History and varieties of military berets

In many armies around the world, berets indicate that the units using them belong to elite troops. Let's consider their history and varieties in different types of troops.




Given the practicality of the beret, its informal use by the European military dates back thousands of years. An example is the blue beret, which became a symbol of the Scottish armed forces in the 16th and 17th centuries. As an official military headdress, the beret began to be used during the War of Succession to the Spanish Crown in 1830 by order of General Tomás de Zumalacárregui, who wanted to make hats that were resistant to the vagaries of the weather in the mountains, easy to care for and for use on special occasions.



Other countries followed suit, with the creation of the French Alpine Chasseurs in the early 1880s. These mountain troops wore clothing that included several functions that were innovative for the time. Including large berets, which have survived to this day.

Berets have features that make them very attractive to the military: they are cheap, can be made in a wide range of colors, can be rolled up and tucked into a pocket or under a shoulder strap, and can be worn with headphones (this is one of the reasons why tankers adopted a beret). The beret was found to be particularly useful for the crews of armored cars, and the British Tank Corps (later the Royal Tank Corps) adopted this headgear as early as 1918.



After World War I, when the issue of official changes in the uniform was considered at a high level, General Elles, who was a propagandist of berets, gave another argument - during maneuvers, the beret is comfortable to sleep and can be used as a balaclava. After a lengthy debate in the Ministry of Defense, the black beret was officially approved by His Majesty's Decree of March 5, 1924. The Black Beret remained the exclusive privilege of the Royal Tank Corps for quite some time. Then the practicality of this headgear was noticed by others and by 1940 all armored units of Great Britain began to wear black berets.



German tank crews in the late 1930s also adopted the beret with the addition of a soft helmet inside. Black became popular in the hats of tank crews, since oil stains are not visible on it.



The Second World War gave berets a new popularity. British and American saboteurs, who were thrown into the rear of the Germans, in particular, in France, quickly appreciated the convenience of berets, especially dark colors - it was convenient to hide hair under them, they protected the head from the cold, the beret was used as a balaclava, etc. For example, this was the case with the SAS - the Special Air Service, a special forces unit engaged in sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines - they took a sand-colored beret (it symbolized the desert, where the SAS had to work a lot against Rommel's army). British paratroopers chose a crimson beret - according to legend, this color was proposed by the writer Daphne DuMaurier, the wife of General Frederick Brown, one of the heroes of World War II. For the color of the beret, the parachutists immediately received the nickname "cherries". Since then, the crimson beret has become the unofficial symbol of military paratroopers around the world.



The first use of berets in the U.S. military dates back to 1943. The 509th Parachute Regiment received crimson berets from its British counterparts, as a sign of recognition and respect.The use of the beret as a headwear for military personnel in the Soviet Union dates back to 1936. According to the order of the People's Commissariat of Defence of the USSR, female servicemen and students of military academies were supposed to wear berets of dark blue as part of the summer uniform.



Berets became the default military headdress in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, just like the tricorne, shako, cap, cap, kepi, in their time in their respective eras. Berets are now worn by many military personnel in most countries around the world.



And now, in fact, about berets in elite troops. And we will start, of course, with the Alpine Jaegers - the unit that introduced the fashion for wearing berets in the army. The Alpine Chasseurs (Mountain Riflemen) were the elite mountain infantry of the French Army. They are trained to fight in mountainous terrain and urban areas. They wear a wide dark blue beret.



The French Foreign Legion wears berets of light green color.





French Navy commandos wear a green beret.



The French marines wear berets in dark blue.





French Air Force commandos wear dark blue berets.



French paratroopers wear red berets.





The German airborne troops wear maroon berets.

The German Special Forces (KSK) wear berets of the same color, but with a different emblem.



The Swiss Vatican Guards wear a large black beret.



The Dutch Royal Marines wear berets in dark blue.





. The 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade of the Netherlands Armed Forces wears maroon berets.



The Finnish Marines wear green berets.



Italian paratroopers of the Carabinieri Regiment wear red berets.



Soldiers of the special unit of the Italian Navy wear green berets.



The Portuguese Marines wear berets in dark blue.



Soldiers of the British Parachute Regiment wear maroon berets.

Soldiers of the British Parachute Regiment wear maroon berets.



Commandos of the Special Air Service (SAS) have been wearing beige berets (tan) since World War II.



The Royal Marines wear green berets.



Riflemen from Her Majesty's Gurkha Brigade wear green berets.



Canadian paratroopers wear maroon berets.



The Australian Army's 2nd Sabotage Regiment wears green berets



American Rangers wear a beige beret (tan).



The United States Army Special Forces wear, of course, the green berets that President John F. Kennedy approved for them in 1961.



The U.S. Army airborne troops wear maroon berets, which they received in 1943 from their British counterparts and allies.



The U.S. Army airborne troops wear maroon berets, which they received in 1943 from their British counterparts and allies.







And in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), berets are not worn. In 1951, the Marine Corps introduced several types of berets, green and blue, but they were rejected by tough warriors because they looked "too feminine."

South Korean Marines wear green berets.





The special forces of the Georgian army wear maroon berets.



Serbian special forces soldiers wear black berets.

The Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan wears blue berets.



Hugo Chávez wears the red beret of the Venezuelan Parachute Brigade.



Let's move on to the valiant elite troops of Russia and our Slavic brothers.



Our response to the appearance in the armies of NATO countries of units that wore berets, in particular units of the US Special Operations Forces, whose uniform headgear is a green beret, was the Order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of November 5, 1963 No248. According to the order, a new field uniform is being introduced for special forces units of the USSR Marine Corps. This uniform was supposed to be accompanied by a black beret made of cotton fabric for sailors and sergeants of conscript service and woolen fabric for officers.



. Cockades and stripes on the berets of the Marine Corps were changed many times: the red star on the berets of sailors and sergeants was replaced by a black oval-shaped emblem with a red star and bright yellow edging, and later, in 1988, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR No250 of March 4, the oval emblem was replaced by a star bordered by a wreath. There were also many innovations in the Russian army, and now it looks like this. After the approval of the new uniform for the Marine Corps units, berets also appeared in the airborne troops. In June 1967, Colonel-General V.F. Margelov, at that time the commander of the Airborne Forces, approved sketches of a new uniform for the airborne troops. The developer of the sketches was the artist A. B. Zhuk, known as the author of many books on small arms and as the author of illustrations of the SVE (Soviet Military Encyclopedia). It was A. B. Zhuk who proposed the crimson color of the beret for paratroopers. At that time, the crimson beret was an attribute of belonging to the airborne troops all over the world, and V. F. Margelov approved the wearing of a crimson beret by airborne troops during parades in Moscow. On the right side of the beret was sewn a small blue flag, triangular in shape with the emblem of the airborne troops. On the berets of sergeants and soldiers in front there was a star framed by a wreath of ears, on the berets of officers, instead of a star, a cockade was attached.



During the November 1967 parade, the paratroopers were already dressed in new uniforms and crimson berets. However, at the very beginning of 1968, instead of crimson berets, the paratroopers began to wear blue berets. According to the military leadership, the color of the blue sky is more suitable for airborne troops and by order No191 of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of July 26, 1969, the blue beret was approved as a ceremonial headdress for the Airborne Forces. Unlike the crimson beret, on which the flag sewn on the right side was blue, on the blue beret the flag became red.



And a modern, Russian version.



GRU special forces wear the uniform of the Airborne Forces and, accordingly, blue berets.



Special forces units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia wear a maroon (dark red) beret.



But unlike other branches of the military, such as marines or paratroopers, the maroon beret of the special forces of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a sign of qualification and is awarded to a soldier only after he has undergone special training and proved his right to wear a maroon beret.







Until the moment of receiving a maroon beret, special forces soldiers wear a beret of a protective color



Soldiers of the reconnaissance of the internal troops wear a green beret. The right to wear this beret also needs to be earned, as well as the right to wear a maroon beret. Our Ukrainian brothers are also the heirs of the USSR, and therefore have retained the beret colors used earlier in this country for their elite units.



The marines of Ukraine wear black berets.



The airmobile troops of Ukraine wear a blue beret.



. Belarusian brothers also wear a blue beret in the Airborne Forces.







Source: pervakov.livejournal.com