Why didn't the Red Army wear shoulder straps until mid-WWII?

In the early years of Soviet power, the word ‘ofitser’ (‘officer’) was tantamount to an insult. It was directly associated with the tsarist regime and the counterrevolutionary movement – after all, it was the "golden shoulder straps" who formed the core of the White military units that fiercely fought against the Bolsheviks in the Civil War.

Therefore, the Red Army used ‘komandiry’ (‘commanders’), instead of ‘ofitserov’ (‘officers’) and deliberately abandoned the use of shoulder straps. Their role was replaced by collar tabs.

Over time, passions subsided and authorities recalled the heroic pages of Russian military history. Thus, in 1940, the troops introduced general and admiral ranks, which, until recently, had been associated exclusively with the leaders of the White movement.

In January 1943, immediately after the triumph at Stalingrad, shoulder straps were instituted in place of collar tabs. "Our duty is to take the best military traditions of the old Russian army and implement them into our own. We are the legitimate heirs to the soldierly glory of the Russian military and, as diligent stewards, we strive to preserve and enhance this cherished legacy," wrote the ‘Krasnaya Zvezda’ newspaper.

The armed forces were already mentally prepared for such a step and the reform didn't come as a shock. In fact, they were even pleased with it.

"Many commanders said that with the rank insignia that existed then, it was difficult to distinguish a soldier from a sergeant or a sergeant from an officer. The introduction of shoulder straps immediately distinguished commanders, making them noticeable in the crowd," noted General Andrei Khrulyov.