Military tattoos appeared a long time ago. At first they were just notches on the skin in the shape of a cross, which were filled with gunpowder. Some applied their own personal number. This helped identify fallen or wounded fighters. Later came tattoos in the shape of a star with five ends.
Today, army tattoos are very popular among men. There are few people who would not want to imprint an image on their body after the army about the difficult life of soldiers. Drawings are usually applied at the end of service. Equally important are tattoos for those who have participated in combat operations.
Military tattoos
Army tattoos can only compete in symbolism with prison and mafia tattoos: here not as developed symbolism, but the conditions under which they are created are very special. A lot of people confuse army tattoos and prisoner tattoos: you can often see a man with an old tattoo on public transport or in the street, and many mistake him for a former prisoner, but this may not necessarily be true. Army tattoos, the meaning of which is different from prison tattoos, will be the topic of our conversation today.
Special Forces Bat Tattoo
History of army tattoos - when did tattoos appear in the Russian army?
The approximate time when tattoos appeared in the Russian army is impressive. According to historians, it happened 3-4 centuries ago.
Perhaps the development of tattooing was influenced by the decree of Peter 1, which stated that the military must apply a personal number in the form of a tattoo.
Thus it was possible to carry out the identification of the soldier who died in battle.
Let us consider what other variants of tattoos were encountered in the last century:
- It was allowed to "stuff" tattoos in the form of a cross. But this is already a more popular tradition. Christians, carved a cross on the wrist, used gunpowder as paint, it was rubbed into the wounds.
- It's known that those who joined the Red Army "had a five-pointed star tattooed on their left hand.
- Warriors in Afghanistan had their blood type "tattooed". Such tattoos saved the lives of many soldiers when they were unconscious.
Generally speaking, tattooing was frowned upon. In some units of the Russian army tattoos were strictly forbidden - for example, in the intelligence service.
During the Soviet Union, tattoos continued to be "tattooed" by military personnel. There was no system. There were drawings, inscriptions, which were very popular with soldiers, or emblems, abbreviated names of troops.
For example, SUGV - Southern Group of Forces.
Now the attitude toward tattooing is ambiguous and depends largely on the opinion of commanders.
Of course, there is no longer such a strict disapproval, so soldiers are even "stuffing" themselves with tattoos.
Yes, and changed the symbolism of the army tattoos. Now there are all kinds of "tattooed" pictures, the main thing being that they The main thing is that they convey a soldier's attitude, opinion or conviction.
In the tattoo salons of St. Petersburg you can be offered a variety of sketches of army tattoos.
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Army tattoos and their symbols
Military tattoos can be conventionally and unofficially divided into several groups:
- Tattoos by rank
- Tattoos by troop
- Tattoos made with those he served with
- Tattoos, made with nothing to do.
The first category, tattoos by rank, are done by those who have passed through some military hierarchy: it can be as epaulettes, and other symbols of power. Tattoos by troop usually indicate what troops the man had to serve in: infantry, rifle, navy, and so on. This category is usually sentimental in nature and is done in memory of the time spent in the army.
Tattoos made by and with those with whom he served have the same function, reminding of army comrades and friends.
And the last category - tattoos from "nothing to do". In the army, contrary to popular belief, there is plenty of free time and plenty of people who can draw in one way or another: this is how tattoos are born, with no particular semantic meaning.
Army Airborne Tattoo - a tiger in a beret
As a symbol in different countries and peoples of the world
Associated with any significant events, tanks unwittingly became their symbols, as by their participation strongly influenced the outcome. Some vehicles had recognizable silhouette, which was well remembered by newsreels, photographs of those years and paintings.
The British Mark V tank is a symbol of the Civil War, as it was then that the machines were first involved in combat. The trophy tank is installed as a monument in the city of Arkhangelsk. The famous fighting vehicle was captured by the Red Army in 1920 on the Southern Front and later installed on a pedestal to commemorate the victory over the interventionists.
Social status by tattoo
As in the criminal world, military tattoos, whose designs resemble prison tattoos, have a special meaning: some of them indicate a soldier's social status within the unit and indicate his affiliation with a particular branch or even subdivision (such as the GRU). In the military environment tattoos are allowed to wear only "grandfathers": the insignia on the body must be earned, and without having served its due date, many soldiers simply do not have the right to make a tattoo. Tattoos soldiers do, as a rule, at the end of his term of service, in memory of the past years, in honor of the fact that they defended their homeland.
Sketches of a scorpion tattoo - one of the most common symbols in army circles, signifying strength and power, bravery and courage
Standard Airborne tattoo - airplanes on the background of a parachute
Meaning in the world and ancient culture
Fans of the mighty military equipment a lot, fans of historical reconstructions and parades are trying not to miss any event related to the participation of tanks. In the entertainment industry, there are more and more computer games, similar to the famous "Tanchiki.
In ancient times, people thought about how to strengthen the position of the army, making the state defensive machine invincible, invulnerable. During the Renaissance, his tank was invented and drew a detailed drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. The legendary designer's idea was not appreciated, as the tank was going to be too bulky and heavy, and it would have been difficult to move on the ground.
The development of weapons, which created huge gaps in the defense during warfare, forced people to come up with different ways of effective self-propelled defense. As early as the twelfth century BC, the Chinese invented chariots with a roof that could hold up to 12 people and move freely across the battlefield. The Romans had self-propelled siege towers with loopholes for archery. In Scotland in 1395 a cumbersome machine was invented that protected at least 100 men at a time, but it was impossible to move it by force of muscles, and therefore the idea was forgotten.
The first prototypes of tanks were locomotives with reinforced walls, cars with armored saloons. Engineers began to combine wheels and caterpillars in their designs in order to achieve maneuverability and high speed of movement. The British were one of the first to start mass production of tanks in 1916 - their clumsy machines in the form of a lozenge-shaped box with people inside it were called a "tank", which in translation means "tank, cistern". By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, many countries had fast and powerful vehicles, which had already begun to be subdivided according to weight and functionality.
Symbolism of army tattoos by troops
- AIRBORNE TROOPS . More often than not, these troops have an "unspoken protocol" for placing a tattoo on the body: it is done on the left shoulder and depicts a parachute indicating the place or locality where the service took place. Often among the tattoos of these troops are a winged wolf with the inscription "45 ORP", the image of parachutists and airplanes.
- Special Forces and reconnaissance . The most common symbol in these troops is a bat, as a sign of secrecy. Most often it is depicted together with the moon, which symbolizes the night, as well as with the canopy of a parachute. Also in the Special Forces there are often tattoos of skulls with berets.
- Navy . The symbol of the northern navy is undoubtedly the polar bear, but often there are also real "pirate tattoos": the wheel of the helm, anchors, sailing ships. Among the employees of the navy are also common tattoos, which are made on the rib of the palm. Usually it is the inscription "For the Navy!"
- Marines . Marines are not distinguished by their originality - their symbol is a parachute dome. An anchor against a background of a globe and dolphins were also common, and the simplest tattoo of marines was a ribbon with the name of the troops.
- Separate Brigade of the Guard of the Minister of Defense . When recruits were accepted into the Separate Brigade, all future soldiers were carefully checked for tattoos on the body: even with a drawing between the toes, it was impossible to get into the brigade. But once a soldier was accepted, at the end of a year of service it was possible to get a tattoo of a dragon on his shoulder.
- Servicemen in the North Caucasus . The symbol of soldiers who served in the North Caucasus is a scorpion tattooed on the chest. Particular attention is paid to the tail and sting of the scorpion: if it is raised, then the soldier took part in military action, and if it is lowered - he did not.
Si vis pacem, para bellum!
27/07/2012 Afghan tattoos of the Soviet Army soldiers
The subject of the war in Afghanistan is a sore subject for me, as I am from the generation that fought in that war. Some of my acquaintances did not return from that alien war. Eternal memory to the heroes! But we're not talking about the war now, we're talking about the army's Afghan tattoosthat... Soviet Army soldiers made themselves in this war.
The army tattoos and their themes
Tattoos of the army, like prison tattoos, are not imposed for beauty, as they indicate the social status of the person, as well as his affiliation with certain troops.
Conventionally, military tattoos are divided into several categories:
- By military rank;
- by branch of service;
- by place of service.
Today, many soldiers prefer to draw on the body in their military unit, mid or late term. Stamping the image on the body ahead of time does not allow status: the tattoo is applied only to "grandfathers" and not to "spirits". We can say that it is a special mark of distinction about the period spent in the military unit.
It is worth knowing that such army nakolki are not always of great beauty, if performed by an unskilled master. In addition, they have an increased risk of infection in the process of application and healing.
The meaning of tattoos for men
The most common meaning of the tattoo with a tank - the memory of the years of service in the ranks of the Russian Army. The owner of such a tattoo is proud of the fact that he served in the tank troops, acquired useful skills and proved himself as a real fighter. The bearer of the concise, small tattoo with a tank can be a good mechanic, able to repair any vehicle with his hands or an excellent driver.
Colored tattoos with tanks are chosen by guys who tend to solve any conflict or dispute with aggressive force. The owners of the tattoo in the form of realistically performed tank emphasize assertive and irrepressible character, adding spectacular color elements to the picture - it can be flaming flashes of explosions, red bloody splashes, clouds of dark smoke.
Quite popular tattoos with fantasy content - for example, the image of a walking tank with a very original appearance gives a fan of the movie "Star Wars", and the logo of the popular game "Tanchiki" with rows of fighting machines often choose fans of computer entertainment.
Perseverance and tenacity of character symbolize the tattoo, in which the tank is marching through the woods or fields, sweeping and knocking down everything in its path. Russian patriots often make a tattoo of the T-34, adding to the plot other symbols of the Great Victory - the Red Banner, five-pointed star.
Military tattoos are a separate category of body art. They have not only aesthetic beauty, but also have a special meaning, which can tell information about the place of service and the kind of troops of the owner.
Army tattoos by type of troops: meaning and symbolism
The army is a special period in the life of a man. For this reason, many of them want to immortalize it with a body drawing.
All troops have a basic recognizable image. For example, the Airborne Forces have a parachute, the RXBZ has a gas mask, etc. Often there are inscriptions indicating blood group, motto, unit number, abbreviations, etc. Basically, the meaning of army tattoos is information about the kind of troops in which the service took place. Let's consider the tattoos of military soldiers in more detail.
AIRBORNE TROOPS. Distinctive signs of paratroopers - a blue beret and parachute. They are the main symbols used in the tattoo.
Accepted locations of military tattoos
The most common places to place tattoos are the shoulder area, the back of the palm of the right hand and the side of the hand.
The left shoulder is often used to indicate the place of military service, a possible unit. On the right palm they put small inscriptions like "To the Airborne Troops," "To the AF," etc., so that the phrases are visible when the toast is raised.
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In the area of the back depict large tattoos for practical reasons: the skin is the most even, and the procedure is almost painless. On the same breast most often apply informative information, such as blood group and Rh factor.
Bat tattoo: meaning in the army
The bat tattoo is a sign of military intelligence. It means that the fighter has the same qualities as a bat: easily finds a landmark in the air, climbs on various surfaces like a rock climber, and, if necessary, can stay under water for a while.
For the first time this symbol drew himself one of the soldiers, after which its application has become a tradition of scouts. Often, army tattoos with a bat are combined with the moon or a parachute dome.
Sources:
https://otatuirovkah.ru/armeyskie/ https://paraparabellum.ru/armejskie-tatuirovki/afganskie-tatuirovki-soldat-sovetskoj-armii/ https://tatueskiz.ru/army/armeyskie-tatuirovki.html
