Ww2 Russian Uniform Guide

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

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09.08.2006file://D:\Save\Game Design\fdf_ww2\2. Soviet Uniform Guide.html

� 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:

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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

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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.

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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

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enlisted men.

B) The second uniform is the M43 tunic for enlisted men and NCOs, the successor of the M35:

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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.

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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 em-belt, some also received a canvas made belt instead. This belt is best suited for mid war reservists.

C) M35 uniform for officers:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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:

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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:

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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:

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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.

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D) M41 telogreika padded winter jacket and trousers:

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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

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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:

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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:

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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.

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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...

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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:

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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.

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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:

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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:

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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.

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D) Vesch Myeshok Rucksack:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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During the war, a second handgrenade was introduced, called the F1. This handgrenade was egg-shaped 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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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:

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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:

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Officers carried a bigger, full leather case instead of the simple ones with just leather trimming that NCOs received.

C) Binocularcase:

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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:

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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:

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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

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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.

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Documents

Ww2 Russian Uniform Guide