Officially, the tricolor was not used in the Russian Liberation Army and the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia until approximately January 1945, when it was finally allowed German command.
It is still worth noting that the Russian tricolor and its variations were used by individual collaborators up to this point - both officially and not. The use of the tricolor was recorded at the parade of the 1st Guards Brigade of the ROA in Pskov on June 22, 1943, where the flag was carried by its chief of staff, former White Army Colonel K.G. Kromiadi. The tricolor was also used on the cockades of soldiers of the “Russian National Army” and on the chevrons of soldiers of the “Russian National People’s Army”, which, nevertheless, were led by white emigrants and included a significant number of representatives of white emigration. The tricolor with the St. Andrew's cross crossing it was used as a symbol of the Russian SS trainees, and the Russian national flag itself was used in their camp in Troppau.
The unofficial use of the tricolor (as, for example, at the parade in Pskov) was rather a manifestation of their own nationalist ideas, the desire of the collaborators to show that they are not just German puppets.
But, nevertheless, the use of the tricolor was not welcomed by party functionaries. As one of the largest researchers of the Vlasov movement, Sven Shteenberg, writes, the artist A. N. Rodzevich was involved in the creation of the symbols of the ROA by the Vlasovites, who drew 9 sketches with a predominance of the colors of the traditional Russian tricolor. However, when they were submitted for approval to the Imperial Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, Rosenberg personally crossed out all nine, after which the sketches were returned, to which General Vlasov said: “I would have left it that way - the Russian flag, crossed out by the Germans out of fear of it.” " Then General V.F. Malyshkin proposed using the St. Andrew's Cross, and the sketch, which ultimately received Rosenberg's approval, was a blue St. Andrew's Cross on a white field. Subsequently, the symbol of the ROA became the St. Andrew's shield with a red edging. Later, the St. Andrew's flag became the flag of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia. Limitations even in use national symbols disappointed the collaborators in their hopes that the Germans would help them create a new independent Russian statehood.
The Vlasovites began to use the tricolors en masse in May 1945, when they opposed the Germans and took part in the Prague Uprising on the side of the Czechs. The use of the tricolor by the Vlasovites was then recorded both in photographs and on video.
In principle, one should not draw direct parallels between the modern flag of Russia and the use of the tricolor in the ROA, because these phenomena are still connected only by the fact that for the Russians the white-blue-red flag was then and is now one of the symbols historical Russia. The fact that it was used by those Russians who fought on the side of Germany against the USSR only shows the deep tragedy of those people and their deceptive hopes and belief that they are the ones who are fighting for Russia, that they are real Russians.
Meskiukas> I don’t know if it’s fake or not, but the Vlasovites and others wore eagles.
In this photo, the dude has the ROA sleeve chevron, but the shoulder straps are of a German non-commissioned officer, the buttonholes are completely incomprehensible.
The symbolism on the ROA uniform should have been like this:
On April 29, 1943, an order of the General Staff was issued Ground Forces Dermacht (OKH) No. 500/43 on the introduction of uniforms and insignia of the Russian Liberation Army. By Directive No. 14124/43 of May 29, 1943, these insignia are introduced for all Russian military formations taking part in the war on the side of Germany, and all other insignia are abolished. However, basically everyone limited themselves to sewing the ROA patch on the sleeve above the elbow (some on the left, some on the right, and some on both sleeves). Firstly, many chose to wear German insignia and uniforms, although this was prohibited and in some cases persecuted by the Germans. Secondly, there were significant difficulties in the manufacture and supply of insignia. But this patch became popular and was used until the end of the war.
Completely new uniforms and insignia of the ROA could be seen in 43-44 on soldiers of the eastern battalions stationed in France. The uniform itself was made of grayish-blue material (stocks of captured French army cloth) and in cut was a compilation of a Russian tunic and a German uniform.
There were three types of rank badges for headdresses. The soldier's and non-commissioned officer's cockade was simply a blue oval with a red center, the officer's had a silver "shine" around the oval, and the general's had a golden "shine".
Buttonholes were also provided for three types - soldier and non-commissioned officer, officer, general. The officer's and general's buttonholes were edged with silver and gold flagella, respectively. However, there was a buttonhole that could be worn by both soldiers and officers. This buttonhole had a red border. A gray German button was placed at the top of the buttonhole, and a 9mm ran along the buttonhole. aluminum galloon.
The shoulder straps of soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers were of the Russian Tsarist Army type and were sewn from dark green material with red trim. Officers had one or two narrow red stripes along their shoulder straps. General's shoulder straps were also of the royal type, but the same green shoulder straps with red edging were more common, and the general's "zigzag" was depicted with a red stripe. The placement of insignia among non-commissioned officers roughly corresponded to the tsarist army. For officers and generals, the number and placement of stars (German model) corresponded to the German principle.
Officially, the tricolor was not used in the Russian Liberation Army and the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia until approximately January 1945, when it was finally permitted by the German command.
It is still worth noting that the Russian tricolor and its variations were used by individual collaborators up to this point - both officially and not. The use of the tricolor was recorded at the parade of the 1st Guards Brigade of the ROA in Pskov on June 22, 1943, where the flag was carried by its chief of staff, former White Army Colonel K.G. Kromiadi. The tricolor was also used on the cockades of soldiers of the “Russian National Army” and on the chevrons of soldiers of the “Russian National People’s Army”, which, nevertheless, were led by white emigrants and included a significant number of representatives of white emigration. The tricolor with the St. Andrew's cross crossing it was used as a symbol of the Russian SS trainees, and the Russian national flag itself was used in their camp in Troppau.
The unofficial use of the tricolor (as, for example, at the parade in Pskov) was rather a manifestation of their own nationalist ideas, the desire of the collaborators to show that they are not just German puppets.
But, nevertheless, the use of the tricolor was not welcomed by party functionaries. As one of the largest researchers of the Vlasov movement, Sven Shteenberg, writes, the artist A. N. Rodzevich was involved in the creation of the symbols of the ROA by the Vlasovites, who drew 9 sketches with a predominance of the colors of the traditional Russian tricolor. However, when they were submitted for approval to the Imperial Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, Rosenberg personally crossed out all nine, after which the sketches were returned, to which General Vlasov said: “I would have left it that way - the Russian flag, crossed out by the Germans out of fear of it.” " Then General V.F. Malyshkin proposed using the St. Andrew's Cross, and the sketch, which ultimately received Rosenberg's approval, was a blue St. Andrew's Cross on a white field. Subsequently, the symbol of the ROA became the St. Andrew's shield with a red edging. Later, the St. Andrew's flag became the flag of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia. Restrictions even on the use of national symbols disappointed the collaborators in their hopes that the Germans would help them create a new independent Russian statehood.
The Vlasovites began to use the tricolors en masse in May 1945, when they opposed the Germans and took part in the Prague Uprising on the side of the Czechs. The use of the tricolor by the Vlasovites was then recorded both in photographs and on video.
In principle, one should not draw direct parallels between the modern flag of Russia and the use of the tricolor in the ROA, because These phenomena are still connected only by the fact that for the Russians the white-blue-red flag was then and is now one of the symbols of historical Russia. The fact that it was used by those Russians who fought on the side of Germany against the USSR only shows the deep tragedy of those people and their deceptive hopes and belief that they are the ones who are fighting for Russia, that they are real Russians.
On August 22, Russia celebrates its flag holiday. Today, Russian people will begin to indulge in reflection: “Where did the Russian tricolor come from?”, “Why did we choose the banner of the Vlasovites?” There is no way to leave these questions unanswered. I'll have to answer. 1. How did we end up under this flag?
Every citizen of Russia who has a solid “B” in his school certificate in history knows that the Russian tricolor appeared in our country thanks to Peter the Great. But if you studied at a school with an in-depth study of history, or your teacher was a vexillologist, then you know something completely different - correct. The first tricolor appeared in Russia earlier, during the reign of the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich.
In 1634, an embassy from the Duke of Holstein, Frederick III, arrived at the court of Mikhail Fedorovich. In addition to diplomatic issues, the embassy also decided on the construction of ten ships on the Volga for travel to Persia. The first ship, the Frederick, was launched in 1636. Its life as a ship was short, but it sailed under the Holstein flag, suspiciously similar to our current tricolor. So the tricolor flag was revealed to the eyes of the Russian people, but while it was not a Russian flag, it became Russian (or almost Russian) under Alexei Mikhailovich.
Alexey Mikhailovich chose this flag for the first Russian frigate Orel. Dutch engineer Davyd Butler asked the tsar which flag to put on the ship. Russia did not yet have its own flag, and the frigate’s crew consisted entirely of Dutch people, so without hesitation it was decided to put up a flag identical to the Dutch one, which, of course, is at least strange. To go to sea under the Protestant flag for the Russian sailors of that time, who were 80 percent Pomors, was equivalent to if they had also taken on board an escort of women, made a solemn sacrifice of a seagull right on the deck, installed several coffins in the hold and violated other signs . There is only one conclusion from this: there was not a single Orthodox Christian on board the Orel. Although, a ship is a ship. Ship flags used to be a complete formality; they were changed before entering ports; trade could not be jeopardized. In general, the tricolor first appeared on a Russian ship by accident, reaching the point of absurdity.
The appearance of the tricolor under Peter also cannot be explained by the wisdom of the choice of the ruler. He just loved Holland very much. So much so that many courtiers, after the return of Peter I from the great embassy, thought that he had been replaced. In Rotterdam, a frigate with a Dutch flag, built to Peter's order, was waiting for Peter. Peter liked it so much that he decided not to change the banner either.
2. Why three colors?
The three colors on the Russian flag are associated with heraldic fashion, dating back to the Merovingians. On the banner of the Frankish king Clovis there were three toads, representing three mothers, three racial types, three psychological models worldviews: Freya, Lida and Finda. Later, toads were replaced by lilies, symbolizing first the Virgin Mary and then the Holy Trinity. There is no single meaning for the symbolism of the colors of the Russian flag. Everyone is free to believe what they want, but it is significant that the colors of the Russian flag could have been different. Initially, the Dutch flag was not red, blue and white, but instead of red it was orange. Change Orange color According to the official version, the Dutch were prompted to switch to red by the revolution; according to the everyday version, the fact that the orange color, fading, acquired very interesting tones, even green, and the flag was similar to the one popular today in certain circles"rainbow flag" Do we want such a flag?
3. Was there an alternative?
The answer to this question is clear: it was. And not alone. And not two. Much more.
Firstly, the battle banners of the times of Ivan the Terrible can be considered Russian flags. They were traditional red with the image of Christ. In 1552, Russian regiments marched under him for a victorious assault on Kazan. The chronicle record of the siege of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible (1552) says: “and the sovereign ordered the Christian cherubs to unfurl, that is, the banner, on them the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, Not Made by Hands.” This banner accompanied the Russian army for a century and a half. Under Tsarina Sophia Alekseevna, it participated in the Crimean campaigns, and under Peter I - in the Azov campaign and in the war with the Swedes.
An alternative to the tricolor could be the St. Andrew's flag - white with an azure cross, in honor of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The Apostle Andrew the First-Called was crucified on an oblique cross. For this reason, Christians associate the oblique cross with the name of this apostle. Andrew the First-Called in his wanderings reached the shores of the Black Sea and baptized the ancient Rus. In Rus' they were proud that the beginning of Russian Christianity was connected with the actions of the very first of Christ’s disciples. After this change, the Russian fleet began to win decisive victories in naval battles.
Today’s flag of Russia could also be the flag of Alexei Mikhailovich, the first Russian flag. It was created in the likeness of the Streltsy banners. The flag of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich is deeply symbolic. It is based on the Cross. Thus, this flag indicates the mission of Russia in the universe, as the last bearer of the true faith - Orthodoxy.
Finally, after the collapse of the Union, as a sign that we had once again renounced the old world (this time - from the world of dreams in developed socialism), the flag of the Romanov dynasty (black-yellow-white) could become the flag of Russia. For the first time it began to be hung on special days after 1815, following the end of the Patriotic War with Napoleonic France. By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, it was introduced as a “coat of arms” flag. The designer of the flag was probably B. Kene. The black, yellow and white banner is based on the Russian heraldic tradition. Its black color is from the double-headed eagle, yellow is from the golden field of the coat of arms, and white is the color of St. George.
There were other flags in Russia. The choice of the tricolor is associated with another farce of history, but more on that later.
4. Why are other Slavs also under this flag?
Officially, there are three versions of why “our colors” are also present on the flags of other peoples who participated in the Pan-Slavic Congress in the mid-19th century. Two of them are absurd, one is true. According to the first version, the colors are borrowed not from the Russian trade flag, but from the flag of France, and they represent, accordingly, freedom, equality and fraternity. Of course this is not true. Nicholas I, who had his own idea of these three values (radically different from the ideals of the French Revolution), would hardly have allowed such a genesis. The second version is even weaker: these colors went to the Pan-Slavs from the Duchy of Carniola, which is the size of three Moscow. Finally, main version- this is “Russian genesis”. Sponsorship and support from Russia is the main reason for the tricolor in the national flags of the Slavic peoples.
5. Why did the Provisional Government choose this flag?
It didn’t actually choose him. It just didn't change him. At the Legal Meeting in April 1917, it was decided to leave the flag as a national flag. At the May meeting of the Provisional Government, the question of the flag was postponed “until resolution by the Constituent Assembly.” In fact, the tricolor remained the national flag until October revolution, legally - until April 13, 1918. when the decision was made to establish the flag of the RSFSR. During Civil War the tricolor was the flag of the Whites, Soviet army fought under the red flag.
6. Why did Vlasov choose this flag?
The ROA and RNNA consisted, by and large, of white emigrants. It is not at all surprising that it is the flag Tsarist Russia was used by Vlasov. To fight Stalinism and Bolshevism (this is how Vlasov justified his betrayal), a better flag simply could not be found. The tricolor even took part in the ROA parade in Pskov on June 22, 1943.
7. Why did Yeltsin choose this flag?
The first person to use the tricolor after Vlasov was Garry Kasparov. During his world championship match with Anatoly Karpov (who played under the Soviet flag), Kasparov competed under the red, white and blue flag. Perestroika was underway and Garry Kimovich obviously felt where the wind was blowing from and where. By the way, Kasparov won that match. A year later he won the flag. People came to the putsch (probably an accident) with red, white and blue flags. Veterans, of whom there were much more 20 years ago, and who were also in the crowd at the House of Soviets, were perplexed: they remembered history half a century ago. One of the flags ended up on the tank with Boris Nikolaevich. Interestingly, the Yeltsin memorial on Novodevichy Cemetery is a huge tricolor. The flag that returned with the 1991 coup.
Well, something like this.... What bothers you? And I'm waiting for the history of your flag?
The flag of the Vlasov Army existed in official status for only 3 years. But if during the USSR, it appearance did not remind the average person of anything, now the associations arise are very ambiguous. History of the tricolor
The red, blue and white flag of Russia is unmistakably recognizable by most Russians. But there are too many colors of a similar color in heraldry. And by what right, in this case, is this tricolor called Russian? When did he appear? The first mentions of the red-blue-white tricolor date back to the end of the 16th century. It appeared in the Netherlands during the reign of William of Orange. Only instead of red, it had an orange stripe.
Oran means orange.
To color the flag, colors from the heraldic coat of arms of the ruler, who was from Schleswig-Holstein, were used.
More than a hundred years later, during the era of large-scale government reforms, Peter the Great personally made a sketch of a trade flag Russian fleet, in a modern version.
There are quite truthful versions of the appearance of the tricolor in pre-Petrine times. In particular, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet, some ships that were part of the Caspian Flotilla were crowned with this flag.
But in this case, we are talking about local use this flag, and under Peter the Great, it adorned all merchant ships of the Russian Navy.
IN further history, the red-blue-white tricolor appeared sporadically in the system state symbols, but it reached its maximum value only in 1896, when it became the State Flag of the Russian Empire.
Between 1883 and 1896, the tricolor was considered the "national flag".
Important clarification
IN pre-revolutionary Russia, there was no such clearly defined concept as the State Flag. There were many concepts of flags to indicate belonging to a state. In this case, any military or trade flags are not taken into account.
We are talking about such elements state symbols, How:
· State flag Russian Empire;
· National flag of the Russian Empire;
· State banner of the Russian Empire;
· Royal standard of the Romanovs;
The system was incredibly complex and difficult for a modern Russian to understand. If for us the words: banner, flag and standard are approximately equivalent, then a hundred years ago the difference was obvious.
It should be noted that the unification and standardization of elements of state symbols, on a global scale, became possible after the creation of the “League of Nations” (predecessor of the UN). Until this time, some countries did not have a generally accepted set of state symbols.
But only 18 years were allotted to the state flag, the tricolor. After the revolution, he sometimes represented the White Guards.
Flag of the Vlasov Army – photo
All collaborationist groups from the Great Patriotic War, there was no ideological emphasis in this direction. The Wehrmacht command did not seek to awaken in the Russians any sense of unity, without a German core. But since many of these associations were headed by emigrated officers of the tsarist army, they used the tricolor flag as the basis for their banners.
Since they had no place to flaunt these flags, there was practically no documentary evidence left. There are very few of them, and most of them are controversial. After all color photography at that time, it was a very expensive and technically complex game.
However, during the Victory Parade of 1945, the ROA tricolor was also thrown at the foot of the Kremlin.
Tricolor in our time
This may sound strange, but the idea of restoring the tricolor as the state flag of the Russian Federation was first raised at meetings of the Council of the Democratic Union, and Valeria Novodvorskaya chaired it. To initiate the process of restoring the old symbols, the Russian Banner organization was formed.
But even before these events, approximately from the beginning of the 80s, an amateur group of enthusiasts, under the “Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments,” began to use the Russian tricolor as their symbol.
Yes, this group of enthusiasts called themselves “Memory Society”. And there is a lot of evidence that the roots of this team go back to the fifth department of the KGB.
In other words, “Memory Society” + “Democratic Union” + Novodvorskaya imposed this tricolor on Russia as a symbol of statehood.
Other versions of state flags
It is extremely difficult to find an example in the history of Russia. It is known that during the time of St. Prince Vladimir, went into battle with a red banner. Subsequently, after the baptism of Rus', the rulers used banners and standards with Christian symbols, but in black and gold.
This continued until Peter the Great, each ruler made his own sample of the banner.
After the formation of the Russian Empire, each new Romanov ascendant to the throne ordered the original “Imperial Standard” for his coronation, with the obligatory presence of a double-headed eagle. But the colors continued to remain in black and gold.
It should be noted that there is no clearly established interpretation of color symbolism at the state, official level. In other words, it is simply a beautifully arranged piece of matter that does not symbolize anything. He simply represents Russia in the form of a recognizable sign.
It is as a sign that the Russian flag should be perceived in the understanding of prof. Moscow State University Loseva A.F. According to him, in modern society the boundary between the sacred essence of a symbol and a sign is being carefully blurred.
Without an official interpretation, even vexillology cannot consider the flag as a full-fledged symbol. Therefore, everyone is free to interpret the meanings of color symbolism to the best of their knowledge and beliefs.