This striped shirt as a piece of uniform is worn by sailors of many countries, but only in Russia has a vest (vest) become a special symbol, a distinctive sign of real men.
Early 18th century, sailing era. After the clothing inconsistency in the European navies, a uniform uniform was introduced according to the Dutch model: narrow short trousers with stockings, a fitted jacket made of durable teak with a standing collar, two side pockets, six buttons and a high hat. True, in such clothes you can't run around the shrouds (rigging of a sailboat). And you can't go without clothes either - it's cold. The northern seas are harsh, and the requirements for working clothes for sailors are tougher here than in the southern latitudes, where you can work with a naked torso.
So the appearance of the vest is not accidental, it was born by life itself. Compared to any other clothes, it is very practical: it retains heat well, fits the body tightly, does not restrict movement during any work, is convenient when washing, practically does not wrinkle. The vest also appeared in Holland and from the very beginning was conceived as a striped one. There was also a one-color undershirt before her. But "striping" is functionally necessary: against the background of light sails, the sky, land, and also in dark water, a man in a vest can be seen from afar and clearly (that is why the prison uniform used to be striped too, only the stripes there are longitudinal). Sailors made this shirt from a harsh cloth, sewing stripes on it, or knitted from woolen yarn in two colors at once. At the same time, there was such a discrepancy in cuts, colors and stripes that the vest was considered a non-regulatory form of clothing and was punished for wearing it. Attitudes towards it changed in the middle of the 19th century, when the Dutch naval uniform from a short pea jacket, flared trousers and a jacket with a deep a cutout on the chest, into which the vest fits perfectly. She was included in the form. So, the English sailor was obliged to have, in addition to wearing, two more spare striped shirts. But if the vest had not got to Russia, it would have remained simply a charter piece of clothing for sailors.
Striped shirt weighing 80 spools
The uncomfortable Dutch sailor shirt-bostrog came to the Russian navy with foreigners hired by Peter I. kosovorotki. And on August 19, 1874, Emperor Alexander II approved the "Regulations on the allowance of the command of the Naval Department in terms of ammunition and uniforms." Instead of bostrog, the sailors received a white linen shirt (for the summer) and a blue flannel shirt (for the winter). They had a deep cutout on the chest, and therefore they pushed under them a underwear shirt with blue and white transverse stripes - the first Russian vest. Here is its standard, given in the appendix to this document: “A shirt knitted from wool in half with paper (meaning cotton). The color of the shirt is white with blue transverse stripes spaced one inch apart (44, 45 mm). The width of the blue stripes is a quarter of an inch. The weight of the shirt is supposed to be at least 80 spools (344 grams)”. So, the first Russian vest was made of a mixed fabric, wool and cotton in a 50:50 ratio. Its blue and white stripes matched the colors of the St. Andrew's flag - the official flag of the Russian Navy. White stripes were much (4 times) wider than blue ones. Only in 1912 did they become the same in width (a quarter vershok, or 11, 1 mm). At the same time, the material also changed - the vest was made entirely of cotton. It is said that at first it was given only to participants on long trips.
The vest immediately came to the court in the Russian fleet, became a source of pride: “The lower ranks wear it on Sundays, on holidays, when leaving the shore and in all cases when it is required to be smartly dressed.” Initially, the vests were made abroad, but then began to be produced from Uzbek cotton at the Kersten knitwear factory in St. Petersburg (after the revolution - the Krasnoye Znamya factory). Comfortable, warm, socially significant, the girl was in great demand.
We are few, but we are in vests
In 1917, people in vests became the guards of the revolution. The Baltians Dybenko, Raskolnikov, Zheleznyakov fought with their troops so desperately that the image of a "sailor in a vest" became a symbol of the revolution. The behavior of the bearers of the vest during this hard times clearly reflected the extreme features of the Russian character: contempt for death, desperate courage, unwillingness to obey anyone, turning into anarchy, loyalty only to their own kind ("brothers"). "Sailor Zheleznyak" became the hero of the famous song: "Kherson is in front of us, we will break through with bayonets, and ten grenades are not a trifle." After the Civil War, many sailors began to serve in the Cheka and the maritime border guard. Wearing a vest was still prestigious, it meant belonging to the elite of the armed forces. At that time, only a vest with stripes in dark blue was available; however, in 1922, due to a lack of dyes, it was produced in a single color, pure white without stripes.
During the Great Patriotic War, many Red Navy men fought on land. Everyone knows how they fought. This is another inexplicable phenomenon of the Russian character. The sailors, who could only service collective weapons (sophisticated naval equipment), did not have to be able to fight on land as a simple "horseless" infantryman. But this is what the "brothers" were able to do even better than many soldiers of the ground forces. For reasons of camouflage, they were dressed in army uniforms, under which they continued to wear a vest. And someone wore it in a duffel bag to save longer, but certainly put it on before the battle … This is also a tribute to the ancient Russian military tradition - to put on a clean shirt before the battle. In fact, the striped vest is conceived to be striking, and in the open field it is like a thorn in the eye. So the sailors did not try to disguise themselves. Throwing off their pea jackets or overcoats, they in some vests went into fierce bayonet attacks, sweeping away everything in their path. No wonder the Hitlerites, having experienced the blows of the marines, called it the "black death" and "striped devils". The saying "We are few, but we are in vests!" is known, undoubtedly, to everyone who speaks Russian. “One sailor is a sailor, two sailors are a platoon, three sailors are a company. How many are we? Four? Battalion, listen to my command! " (L. Sobolev. "The battalion of four"). The first battle of sailors with the enemy on land took place near Liepaja on June 25, 1941. The Baltic, under the command of foreman Prostorov, shouting "Polundra" put to flight the Germans who had conquered half of Europe. Knowing that the soldiers in vests would not retreat, the command formed shock units from them and threw them into the most dangerous sectors of the front. Vigor and fury in attack, resilience and toughness in defense - these are the Soviet marines of the Great Patriotic War, whose glory was embodied in the vest, one look of which plunged the enemy into awe.
Special forces are always in vests
"If enemies came to our doorstep, if we paid debts with our blood, then sailors and special forces, the Airborne Forces and the Marine - guys in vests brought success in the attack!"
Well, if sailors have always called the vest "sea soul", then why is it worn by military personnel who are not related to the sea? L. Sobolev wrote about the Marine Corps: “The sea soul is decisiveness, resourcefulness, courage and unshakable fortitude. This is cheerful daring, contempt for death, sailor's rage, fierce hatred of the enemy, readiness to support a comrade in battle, save the wounded, and close the commander with his chest. The strength of a sailor is unstoppable, persistent, purposeful. In a brave, courageous and proud sea soul - one of the sources of victory. " Look how accurately all the above-mentioned qualities of the marines of the Second World War are transferred to the current "brothers" - paratroopers, special forces of the GRU, FSB and VV!
So it is no coincidence, by analogy with the uniform of the marines, the vest was introduced into the equipment of the airborne troops of the Soviet
army (order of the Minister of Defense No. 191 of 1969-06-07). True, this vest of the heavenly guard also became "heavenly", light blue. The GRU spetsnaz received the same when the spetsnaz faculty was created at the Ryazan Airborne School. The GRU special forces naval units wear naval uniforms and, accordingly, a black and white naval vest.
Russian border guards put on the vest back in 1893, when a flotilla of the Separate Border Guard Corps was created in the White, Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. At first it was a navy vest with blue stripes, since 1898 - with green stripes. In 1911, he was replaced by a navy vest with blue stripes. After the revolution, naval border guards wore the same vests as navy sailors. In the 90s of the last century, vests were developed for other types of troops: green (border troops), maroon (special forces of the VV), cornflower blue (special forces of the FSB, Presidential regiment), orange (Ministry of Emergency Situations). The naval vest is included in the kit of the cadets of the naval and civil naval and river educational institutions.
So today in Russia you will not surprise anyone with a vest. It would seem, well, what is there to talk about, because this is just a statutory underwear? However, this "underwear" in a very special way unites real men into a fighting brotherhood, makes them "brothers". Striped undershirts of various types are worn by military and civilian sailors of different countries. But it was only in Russia that the vest became a symbol of a valiant fighter who wins in any conditions. Afghanistan, hot spots of the last twenty years - "brothers" in vests of various colors have proved themselves to be WARRIORS everywhere! Marine Corps Law "We are few, but we are in vests!" continues to operate. "Afghan, behind Chechnya, instead of an armored vest on strong shoulders, Komsomolets and Kursk went to the bottom, but they go on a campaign and go on course - guys in vests!"
Vest day
Before the revolution, the midshipmen of the St. Petersburg Naval Corps, on the day of their release, wore a vest on the figure of a bronze monument to Admiral Kruzenshtern. Today Vest Day is not yet an official holiday, although it is very popular in the northern capital, where enthusiasts celebrate it as their own tradition.
So, there is an idea: in addition to the Day of the Navy, Day of the Airborne Forces, Day of the Border Guard, etc., annually celebrate the Day of the vest. This holiday could unite sailors, paratroopers, and border guards - that is, all the "brothers" proudly wearing a striped vest: it means that the guys in the vests are standing up again as an indestructible wall."
