Who really came up with Budyonovka? (5 photos). Budyonovka Blue star on Budyonovka

Budyonovka was introduced into the uniform of the soldiers of the Red Army in order to distinguish them from the White Guards. The fact is that immediately after the overthrow of the monarchy, the revolutionaries had only the uniform of the tsarist troops. Insignia were torn from it, and a red star was attached to a cuff or other prominent place. It was difficult to distinguish a Red Guard from a White Guard from afar.

When did Budyonovka appear

In 1918, a competition was announced for the creation of a headdress for the soldiers of the Red Army, in which the sketch of the "bogatyr" won. The cloth hat-bogatyrka resembled a medieval "erikhonka" or a scarf with aventail.

Subsequently, this headdress was modified for winter uniforms and nicknamed "Budenovka" in honor of the division of Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny. On the right in the photo is Budyonny himself in Budyonovka. This is a very rare shot.

What does a real Budenovka look like?

The budenovka pattern is very simple. Initially, the hat was sewn in the form of a helmet made of cloth with a cotton lining. The cap consisted of 6 spherical triangles, a metal plate about 2 cm was sewn into the pommel. An oval-shaped visor and a backplate with long edges were sewn to the cap so that they could be fastened under the chin. An obligatory element of any budenovka was a cloth star. Its color depended on the type of troops. In the winter version, the star was 10.5 cm, in the lighter version - 8.8 cm. The star was the place for attaching the badge - cockade.

As you can see in the photo, the winter Budenovka was sewn from felt and had a quilted insulated inner layer. With minor changes, Budyonovka served the wars of the Red Army until the introduction of new uniforms with shoulder straps. The last photo of a soldier in Budyonovka dates back to 1943.

We make a full-size budenovka pattern

First you need to decide on the material for work. Details of a cloth hat will require wider allowances for finishing the edges, while felt practically does not unravel. To make a pattern and sew a budenovka, you need to measure the volume of the model's head. The height of the headdress has always remained unchanged, but for the master's peace of mind, you can measure from the eyebrow line to the top of the head and add 5 cm for the top.

The figure shows a pattern of a size 56 budenovka, in the final form the volume of the headdress will be 57.5 cm. When the size of the pattern is changed, its layout is saved. For the winter version, it is necessary to make a warm lining. Its pattern is the same as that of the wedges of the Budyonovka cap. The lapels of the back of the head do not have to be made so large. For example, in the famous film "White Sun of the Desert", Petrukha's Budenovka is light, designed to protect the head in a hot climate, so there is no need for large lapels.

It is not difficult to make a Budenovka pattern with your own hands. It is necessary to fold the fabric four times and fasten it with sewing studs, attach a paper piece to the middle of the front and back, carefully trace around the contour and finish drawing allowances of 1.5-2 cm. Then fold the fabric in two layers and cut out the side wedges. Other details of the cap are cut similarly. The edges of all parts must be processed on an overlock or in another way. For example, you can use a threaded tape or an adhesive cobweb. Things treated in this way will last longer due to the additional rigidity and look neater.

We sew and detail Budyonovka

After cutting the budenovka and processing the edges of the parts, the hat can be sewn together. It's best to start with a cap. The front and back parts are sewn first, then the side wedges are sewn in. You can insert a plastic tip into the pommel, as was done in the original. In a real Budyonovka, the visor was rag, so it was convenient to wash the hat. For a better look of the final product, you can make an insert from a denser material. The visor and the back of the head are inserted between the cloth and lining parts of the budenovka, then the lower part of the cap should be stitched on a typewriter.

Detailing will make a beautiful Budenovka. Take a close look at the photo of the real headdress. Pay attention to how neatly stitched the visor and buttonholes. It is better to find metal buttons in bronze color. The star must be made of cloth of the same quality as the dress itself. On the first budenovkas, the star fit into a black circle.

What else can be done from a Budyonovka pattern?

Red Army caps, you can sew a real heroic helmet. It will only be necessary to cut parts made of artificial or genuine leather, brown or gray for metal. All that remains is to come up with details, such as button rivets or additional decorative stitching.

Let us make a reservation right away that the question of the origin of the headgear, later known as the “Budyonovka” and the rest of the uniform corresponding to it, is ambiguous and there are several points of view on it. An official position has taken root in Soviet military and historical literature, which says that the Budenovka (as well as the overcoat, tunic, etc., as discussed below) appeared in 1918 and was created specifically for the emerging Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). However, in modern historical, and especially popular science literature, the version that this uniform appeared around 1915 and was developed for the Victory Parade of the Russian Imperial Army in Berlin and Constantinople is practically not questioned. Let's try to understand this case.

The main argument of Soviet historians is the lack of documents that accurately indicate the creation of a new form under the tsarist government. And indeed it is. Such papers have not yet been found either in the military or in the civilian archives. At the same time, historians had at their disposal a complete set of documentation from 1918, allowing them to draw seemingly quite reliable conclusions. First of all, this is the order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs No. 326 dated May 7, which spoke of the creation of a commission to develop a new form. It included famous Russian artists V. M. Vasnetsov, B. M. Kustodiev, M. D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadievsky and others.

Sketches were accepted until June 10 of the same year, therefore, less than a month was allotted for everything. The same order indicated in some detail how the People's Commissariat sees the new uniform. This is important, especially when coupled with extremely tight deadlines. It is also documented that already at the end of 1918 the first combat unit received a new form. It was a Red Guard detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, which went to the Eastern Front to join the troops of Mikhail Frunze. And, by the way, they called the new headdress "Frunzevka" or "hero". The first cavalry army of Semyon Budyonny did not yet have a new uniform.
It would seem that everything is clear, but only at first glance. There is indirect, but quite documentary evidence.

So, in the study of O. A. Vtorov “The beginning of the continuation. Russian Entrepreneurship and Russian Social Democracy” we read:
“... In the quartermaster's warehouses there was already a new uniform, sewn by the N. A. Vtorov concern according to the sketches of Vasily Vasnetsov. The uniform was sewn by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty and was intended for the troops of the Russian army, in which she was to pass at the Victory Parade in Berlin. These were long-brimmed overcoats with “talks”, cloth helmets stylized as old Russian helmets, later known as “Budenovkas”, as well as sets of leather jackets with trousers, leggings and caps, intended for mechanized troops, aviation, crews of armored cars, armored trains and scooters. This uniform was transferred during the organization of the Cheka to the employees of this structure - the armed detachment of the party.
So, the first evidence is found. We note right away that this is not the only confirmation of the “imperial” version; it was also found in an émigré memoirist, but in Soviet Russia this source was neglected.

The second argument is metaphysical, which does not detract from its weight. The fact is that the style of the new form did not fit into the ideology of the revolutionary republic at all. Old Russian motifs, obviously traced in helmets or “heroic” hats, loose tunic shirts and long overcoats with “talks” (cross-arrows-clasps), emphasized the national identity of the soldiers, which did not fit into the cosmopolitan concept of the world revolution. Under all the above documents is the signature of L. D. Trotsky, who could not miss such a blatant discrepancy. By the way, the stars on Budyonovka were originally blue, but they were sewn with a red insert with a plow and a hammer. The sickle and hammer, as well as multi-colored (according to the types of troops) stars, appeared only in subsequent modifications of the form.

At the same time, the new form fits perfectly into the style of Vasily Vasnetsov's works. The singer of ancient Russian knights was, in fact, the creator of the heroic image, which is used in the concept of a new patriotic uniform. And there is enough evidence that the artist was engaged in the development of military uniforms. Note that the authorship of V. Vasnetsov is not rejected by Soviet military historians either, they only transfer the moment of the creation of the form to a later time.
There is also a purely economic aspect. Was it really possible in a country devastated by the war and disorganized by the revolution to sew a sufficient number of sets of new uniforms in just a few months? It looks like a utopia. As well as the fact that in a month it was possible to develop the concept of uniforms and almost immediately bring the idea to industrial production. You need to understand what the technical conditions and speed of information transfer were in 1918.

Most likely, the form really already existed, and the commission only approved it and finalized it. Apparently, this was more related to symbolism, and not to an ideological concept. Trotsky chose the lesser evil - he, in fact, had no other option. Or use what was in the warehouses, or even do without new uniforms, as the people's commissar himself originally proposed to do. And the story with the commission and the competition was invented in order to break the chain of historical continuity, because it is not worthwhile for the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army to flaunt in overcoats sewn for the triumph of the imperial troops. And the lack of documents is probably due to this. Mentions could be destroyed so as not to discredit the new revolutionary mythology, of which the legendary Budyonovka became a part. By the way, the name of Trotsky himself was also almost completely erased from the archives of the Red Army.
So, apparently, the uniform invented for the Victory Parade in the Great War really existed. It was created by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty around 1915-1916.

The ideological concept was developed by the artist Vasily Vasnetsov, perhaps someone else helped him in technical matters. The uniform was sewn by the concern of M. A. Vtorov at Siberian factories and was stored in army warehouses. It seems that the number of sets of the new uniform was not large, which could indicate its ceremonial character. Indirectly, this is also evidenced by the fact that in practice the new form did not show itself brilliantly and after 20 years was completely out of use.

The last episode was the Finnish war, after which Budyonovkas were finally replaced with fur hats with earflaps, and overcoats with quilted jackets and sheepskin coats.
The fate of the form turned out to be unenviable, although it could have been glorious. And, you see, it is very symbolic. Vasnetsov's form repeated the history of the whole country redrawn by the revolution: instead of an early victory and peace, we got a long-term civil war with millions of new victims. And the triumphant "hero" of the Russian soldiers remained in the people's memory as the Red Banner "Budenovka".

Let's make a reservation right away that the question of the origin of the headdress, later known as the Budyonovka and the rest of the uniform corresponding to it, is ambiguous and there are several points of view on it. An official position has taken root in Soviet military and historical literature, which says that the Budenovka (as well as the overcoat, tunic, etc., as discussed below) appeared in 1918 and was created specifically for the emerging Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). However, in modern historical, and especially popular science literature, the version that this uniform appeared around 1915 and was developed for the Victory Parade of the Russian Imperial Army in Berlin and Constantinople is practically not questioned. Let's try to understand this case.

The main argument of Soviet historians is the lack of documents that accurately indicate the creation of a new form under the tsarist government. And indeed it is. Such papers have not yet been found either in the military or in the civilian archives. At the same time, historians had at their disposal a complete set of documentation from 1918, allowing them to draw seemingly quite reliable conclusions. First of all, this is the order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs No. 326 dated May 7, which spoke of the creation of a commission to develop a new form. It included famous Russian artists V.M. Vasnetsov, B.M. Kustodiev, M.D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadyevsky and others.

Sketches were accepted until June 10 of the same year, therefore, less than a month was allotted for everything. The same order indicated in some detail how the People's Commissariat sees the new uniform. This is important, especially when coupled with extremely tight deadlines. It is also documented that already at the end of 1918 the first combat unit received a new form. It was a Red Guard detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, which went to the Eastern Front to join the troops of Mikhail Frunze. And, by the way, they called the new headdress "Frunzevka" or "hero". The first cavalry army of Semyon Budyonny did not yet have a new uniform.

It would seem that everything is clear, but only at first glance. There is indirect, but quite documentary evidence. So, in the study of O.A. Vtorov “The Beginning of the Continuation. Russian Entrepreneurship and Russian Social Democracy” we read: “…A new uniform, sewn by N.A. Vtorov based on sketches by Vasily Vasnetsov. The uniform was sewn by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty and was intended for the troops of the Russian army, in which she was to pass at the Victory Parade in Berlin. These were long-brimmed overcoats with “talks”, cloth helmets stylized as old Russian helmets, later known as “Budenovkas”, as well as sets of leather jackets with trousers, leggings and caps, intended for mechanized troops, aviation, crews of armored cars, armored trains and scooters. This uniform was transferred during the organization of the Cheka to the employees of this structure - the armed detachment of the party.

So, the first evidence is found. We note right away that this is not the only confirmation of the “imperial” version; it was also found in an émigré memoirist, but in Soviet Russia this source was neglected.

The second argument is metaphysical, which does not detract from its weight. The fact is that the style of the new form did not fit into the ideology of the revolutionary republic at all. Old Russian motifs, clearly seen in helmets or “heroic” hats, loose shirts, tunics and long overcoats with “talks” (cross-arrows-clasps), emphasized the national identity of the soldiers, which did not fit into the cosmopolitan concept of the world revolution. All the above documents are signed by L.D. Trotsky, who could not miss such a glaring inconsistency. By the way, the stars on Budyonovka were originally blue, but they were sewn with a red insert with a plow and a hammer. The sickle and hammer, as well as multi-colored (according to the types of troops) stars, appeared only in subsequent modifications of the form.

At the same time, the new form fits perfectly into the style of Vasily Vasnetsov's works. The singer of ancient Russian knights was, in fact, the creator of the heroic image, which is used in the concept of a new patriotic uniform. And there is enough evidence that the artist was engaged in the development of military uniforms. Note that the authorship of V. Vasnetsov is not rejected by Soviet military historians either, they only transfer the moment of the creation of the form to a later time.

There is also a purely economic aspect. Was it really possible in a country devastated by the war and disorganized by the revolution to sew a sufficient number of sets of new uniforms in just a few months? It looks like a utopia. As well as the fact that in a month it was possible to develop the concept of uniforms and almost immediately bring the idea to industrial production. You need to understand what the technical conditions and speed of information transfer were in 1918.

Most likely, the form really already existed, and the commission only approved it and finalized it. Apparently, this was more related to symbolism, and not to an ideological concept. Trotsky chose the lesser evil - he, in fact, had no other option. Or use what was in the warehouses, or even do without new uniforms, as the people's commissar himself originally proposed to do. And the story with the commission and the competition was invented in order to break the chain of historical continuity, because it is not worthwhile for the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army to flaunt in overcoats sewn for the triumph of the imperial troops. And the lack of documents is probably due to this. Mentions could be destroyed so as not to discredit the new revolutionary mythology, of which the legendary Budyonovka became a part. By the way, the name of Trotsky himself was also almost completely erased from the archives of the Red Army.

So, apparently, the uniform invented for the Victory Parade in the Great War really existed. It was created by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty around 1915-1916. The ideological concept was developed by the artist Vasily Vasnetsov, perhaps someone else helped him in technical matters. The uniform was sewn by the concern M.A. Vtorova in Siberian factories and was stored in army warehouses. It seems that the number of sets of the new uniform was not large, which could indicate its ceremonial character. Indirectly, this is also evidenced by the fact that in practice the new form did not show itself brilliantly and after 20 years was completely out of use.

The last episode was the Finnish war, after which Budyonovkas were finally replaced with fur hats with earflaps, and overcoats with quilted jackets and sheepskin coats.

The fate of the form turned out to be unenviable, although it could have been glorious. And, you see, it is very symbolic. Vasnetsov's form repeated the history of the whole country redrawn by the revolution: instead of an early victory and peace, we got a long-term civil war with millions of new victims. And the triumphant "hero" of the Russian soldiers remained in the people's memory as the Red Banner "Budenovka".

Name
From "bogatyrka" to "frunzevka"

There is a version in journalism that the "Budyonovka" was developed back in the First World War: in such helmets, the Russians were allegedly supposed to go through the victory parade in Berlin. However, no confirmed evidence of this has been found. But according to the documents, a competition for the development of a uniform for the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army is clearly traced.

The competition was announced on May 7, 1918, and on December 18, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic approved a sample of a winter headdress - a "helmet", which was introduced by order of January 16, 1919. At first, the helmet was called the "hero", in the division of V.I. Chapaev - "Frunze" (by the name of the commander-5 M.V. Frunze), but in the end they began to be called by the name of S.M. Budyonny, to whose 4th Cavalry Division helmets were sent among the first ...

There were no analogues to the pointed khaki cloth cap in the regular armies of Europe. It resembled the sphero-conical "helmets" of Ancient Russia with chain mail aventails descending onto the shoulders.

Design
Stars crimson, blue, orange

Budenovka was created for the cold season (although from April 1919 to February 1922 it was already considered an all-weather headdress). Her nape, folded in half, bent up and fastened with two buttons on the sides of the cap, could be lowered and fastened with two buttons under the chin, covering the ears and neck. A cloth five-pointed star was sewn on the front in color according to the type of troops. Infantry - crimson, cavalry - blue, artillery - orange (black since February 1922), engineering troops - black, armored forces (future armored forces) - red (black since February 1922), aviators - blue, for border guards - green, for escort guards (since February 1922) - blue.

Until February 1922, the stars had to be outlined (departing 3 mm from the edge) with a black (and for black stars red) strip 5-6 mm wide. The cockade of the Red Army - a copper red star - was attached to the cloth star.

On June 27, 1922, Budyonovka was also assigned to the Chekists. At first, it was dark blue with a dark green cloth star, and from March 1923, for the Chekists in transport, it was black with a crimson star. From April 1923, the star on a dark blue helmet was, depending on the type of service, black with a white edging, gray or blue, and in August 1924 the helmet of the Chekists (except for transport workers) became dark gray with a maroon star.

Battle path
1941 was met with them

During the Civil Budyonovka, it did not receive much distribution. The devastation that reigned did not allow the entire Red Army to change into a new uniform, and the vast majority of Red Army soldiers fought in caps and hats of the Russian army.

On January 31, 1922, a summer Budyonovka was introduced - made of linen or cotton fabric in gray or a color close to it, without a nape, with two visors - in front and behind. "Hello and goodbye" - this is how this "summer helmet" was dubbed (already very much reminiscent of the "Pickelhaube" - a German helmet covered with a protective cover with a pointed pommel). In the summer of 1920, in Northern Tavria, there was a case when a white officer - a participant in the First World War - could not understand anything, peering into the advancing chains of the Reds. What the hell, are they really Germans? ..

However, this helmet turned out to be uncomfortable, and already in May 1924 it was replaced by a cap.

The "classic" Budyonovka from February 1922 again became the winter headdress of the Red Army. Now this "winter helmet" was sewn not from protective, but from dark gray cloth and became more rounded and not as elongated upwards as in Civil. Especially low, with a weakly expressed "spire", its silhouette was in 1922 - 1927.

From August to October 1926 (and in fact until the spring of 1927: it was not possible to re-adjust the machine "attachment" of the stars) there was no cloth star on it. From November 1932, the backplate was supposed to be lowered only at -6 Celsius and below.

Since December 1935, the helmets of the command staff of the Air Force were dark blue, and the helmets of the armored forces were steel.

On July 5, 1940, the Budyonovka coat, which did not protect well from the cold during the "winter war" with Finland, was abolished and replaced with a hat with earflaps. But it took a long time to sew millions of earflaps, and Budyonovka used to be worn even in 1941-1942. Let us recall the film footage of the parade on Red Square on November 7, 1941 - a unit with Lewis light machine guns taken "on the shoulder" (also a legacy of the Civil War) is marching in Budyonovka. A fighter in a Budenovka and a summer tunic (!) Is also captured in a photograph taken in May 1942 near Kharkov. And the front-line soldier, whose memoirs were recorded by the military translator Elena Rzhevskaya, was given a “lightning rod helmet” back in March 1943 ...

legends
Farewell to the "lightning rod"

A romantic halo appeared at Budenovka only in the 1950s, when it firmly settled on posters, illustrations, and postcards. And already in 1964, the critic Felix Kuznetsov blamed the author of the "Arctic Novel" Vladlen Anchishkin for the "duty" image of the guardian of revolutionary morality, grandfather Surmach - with a "grimy Budyonovka" on his head ...

And before that, the helmet was not very respectfully called a "lightning rod" (because of the "spire" extended upwards), or even a "mind rod". In the Far East in 1936, one commander liked to ask, pointing to the “spire” of the helmet: “Don’t you know what this is? S.], steam comes out of this spire "...

Immediately after the revolution, the fighters and commanders of the Red Guard, and then the Red Army, were dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Army with stripped shoulder straps. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War, it became necessary to distinguish the Red Guards from the White Guards.

In May 1918, the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the RSFSR announced the development on a competitive basis of new uniforms for the soldiers of the Red Army. Famous Russian artists took part in the competition: V. M. Vasnetsov, B. M. Kustodiev, M. D. Ezuchevsky, S. T. Arkadievsky.

As a result of the competition on December 18, 1918, the Revolutionary Military Council, among other elements of the new form, approved a winter headdress - a cloth helmet, which in shape resembled a medieval helmet with an aventail worn by epic Russian heroes - the future Budyonovka.

In Perestroika, the legend spread that the Budyonovka project was developed before the revolution as an element of the uniform of the Russian army for the victory parade in Berlin and Constantinople. However, orders for the development or production of such a headdress could not be found either in the archives of the tsarist departments or in the archives of the Provisional Government.

2. What did Budyonovka look like?

The first description of the appearance of Budyonovka is found in the order of the RVSR No. 116 of January 16, 1919. The helmet was made of khaki cloth with a cotton lining. The upper part of the helmet consisted of six spherical triangles, tapering upwards. At the top, a round plate 2 cm in diameter was sewn in, covered with the same cloth.

On the front, the Budyonovka had a stitched oval visor, and on the back - a neck pad descending down with elongated ends, fastened under the chin with buttons. When folded, the backplate was fastened with loops on leather straps to two buttons.

A cloth star with a diameter of 8.8 cm was sewn over the visor on the budenovka. A cockade badge was attached to the center of the star.

3. Was the hammer and sickle depicted on the cockade?

No, initially the cockade was made of yellow copper and had the shape of a five-pointed star with a crossed plow and hammer in the center. The hammer and sickle appeared on the cockade in 1922. The front side of the badge was covered with red enamel.

4. How did the infantry Budyonovka differ from the cavalry one?

The types of troops in the Red Army differed in the color of the cloth star sewn onto the front of the budyonovka. The infantrymen had a crimson star, the cavalrymen had a blue one, the artillerymen had an orange one, the engineers and sappers had a black one, the pilots had a blue one, and the border guards had a green one.

5. Bogatyrka, Frunzevka or Budyonovka?

Initially, the army called the winter helmet "bogatyrka" because of its external resemblance to the helmets of ancient Russian warriors. But later, when helmets began to spread among the troops, they began to be called by the names of the commanders-in-chief M.V. Frunze and S.M. Budyonny - "Frunzevka" and "Budyonovka", respectively. The "Budyonovsky" name has been preserved in history. Perhaps due to the more famous military path of the First Cavalry Army, as well as the great authority of Marshal Budyonny.

6. Why did they refuse Budyonovka?

Budyonovka remained the main winter headdress until the Winter War. It was then that it turned out that the hat with earflaps, common in the Finnish troops, keeps the heat much more efficiently. It was decided to replace Budyonovka with earflaps. But the process dragged on, and many troops fought in Budyonovka until 1943.

7. Budyonovka in art

The first works of revolutionary art depicting Budenovka as an integral attribute of a Red Army soldier were propaganda posters issued during the Civil War and intervention, calling on workers and peasants to join the Red Army. The most famous of them is the poster by D. Moor “Have you signed up as a volunteer?” (1920).