Republic of Cuba Cuban General's Insignia:

[Guest Rick Research]

Lieutenant General boards for service tunic and something like a shirt, raincoat, or field uniform. Note that with the oaks and laurels, there is a front (laurels) to these Soviet style rank insignia:

Left shoulder on the 4 sided board, right for the field type.

[Guest Rick Research]

Since these all came out with the three Soviet ribbon bars with Cuban ribbons:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...ost&p=87266

I suspect these belonged to that officer as well.

Underlay of the sewn down tunic boards is standard Soviet red. The field type board does NOT have the usual Soviet-style tongue, but rather TWO sets of loops at shoulder and near the collar end, suggesting these were slipped over plain buttoned shirt epaulettes.

[Guest Rick Research]

Now for the ??? part. Here is a removable cap band, green woven material with a standard Soviet M1969 type generals' bullion wreath and a ? state security/? border guards/? customs service/ ? police/ ? procurator's office/ ??? cockade, which would have been worn under the Cuban state arms on the top of the cap:

The military (Revolutionary Armed Forces) seem to have had a different shaped wreath and the F.A.R. initials, from what little I've been able to find in these Final Days before the stampede for Caracas condos begins.

[Guest Rick Research]

With these worn insignia came a pair of bullion generals' lapel laurels:

On Soviet M1954+ generals' tunics, these were directly embroidered onto the collars, and these too seem to have been hacked off a uniform-- note the remnants of what would have been the red collar piping.

[Paul R]

Very impressive set, Rick!!

[Guest Rick Research]

Here's a comparison between a service tunic board for a Soviet Lieutenant General and the Cuban derivative:

[Guest Rick Research]

Brought back up top-- the cap band is still making me toss and turn nights, wondering WHAT it can actually be?

[Paul R]

I am thinking Judicial!

[Guest Rick Research]

Still no clue what organization the cap band represents!

[pride]

Brought back up top-- the cap band is still making me toss and turn nights, wondering WHAT it can actually be?

this is the first time that i see this kind of cap band..

did you find new info about this?

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope. Years and years and... no clues.

[GC*]

I am no expert of Cuban militaria..but the cockade in the center of the embroidery is the exact copy of 1960s Soviet judicial ones (which are mainly composed as well by crossed swords behind a shield).

Regards,

GC

[Guest Rick Research]

Still trying to figure out if the brass insignia does indeed fit in the middle of the removable cap band's bullion wreath. The round brass backing probably went UNDERNEATH the cap band rather than on top the way I put it for display.

Any new knowledge out there about what the cap band is and what goes inside its wreath? Or what the brass insignia that LOOKS like it might (and came together) is actually for?

(Ican't believe it's been SEVEN years since Fidel had fatal peritonitis and he's still (?) alive....)

[Riker87]

The cap band is very strange. The inside looks like the branch insignia of a judge advocate.

For me, it is indefinable. But one thing is certain: it's not Cuban.

[Riker87]

Hello guys, here my new "General de Brigada" sleeve epaulettes. They were worn by Brigadier General José Quevedo.

This insignias in this form were introduced in 1988 and they're are still in use. I think my epaulettes were produced in the first half of the 1990's.

Another interesting cuban Militaria you'll find on my side.

[Paul R]

Nice!! Are these sewn on or to the slide onto the shirt?

[Riker87]

Thanks Paul! This epaulettes will slide onto the shirt.

[Paul R]

Very nice pieces.

[achern]

How do you guys even get things like these? Haven't had any luck here!

[Riker87]

How do you guys even get things like these? Haven't had any luck here!

 

I've got my sources arround the world. And I've got the luck to know some guys in Cuba.

[Paul R]

Have you any new items lately?

[Riker87]

Yes, I have: a 80s BDU and a Boarder Guards service uniform of the 70s/80s too. I will upload some pics of them here on gmic.

[Riker87]

Now, I've got some updates in my general's epaulettes collection:

I've received a pair of shoulder boards for the everyday uniform (unfortunately not related) and a brown pair of slip-ons also for the everyday uniform.

All the epaulettes are still in use.

 

[achern]

Beautiful. I wish I could get a pair of Castro's boards!

[Riker87]

Hello fellows, after a long time a short update:

Here' are my new epaulettes of a Division General. They are absolutely unused and from the 1980's.