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Before the Revolution the military rank insignia of the Army was in the form of shoulder boards, known in Russian as 'pogoni'. As a symbol of the hated former regime they were discarded by the then new Red Army who instead wore rectangular collar patches known as 'petlitsi'. These came in various colours each denoting the different branches of service, but they were themselves replaced in 1943 when the uniform reverted back to the old Tsarist pattern and the pogoni reappeared on uniforms once more.