Soviet Admiral Kuznetsov's M43 Tunic

[Erik Krogh]

I purchased this M43 tunic awhile back at a local militaria show here in Southern California. While not an experienced Soviet collector, I have handled enough German WWII cloth to be of the opinion that this is a period tunic. The tunic got the thumbs-up on a Soviet-specific forum.

While researching the tunic, I came across a picture of Admiral Kuznetsov wearing a similar uniform. I have also read the account of how the Admiral convinced Stalin to allow him to wear the Marshall's star on his shoulder boards in the book "World War II Parade Uniforms of the Soviet Union" by James Sinclair and Douglas Drabik.

General view of the tunic:

[Erik Krogh]

Shoulder board

[Erik Krogh]

Sleeve insignia

[Erik Krogh]

Admiral Kuznetsov period photo

[Sergey]

Admiral Kuznetsov period photo

Yes it is a subject. It is possible for these is proud :jumping:

[Paul R]

Yes it is a subject. It is possible for these is proud

That uniform borders on a National Treasure! AWESOME piece!

[RedMaestro]

A nice tunic indeed!

Just wondering though, since I am completely ignorant of soviet uniforms, are you sure this is really Admiral Kuznetsov's? Is there something about it that clearly identifies it as such?

Thanks!

-Alex

[Erik Krogh]

Paul and Sergey,

Thanks for your kind words!

Alex,

I posted this tunic on a Soviet-specific forum, and Doug Drabik made the following comment:

"The tunic you have is a very nice Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR M1943 service tunic that could have belonged to Kuznetsov or Isakov. Difficult to tell without ribbons though as the insignia is the same; the tunic was worn when both held the rank. Without really comparing the sizes of Isakov and Kuznetsov, it would be difficult to tell."

I have taken the liberty of assuming that the tunic belonged to Admiral Kuznetsov because it is my understanding that only Kuznetsov wore the marshal-style shoulder boards during WWII (please see page 241 of "World War II Parade Uniforms of the Soviet Union" by James Sinclair II and Doug Drabik). The conventional wisdom has it that Isakov wore the marshal-style boards in the 1950s.

So, it is possible that the tunic belonged to Admiral Isakov. In any event, there were only two WWII Admirals of the Fleet.

All The Best,

Erik

[Riley1965]

:jumping: WOW!!! That's a VERY OUTSTANDING uniform!!! I think that you are on to something with the "dated" shoulderboards.

Doc

[RedMaestro]

Paul and Sergey,

Thanks for your kind words!

Alex,

I posted this tunic on a Soviet-specific forum, and Doug Drabik made the following comment:

"The tunic you have is a very nice Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR M1943 service tunic that could have belonged to Kuznetsov or Isakov. Difficult to tell without ribbons though as the insignia is the same; the tunic was worn when both held the rank. Without really comparing the sizes of Isakov and Kuznetsov, it would be difficult to tell."

I have taken the liberty of assuming that the tunic belonged to Admiral Kuznetsov because it is my understanding that only Kuznetsov wore the marshal-style shoulder boards during WWII (please see page 241 of "World War II Parade Uniforms of the Soviet Union" by James Sinclair II and Doug Drabik). The conventional wisdom has it that Isakov wore the marshal-style boards in the 1950s.

So, it is possible that the tunic belonged to Admiral Isakov. In any event, there were only two WWII Admirals of the Fleet.

All The Best,

Erik

I understand now. Thanks for the explanation! Like I said, I unfortunately know nothing about uniforms, and little about the soviet navy.

That is quite an extraordinary piece indeed! Congrats on a great find!

-Alex

[Erik Krogh]

Here's a detailed scan of one of the shoulderboards.

[iskander]

This Facke