Soviet NKVD frontier troops cavalry officer c.1940

[Belaruski]

Here's one of my uniforms, a nice pre war cavalry officer of the NKVD frontier troops. I have this man's cap tunic, and trousers. The badge is for the 1939 battle against the Japanese at Khalkingol.

[Guest Rick Research]

Is there any maker's stamp on the inside of the back skirt? Did these not have sleeve M1935/M1940 rank chevrons like the army, or were they removed like the army ones after the war started?

Splendid display for a RARE Major!

[Belaruski]

There isn't any stamp left in the gymnastiorka, but the cap has a few.

Both (and the sharovari breeches) are actually quite mothed up close.

I have a few gyms' with stamps, but not this one!

[Guest Rick Research]

Here's my probably late 1930s-WW2 "Sort 1" two piece cap badge Border Guards-- regretably best I could do with a long ago borrowed camera. I haven't seen another pre-1946 piece until yours in YEARS.

If there were ever any maker's marks on the "upside down lederhosen" shaped top hair oil guard, none are visible now. And that's IT for my Border Guard material!

[Daredevil]

can you take a cloase up of the collar tabs and the reverse? I have never seen of or heard of special NKVD cavalry collar insignia, so it would be a first and i would love to see it close up. DD

[Daredevil]

also, the cap seems to be an M1924 version of the NKVD Frontier Troops cap; these were still worn in the 1940's by vets. DD

[Belaruski]

Illl take some more photos today. Basically the green tab is standard for all branches of the NKVD Frontier Troops (apart from naval ones). The cavalry metal insignia of crossed sabres and horseshoe is the sa,e as a regualr Red Army cavalry device. Rick, that's a lovely M35 cap! I have one very similar!

[Gerd Becker]

Awesome uniform Thanks for sharing this beauty.

regards,

Gerd

Edited December 19, 2006 by Gerd Becker

[Daredevil]

Yes, I know about the M1935 branch insignia for Red Army cavalry, but I have yet to see regulations where it was used for NKVD Cavalry Troops or NKVD Frontier Troops Cavalry Units. Not to say they did not, but I'd like to see the regulations for it (like the air units of the NKVD using the wings,etc.). Its logical, but a good set of regs showing the branch insignia of the NKVD would be cool to see. (have to wait for V2 of the NKVD CCCP books by Voronov and Shishkin).

Are the rank and branch insignia bend back metal pins, or screwback on to the tabs?

DD

[Belaruski]

The badges are prong backed.

The collar tabs as you can see are sewn on before the backing material. (No stitching on the back of the collar from the tab).

Most M35 officers uniforms have a backing material to the collar, but this one is 'bare'. With the zigzag stitching commonly seen on German uniforms.

The lighting on this photo is a little too bright.

Edited December 19, 2006 by Belaruski

[Daredevil]

Thanks for the photo, much better detail than I could shoot!....can you photo the back of the buttons? any dates, or heavy rusting, or "holes"?

DD

[Paul R]

It is the most attractive Svoiet uniform I have seen!!!

[Belaruski]

Back of the buttons. They're all plain backed like this one. You can also see the 'salt and pepper weave to the fabric, and the greyish cotton from the edge of the top edge reinforcement to the pocket.

[Belaruski]

The Khalkingol badge.

Numbered to the screwplate: 117,776.

[Ed_Haynes]

The Khalkingol badge.

Numbered to the screwplate: 117,776.

What?? Numbered on the screwplate??

Details, scans, please!!!

That will be very interesting to those of us over at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5087

Edited December 22, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[Belaruski]

Here's the reverse.

[Ed_Haynes]

Thanks!!!! Fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!

[Belaruski]

This is exactly how it was when I bought it, and I've no idea who the maker is.

[Stogieman]

Isn't MOAX The Moscow Arts Collaborative? Also, isn't it a rather big leap to assume the disc is original to the badge? Dows the badge differ in any way from other mirror backs apart from the numbered disc??

[Ed_Haynes]

Yes, it is the arts collaborative whatever boys. The screwback does differ substantially from the familiar unnumbered "eared" screwbacks commonly found on the early Khalkingol badges. At the very least, something to think about. Has anyone ever seen this pattern of screwback on any Mongolian (or other) awards before??

(Maybe I should be asking this over at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5087 ??)

[Vatjan]

I would be very careful in assuming this screwplate to be original.

We know how these screwplates were swapped around in Mongolia, and I would not consider this to be original until, at least, one other was found to corroborate this finding.

I would love to see numbered screwplates, that would open great, real combat ( ) research potential, but I do not (yet) believe they exist.

I asked Dr B once, he denies there were ever numbered badges.

It looks like a screwplate for a soviet "osoaviakim-always ready-defence society" badge sort of thing, they were numbered

This is the pic why I asked Dr B.

[Vatjan]

I was thinking along these lines

[RichieC]

The badges are prong backed.

The collar tabs as you can see are sewn on before the backing material. (No stitching on the back of the collar from the tab).

Most M35 officers uniforms have a backing material to the collar, but this one is 'bare'. With the zigzag stitching commonly seen on German uniforms.

The lighting on this photo is a little too bright.

Belaruski, what is the exact colour of the piping on the collar and sleeve cuffs? It looks red in your image, but as you wrote the lighting appears to be a bit bright.

For comparison, here is an image from the collection of a Russian associate of mine. Unlike yours, the collar tabs are not edged in gold as the Gymnastiorka once belonged to a Political Commissar.

[Belaruski]

The piping isn't as raspberry as on the picture you showed, or on othe frontier troops tunics of mine, but it's not as scarlet as in the sun bleached picture!

I need to get a better photo. The piping matches the cap, which also is a noticably more red colour than the usual.