They say that back in 1940, Stalin watched The Three Sisters in the Moscow Art Theater. The state leader criticized the play, calling Chekhov outdated, and the plot of the play – intelligentsia stuff that nobody needs. However, Stalin remembered some of the performance aesthetics. He really liked the way the officers looked on stage. On January 6, 1943, the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet On Introduction of New Insignia for the Red Army Personnel was Issued. The shoulder marks, which the supreme commander liked so much, were chosen as signs designed to distinguish the military personnel. And the Red Army was still full of those who used to slay troops wearing golden epaulettes till the ultimate victory of the world revolution. But they also had to wear the hateful accessory. Here is the most visual example of the power of art!