Ober-officer, staff officer - this is the division into ranks of officers in the Russian army until 1917. The last of them was higher - from major to colonel. And the chief officer is a junior officer - from ensign to captain. The concept of "junior" in our case should be distinguished from the term "non-commissioned officer" - a transitional rank between soldiers and officers, which was given to especially distinguished soldiers who did not have a title of nobility.
An analogy can be made with the modern army: for the rank of officer, you must have a higher military education, so there are "transitional" ranks - foremen and warrant officers. Let's go directly to the ranks of chief officers.
Ensign
Ensigns - chief officers who wore one star on the chase (in some cases, none) - this is the lowest rank on the path of an officer's career. In the artillery, this rank did not exist - it corresponded to a junker bayonet. Yes, lieutenantis one of the main characters in "Bel" by M. Yu. Lermontov - Pechorin.
Second lieutenant, cornet and cornet
Ober-officers could also have the rank of second lieutenants. They had two stars on their shoulder straps. Cornet and cornet in the cavalry were also equated with the rank of second lieutenant. At the same time, the first rank was found only among the Cossacks, the second - among other cavalry branches of the military. In the Navy, this rank corresponded to midshipman.
It is necessary to understand that military reforms were taking place all the time in the army and navy. Chief officers were also drawn into them. Since 1884, the rank of ensign was abolished, and the first junior officer rank was second lieutenant and cornet.
Lieutenant
Ober-officers also received the rank of lieutenant. In the Cossack troops, they corresponded to a centurion. The lieutenants wore shoulder straps with three stars on each. By the way, this title is often found among various heroes in Russian classical literature. And there is an explanation for this: lieutenants are young people, but no longer youths. Now they make "adult" mistakes and miscalculations. Among them are those who lost at cards, and heroes, and cowards, etc. The lieutenant corresponds to the rank of senior lieutenant in the modern Russian army.
Staff Captain
In the cavalry, the rank of staff captain corresponded to the rank of staff captain, among the Cossacks - podsaul. They wore epaulettes with four stars on each. Let us recall once again the work of M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time". There, this rank was worn by the ingenuous and kind Maksim Maksimovich.
Captain
Captain - the highest chief officer rank. In the cavalry, the captain corresponded to him, and among the Cossacks, the captain. The captain commanded a company or battery, the captain commanded a squadron.
Life Grenadier Regiment
The chief officer of the Life Grenadier Regiment enjoyed special honor in the Russian army. Those who held this title always emphasized this in every conversation.
The Life Grenadier Regiment is the elite of the Russian tsarist army. It got its name from a hand grenade with a wick - grenada. The first grenadiers are the soldiers who threw such grenades. To do this, it was necessary to get close to the enemy as quickly as possible. Naturally, the grenadiers suffered the greatest losses in battles. For them, exceptions were always made both in the charter and in the recruitment of personnel.
In 1756, in Riga, the first grenadier regiment was formed by decree of Empress Elizabeth. Prior to this, grenadier companies were auxiliary in infantry regiments. The first grenadier regiment showed itself heroically in the battle of Kunersdorf during the Seven Years' War. It was his attack that decided the outcome of the entire battle. In 1760, the unit occupied the outskirts of Berlin. The regiment was distinguished by its courage in the Russian-Turkish wars, and in 1775 it was awarded the title of Life Grenadier Regiment. It was considered an honor to serve in it, and a rigorous selection of candidates was carried out during its recruitment.
Nobility as a recruiting factorofficers
Don't forget that officers in Russia before the revolution were not only a military position, but also a public title. Before the revolution, he was considered synonymous with the concept of "nobleman", since it was from the nobles, who considered it their duty to serve the Fatherland, that officers were recruited. For this, the state gave them privileges. Only military officer service was considered honorable among the privileged class.
It is no coincidence that the Bolsheviks during the revolution use the term "officer" in a negative way, emphasizing their class affiliation. During the reform of the Soviet army, during the Great Patriotic War, many combat Soviet divisional commanders and commanders who fought in the Civil War for the Red Army wrote massive reports on dismissals. They said that the concept of "officer" is perceived in their minds as "enemy", "nobleman", so they cannot bear the title of "Soviet officers".
Then the motivation for the introduction of innovation was as follows: the Germans threatened not the Soviet regime, but the Motherland, so it was necessary to forget ideological and political differences and defend the interests of Russia. In the course of the reform, a spirit of continuity was created with the royal military victories. Prior to this, any mention of the glorious victories of Russian commanders in the pre-revolutionary period was prohibited.
Children of Chief Officers
Even Peter the Great understood that the rigid caste system in Russia had a negative impact on the development of the state: almost the entire population was in a state of apathy and indifference. The nobles knew that in any case they would move up the career ladder. The rest, on the contrary, understood that under no circumstances it is impossible to "jump over your head." The great reformer broke this centuries-old tradition: ranks appeared in the Table of Ranks, to which all classes could rise.
It turned out to be revolutionary that upon reaching this rank, a person acquired the title of a nobleman. His future children were also eligible for this title. In fact, there was a revolution that abolished the rigid caste system in our country. However, those children who were born before their father received the required rank were assigned a special status - “sons (children) of chief officers.”
So, let's analyze in more detail what the nobility is in this case. How could the son of a chief officer get a privileged title? Only personal merit. For all the rest, a special exempt class was introduced, which was higher than their original position, but lower than the nobility. Later, in 1832, "children of chief officers" will receive a special status - "honorary citizens".
