Colored military units

Colored military units is a widespread unofficial name, which later became established in historiography and popular literature for the white regiments, brigades, and divisions of the 1st Infantry Division of the Volunteer Army and 1st Army Corps of the Volunteer Army during the Russian Civil War. The name comes from the specific colors of caps, shoulder marks, sleeve insignia and chevrons characteristic of each unit:

Composition of «colored» units

Kornilovtsy:

* Kornilov Division
** 1st Kornilov Shock Regiment
** 2nd Kornilov Shock Regiment
** 3rd Kornilov Shock Regiment
** Kornilov Cavalry Division
** Mountain Muslim Cavalry Division named after General Kornilov
** Kornilov Artillery Brigade Drozdovtsy:
* 3rd Infantry Division
** 1st Officer General Drozdov Regiment
** 2nd Officer General Drozdov rifle regiment
** 3rd Officer General Drozdov Regiment
** Samur Infantry Regiment
** 2nd Cavalry General Drozdov Regiment
** Drozdov Artillery Brigade Markovtsy:
* 1st Infantry Division
** 1st Officer [General Markov Regiment]
** 2nd Officer General Markov Regiment
** 3rd Officer General Markov Regiment
** Markov Cavalry Division
** Separate Cavalry General Markov Division
** Markov Artillery Brigade Alekseevtsy:
* Alekseev Division
** Alekseev Partisan Regiment
** 2nd Alekseev Regiment
** 3rd Alekseev Regiment
** Alekseev Cavalry Partisan Regiment
** Samur Infantry Regiment
** Alekseev Artillery Brigade

Regimental Colours

Officers of the named regiments of the Volunteer Army did not wear gold or silver galloon officer shoulder marks, as in the Russian Imperial Army; instead, they used cloth shoulder marks with the same number of stars and gaps corresponding to the rank. Only experienced volunteers who had participated in the Kuban campaigns had the right to wear colored shoulder marks. The remaining officers, who had transferred from the Red Army or joined the army in newly liberated areas, initially wore ordinary protective shoulder marks, and only after a long time were they honored to put on colored shoulder marks.
Each regiment had a cap and shoulder marks of a certain color. On the shoulder marks were monograms of the capital letter of the regiment chief's surname.

All ranks had a chevron of Russian national colors sewn on their left sleeve, angled down, introduced in the Volunteer Army on January 10, 1918, for all military personnel.
All named units of the Volunteer Army remembered their commanders and honored their memory, which was reflected in their behavior. Even Soviet literature could not help but note this: