne Forces is crowned with an image of a double-headed eagle made of gold, whose wings are outspread, a silver sword holds its right paw, and a burning silver winged grenade hangs on its left. The eagle's chest is decorated with the Moscow coat of arms: a shield with a red stem, triangular elongated shape, going back to the crown; on the shield field, the horseman is depicted - the Holy Great Martyr and the Victorious George, striking a dragon with a spear;
- The large emblem (coat of arms) of the airborne troops is a synthesis of the small and medium emblems in the form of a round blue heraldic shield framed by a golden oak wreath of a round shape - a symbol of strength, power and dignity.
Airborne troops have a fairly diverse system of medals, orders, badges and badges for various purposes. And all are divided into premium and are in free distribution. At present, it will not be difficult for the average man to acquire the sign of the Airborne Forces in any Voentorgovskom shop. Often some unscrupulous sellers use the illiteracy of ordinary people and give out souvenir rewards for real ones. Not only are they profiting from the ignorance of customers, they also insult all real paratroopers.
Among other things, there are official and unofficial general parade armor of the Airborne Forces. The paratroopers of the Airborne Forces of the USSR wore sleeve insignia with the image of a red five-pointed star. The modern representatives of the Airborne Forces of Russia have the sleeve insignia decorated with the image of a double-headed eagle (the coat of arms of the Russian Federation) or a tricolor (the flag of Russia).
Commemorative, commemorative medals of the Airborne Forces have become widespread. Such badges of the Airborne Forces decorate the chest of those who served in the landing troops, but did not take part in the hostilities, which is caused by life in peacetime. The commemorative medals of the Airborne Forces, as well as honorary badges that rank a cavalier to the Airborne Forces, are an equal source of pride in relation to military awards of the Airborne Forces, because service in the airborne troops is one of the most responsible and difficult. Although real combat medals and awards do not go to any comparison with the various signs that were issued and issued in peacetime.
As a rule, the insignia, including the award and the breastplate: a medal, an order or a badge, was dedicated to specific feats, memorials and anniversaries.
Usually the first sign that adorned the chest of the paratrooper of the Airborne Forces was a badge in the form of a blue-colored parachute. Such a sign was given immediately after the first parachute jump, the design slightly changed depending on the number of jumps. The value of this badge is not great, although for a real paratrooper it is a kind of “pass” to the airborne world.
A mark that attributed the paratrooper to a certain class could also be obtained by successfully passing the standards. The first class was the highest, the standards for which were more difficult and required good physical training, compared with the second and third.
In Soviet times, the badge “Excellence in Airborne Forces”, which was presented with different variations depending on the year of production and the direction of activity, was quite common. The airborne troops of the USSR were part of the ground forces, so the sign "Excellent Airborne Forces" at that time had an interpretation of "Excellent SA" (Soviet Army). Over time, the signs of a narrow focus, such as "Excellent Miner", were presented to the award of the Airborne Forces fighters. The award of these signs was considered very prestigious, because Such awards could only be obtained by order of the commander for decent service and performance of standards and tasks. The paratrooper, awarded the mark "Excellent Airborne Forces", distinguished the skill of a truly trained fighter in all directions. Currently, these unique signs with a 50-60-year history in various variations can sometimes be found at specialized flea markets.
Medals of the Airborne Forces, for what services they were given
Veterans of the airborne troops - the support and pride of the Russian army. For these people, such concepts as "military duty" and "service to the Fatherland" are inseparable, so a special award was instituted. This distinction is called the medal "Veteran of the Airborne Forces". There is also another commemorative medal "In memory of the service."
However, the most common are the honorary and memorial signs and medals of the Airborne Forces:
- Medal "For service in the Airborne Forces";
- Medal "Veteran of the Airborne Forces";
- Medal "75th Anniversary of the Airborne Forces" (dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the air force);
- Medal "85 years of the Airborne Forces", and similar awards.
Commemorative medals with a year, such as the medal "85 years of the Airborne Forces." Such medals were awarded to the veterans of the Airborne Forces, who at one time served in the military landing units.
Differences signs of Airborne from badges and medals
Many collectors are trying to buy not only badges of the Airborne Forces, but also real combat medals of the Airborne Forces. It should be clearly understood that only combat veterans were awarded with military medals and award marks. If badges can be purchased for free sale, then the award awarded to the veteran is unlikely to be able to be purchased. A real veteran of the Airborne Forces will sell his award signs only as a last resort, and then he will try to buy them back.
Unfortunately, there are currently firms that mass produce any awards of the Airborne Forces, although these signs are only a copy, which carry no real value and are fake.
