Women's uniform of the Second World War. Modern military uniform (VKPO) - equipment of soldiers of the Russian army

In 1943, the Red Army adopted a new uniform. The new gymnast was very similar to the one used in tsarist army and had a stand-up collar fastened with two buttons. Home distinctive feature shoulder straps became the new uniform. There were two types of shoulder straps: field and everyday. Field shoulder straps were made of khaki-colored fabric. On the shoulder straps near the button they wore a small gold or silver badge indicating the branch of the military. Officers wore a cap with a black leather chinstrap. The color of the band on the cap depended on the type of troops. In winter, generals and colonels of the Red Army had to wear hats, and the rest of the officers received ordinary earflaps.

And now more thoroughly:

Back in the summer months of 1941, preparations were launched to provide Red Army personnel with warm clothes for the winter. Basic warm clothes, primarily fur coats and felt boots, were searched for in various pre-war warehouses, collected as aid to the army from the population, and produced by industry at an accelerated pace with allowances for simplification and reduction in cost. As a result, the active army was completely satisfied with warm clothes. Which led to some diversity in color and cut in the winter of 1941/1942.

Air Force pilot 1943-45, senior sergeant, Don cavalry units 1943

By the way, German industry was unable to provide its army with winter uniforms, and needless to say that the blitzkrieg implied the capture of Moscow before winter; already in the fall it was clear that there was no smell of blitzkrieg. And the capture of Moscow did not mean the end of the war, nor did they go to the tropics, so somewhere the German quartermasters did not work properly, so during the winter fighting, Wehrmacht losses from frostbite exceeded the number of combat losses.

Members of rear units and institutions, motor transport units of combat formations, as well as drivers of all branches of the military began to be issued a double-breasted cotton jacket instead of an overcoat. Great tension with the provision of clothing was due to the decline in the output of light industry products, some of the enterprises of which had not yet established production in the evacuation, and those remaining locally experienced difficulties with raw materials, energy and labor. For those who like to argue about whose uniform or whose tanks and planes are the best, and so on, the answer is simple.

The transfer of a very large number of defense enterprises beyond the Urals, and their launch into the technological cycle in such a short time. It has no analogues in history, it’s just that no one has ever transferred industry in such volumes and over such distances, and it is unlikely that they will transfer it in the future, the largest industrial migration. So just for this feat, the rear troops need to build a huge, enormous monument. By the way, German industry was completely transferred to a military footing only in 1943, and before that only 25% of the total indicators went to military needs.

For the same reason, the project prepared for May 1942 on the introduction of new insignia, which envisaged providing the entire Red Army with shoulder straps by October 1, 1942, was postponed.

Naval aviation pilot 1943-45, tanker winter uniform 1942-44g.g.

And only in 1943, the order of the People's Commissar of Defense I. Stalin No. 25 of January 15 “On the introduction of new insignia and changes in the uniform of the Red Army” introduced new insignia, Military uniform Soviet Red Army 1943-1945, and here is the order for changes.

I ORDER:

Establish the wearing of shoulder straps: FIELD - by military personnel in the Active Army and personnel of units preparing to be sent to the front, EVERYDAY - by military personnel of other units and institutions of the Red Army, as well as when wearing dress uniforms.

All Red Army personnel will switch to new insignia - shoulder straps in the period from February 1 to February 15, 1943.

Make changes to the uniform of Red Army personnel according to the description.

Put into effect the “Rules for wearing uniforms by Red Army personnel.”

Allow the wearing of the existing uniform with new insignia until the next issue of uniforms, in accordance with the current deadlines and supply standards.

Unit commanders and garrison commanders must strictly monitor compliance with the uniform and correct wearing of the new insignia.

People's Commissar of Defense J. STALIN.

And how many small changes and nuances followed with the introduction of a new form, let’s take, for example, gymnasts. For tunics of the existing model, the following changes are being introduced: The collars of tunics of all samples, instead of turn-down ones, are stand-up, soft, fastened with through loops in the front with two small uniform buttons. Shoulder straps of the established type are fastened to the shoulders. Sleeve insignia for tunics are abolished.

Red Army infantryman and lieutenant 1943-45.

Infantryman of the Red Army in the second half of the war. M1940 helmet is olive green, 1943 tunic has a stand-up collar, no breast pockets, on the left is the medal for the “Defense of Stalingrad” established on December 22, 1942. The difference in shade between the elements of clothing is not significant; Tolerances in manufacturing and a large number of manufacturing plants have led to a wide range of khaki, or khaki as it is called. Glass water flask, bags for F-1 and PPSh-41 grenades with a drum magazine. On the back is a simple cotton backpack or duffel bag.

Lieutenant. The cap has a crimson edging, as do the cuffs of the tunic. The tunic from 1943 has internal pockets with flaps, and still wears blue breeches. The belt buckle with two teeth was introduced in 1943, in a Tokarev or TT holster, with a rocket launcher behind the belt.

Red Army. Standard infantryman field uniform 1943

Instead of patch pockets, the tunics of commanding officers have welt (internal) pockets covered with flaps. Tunics for privates and sergeants - without pockets. On August 5, 1944, breast welt pockets were introduced on the tunics of women privates and sergeants.

Red Army, medical staff uniform 1943

Majority medical personnel there were women. Dark blue berets and skirts had been part of the dress uniform for the Red Army since the pre-war days, and khaki was assigned in May and August 1942, but most women used the standard men's uniform, or wore a mixture of clothing that was more comfortable.

76 women were awarded the title "Hero of the Soviet Union", many of them posthumously. From September 16, 1944, sergeants and Red Army soldiers were also officially allowed to have chest welt pockets, but only if they received an unwearable officer's uniform after putting it in order.

Major General Ground Forces 1943-44.

Combinations of uniforms from different time periods were quite common during the war. The 1935 tunic has a fold-down collar, but sewn shoulder straps, with khaki hand-embroidered lace and silver stars. Khaki cap - widely used by all officer ranks in the second half of the war. A commander bag of this type is supplied under Lend-Lease.

Military uniform of the Soviet Red Army 1943-1945.

Camouflage clothing.

Camouflage clothing, Red Army 1943-1945

A large number of different colors of camouflages were produced during the war, and were used mainly by snipers, scouts, and also for mountain troops. The camouflages are designed to be loose so that they can be worn over any combination of uniform and equipment, with large hoods to cover the helmet.

From left to right. The most common camouflage pattern consists of two parts, but there were also one-piece overalls. The colors are varied, brown, black or dark green spots on a pale olive green background. Further simplest form camouflage: garlands of grass, wrapping the body, equipment and weapons to break up the image of their visual structure.

Next. By the end of the war, an alternative type of suit was produced - although not in the same quantities. It was olive green, with a lot of little loops all over the surface that held tufts of grass. And the last type of robe was used by troops during the Winter War with Finland in 1939-40. and much more widely during the Great Patriotic War.

Some photos from that time show that some overalls were reversible, but it is not clear when this was introduced or how widely it was used.

Red Army reconnaissance officer, 1944-45

This camouflage suit, produced during the Great Patriotic War, first appeared in 1944, and, it seems, was not very widespread. Pattern complexity: paler background, sawtooth pattern like " seaweed" and interspersed with large brown spots to destroy the image. The scout is armed with a PPS-43 submachine gun, the best submachine gun of the Second World War, the German MP-40 was not lying around. The PPS-43 is lighter and cheaper than the PPSh-41, which to some extent began to replace the latter during the last two years of the war. The box magazine was much more convenient and simpler than the complex round drum of the PPSh. Three spare magazines in a simple bag with a flap on wooden buttons. Knife model 1940, Helmet model 1940; laced Lend-Lease boots.

Junior lieutenant rifle units, winter uniform, 1944

A fur coat or short fur coat, made of sheepskin, was a popular item of winter clothing, produced in both civilian and military versions. Depending on the length, it was used both in infantry and mechanized units.

Captain border troops NKVD, ceremonial uniform 1945.

Officer's dress jacket, double-breasted, fitted skirt. It was introduced in 1943. The version of the border troops differed from other NKVD troops, only in the green piping and color of the crown of the cap, the color of the collar buttonholes and cuffs. On the chest is the “Order of the Red Banner”, established in August 1924; medals "For Military Merit" and "For Victory over Germany".

The cap has a gilded metal cockade and a V-shaped badge with hand embroidery. Blue piping on collar and cuffs. On the chest there is a medal for “For the Defense of Moscow”, established on May 1, 1944.

Lieutenant General, dress uniform 1945.

Dress uniforms were worn by marshals and generals, commanders of fronts and formations who took part in the parade in honor of the victory over Germany in Moscow on June 24, 1945.

Uniform introduced in 1943, but not issued until the end of the war.

Sergeant. Dress uniform 1945.

Uniform with a stand-up collar with buttonholes, flaps in the back skirt, scarlet piping on the collar, cuffs and pocket flaps. The uniform was sewn to everyone's individual measurements, more than 250 new-style ceremonial general uniforms were sewn, and in total, more than 10 thousand sets of various uniforms for parade participants were produced in factories, workshops and studios in the capital in three weeks. In his hands is the standard of a German infantry battalion. On the right side of the chest are the Orders of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War, above the sign of the Guard. On the left chest Golden Star"Hero of the Soviet Union", and a block of awards. All fronts and fleets were represented by participants in the parade, participants should be awarded orders and medals. That is, real selected front-line soldiers took part in the parade.

After passing with lowered banners and standards of Germany, they were burned along with the platform, and the gloves of those carrying banners and standards were also burned.

In February 1946, the People's Commissariats of Defense and Navy were merged and transformed into a single Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR, and the armed forces themselves acquired new names: “ Soviet army" and "naval forces".

Since 1946, work on new forms has essentially begun.

You can also order WWII shoulder straps.

There is a lot of information on Soviet uniforms and equipment on the Internet, but it is scattered and unsystematic. Several years ago I began to be interested in Soviet uniforms and equipment, then it grew into an article. Of course, I am far from being the ultimate truth, so I will be glad if more knowledgeable people will correct and supplement the article. I also did not consider emblems and insignia.

First, a little history. Even before the First World War, a uniform appeared in the Russian army, consisting of khaki trousers, a tunic shirt, an overcoat and boots. We have seen it more than once in films about the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars.

Soviet uniform from World War II.

Since then, several uniform reforms have been carried out, but they mainly affected only dress uniform. The “edgings, shoulder straps, and buttonholes in the uniforms” changed, but the field uniform remained virtually unchanged.

In 1969, the field uniform was finally replaced. The cut of the trousers has changed, they have become less baggy. The tunic was replaced with a fully unbuttoned jacket. According to one version, the replacement of the tunic with a jacket was caused by the need to decontaminate clothing in the event of a nuclear war. Removing a radioactive tunic over the head is dangerous to health, so it was recommended to tear it apart, rendering it unusable, which was an unjustified waste of property. The jacket could be unbuttoned and removed without loss.

A tunic of the 1943 model and a closed jacket of the 1969 model.

The uniform was sewn from thick cotton fabric. The trousers had two regular mortise pockets on the side, the jacket had two mortise pockets at the bottom. Compared to modern types of form, and even by Western standards of that time, this is very little. Shiny buttons and cockades, as well as colored shoulder straps in war time should have been replaced with green ones.

Soviet uniform and equipment of the 1969 model. A live illustration of the Rules for wearing military uniforms. Trousers, jacket, cap, boots. Equipment: belt with shoulder straps made of artificial leather. On the belt there is a pouch for magazines (under right hand fighter) and a grenade (under the left hand), a bayonet-knife. On the shoulders there are duffel bag straps with a chest strap (forming the letter H). The strap of the gas mask bag runs diagonally across the chest.

Soviet uniform and equipment of the 1969 model. On the back there is a duffel bag. A large bag on the side is a gas mask.

Tarpaulin boots

A visual aid to shoe care.

The main footwear was tarpaulin boots with foot wraps. Kirza is, roughly speaking, a rubberized tarpaulin. This material was developed before the Great Patriotic War to save leather. The boot top is sewn from tarpaulin. The lower part, a kind of “galosh”, is made of leather, because When walking, it is subject to significant loads that the tarpaulin cannot withstand.

The underwear was in the form of a shirt with long sleeves and long underpants made of white fabric, the so-called. "beluga". In summer it was made of thin cotton, in winter it was made of flannel. Such underwear is still found in the army.

Headdress - cap.

The cap appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century, when it began to emerge military aviation. Initially it was called a “folding pilot’s hat.” A soldier is not allowed to wear a hat. The main headdress then was caps. But the pilots wore a leather flight helmet during the flight, and had to put their cap somewhere. The cap could easily be folded and put in a pocket. Subsequently, the cap became a popular soldier's headdress due to its simplicity and cheapness.

In winter - an overcoat and a hat with earflaps.

Work uniform

There was also a work uniform. It was intended for dirty work such as construction, loading and unloading or equipment repair. The winter version - a padded jacket and trousers reminiscent of a collective farm sweatshirt - could also be worn as a field

Winter work jacket

There were also more advanced items of clothing.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the cut of the uniform and the method of wearing it were determined by Order No. 176 of December 3, 1935. There were three types of uniforms for generals: everyday, weekend and dress. There were also three types of uniforms for officers and soldiers: everyday, guard and weekend. Each type of uniform had two options: summer and winter.

Numerous minor changes were made to the uniform between 1935 and 1941. The field uniform of the 1935 model was made of fabric of various shades of khaki color. The main distinctive element of the uniform was the tunic, which in its cut resembled a Russian peasant shirt. The cut of the tunic for soldiers and officers was the same. The flap of the breast pocket on the officer's tunic had a complex shape with a protrusion in the shape of the Latin letter "V". For soldiers, the valve often had a rectangular shape. The lower part of the collar of the tunic for officers had a triangular reinforcing patch, while for soldiers this patch was rectangular. In addition, soldiers' tunics had diamond-shaped reinforcing stripes on the elbows and back of the forearm. The officer's tunic, unlike the soldier's, had a colored edging. After the outbreak of hostilities, color edging was abandoned.

There were two types of tunics: summer and winter. Summer uniforms were made from cotton fabric, which was of a lighter color. Winter uniforms were made from woolen fabric, which was more saturated, dark color. The officers wore a wide leather belt with a brass buckle decorated five-pointed star. Soldiers wore a simpler belt with a regular open buckle. In field conditions, soldiers and officers could wear two types of tunics: everyday and weekend. The weekend tunic was often called a French jacket. Some soldiers who served in elite units wore tunics of a special cut, distinguished by a colored stripe running along the collar. However, such tunics were rare.

The second main element of the uniform of both soldiers and officers were trousers, also called breeches. Soldiers' trousers had diamond-shaped reinforcing stripes on the knees. For footwear, officers wore high leather boots, while soldiers wore boots with windings or tarpaulin boots. In winter, officers and soldiers wore an overcoat made of brownish-gray cloth. Officers' overcoats were of better quality than soldiers' overcoats, but had the same cut. The Red Army used several types of hats. Most units wore budenovki, which had a winter and summer version. However, the summer budenovka was everywhere replaced by the cap, introduced in the late 30s. In the summer, officers preferred to wear caps instead of budenovkas. In units stationed in Central Asia and Far East, instead of caps they wore wide-brimmed Panama hats.

In 1936, a new type of helmet (created on the basis of the French Adrian helmet) began to be supplied to the Red Army. In 1940, noticeable changes were made to the design of the helmet. The new helmet of the 1940 model everywhere replaced the helmet of the 1936 model, but the old helmet was still widely used in the first year of the war. Many Soviet officers recall that Red Army soldiers did not like to wear helmets, believing that only cowards wore helmets. Officers everywhere wore caps; the cap was an attribute of officer power. Tankers wore a special helmet made of leather or canvas. In summer they used a lighter version of the helmet, and in winter they wore a helmet with a fur lining.

The equipment of Soviet soldiers was strict and simple. Some units still used a brown leather backpack from the 1930 model, but such backpacks were rare in 1941. More common was the 1938 model canvas duffel bag. The base of the duffel bag was a rectangle 30x10 cm. The height of the duffel bag was 30 cm. The duffel bag had two pockets. Inside the duffel bag, the soldiers wore foot wraps, a raincoat, and in the pockets there were rifle accessories and personal hygiene items. At the bottom of the duffel bag, poles, pegs and other devices for setting up tents were tied. There were loops sewn onto the top and sides of the duffel bag, to which the roll was attached. The food bag was worn on the waist belt, under the duffel bag. The dimensions of the sack are 18x24x10 cm. In the sack the soldiers carried dry rations, a bowler hat and cutlery. The aluminum pot had a tight-fitting lid that was pressed down by the handle of the pot. In some units, soldiers used an old round pot with a diameter of 15 cm and a depth of 10 cm. However, the food bag and duffel bag of the 1938 model were quite expensive to produce, so their production was discontinued at the end of 1941.

Each Red Army soldier had a gas mask and a gas mask bag. After the war began, many soldiers threw away gas masks and used gas mask bags as duffel bags, since not everyone had real duffel bags. According to the regulations, every soldier armed with a rifle was required to have two leather cartridge bags. The bag could store four clips for a Mosin rifle - 20 rounds. Cartridge bags were worn on the waist belt, one on each side. The regulations provided for the possibility of wearing a large fabric cartridge bag that could hold six clips - 30 rounds. In addition, the Red Army soldiers could use a cloth bandolier worn over the shoulder. The compartments of the cartridge belt could accommodate 14 rifle clips. The grenade bag held two grenades with a handle. However, very few soldiers were equipped according to regulations. Most often, Red Army soldiers had to be content with one leather cartridge bag, which was usually worn on the right side. Some soldiers received small sapper blades in a fabric case. The shoulder blade was worn on the right hip. If a Red Army soldier had a flask, he wore it on his waist belt over his sapper blade.

During bad weather, soldiers used raincoats. The raincoat-tent was made of khaki-colored tarpaulin and had a ribbon with which the raincoat-tent could be secured to the shoulders. Raincoat tents could be connected in groups of two, four or six and thus obtain awnings under which several people could hide. If a soldier had a duffel bag of the 1938 model, then a roll, consisting of a raincoat and an overcoat, was attached to the sides and on top of the bag, in the form of a horseshoe. If there was no duffel bag, then the roll was carried over the shoulder.

The officers used a small bag, which was made of either leather or canvas. There were several types of these bags, some of them were worn over the shoulder, some were hung from the waist belt. On top of the bag was a small tablet. Some officers carried large leather tablets that were hung from the waist belt under their left arm.

There were also several types of specialized uniforms. In winter, tank crews wore black overalls and black leather jackets (sometimes black leather trousers were included with the jacket). Mountain shooters wore specially cut black overalls and special mountain boots. Cavalrymen, and primarily Cossacks, wore traditional clothes instead of uniforms. The cavalry was the most variegated branch of the Red Army troops, since a large number of Cossacks and representatives of the peoples of Central Asia served in the cavalry. Many cavalry units used standard uniforms, but even in such units items of Cossack uniform were often found. Before the war, Cossack troops were not popular, since many Cossacks during Civil War did not support the Bolsheviks and went to serve in white army. However, in the 30s, regiments of Don, Kuban and Terek Cossacks were formed. The personnel of these regiments were equipped with uniforms with many details of the traditional Cossack costume. The field uniform of the Cossacks during the Great Patriotic War was a combination of uniform items from the 1930s, pre-revolutionary Cossack uniforms and uniforms from the 1941/43 model.

Traditionally, Cossacks are divided into two groups: steppe and Caucasian. The uniforms of the two groups differed significantly from each other. If the steppe (Don) Cossacks gravitated towards the traditional military uniform, then the Caucasians dressed more colorfully. All Cossacks wore high hats or lower kubankas. In field conditions, Caucasian Cossacks wore dark blue or black beshmets (shirts). Ceremonial beshmets were red for the Kuban Cossacks and light blue for the Terek Cossacks. Over the beshmet, the Cossacks wore a black or dark blue Circassian coat. Gazyrs were sewn on the chest of the Circassian coat. In winter, Cossacks wore a black fur cloak. Many Cossacks wore bashlyks of different colors. The bottom of the Kubanka was covered with material: for the Terek Cossacks it was light blue, and for the Kuban Cossacks it was red. There were two stripes running crosswise on the material - gold for officers and black for privates. It should be borne in mind that many soldiers recruited from the southern regions of Russia continued to wear a kubanka instead of the earflaps required by regulations, even if they did not serve in the cavalry. Another distinctive feature of the Cossacks were dark blue riding breeches.

In the first years of the war, Soviet industry lost significant production capacity, which ended up in German-occupied territory. However most The equipment was nevertheless transported to the east and new industrial enterprises were organized in the Urals. This decline in production forced the Soviet command to significantly simplify the uniforms and equipment of soldiers. In the winter of 1941/42, more comfortable winter uniforms were used for the first time. When creating this uniform, the sad experience of the Finnish campaign was taken into account. The Red Army soldiers received padded jackets, cotton trousers and hats with earflaps made of synthetic fur. Officers were issued sheepskin coats or fur coats. Higher officers wore hats instead of earflaps. The troops fighting on the northern sector of the front (north of Leningrad) were equipped with special northern uniforms. Instead of sheep's sheepskin coats, some units used seal sakuis. For footwear, soldiers wore special boots made of dog fur or lined with wool. Ushankas for soldiers who fought in the north were made from real fur - dog or fox.

However, many units never received a special winter uniform and the Red Army soldiers froze in standard overcoats, insulated with items requisitioned from the civilian population. In general, the Red Army was characterized by the widespread use of civilian clothing, this was especially clearly visible in winter. So, in winter, many Red Army soldiers wore felt boots. But not everyone was able to get felt boots, so even in winter most of the Red Army personnel continued to wear tarpaulin ones. The only advantage of tarpaulin boots was that they were loose enough that they could be insulated with additional foot wraps and newspapers, turning the shoes into winter boots. Soviet soldiers They didn’t wear socks - only foot wraps. Socks were too much of a luxury to wear in loose boots. But the officers, if they managed to get a pair of socks, did not deny themselves the pleasure of putting them on. Some units were luckier - the personnel of these units received felt boots with galoshes, which was especially useful during the autumn and spring thaw. In 1942, the Red Army soldiers were dressed in rather colorful uniforms. The tankers wore black, gray, blue or khaki overalls. Synthetic leather and rubber were widely used in the manufacture of uniforms. Cartridge bags were made from tarpaulin or impregnated tarpaulin. Leather waist belts were everywhere replaced by canvas ones.

Instead of blankets, the Red Army soldiers used overcoats and raincoats. In addition, a roll of an overcoat or raincoat successfully replaced a duffel bag for soldiers - things were rolled inside. To remedy the situation, a new duffel bag was introduced, similar to the one used by the Tsarist army during the 1st World War. This duffel bag was a canvas bag with a neck secured by a drawstring and two shoulder straps. In 1942, uniform items from the USA and Canada began to arrive in the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. Although most of the uniforms coming from America were made according to Soviet designs, American uniforms were also found. For example, the USA supplied 13 thousand pairs of leather boots and one million pairs of soldier’s boots to the USSR, and in Canada they sewed overalls for Soviet tank crews.

The uniform for women who served in the Red Army was determined by several documents. Before the war, the distinctive details of women's dress and dress uniforms were a dark blue skirt and beret. During the war, the order of women's uniforms was fixed by orders issued in May and August 1942. The orders maintained the wearing of a skirt and beret. In the field, these uniform items were made of khaki-colored fabric, and the exit uniform included a blue skirt and beret. These same orders largely unified the women's uniform with the men's. In practice, many female military personnel, especially those serving on the front lines, wore men's uniforms. In addition, women often altered many uniform items for themselves, using discarded uniforms.

The experience of fighting in Finland showed the need to have white camouflage overalls in the troops. This type of overalls appeared in 1941. There were several types of winter overalls, usually consisting of pants and a jacket with a hood. In addition, the Red Army units were equipped with many camouflage summer overalls. Such overalls, as a rule, were received by scouts, sappers, mountain shooters and snipers. The overalls had a baggy cut and were made of khaki-colored fabric with round black spots. It is known from photographic documents that the Red Army soldiers also used reversible camouflage overalls, which were green on the outside and white on the inside. It is not clear how widespread such overalls were. A special type of camouflage was developed for snipers. A large number of narrow strips of material imitating grass were sewn onto the khaki-colored overalls. However, such overalls are not widely used.

In 1943, the Red Army adopted a new uniform, radically different from that previously used. The system of insignia was equally radically changed. The new uniform and insignia largely repeated the uniform and insignia of the tsarist army. The new rules abolished the division of uniforms into daily, weekend and dress uniforms, since in wartime conditions there was no need for weekend and dress uniforms. Details of the ceremonial uniform were used in the uniform of units special purpose who performed guard duty, as well as in officer uniforms. In addition, the officers retained their dress uniform.

By Order No. 25 of January 15, 1943, a new type of tunic was introduced for soldiers and officers. The new tunic was very similar to the one used in the tsarist army and had a stand-up collar fastened with two buttons. The soldiers' tunic had no pockets, while the officer's tunic had two breast pockets. The cut of the trousers has not changed. But the main distinguishing feature of the new uniform was the shoulder straps. There were two types of shoulder straps: field and everyday. Field shoulder straps were made of khaki-colored fabric. On three sides, the shoulder straps had a border in the color of the branch of service. There was no piping on the officer's shoulder straps, and the branch of the military could be determined by the color of the gaps. Senior officers (from major to colonel) had two gaps on their shoulder straps, and junior officers (from junior lieutenant to captain) had one. For doctors, veterinarians and non-combatants, the gaps were red with a brownish tint. In addition, a small gold or silver badge was worn on the shoulder straps near the button, indicating the branch of the military. The color of the emblem depended on the type of troops. The shoulder straps of marshals and generals were wider than those of officers, and the shoulder straps of military doctors, lawyers, etc. - on the contrary, narrower.

Officers wore a cap with a black leather chinstrap. The color of the band on the cap depended on the type of troops. The crown of the cap was usually a khaki color, but the NKVD troops often used caps with a light blue crown, tank crews wore gray caps, and Don Cossacks wore gray-blue caps. The same order No. 25 determined the type of winter headdress for officers. Generals and colonels had to wear hats (introduced back in 1940), while other officers received regular earflaps.

The rank of sergeants and foremen was determined by the number and width of the stripes on their shoulder straps. Usually the stripes were red, only doctors and veterinarians had a brownish tint. Petty officers wore a T-shaped stripe on their shoulder straps. Senior sergeants had one wide stripe on their shoulder straps. Sergeants, junior sergeants and corporals had three, two or one narrow stripe on their shoulder straps, respectively. The edging of the shoulder straps was the color of the branch of service. According to the regulations, the emblem of the military branch was supposed to be worn on the inside of the shoulder straps, but in practice, soldiers wore such emblems very rarely.

In March 1944, a new uniform for the Marine Corps was adopted, which was more convenient for use on land. Since the Soviet Navy remained in ports for most of the war, many sailors took part in battles on land. Especially widely Marines It was used in the defense of Leningrad and in the Crimea. However, throughout the war Marines wore standard naval uniform, supplemented by some items of land field uniform. The last order concerning uniforms was issued in April 1945. This order introduced the dress uniform; soldiers first wore it during the Victory Parade on Red Square on June 24, 1945.

Separately, it would be worth examining the colors of the military branches in the Red Army. The types of troops and services were designated by the color of the edging and insignia. The color of the field of the buttonholes showed belonging to the branch of the military; in addition, a small badge in the buttonhole indicated membership in a certain branch of the military. Officers wore gold-embroidered or enamel badges, while soldiers used colored edging. The sergeants' buttonholes had a border in the color of the branch of service, and they were distinguished from the soldiers by a narrow red stripe running through the buttonhole. Officers wore caps with piping, while soldiers used caps. The edgings on the uniform were also the colors of the military branch. Belonging to a branch of the military was determined not by any one color, but by a combination of colors on different parts of the uniform.

Commissars occupied a special position in the army. There were commissars in every unit from the battalion and above. In 1937, the position of political instructor - junior political officer - was introduced in each unit (company, platoon). The insignia of commissars was generally similar to the insignia of officers, but had its own characteristics. Instead of chevrons on the sleeve, the commissars wore a red star. Commissars had black edging on their buttonholes, regardless of the type of troops, while political instructors had colored edging on their buttonholes.

Sources:
1. Lipatov P., “Uniforms of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht”, Tekhnika Molodezhi, 1996;
2. Shunkov V., “Red Army”, AST, 2003;
3. Shalito A., Savchenkov I., Roginsky N., Tsyplenkov K., "Uniform of the Red Army 1918-1945", 2001.

And seemingly multitasking, Soviet military clothing still remained more practical and comfortable to wear during combat. The military uniform of the Red Army was highly wear-resistant and unpretentious in use. At the same time, officers and soldiers of the Red Army were necessarily issued with everyday, combat and dress uniforms, which were available in summer and winter versions.

Tankers wore a special helmet made of leather or canvas. In summer they used a lighter version, in winter - with a fur lining.
At the beginning of the war, field packs were used, but they were very quickly replaced by the canvas duffel bag of the 1938 model.

Not everyone had real duffel bags, so after the war began, many soldiers threw away gas masks and used gas mask bags instead.

According to the regulations, every soldier armed with a rifle was required to have two leather cartridge bags. The bag could store four clips for a Mosin rifle - 20 rounds. Cartridge bags were worn on the waist belt, one on each side. The officers used a small bag, which was made of either leather or canvas. There were several types of these bags, some of them were worn over the shoulder, some were hung from the waist belt. On top of the bag was a small tablet.

In 1943, the army uniform and the system of insignia were radically changed.
The new tunic looked like a shirt and had a stand-up collar fastened with two buttons.

Shoulder straps appeared: field and everyday ones. Field shoulder straps were made from khaki fabric. On the shoulder straps near the button they wore a small gold or silver badge indicating the branch of the military. Officers wore a cap with a black leather chinstrap. The color of the band on the cap depended on the type of troops. In winter, generals and colonels were required to wear hats, and the rest of the officers received ordinary earflaps. The rank of sergeants and foremen was determined by the number and width of the stripes on their shoulder straps. The edging of the shoulder straps had the colors of the branch of the military.

You can also admire more than a dozen authentic retro cars restored from scratch.