Russian Uniform Guide

Transcription

Seite 1 von 115
Soviet WW2 uniform guide by Dennis "Nyles"
Schwarz
This guide generally divides Russian troops into various time-dependent model sets. There are five
sets total: Winter War units ('39-'40), early war soldiers ('41-'43), early war reservists ('41-'43), mid
war soldiers ('43-'45) and mid war reservists ('43-'45). The difference between soldiers and reservists
basically devides troops in front-line troops, issued the best equipment available and second-line
troops, which were issued a lot of surplus wargear. Each of these sets of course requires proper
summer, winter and to some extend - camouflaged models.
1. Basic uniforms
A) M35 uniform
B) M43 uniform
C) M35 uniform for officers
D) M43 uniform for officers
E) M35 and M43 tanker uniforms
F) M35 and M43 airforce uniforms
G) Naval infantry uniforms
2. Winter clothing
A) M35 overcoats
B) M43 overcoats
C) M35/M43 overcoats for officers
D) M41 telogreika
E) M43 telogreika
F) Winter headgear
G) Velenki winter boots
H) M35 and M43 tanker winter uniforms
I) M35 and M43 airforce winter uniforms
J) Naval infantry winter uniforms
3. Personal equipment
A) M36 Knappsack
B) M39 Rucksack
C) M41 Rucksack
D) Vesch Myeshok Rucksack
E) Gaskmask bag
F) Plash-palatka rainponcho
G) M41 Breadbag
H) Pre and early war entrenching tool
I) Mid war entrenching tool
J) Canteen
K) SsH36 helmet
L) M40 helmet
4. Ammunition pouches
A) Nagant pouches
B) SMG drum pouches
C) SMG magazine pouches
D) DP28 pouches
E) Handgrenade pouches
F) Sidearm pouches
G) SVT38/40 pouches
H) PTRD-41 pouches
I) Nagant bayonet pouch
J) SVT bayonet pouch
file://D:\Save\Game Design\fdf_ww2\2. Soviet Uniform Guide.html
09.08.2006
Seite 2 von 115
K) Combat knife
5. Special equipment
A) NCO mapcase
B) Officer mapcase
C) Binocularcase
D) Medicbag
E) Sapperbag
F) Flaregunbag
6. Camouflage
A) M1938 amoeba-pattern
B) M1941 leaf-pattern
C) M1944/45 stair-stepped-pattern
D) Mochalniy sniper suit
7. Winter camouflage
A) Camouflage oversuit
B) Camouflage amoeba oversuit
C) Camouflage reversable amoeba jumpsuit
8. Rank / insignia
A) M35 ranks
B) M41 ranks
C) M43 ranks
D) Special duty insignia
E) Elite formation insignia
1. Basic uniforms
In general, you have to differenciate between two types of uniforms for the Russian Army. The first
is the M35 uniform that was issued till early '43, where it was replaced by the M43 uniform. In
addition, there are differences in the issued gear, which will be dealt with later. When comparing the
M35 and M43 tunics, the main difference that is noticeable is the difference in the display of rank.
While M35 tunics have a proper collar where rank is displayed on, the M43 tunics moved the rank
insignia to the shoulders and didn't have a proper collar anymore. The M43 uniform also is available
in different colours, although the most common colour still is the mustard one like seen on all M35
uniforms. The difference in colour can be explained with the necessity of producing these uniforms
as fast as possible and basically the fabric was of second importance but also because the winter
issue tunic was of heavier wool which was often coloured in a shade of olive instead of light
khaki/mustard.
A) The first uniform I will deal with is the M35 tunic for enlisted men and NCOs
like seen below:
09.08.2006
Seite 3 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 4 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 5 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 6 von 115
The uniform consists of a tunic, breeches, pilotka, em-belt and black combat boots. The rank insignia
seen on the large images above is subdued. During Winter War, soldiers used coloured collar
patches, but with the january 1941 uniform reform, colour was abandoned and usually only the
subdued patches were worn in the field. As war broke out when Germany and its allies invaded in
summer '41, the changes were not brought to an immediate result, therefore it was not unlikely to
still see some soldiers with the pre '41 reform insignia in the early days of the war. The red
(raspberry colour) tab seen above is for infantry, other branches had differently coloured collar tabs.
Attached to those tabs, soldiers usually wore rank and branch insignia, although this became less
common for enlisted men throughout the war. The branch insignia for infantry werw crossed rifles
on two white rings for example. It might be useful to make these tabs a hidden selection so you can
use the same model for different branches by setting the right texture via code. Rank insignia will be
dealt with in detail further below. The breeches, which were called 'sharovari', had a diamond-shaped
pointed reinforced patch around the knees. The tunic, which is refered to as 'gymnastiorka' had the
same reinforced patches at the elbow area. Enlisted men either wore low-boots with putties or a
09.08.2006
Seite 7 von 115
cheaply manufactured 'sapagi' high boot.
The pilotka is the typical headgear used by most soldiers. The red star emblem either is subdued or
in red colour. I would choose the red colour though to add some eyecandy and maybe use subdued
stars for units wearing camouflage that are dealt with further below. The colour of the pilotka cap is
the same as for the rest of the uniform.
09.08.2006
Seite 8 von 115
Used across all the uniforms, coats and gear were various buttons. Most of them contained a small
Soviet star. While those on regular uniform and wargear usually were subdued or black, golden ones
were common on officer uniforms. It should be easy to identify the necessary colour on the pictures
in this guide.
Also part of the uniform was the belt for enlisted men, where further gear like canteen, ammo
pouches and the like were attached to. This was a brown leather belt with a simple buckle for
09.08.2006
Seite 9 von 115
enlisted men.
B) The second uniform is the M43 tunic for enlisted men and NCOs, the successor
of the M35:
09.08.2006
Seite 10 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 11 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 12 von 115
The uniform has the same components like the M34 uniform, consisting of tunic, breeches, pilotka,
em-belt and black combat boots. The M43 tunic no longer has the collar but instead comes with two
additional buttons. The rank insginia is shown on the shoulder by boards. Like with the tabs, the
boards vary in colour to differentiate between army branches. The green board with red piping seen
on the large images is for border guards. Usually, infantry would normally use a board in the same
colour as the uniform (mustard/khaki/olive) with dark red (raspberry colour) piping. The boards
should also be able to be changed via setobjecttexture to allow more customisation. The cutting of
the tunic is identical to its predecessor except for the collar part. The tunic of enlisted men and NCOs
rarely had chest pockets a mistake many reenactors make, when choosing their uniform. The pilotka,
breeches, em-belt and boots are exactly the same as for the M35 uniform. Instead of putties, the high
boot became much more common however.
09.08.2006
Seite 13 von 115
Leather supplies became very short during the course of the war, which led to many leather products
getting replacement by copies made of canvas. While most units were equiped with the leathery embelt, some also received a canvas made belt instead. This belt is best suited for mid war reservists.
C) M35 uniform for officers:
09.08.2006
Seite 14 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 15 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 16 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 17 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 18 von 115
The M35 uniform for officers is identical to the one for enlisted men except for some few
differences. The cut of the flap for the chest pockets usually was pointed downwards in a V-shape,
while those of enlisted men usually was just a horizontal flap. There was a similar difference below
the vertical chest button flap at the height of where the belt would be: Officer's had a V-shaped
bottom end there, while enlisted men had a normal horizontal end. On the images of the enlisted m35
uniform further above, these differences can not be seen unfortunately. The officer tunic has a
coloured band running across the uniform, which was abandoned with the january '41 reformation,
just like the coloured rank collar patches. The band can be seen on the end of the sleeves and at the
edge of the collar.The breeches feature the same band at the side as well. The band colour depends
on the army branch the officer is serving with. Regular infantry have raspberry red bands, while for
example paratroopers have blue bands.The blue officer above is airforce, though. Officers wear a
different type of belt, which was darker and with a buckle featuring a star emblem and a suspenser,
which is attached to the belt and worn across the shoulder. Unlike enlisted men and NCOs, the field
uniform of officers apparently did not have the reinforced patches on the elbows and knees, however
it was not uncommon for junior officers to wear enlisted men breeches.
09.08.2006
Seite 19 von 115
Besides their field uniforms that were similar to those of enlisted men and NCOs with the above
mentioned exceptions, officers also had dress uniforms, called "French". It was not seldom that
officers wore their dark (mostly blue) dress uniform trousers with the M35 officer's tunic, instead of
the M35 breeches or even used the entire dress uniform like seen on the left image above. Especially
higher ranking officers did this a lot.
09.08.2006
Seite 20 von 115
The tabs of officers vary a bit to those of enlisted men. They always feature a golden piping. Colours
and stickers for branches are identical to those for regular infantry, however. When the coloured rank
collar patches were replaced with the subdued version, officers used the same patch like all other
ranks.
09.08.2006
Seite 21 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 22 von 115
The field visor of officers features the same band and branch-dependent colourations like seen on the
rest of the uniform. There are two types of visors that both were used by NCOs and officers.
However the coloured visor usually was the one for senior officers, while ncos and junior officers
either wore a pilotka or the simple mustard color field visor. Senior officers rarely wore a pilotka.
The airborne officer seen further above is an exception to this.
09.08.2006
Seite 23 von 115
Besides visors, officers were issued the pilotka, too. The difference between those and the ones used
by NCOs and enlisted men was the piping in the colour of the branch, just like those on the officer's
uniform. It can be assumed that these visors were discontinued just like the branch piping on officer
uniforms, which makes them only interesting for Winter War and early war soldiers.
2nd Lt. sleeve chevrons.
Lt. sleeve chevrons.
1st Lt. sleeve chevrons.
Captain and Major sleeve chevrons.
Lt. Colonel and Colonel sleeve chevrons.
Commissar sleeve stars.
09.08.2006
Seite 24 von 115
In addition to the collar rank insignia, officers also had a orange/red chevron on their sleeve at the
level of the forearm during Winter War. The shape of the chevron varied for each rank. My guess is
that the chevron for captains is the same as for majors, just like lt.col. and colonel share a chevron as
well. There seems to have been some change to the chevrons of senior officers, but it's probably the
best to stick to the above listed chevrons. Political officers wore a Soviet star on each sleeve instead.
Except for political officers, the chevrons ceased to be used with the january '41 reformation, even
though they were still to be seen for some months into the German invasion.
D) M43 officer uniform:
09.08.2006
Seite 25 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 26 von 115
The M43 officer uniform has the same differences to the M35 officer uniform like the enlisted men
uniforms have to each other. Basically the collar part is changed and shoulder boards added. Belt,
visor, etc. are the same.
E) M35 and M43 tanker uniforms:
09.08.2006
Seite 27 von 115
While tank crews wore the same uniform like the other soldiers in the Red Army, they had a lot of
distinctive clothing like oversuits and special hoods, which usually were coloured black. There
seems to have been a lot of variation and sources are kinda rare, so most of the following will be
highly speculative. The image above shows a mix between M35 and M43 tankers (notice the
difference in collar and rank display on the normal uniform), some wearing just their normal uniform
and the tanker's hood, while others are wearing black oversuits or leather jackets. It looks like
officers and perhaps even NCOs were mainly issued with leather clothing, while regular tankers
received non-leather oversuits. From left to right you see: 1) M43 tanker with field uniform, 2)
unknown tanker with short leather jacket, black (leather?) breeches and high boots (probably NCO),
3) M35 tank officer with long leather jacket, black breeches and officer high boots, 4) female M43
tanker with plain uniform, 5) M43 tanker with canvas black oversuits over normal uniform and 6)
unknown tanker with oversuit over normal uniform.
09.08.2006
Seite 28 von 115
.
09.08.2006
Seite 29 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 30 von 115
The first image shows a Russian officer with what seems to be a leather jacket and leather breeches.
The cut of the jacket and positioning of pockets, etc.. seems to be the same for the non leather variant
that apparently was available as well. The monochrome images sadly don't show the fabric of the
jacket, but it doesn't look like leather really. Furthermore, there was a more simple design around,
which probably was used by enlisted men mainly. The best solution for modelling tankers would be
to just use leather variant for early war officers and the simple canvas/wool clothing for early war
NCOs and enlisted men. It might be possible that the non leather coat (not the simple verison) was
also used by officers as an alternative to the leather clothing, however it could also be that it was
used by NCOs only, sticking to the above suggestion for modelling the tankers would be sufficient
though. While the officer displays rank insignia on his coat, NCOs and enlisted men should not. The
soldiers wore the regular belts and officer's would have the additional suspenser across the chest, too.
09.08.2006
Seite 31 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 32 von 115
As there are only resources showing this oversuit with M43 uniforms worn below, it can be assumed
that it was introduced mid war. It remains open if it was used by all ranks or just by enlisted men and
maybe NCOs. The best solution would be to use it for NCO and enlisted men models and have
another model for tanker officers, which would either use this oversuit combined with a leather
jacket or use a leather jacket and leather breeches similar to the M35 tanker officer (like the one on
the first image of the tanker section, not the M35 style). This oversuis was produced in many
different shapes and colours ranging from light colours to black.
09.08.2006
Seite 33 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 34 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 35 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 36 von 115
All tankers were using a special padded hood as a headdress to protect them from bumping against
the hull. The hood was the same for all ranks.
Besides the hood, officers of the armoured troops commonly wore visors. There was a grey'ish visor
with red piping used until '41, so it pretty much would be only accurate for Winter War or very early
war models. As the visor is of the same design as the visors used by other branches, it might be an
easy way to implement it as a replacement texture on the basic infantry officer models. The second
visor is a specialy leather visor for tankers. Little is known about it, especially, when it was
introduced. So when in doubt, just use the normal tanker hood for officers as well.
09.08.2006
Seite 37 von 115
Tankers were issued special goggles to give them a clear view even under difficult conditions. Many
tanks in WW2 weren't exactly sealed off like modern tanks are.
2. Winter clothing
The Russians used a number of different winter clothing. Besides the Telogreika padded cold
weather uniform, various overcoats were used. The coats varied a lot in colour for different ranks but
also different branches. Therefore it is advisable to concentrate on a small number of coats and use
them across all models for the sake of consistency. It can be assumed that soldiers within a unit were
all issued the same type of coat anyway.
A) M35 overcoats:
09.08.2006
Seite 38 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 39 von 115
The M35 overcoats usually are made from a brown-grey'ish fabric. The coats worn by the Red Army
were longcoats. Rankings were worn on an almost rectangular (it's a bit pointed) patch at both sides
of the collar. There is a difference between regular M35 uniform rank patches and those seen on
M35 coats, as you can see.
09.08.2006
Seite 40 von 115
The soldier on the painted image in the above, holding the SVT-38, is wearing a black coat, which
was more common among NKVD troops, even though they also used different colours, as you can
see on the first image. I would suggest to stick with a grey'ish to brown colour like seen on the
image, wich shows a plain winter coat without any rank insignia. You can see details of the fabric on
the closeup of the subdued collar ranking patch on the last image. During Winter War, the patch
would be coloured depending on the army branch the soldier wearing it is serving in. Although the
shape of the collar rank patches differs from the regular tunic, the stickers used to display rank on
that patch were identical. Furthermore, the colour of the patch differs for differnt army branches just
like on the M35 tunic. With the '41 unfiform reformation, colour was abandoned in favour of
subdued patches. More on that further below in the ranking section. Note that there are no visible
buttons on top of the chest area on the coat. Furthermore there is a pocket at each side without flap,
which can be dimmly seen on the drawn image where the soldier is holding the horn magazine.
B) M43 overcoats:
09.08.2006
Seite 41 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 42 von 115
The M43 overcoats were the same coats as the M35, just with newly arranged rank patches after the
'43 uniform reform. Instead of the bulky collar patches, the display of rank was moved on the
shoulder boards. These were the same as on the M43 tunic. The collar received more stretched
patches, which were very similar to the M35 tunic patches. However, there were no rank stickers
attached on them. The patches were usually fastened with a normal button. They remained empty.
C) M35/M43 officer overcoats:
09.08.2006
Seite 43 von 115
Just like with the regular overcoats for enlisted men and NCOs, those for officers varied a lot.
Above, you can see several different types of coats. On the left is a coat with M35 insignia. In the
middle, you can see two raincoats with M43 insignia (the shoulder boards are hard to see on this
shot) and lastly, you can see another coat that seems more suited for winter condition as it has denser
fabric. It has M43 insignia for engineers on it. The main difference to the normal coats is that it has
golden buttons on the chest which required a change of the whole cutting of the fabric in that area
and that there are flaps on top of the sidepockets.
Later in the war, a new sheepskin jacket called 'polushubok' was introduced alongside a long
sheepskin coat called 'shuba' for officers. The shuba will be dealt with in more detail further below in
the section about Russian winter gear for tankers.
09.08.2006
Seite 44 von 115
D) M41 telogreika padded winter jacket and trousers:
09.08.2006
Seite 45 von 115
With the lessons learned from the Winter War desaster against Finland, the Red Army redesigned
their winter gear. One of the products that were available from '41 is the 'telogreika'. It's a specially
padded two-piece clothing, composed of the 'telogreika' upper part and the 'vatnie sharovari
breeches, which help to resist cold weather. The early telogreika followed the M35 uniform layout
and thus had a collar where ranking information was applied on. The same inginia was used as on
the M35 tunics. The telogreika was a huge success as it was the first type of clothing that protected
against cold weather but unlike coats, still allowed free movement like with a regular uniform.
Therefore it was not only used in winter, but also in early spring and late fall. It is not uncommon to
09.08.2006
Seite 46 von 115
see photos of units, where some soldiers are wearing at least one part of the telogreika, while others
wear the normal summer tunic.
E) M43 telogreika padded winter jacket and trousers:
09.08.2006
Seite 47 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 48 von 115
As the '43 uniform reformation came, the telogreika was prone to some changes, too. The collar was
removed and instead the M43 shoulder boards were used. However, it can be noticed on many
images that the boards are not worn by all soldiers, regardless of rank. Officer and NCO models
probably should always display the shoulder boards, but enlisted men might not have been required
to use them. I guess, the best way is to not display them by default but allow them to be called via
code through hidden selections just like with the rank insignia on other models. The telogreika pants
were not changed at all.
F) winter headgear:
09.08.2006
Seite 49 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 50 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 51 von 115
Before WW2, Russia made extensive use of the budyonovka hat. In the twenties it was used in
myriad variants as standard dress. With the introduction of the M35 uniform, the pilotka replaced it
more and more. However even at the beginning of WW2, the Russians still used the budyonovka
winter hat. The version on the first three images are for standard infantry as indicated by the
raspberry coloured canvas Soviet star with metal red star emblem on top. The other two images with
the black star were intended for either artillery, armour or technical branches. The colour of the
fabric can differ from piece to piece. I would suggest to keep the colour close the colour of the
overcoat worn alongside. Another common variant was used by NKVD and was coloured dark grey /
black with a red canvas red star on the front. Later in the war when the budyonovka was replaced by
the ushanka fur hat, it still remained in use by some 2nd line troops and reservists, which makes it
the headgear of choice for winter war units and early war reservists.
09.08.2006
Seite 52 von 115
During the invasion of Finland ('39-'40), the Russians adopted a small amount of finka hats, which
they copied from Finnish designs. More info on availability in the future, but it seems it was very
rare...
09.08.2006
Seite 53 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 54 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 55 von 115
From Winter War (vs. Finland), the Russians learned that the budyonovka hat offered much too
limited protection against cold weather. Therefore, the Russians adopted the 'shapka-ushanka' fur hat
as replacement. Like with its predecessor, the ushanka came in various colours and designs. The
most common can be seen above. The first three images are variants for enlisted men and NCOs,
while the last image shows a variant for officers. It was not uncommon for leaders to use subdued
Soviet stars instead of the red star. This still allowed them to distinguish themselves from their
soldiers but were hard to identify by snipers.
G) Velenki winter boots
During winter, ski-troops and many of the other troops fighting in arctic conditions were issued
valenki boots, a special type of boot that offered much more protection against cold weather and
allowed easier movement in snow.
H) M35 and M43 tanker winter uniforms:
09.08.2006
Seite 56 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 57 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 58 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 59 von 115
Russian tanks were a very cold place to be during winter and as the crew had to remain still for
hours, they required proper warm clothing. Intentionally, all tankers were supposed to receive a
special coat called "shuba" to keep them warm. However a lot of tank crews just had the normal
overcoat or telogreika padded clothing like the other soldiers received. Some telogreikas were issued
in black color for that reason.
09.08.2006
Seite 60 von 115
There also was a special winter version of the tanker's hood with ear flaps for better protection
against cold climates. Whether this item was only offered to certain ranks or worn across all ranks
remains unknown.
3. Personal equipment
Just like the uniforms, the soldiers personal equipment changed a lot throughout the war. This
section tries to present an overview about the most common gear used, explicitly suggesting
combinations of equipment for Winter War and early war ('41-'43) and mid war ('43-'45).
Colouration is a very important choice, because models need to have a decent look. I would suggest
to keep the colour of the rucksack, rainponcho, gasmaskbag and canteen close to the tone used for
the soldier's clothing. In most cases this would be a mustard/brownish colour. Entrenching tool
cover, breadbag and ammunition pouches (shown in detail in the next section) could vary a bit from
this colour, however a certain consitency should be kept, so there are not too many differently
coloured pouches on a single model. The best colour to go along with the mustard/brownish coloured
wargear probably is a lighter brown tone (almost white). This sets the uniform and ammunition
pouch apart nicely and makes it easier to identify what the soldier is wearing, but still makes both
uniform and gear feel united.
A) M36 Knappsack:
09.08.2006
Seite 61 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 62 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 63 von 115
During the thirties, Russia adopted the M36 Knappsack, a rucksack based on German designs. While
it was replaced by the M39 shortly before World War II, many units still were fielding it. The M36 is
a good choice for Winter War reservists.
B) M39 Rucksack:
09.08.2006
Seite 64 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 65 von 115
The M39 was used by Russia early into WW2. However as it wasn't well suited for mass-production,
the Russians were looking for cheap alternatives later during the course of the war. Like the M36
Knappsach, the M39 had a special tether which could be attached to some types of nagant ammo
pouches featuring a d-ring, to add stability. This type of rucksack is best used for Winter War and
maybe mid war Russian infantry and reservists units.
C) M41 Rucksack:
The M41 is a modified version of the M39, which is better suited for mass-production.The M41
rucksack might be the better choice for early war Russian infantry and reservist units compared to
the M39 rucksack.
09.08.2006
Seite 66 von 115
D) Vesch Myeshok Rucksack:
09.08.2006
Seite 67 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 68 von 115
While the Russians entered World War II well equiped with high quality field equipment, the
German invasion of '41 forces them to change production over to simplified products. Even the M41
backpack wasn't simple enough for that, so the Russians started to produce the Vesch Myeshok
backpack, which was already mass-produced during WWI due to high demands. It basically consists
of a large back with carrying straps attached. The Vesch Myeshock backpack is best suited for mid
war soldiers and reservists.
E) Gaskmask bag:
09.08.2006
Seite 69 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 70 von 115
Even though gas attacks were minimal during the second World War, there was always the threat
that they could happen. Therefore soldiers usually carried gasmasks just in case. Many Russians
however used the bags for personal gear or further ammunition instead. It seems there were various
designs. Some with and some without additional side pockets. There were also variants with an
additional tether that could be fastened around the hip, like a belt, and which would prevent the
gasmask from swinging to and fro during movement.
F) Plash-palatka rainponcho:
09.08.2006
Seite 71 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 72 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 73 von 115
The Plash-palatka was issued every soldier in the Red Army. Usually it was carried rolled around the
torso or attached to the backpack. It was coloured like the regular clothing. This piece of fieldgear
should be on most soldier and nco models, however a soldier without it to be used as sentry for guard
duty would be advisable.
G) M41 Breadbag:
09.08.2006
Seite 74 von 115
Information about this piece of fieldgear is rare, but i can be assumed that it mostly only existed on
paper and eventually was phased out sometime midwar. As the breadbag shows up on almost no
picture, it can be assumed that it wasn't used a lot. Therefore, it would probably make sense for early
war soldiers only, but not for early war reservists and both mid war troops and reservists. It could be
a nice addition, but isn't a necessary piece of equipment. So when in doubt, leave it out.
H) Pre and early war entrenching tool:
09.08.2006
Seite 75 von 115
Every regular soldier was issued an entrenching tool, which was usually carried in a small leather
cover that was attached to the soldier's belt with two slopes at the top.Most of the entrenching tool
was visible through the cover, only the edges were enclosed with leather to prevent injuries from the
sharp metal. The leather cover is best used for Winter War and early war units.
I) Mid war entrenching tool:
09.08.2006
Seite 76 von 115
When the war progressed and supplies were short, the need to find a replacement for leather goods
also made it necessary to design a new cover for the entrenching tool. Like with most field
equipment, the fabric was changed over to canvas. Colouration varied, but usually was the same like
the other gear issued had. Unlike the leather cover, the canvas one is attached directly at the belt and
is not swinging a bit below it. This kind of cover is best used for early war reservists and mid war
soldiers and reservists.
J) Canteen:
09.08.2006
Seite 77 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 78 von 115
The soldier's canteen usually was worn in a canvas bag that was attached to the belt. There is nothing
special about. The colour usually was the typical brown/mustard, but supposely they were also
issued in colours ranging from yellow to white like all the other canvas-made field equipment. the
canteen usuall was carried beside or on top of the entrenching tool on the right side of the em-belt.
K) SsH36 helmet:
09.08.2006
Seite 79 von 115
The SsH36 helmet was introduced in the mid thirties and still was used extensively bby second line
troops even after the new SsH39/40 helmet arrived. The helmet usually was in greyish black colour
and had a hollow red star painted on the front. The chinstrap was made of leather first and was
replaced with a canvas made chinstrip later on. It is best used for Winter War units and, early war
reservists.
L) M40 helmet:
09.08.2006
Seite 80 von 115
The SsH40 or M40 helmet was introduced early in WW2 but it took some time till it fully replaced
the older SsH36 helmets. The initial version called SsH39 was first issued during Winter War, but
then was modified slightly and fielded as the M40. The most common colour is green, but there were
also helmets in a greyish black tone like the SsH36 helmet. It is best used for early war soldiers and
09.08.2006
Seite 81 von 115
mid war soldiers and reservists
4. Ammunition pouches
Besides their personal gear, soldiers also had to carry pouches to carry their ammunition. Across the
duration of the war many of them were reworked to cut production costs and time. Ammunition was
also something to be considered rare at some points during the war. Therefore, soldiers often didn't
receive all the pouches intended for them on the TO&E as they didn't had the ammunition to put
them in anyway.
A) Nagant pouches:
Regular infantry was intended to be issued 2 pouches for their nagant ammunition. Due to
shortcommings in supplies, soldiers ended up to only receive a single pouch most of the time.
Especially reservists should only have a single pouch, while frontline troops could have either one or
two. A good way would be to make the number depent on issued grenades. So soldiers having
handgrenades, should only have a single pouch, while those without or with perhaps a single
handgrenade could have a second ammo pouch. While regular army pouches usually were brown,
those used by naval infantry were coloured black.
Originally used in World War I, these "tsarist" type of ammo pouch was still in use with some
soldiers and reservists throughout the war. Probably best used for early war reservists. The tsarist
pouches were most likely also used to carry ppd-34/38 smg box magazines.
09.08.2006
Seite 82 von 115
The czarist pouches were replaced by a set of twin-pouches in the thirties. The d-ring for attaching
the additional suspensor of the M39 rucksack can clearly be seen. These pouches were commonly
issued and are best suited for early war soldiers and late war reservists.
09.08.2006
Seite 83 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 84 von 115
During World War II another set of nagant pouches was designed, which replaced the pouches from
the thirties. These pouches no longer featured the d-ring for attaching the M39 rucksack suspensers
as it became obsolete by the introduction of the Vesch Myeshock rucksack. As with the pouches
before, those used by naval infantry usual were coloured black, while regular army (incl.
paratroopers and NKVD) used pouches in different shades of brown. These pouches are to be used
by mid war soldiers.
B) SMG drum pouches
The Red Army used a large number of differently shaped and coloured pouches for the drum
magazines used mainly early in the war. Even though a large variety of colours can be used, it is
advisable to stick to either the same mustard colour of the soldier's uniform or a lighter brown tone
like explained at the beginning of section 3. Naval infantry typically used blue canvas pouches
09.08.2006
Seite 85 von 115
Used for both drum magazines of the PPsH-41 and its predecessor, the PPD-40, these pouches were
issued one per soldier. Usually, a soldier carried 2 drum magazines. One in the weapon and another
stored in the pouch.
09.08.2006
Seite 86 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 87 von 115
In the pre war times, smgs were only sparsely used by the Russian army, which instead relied on
selfloading rifles. In the first months of Winter War, most of them were still warehoused, which let
to terrible losses as the Finns employed a large number of them. Once recomissioned, the Russians
used an earlier drum pouch design, until the introduction of the PPsH-41. These pouches are only
interesting for Winter War units, but should make a rare appearance only. So max. one pouch per
soldier carrying a smg.
C) SMG magazine pouches
09.08.2006
Seite 88 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 89 von 115
While drummagazines were the only magazine type for the ppsh-41 at first, more and more
hornmagazines appeared throughout the war, replacing the drum more and more. The advantage of
the hornmagazine was that a soldier could carry more ammuntion in a more comfortable manner
than with drummagazines. It became common to see soldiers carry a single drummag and a pouch
for additional hornmagazines. Canvas pouches were also used for the PPS-43, which could not load
a drummag but was using the same hornmags like the ppsh-41. These pouches could hold 3
09.08.2006
Seite 90 von 115
hornmags, but unlike their German counterparts, they were almost never issued in pairs. Just like the
canvas-made drummag pouches, they were made by differently coloured fabrics, ranging from white
over brown to tones of yellow. A light brown tone would probably fit best, like seen on the drawn
image above.
D) DP28 pouches
09.08.2006
Seite 91 von 115
As the DP28 used blocky panmagazines, carrying ammunition was a bit tricky for the squad's
LMgunner. A bag with a shape similar to the drummag pouches for smgs but at least double the size
was designed, which allowed three panmagazines to be carried. The bag was not attached to the
webbing. It was carried with a strap across the shoulder. A squad's machinegunner usually carried
one of these bags, while there might have been more spread across the other riflemen. Inside the bag,
there were metal clamps, which fastened the panmagazines and prevented them from making too
much noise. The color of the bag should be the same as for the other equipment: a light brone tone
preferably.
E) Handgrenade pouches
Russia employed two types of handgrenades mainly: The first, called RGD33, which was a
stickhandgrenade, similar to the German "potatomasher", just a bit more compact, and the second
one, called F1, which had a modern pineapple design. Each of these handgrenades had to be
transported differently.
09.08.2006
Seite 92 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 93 von 115
The RGD33 was used throughout the war and usually was issued in pairs to be carried in a special
pouch. The canvas pouch was available in the regular colours and there also was one for winter
combat, coloured white. Not every soldier in the squad seems to have been issued with
handgrenades. It might be a good idea to give those soldiers with either a smg, svt40 or a single set
of twin-nagant pouches these handgrenade pouches, but not to soldiers, carrying two sets of nagant
pouches. The RGD33 is best used for Winter War units, early war soldiers and early war reservists.
09.08.2006
Seite 94 von 115
During the war, a second handgrenade was introduced, called the F1. This handgrenade was eggshaped and thus could be carried much more easily. A pouch holding three f1-handgrenades was
made, which was issued beside the RGD33 to troops. The F1 is best used for mid war soldiers and
mid war reservists.
F) Sidearm pouches
The russians mainly used two types of sidearms, the nagant revolver and the tokarev tt33. As the one
was loaded round by round, the latter was magazine-fed. It was common that the holster also carried
spare ammunition for the sidearm, which required different types for holsters in this case.
09.08.2006
Seite 95 von 115
The holster for the nagant revolver usually was a made out of brown leather, with a big flap being
closed on the sidearm. It could be either attached to the belt or worn with a lanyard across the
shoulder. There were different designs in different colours used, but the regular brown leather holster
makes the best appearance, especially together with the brown ammo pouches for the mosing nagant
seen on other soldiers of the same squad. Tankers and pilots used a slightly modified holster, which
hung from a pouch carrying the spare ammunition. This allowed for more movement inside the
vehicle as the holster was more flexible. It also offered the crew to carry ammunition for 2 and not
just 1 reload like the normal nagant holster. So apart from air- and groundcrews, the nagant and its
holster is best used for early war reservists of all kinds. Front-line troops were preferably issued the
TT.
The holster for the tokarev pistol, while being similar in design to the nagant holster, had one big
09.08.2006
Seite 96 von 115
difference: Instead of a small pocket for spare bullets, it contained a more stretched, vertical pouch
for one additional magazine. The holster could be either attached to the webbing or carried with a
lanyard, just like the nagant holster. These holsters are best suited for early and mid war soldiers.
Besides the two types of holsters listed earlier, there were also a number of universal pouches made
from artificial leather, to simplify the production process. These could hold both the nagant or the
tokarev with a pocket that held either a spare magazine or some single bullets. These holsters are
idea for mid war reservists, where there probably was an equal number of both pistol types used.
G) SVT38/40 pouches
09.08.2006
Seite 97 von 115
Self-loading rifles like the SVT40 were issued with a different type of ammunition pouch than the
soldiers using the mosin nagant. One pouch per weapon was handed out, carrying two magazines. As
with most Russian gear there were numerous variants in different colours, but most were made of
brown leather. Like with the mosin nagant and sidearm pouches, the colour for these pouches should
09.08.2006
Seite 98 von 115
be similar for the sake of consistency. Black colour was usual for naval infantry only. It is likely that
the pouches with the Y-shaped strap were issued later during the war, while those with a solid strap
were issued earlier. In this case, the Y-shaped pouches would be best for mid war soldiers and mid
war reservists, while the other pouch should be used on Winter War units and early war soldiers and
reservists.
H) PTRD-41 pouches
Information about the bag for carrying ammunition for the PTRD-41 is very rare and therefore not
much can be provided. From the images above and from what various sources tell, there were 2 ways
to carry ammo for it. There was a pouch, which was attached to the soldier's belt which held some
few rounds, which could probably just have been an additional breadbag, like the one mentioned
above. The second way was by carrying a special bag that was carried across the shoulder. From
interpreting the above images, it seems that this bag had 2 rows á 10 pockets, making up for 20
rounds of PTRD-41 ammunition. This is just a vague guess and can be prone to misinterpretation.
09.08.2006
Seite 99 von 115
I) Nagant bayonet pouch
The mosin nagant was issued with a spike bayonet. Usually it was attached to the rifle as the mn was
sighted in with the bayonet attached. However, pouches to hold the bayonets were still required. The
pouches were made of canvas with a metallic tip to prevent the bayonet from penetrating it.
J) SVT bayonet pouch
09.08.2006
Seite 100 von 115
The SVT came with a bayonet as well, however it was no spike bayonet but more a knife with that
could be attached to the weapon. Earlier models had a leather slope but it was replaced by a canvas
slope for later models. Earlier models also were a bit longer than those produced later on during the
war.
K) Combat knife
09.08.2006
Seite 101 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 102 von 115
Russian soldiers, who weren't issued a rifle with bayonet, usually carried a combat knife instead so
they could defend themselves in close combat. Especially in the later days of the war, when
submachineguns were in widespread use, combat knives were seen a lot.
5. Special equipment
Besides regular field equipment, leaders and specialists had to carry additional gear like mapcases,
binoculars, scopes or explosives. Of course they required special pouches and bags for these.
A) NCO mapcase:
09.08.2006
Seite 103 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 104 von 115
NCOs were issued a small case for important maps, orders&codes, and organisatorial tools. The
pouch usually was carried slung across the shoulder.
A) Officer mapcase:
09.08.2006
Seite 105 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 106 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 107 von 115
Officers carried a bigger, full leather case instead of the simple ones with just leather trimming that
NCOs received.
C) Binocularcase:
09.08.2006
Seite 108 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 109 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 110 von 115
Officers and senior NCOs often carried binoculars. There were a number of leather cases issued,
which could either be directly attached to the belt or carried across the should with a strap. Regular
junior NCOs / squad leaders, normally were not issued their own binoculars as these were precious
items in the Russian army back then. The case came in different tones of brown but for the sake of
consistency should be of the same leather colour like other pouches are.
D) Medicbag:
09.08.2006
Seite 111 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 112 von 115
Medics had a hard time on the Eastern Front, as both sides picked them out wherever possible.
Therefore most medics soon disappeared from the frontlines and instead waited in the rear until
wounded were brought to them. Those medics that remained with front-line troops usually tried to
keep a low profile and thus removed most of their insignia. Most of the time, the medipack was the
only thing that gave away a medic.
E) Sapperbag:
09.08.2006
Seite 113 von 115
09.08.2006
Seite 114 von 115
Combat engineers / sappers carried a lot of ordnance to blow fortifications, roadblocks or demolish
enemy equipment. Besides wirecutters, combat engineers often carried a large bag, which held 4
green bottles containing explosives. The fuzes were stored in additional pouches and attached on the
bottles when required. These were the main satchel charges used by the Russians. The bag was
similar to the one used for gasmasks, however the flap was rounded and not pointed. Modelling
wirecutters on the model of engineers might be a good idea but perhaps there could even be a
working item to destroy fences.
F) Flaregunbag
09.08.2006
Seite 115 von 115
Flareguns were often carried by subordinates in the HQ section and not by officers themselves. The
Russian flaregun was carried in a bag together with the flareshells.
09.08.2006

Russian Uniform Guide

Transcription

Similar documents

AVENUE Club

Verkauf Frankreich 895 000

Layout 2013- CZ

eastern europe: the black man`s safe haven?

Used Aircraft for Sale BK 117 B2 D

iot and logistics systems

Scooter Soundboards - WilTec Wildanger Technik GmbH

the Sample Article PDF