You will need

• Takes a drop (choose your size, take a closer look at 54-55),
• water (preferably hot),
• shaving foam or gel,
• hairspray (colorless),
• disposable razor,
• scissors,
• any plastic card,
• cockade.

Instructions

To begin with, we cut out the lining with scissors, but do not cut off the insert for the cockade. Next, immerse the beret in hot water and wait 2 minutes for it to completely soak. We take it out, squeeze it slightly, insert the cockade exactly in the center (we are guided by the insert inside the beret), put it on the head and tighten the ropes at the back of the head, tie it.

Without removing the beret, we begin to smooth it with our hands in the right directions. We smooth the left side back, bringing the hand to the back of the head. We stroke the top of the head to the right side, creating a half-disk near the right ear. We make the arch for the cockade as follows: hold the cockade, and with the right hand we smooth it forward from the top, creating an edging.
Then everything is much simpler, you just need to straighten these sides and remove stains and holes. Don’t be afraid to smooth it harder, the beret won’t tear. Pay special attention to the arch and half-disk at the ear, make them more prominent and even (after its formation, it is advisable to iron the half-disk a little back to the back of the head, press it well to the ear and crush the ends). Your choice of how you want the half disk to look: cover the half disk, lightly touch it, or just hang in the air above it.

After we have made the form, we continue to improve it. We take shaving foam and apply it on the beret in large quantities. We coat everything thoroughly, every area (don’t remove the beret!!!). Then wait a few minutes, you can also iron the sides a little, but not too much. Next, we wet our hands with water and begin to rub in the foam (which is on the beret) with movements from side to side, with medium pressure.
Having removed all the stains and white spots, we iron the shape a little more, smooth out the imperfections and leave our creation alone. Under no circumstances do we take off our beret; we walk around in it for about 1.5 hours, or even more. It is advisable to be in a warm place so that it dries on you.

When it's dry on your head, you can put it on a table or on a radiator to dry completely, but so that the half-disc hangs over the edge. Then the beret is completely dry, we must get rid of the pellets that formed from our foam and water. We take a razor and shave in the same directions where we smoothed the creation. We shave so that the surface is smooth and without defects, everything is neat and without rushing.
After this, we take hairspray and spray it on the inside of the beret, that is, where we cut out the lining. Use all the polish, don't waste it, the more the better. All this is done to make the beret harder. You will feel the results after such an operation.

Our miracle creation is ready! All that remains is to take a plastic card and cut it to the size of the cockade. We make two holes for the antennae of the cockade (there should also be two holes in the beret), insert the cockade, then fasten a piece of plastic inside and move the antennae to the side. This will give our “piece of hardware” immobility.
Everything else is up to your taste and color.

note

We roll the beret to the right side, not the left. Only a maroon beret can be rolled up on the left, since it is different from the others. The only exception for regular berets is the parade, only in it it is allowed to roll up on the left side.

Helpful advice

If you want to place a fragment or flag on the left side, place it straight and not far from the cockade. Remember, the two holes on the left side of the beret are for ventilation, not inserts for trinkets.

The beret is a beautiful and comfortable headdress, the fashion for which has not gone away for many years. Making a beret yourself is not at all difficult - in this article you will learn how to sew a beret with your own hands and surprise others with your individual style. Anyone can buy a beret in a store - but not everyone will then have a really interesting model. You can become the owner of a truly unusual beret, which you can sew and decorate in accordance with your own wild imagination.

Instructions

Then cut an even circle with a diameter of 28-30 cm for the top of the beret and a curved strip 16-17 cm wide for the crown.

Make similar patterns for the lining fabric. Sew the lining to each matching pattern piece, right sides together.

When cutting out the beret, do not forget about the seam allowances with which you will sew the parts.

Start stitching the cut parts from the widest part - the crown. Sew the upper round part of the beret to it from the inside out, and then sew a band to it on the other side. When sewing on the bands, pay special attention to the neatness and precision of your work so that the beret looks neat.

Sew it to the bottom of the crown, turning it right side out, and then turn it back to the crown and again sew the band behind the top edge with a neat small stitch. Decorate the finished beret with applique, flower, embroidery or a beautiful brooch. Your original and unique headdress is ready.

Video on the topic

The beret is associated with practicality and comfort. But this headdress, like no other, emphasizes the individuality and reveals the taste of its owner. By changing the shape of the beret, you create a new, unique look each time.

Instructions

The beret suits almost any face type, it does not spoil the hairstyle, and does not fit as closely as a hat. Berets are popular among young people and older women. The more voluminous it is, the easier it is to give it the required shape.

If you prefer a traditional beret shape, then wear it on your forehead, cover your ears partially or completely, and also pull the back part further towards the back of your head.

A FRESH news item - the regular qualification tests recently held in the vicinity of Minsk for the right to wear a maroon beret by military personnel of the internal troops and law enforcement agencies forced the editors of Spetsnaz to pay close attention to... the headdresses of soldiers and officers of various units. First of all - on berets. Where did they come from, what color symbolizes what, who has the right to wear certain berets? Let's try to figure it out with the help of experts...

Our answer to the Green Berets

LET'S START with the beret - a necessary attribute of the uniform of military personnel in many countries of the world. Often the beret is a distinctive feature of representatives of special forces units, a source of pride for its owners. As you know, today berets and heads of military personnel of the Belarusian Armed Forces, internal troops, special police, the State Security Committee, the State Border Committee, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are decorated.

In the Armed Forces of the USSR, berets appeared later than in the armies of other countries, says Colonel Alexander Gruenko, deputy commander of special operations forces for ideological work. - According to some sources, the introduction of berets, in particular, in the airborne troops, was a kind of response to the appearance in the army of a potential enemy of rapid reaction units wearing green berets. Apparently, the Ministry of Defense decided that wearing berets would not contradict the traditions of the Soviet Army.

The troops received the innovation with a bang. When drafted into the army, many young men sought to join the ranks of the elite units, marked by a distinctive feature - the blue beret.

Marine black

HOWEVER, for the first time in the Armed Forces of the USSR, not blue berets, as many believe, but black berets appeared. In 1963, they became a distinctive feature of the Soviet Marine Corps. For her, by order of the Minister of Defense, a field uniform was introduced: soldiers wore a black beret (woolen for officers and cotton for sergeants and conscript sailors). The beret had a side made of leatherette, on the left side there was a red flag with a golden anchor, and on the front there was an officer's emblem of the Navy. For the first time in the new field uniform, the Marines appeared at the November 1968 parade on Red Square. Then the flag “migrated” to the right side of the beret due to the fact that the stands for honored guests and the Mausoleum were located to the right of the columns when the columns passed. Later, on the berets of sergeants and sailors, the star was complemented by a wreath of laurel leaves. The decision on these changes may have been made by the Minister of Defense, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. Grechko, or in agreement with him. At the very least, written orders or other instructions in this regard, the researchers say, are not mentioned anywhere. Before the end of the November parades in Moscow, the Marines paraded in berets and field uniforms with “ceremonial” changes and additions. In 1969, by order of the USSR Minister of Defense, an oval black emblem with a golden edging and a red star in the middle was installed as an emblem on the berets of sergeants and sailors. Subsequently, the oval emblem was replaced by a star in a wreath.

By the way, at one time tank crews also wore black berets. They relied on special uniforms established for tank crews by order of the Minister of Defense in 1972.

Airborne Forces: from crimson to blue

In the SOVIET airborne troops, a crimson beret was initially supposed to be worn - this is the beret that was the symbol of the airborne troops in the armies of most of the uniforms for paratroopers, including two versions of the beret. In everyday uniform, it was expected to wear a khaki beret with a red star. However, this option remained on paper. Margelov decided to wear the crimson beret as a ceremonial headdress. On the right side of the beret there was a blue flag with the emblem of the Airborne Forces, and in front there was a star in a wreath of ears (for soldiers and sergeants). The officers wore a cockade with an emblem of the 1955 model and a flight emblem (a star with wings) on their berets. Crimson berets began to enter the army in 1967. In the same year, at the November parade on Red Square, parachute units marched for the first time in new uniforms and berets. However, literally the next year, the crimson berets were replaced with blue ones. The color symbolizing the sky was considered more suitable for this type of army. In August 1968, when troops entered Czechoslovakia, Soviet paratroopers were already wearing blue berets. But by order of the USSR Minister of Defense, the blue beret was officially established as a headdress for airborne forces only in July 1969. A star in a wreath was attached to the front of the berets for soldiers and sergeants, and an Air Force cockade for officers. A red flag with the emblem of the Airborne Forces was worn on the left side of the berets by servicemen of the guards units, and at parades in Moscow it was moved to the right side. The idea of ​​wearing flags belonged to the same Margelov. Unlike the blue flag on the crimson beret, the dimensions of which were indicated in the technical specifications for production, the red flags were made independently in each part and did not have a single sample. In March 1989, the new rules for wearing uniforms stipulated the wearing of a flag on berets by all military personnel of the airborne troops, air assault units and special forces units. Today, military personnel of the mobile units of the Belarusian Armed Forces still wear blue berets.

Legendary maroon

THE QUESTION of a distinctive uniform was also raised during the formation of special forces units of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. In May 1989, the head of the internal troops and the head of the main department of logistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs prepared a letter addressed to the minister of internal affairs, who decided to introduce a maroon (dark crimson) beret as a special distinction for military personnel of special forces units. Unlike marines and paratroopers, a maroon beret was a badge of qualification and was awarded only after completing a special training course and passing exams. This tradition, as we know, has survived to this day.

Green border

THAT the beret gives marines and paratroopers a brave and courageous appearance has not gone unnoticed in other branches of the military. After some time, many military personnel of the Soviet Union expressed their desire to wear berets. Border guards were no exception.

The first case of the USSR border guards wearing a beret dates back to 1976 - in the summer, for one month, cadets of the border training detachment in Kaliningrad and the Moscow Higher Military Command School of Border Troops in Golitsyno wore, as an experiment, uniforms modeled on the Airborne Forces: an open cotton tunic, a white and green vest and a green beret with a red flag on the side. However, although the border troops were part of the KGB of the USSR, all changes in uniforms had to be coordinated with the Ministry of Defense, which did not approve of such an initiative and banned the wearing of the new uniform.

In 1981, camouflage uniforms were introduced into the border troops. The new “wardrobe” also included a camouflage beret with a clip-on visor. In 1990, green berets returned to the border troops. From February 1990 to September 1991, they included the only operational airborne division of the KGB PV in the Soviet Union. In April 1991, the division's personnel received green berets with the Airborne Forces emblem on blue flags on the side of the headdress in addition to the standard border uniform.

After the declaration of independence of the Republic of Belarus, on January 16, 1992, the Main Directorate of Border Troops was created under the Council of Ministers. Soon the development of uniforms for the national border troops began. Taking into account the wishes of military personnel and the development trends of military uniforms of that time, the green beret was also introduced.

However, since 1995, some changes have occurred in the uniform of our border troops, enshrined in Presidential Decree No. 174 of May 15, 1996 “On military uniforms and insignia by military rank.” According to the document, only military personnel of special forces units had the right to wear light green berets in the border troops.

What do they wear at Alpha?

LESS known is the beret of the anti-terrorist special unit “Alpha” of the KGB of Belarus. It has a cornflower blue color, traditional for state security agencies. A candidate who wants to serve in Alpha goes through testing and takes numerous tests. At the next officer's meeting, the soldier's unit is officially enrolled in the ranks - and then he is given a beret. There are no strict rules about when you can wear a hat and when you can’t. It all depends on the specific situation - is it a combat operation or an everyday option.

There is no institution for passing the beret in the KGB special forces. Why? Experts say this is due to the specifics of the service. Alpha accepts only experienced fighters and officers, among whom there are many masters of sports and those who took part in combat operations. They no longer need to prove anything to anyone...

The brightest - in the Ministry of Emergency Situations

IF you see a strong man in a red beret, then know: in front of you is a soldier of the Republican Special Forces Unit of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. ROSN berets have a utilitarian function. The headdress does not give a fighter any special status - it is an ordinary element of uniform. It is worth clarifying that, in general, there are two color options for the berets of employees of the “emergency” department: red and green. Red beret - for officers, management. When responding to emergencies, bright colors help them stand out from the crowd. And it’s easier for soldiers to notice the commander, which means they can hear the command in time. Green berets are worn by privates and warrant officers.

Prepared by Alexander GRACHEV, Nikolai KOZLOVICH, Arthur STRECH.

Photo by Alexander GRACHEV, Artur STREKH, Artur PRUPAS, Alexander RUZHECHK.

SPECIAL FORCES OCTOBER 2008

Over time, they became not just a replacement for caps and caps, but also for some of their owners. After all, the marine and air infantrymen who wore them, as well as various types, were considered even the most revered caste in the army.

Until recently, Russia was no different, where only selected and specially trained military personnel had the right to a prestigious beret. Now the situation has changed in many ways. The beret has become a common headdress not only for paratroopers and marines, but also for representatives of other branches of the military, even for police (riot police) and rescuers. And to the blue and black colors were added crimson, maroon, green, gray, cornflower blue, orange...

No, blue!

The most prestigious in the Armed Forces of the USSR and Russia is considered to be the blue one, and not the blue one, as it is sometimes incorrectly called, the paratrooper's beret. That is, a soldier and officer of the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces). It was introduced into use in 1968 by the then commander of the “winged infantry”, General Vasily Margelov. And after the publication of the order of Defense Minister Andrei Grechko in July 1969, this beret became official for paratroopers.

It is curious that military historians claim that the original color of the Airborne Forces was crimson. Just like, in fact, the paratroopers of many other countries in the world. But after the tragic participation of Soviet troops in suppressing the uprising in Czechoslovakia, Margelov proposed the color of the sky for parachute formations - blue.
By the way, the vests and berets of special forces of the GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate), whose official functions are often similar to those assigned to paratroopers, are of the same color.

Choosing the color of the sky

Soviet and Russian paratroopers are not the only ones in the military world who wore and still wear blue berets. It is known that almost similar headdresses were part of the uniform of individual special forces groups of the American Airborne Forces and Air Force (Air Force) and colonial units of the Portuguese army in Angola and Mozambique. In addition, blue berets, symbolizing the color of peace, are included in the uniform of UN peacekeeping troops.

Namely, blue and dark blue berets, but not at all elite, are worn by security units of the US Air Force, military police in Israel and military personnel in South Africa. In addition, blue berets are included in the new uniform of the Russian Air Force.

It is easy to find out from the uniform in which troops a person serves. Just look at the color of his uniform or headdress: blue - Airborne Forces; black - marines and riot police, tank troops; light green - border guards. But there are caps and berets of a color that is rarely seen, and little is known about its meaning, for example, the olive beret. We will tell you in this article who wears a uniform of this color, and not only.

History of appearance and distribution

The first appearance of a beret on the head of a soldier dates back to the distant 16th century. It was then worn informally by the Scottish Armed Forces. Officially, they began to be worn in Spain in 1830, when army commanders needed an inexpensive headdress for soldiers that would protect them in capricious weather conditions and would be easy to use.

Afterwards, other countries appreciated the functionality of the beret. After all, you can put it in your pocket if necessary, wear it with headphones and use it as a balaclava. Then the beret began to travel around the world and gain popularity.

• After 1917, black berets began to be worn by all British tank units.
• In the 40s, saboteurs of the American and British armies used them during their forays into German rear areas. The soldiers noted the convenience and functionality of the hats: you can easily tuck your hair under it, and the difference in colors made it possible to change it to another if necessary.

The Soviet military began wearing berets in 1936, by order of the USSR NGOs, as an element of summer clothing for military personnel.

Types and meaning

Today, berets are the headdress of military personnel in almost all countries of the world. Color indicates belonging to a particular unit. Each country has its own meaning.

In Russia, the colors of military uniforms are distributed as follows:

1. Black- tank troops, ground units of the marine corps, SOBR.
2. Blue- since 1968, belongs to units of the Airborne Forces and Special Forces (special forces) of the GRU.
3. Raspberry or maroon- since the 90s, units of the Special Forces of the VV.
4. Orange- employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
5. Green- reconnaissance troops.
6. Light green- border troops wear them during festive events and official ceremonies.
7. Cornflower- FSB special forces, presidential regiment special forces, FSO special forces.

A vest with corresponding tones is worn to match the color of the berets.

Olive berets: which troops wear them?

Who wears olive berets? Headdresses of this color are worn special forces units and intelligence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

What is included in their combat missions, what do they do?

• Special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs- rapid reaction and special forces units that conduct anti-terrorist operations in the control zone, eliminate illegal groups, provide force support for events and carry out patrol service to maintain order.
• Olive berets- the elite of the reconnaissance Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Their task is to uncover and detect gangs in controlled territory and prevent their sabotage.

Very little is known about the activities of the Olive Berets; this information is classified. In order to receive the honor of wearing the beret of special detachments and reconnaissance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the employee must pass a special difficult exam.

Change for olive beret: standards

Only a few pass all the standards required for special forces and intelligence officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Typically, a maximum of 50% reach the finish line.

The employee must:

• Show your physical and general training.
• Complete a forced march through terrain with difficult terrain and a water obstacle course.
• Recognize an ambush.
• Save the victim.
• Overcome the assault zone.
• Show ability to conduct aimed fire.
• And withstand hand-to-hand combat.

All this is done in equipment weighing about 15 kilograms, and if you take into account wet clothes and weapons - even more. Undoubtedly, in order to pass all the tests, a fighter must have certain physical and psychological qualities, knowledge and skills necessary for him to perform combat missions, ones that no one else can handle. That is why there is a strict selection of candidates to wear the olive beret.

Why was the crimson beret, which was worn by airborne units until 1968, replaced with a blue one? There is an interesting myth about this. He says that in 1968 the crimson color was replaced with blue to deceive the Czechoslovak army. Thus, the Czechoslovak military must have thought that representatives of the UN peacekeeping organization were leaving the plane, and not airborne troops. But this is not true.

Blue berets were planned to be introduced for members of the USSR Armed Forces by decision of the Airborne Forces commander V.F. Margelov so that they match the color of the buttonholes on the landing uniform.

Today in the world, berets are worn in everyday uniform by ground forces, and air force personnel wear caps. In our country, the beret is a special insignia of distinction for the best fighters of the state’s armed forces.

So, we told you a little history and wrote about olive berets. Who wears them today and how to earn such an honor. From what is written above it becomes clear that only the most courageous, daring and responsible intelligence officers of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have the right to wear them.

Video: how to get an olive beret?

In this video, Nikita Kondratov will tell you how employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs receive olive berets, what standards need to be passed:

In many armies of the world, berets indicate that the units using them belong to the elite troops. Since they have a special mission, elite units must have something to separate them from the rest. For example, the famous “Green Beret” is “a symbol of excellence, a sign of valor and distinction in the struggle for freedom.”

(Total 61 photos)

History of the military beret.

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 military 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 an inexpensive way to make headdresses resistant to the vagaries of weather in the mountains, easy to care for and for use on special occasions .

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

2. 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 shoulder straps, and can be worn with headphones (this is one of the reasons why tankers adopted beret).

The beret was found particularly useful by armored vehicle crews, and the British Tank Corps (later the Royal Tank Corps) adopted this headgear as early as 1918.

3. After World War 1, when the issue of official changes to the uniform was considered at a high level, General Elles, who was a propagandist of berets, brought up another argument - during maneuvers, a beret is comfortable to sleep in and can be used as a balaclava. After lengthy debate within the Ministry of Defence, 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 a long time. Then the practicality of this headdress was noticed by others and by 1940 all armored units in Great Britain began to wear black berets.

4. German tank crews in the late 1930s also adopted the beret with the addition of a padded helmet inside. Black has become a popular color for tank crew hats because it doesn't show oil stains.

5. World War II gave berets new popularity. English and American saboteurs, who were thrown behind the German lines, in particular to France, quickly appreciated the convenience of berets, especially dark colors - it was convenient to hide their hair under them, they protected their heads from the cold, the beret was used as a balaclava, etc. Some British units introduced berets as the headdress of formations and branches of the military. So, for example, it was with the SAS - Special Aviation Service, a special purpose 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 hard against Rommel’s army). British paratroopers chose a crimson beret - according to legend, this color was suggested by the writer Daphne Du Maurier, the wife of General Frederick Brown, one of the heroes of the Second World War. Because of the color of the beret, the paratroopers immediately received the nickname “cherries.” Since then, the crimson beret has become an unofficial symbol of military paratroopers around the world.

6. The first use of berets in the US military dates back to 1943. The 509th Parachute Regiment received crimson berets from their English colleagues as a sign of recognition and respect. The use of the beret as a headdress for military personnel in the Soviet Union dates back to 1936. According to the order of the USSR NGOs, female military personnel and students of military academies were required to wear dark blue berets as part of the summer uniform.

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

8. And now, actually, about berets in elite troops. And we will start, of course, with the Alpine rangers - the unit that introduced the fashion for wearing berets in the army. Alpine Chasseurs (Mountain Shooters) are the elite mountain infantry of the French Army. They are trained to conduct combat operations in mountainous and urban areas. They wear a wide dark blue beret.

9. The French Foreign Legion wears light green berets.

11. French Navy commandos wear a green beret.

12. The French Marines wear dark blue berets.

14. French Air Force commandos wear dark blue berets.

15. French paratroopers wear red berets.

17. German airborne troops wear maroon berets (Maroon).

18. German special forces (KSK) wear berets of the same color, but with a different emblem.

19. The Vatican Swiss Guards wear a large black beret.

20. The Dutch Royal Marines wear dark blue berets.

21. Airmobile Brigade (11 Luchtmobiele Brigade) of the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces wears maroon berets (Maroon).

22. The Finnish Marines wear green berets.

23. Italian paratroopers of the Carabinieri regiment wear red berets.

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

25. The Portuguese Marines wear dark blue berets.

26. Soldiers of the British Parachute Regiment wear maroon berets.

27. Paratroopers of the 16th Air Assault Brigade of the British Army wear the same beret, but with a different emblem.

28. Special Air Service (SAS) commandos have worn beige berets (tan) since World War 2.

29. The British Royal Marines wear green berets.

30. The Rifles of Her Majesty's Gurkha Brigade wear green berets.

31. Canadian paratroopers wear maroon berets.

32. The 2nd Commando Regiment of the Australian Army wears green berets.

33. American Rangers wear a beige beret (tan).

34. The American Green Berets (United States Army Special Forces) naturally wear green berets, which were approved for them in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.

35. US Army Airborne troops wear maroon berets, which they received in 1943 from their British colleagues and allies.

But the United States Marine Corps (USMC) does not wear berets. In 1951, the Marine Corps introduced several types of berets, green and blue, but they were rejected by tough warriors due to the fact that they looked “too feminine.”

39. South Korean Marines wear green berets.

40. Special forces of the Georgian Army wear maroon berets (Maroon).

41. Serbian special forces soldiers wear black berets.

42. The air assault brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan wears blue berets.

43. Hugo Chavez wears the red beret of the Venezuelan Parachute Brigade.

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

44. Our response to the appearance in the armies of NATO countries of units that wore berets, in particular units of the US Special Forces, whose uniform headdress was a green beret, was Order of the USSR Minister of Defense of November 5, 1963 No. 248. According to the order, a new field uniform is being introduced for special forces units of the USSR Marine Corps. This uniform was accompanied by a black beret, made of cotton fabric for conscript sailors and sergeants and woolen fabric for officers.

45. Cockades and stripes on the berets of the Marine Corps changed many times: replacing the red star on the berets of sailors and sergeants with a black oval-shaped emblem with a red star and a bright yellow edging, and later, in 1988, by order of the USSR Minister of Defense No. 250 dated 4 March, the oval emblem was replaced with an asterisk bordered by a wreath. There were also many innovations in the Russian army, and now it looks like this.

After the approval of a new uniform for marine units, berets also appeared in the airborne troops. In June 1967, Colonel General V.F. Margelov, then commander of the Airborne Forces, approved sketches of a new uniform for the airborne troops. The designer 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. A crimson beret was at that time all over the world an attribute of belonging to the airborne troops, 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 triangular flag with the emblem of the airborne troops. On the berets of sergeants and soldiers, there was a star framed by a wreath of ears of corn on the front; on the berets of officers, instead of a star, a cockade was attached.

46. ​​During the November 1967 parade, the paratroopers were dressed in new uniforms and crimson berets. However, at the very beginning of 1968, instead of crimson berets, 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 No. 191 of the USSR Minister of Defense dated July 26, 1969, a 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.

47. And a modern, Russian version.

48. GRU special forces soldiers wear airborne uniforms and, accordingly, blue berets.

49. Special forces units of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs wear a maroon (dark red) beret.

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

61. And finally, a little exotic. Zimbabwe Presidential Guard soldiers wearing yellow berets.