Soviet RKKA Sgt - Circa 1945

[RichieC]

IMAGE 1-2 & 3

"Oleg" has been around for a while. His model 1940 "FINKA" (Finnish) "FISH FUR" (Fake Fur) Ushanka has seen a lot of kilometers. His greatcoat also. It is dated 1941 and it's original Model 1935 raspberry coloured (for Infantry) collar tabs have been removed and a pair of Model 1943 tabs (WITHOUT any buttons. I guess he had none at the time) and shoulder boards for the rank of 1st Sergeant of Technical Troops have been added. His puttees ("windings" or "bands" as translated from Russian) are crudely constructed of captured German feed sacks, as what appear to be lot numbers and the German national "Adler" markings are still visible if one were to lay them out flat. His boots are of American Lend-Lease manufacture without hobnails. Oleg carries on his back a "new" Model 1944 Mosin/Nagant Carbine. The canvas pouch on his left side holds two Model F1 fragmentation grenades.

[RichieC]

IMAGE 2

[RichieC]

IMAGE 3

[Guest Rick Research]

We may need a camera tutorial.

Isn't it an interesting phenomenon that in Soviet uniform collecting, the exact OPPOSITE of all other countries arises:

the hardest stuff to find is enlisted field wear material

and the easiest

is officers' parade dress.

It all came down to worn out and no storage, I suppose.

[RichieC]

Exactly...

I suppose working around the dacha in your Victory Parade tunic would appear a tad silly, and uncomfortable.

[Bryan]

Very nice reconstitution!

[Sergey]

Very nice reconstitution!

Perfectly. But there is a small mistake(error) on a collar. Buttonholes are sewn with a mistake.

[Sergey]

It is necessary so.

[Belaruski]

I hadn't noticed the collar patches were 'upside down'. A case of me looking and not seeing.

Incidentally Richie a lovely greatcoat. It's nice to see these old 'bald' coats!

Edited February 15, 2007 by Belaruski

[RichieC]

I hadn't noticed the collar patches were 'upside down'. A case of me looking and not seeing.

Incidentally Richie a lovely greatcoat. It's nice to see these old 'bald' coats!

Thanks men... This litttle quirk has been semi-bothering me for years. However, when I aquired the coat, this is how it came to me. The only thing I added was the shoulder boards. Right or wrong, I did not want to change around the collar tabs and add the appropriate buttons, as they had been attached like that for what seemed FOREVER. I'll snap a close up and post it later so you can see what I am implying.

[Sergey]

Thanks men... This litttle quirk has been semi-bothering me for years. However, when I aquired the coat, this is how it came to me. The only thing I added was the shoulder boards. Right or wrong, I did not want to change around the collar tabs and add the appropriate buttons, as they had been attached like that for what seemed FOREVER. I'll snap a close up and post it later so you can see what I am implying.

Let's wait result And второе-the button on a pursuit should be anoth.It is more than at you .I shall make a photo and I shall place in your theme

[RichieC]

I truly feel that these tabs have been affixed for a time a lot longer than I have been alive. Without exactly dating myself, that is a long time. I really do not want to change them. The attaching cotton thread is very delicate and breaks at the slightest tug, and there are no signs of holes for the metal button loops, so I think that the "old soldier" attached them himself in the field at the time of regulation change in 1943, or soon thereafter, and did not have any appropriate buttons. As a matter of fact, the two buttons that secure the end of the shoulder boards do not match, and are secured in place with the same thread as the tabs...

The coat is a pre-1943 model, but I see no outline of stitching on the collar from the earlier type of tabs, but with such a rough weave of material, who is to say that they were ever there to begin with.

I strongly feel that I should leave this this one as it is...

[RichieC]

Photo2

[RichieC]

Photo3

[RichieC]

Photo4

[RichieC]

Photo5

[RichieC]

Photo6

[RichieC]

Photo7

Stamp (not one of those fake ebay either IMO) faintly reads 41r on the lower right.

No matter if those collar tabs defy the correct or not; I really don't feel that this one should be altered from it's present state, dear associates.

[Belaruski]

That's in very nice salty condition!

I have a 41' greatcoat too, but an officers one. I'm glad I bought it though as yours is the only other one I've 'seen' since.

[Sergey]

This fine coat. There is no doubt in that that it the present. Simply I have paid your attention to some mistakes. And here such button should be present on a pursuit. -1

[Takc]

This fine coat. There is no doubt in that that it the present. Simply I have paid your attention to some mistakes. And here such button should be present on a pursuit. -1

Nope. There should be a BORDERED middle-sized button. Look at your picture of a soldier and you will see the border goes around the button. The button 1 you shown is a BORDERLESS one.

Rich, find two mid size bordered buttons, take off the collar tabs, change them in places, and sew on. Also, the sewing must be done so the thread should be hidden somewhere between piping and collar tab body, or between the piping and greatcoat material.

[Ed_Haynes]

As an outsider, this sort of aggressive "re-tailoring" seems dangerously close to faking. Is such practice considered normal? Maybe if some party, for whatever reason, wanted you to destroy what you had . . . ??

[Takc]

As an outsider, this sort of aggressive "re-tailoring" seems dangerously close to faking. Is such practice considered normal? Maybe if some party, for whatever reason, wanted you to destroy what you had . . . ??

I do not consider this to be an agressive retailoring. Sometimes there is a need to restore the items, or to make them look in the way they should.

Having got this item from a seller, would you really be sure that it's appearance was?not?changed?since?1945?

Very often I buy incomplete things and then search for original items to complete them. Adding them at the item I of course do not think that now I have all-original and intact thing, but it's collecting value rizes if it is completed?with?correct?original accesories,?rather?than?an?incomplete?thing.

I personally hate incomplete things, but this is just my humble opinion and I am not to force anyone to do my way. It was just an advice.

All I do to my things is a very gentle and respectful restoration, repair and support of things.

I repeat, this is my humble opinion and of course I leave others with their own approach to collecting.

[Takc]

Just look at these caps.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=12288

Will you think that they in their current appearance are the items which worth collecting AS IS, or you think that some repair (taking off the army collar tabs emblems and changing of a chinstrap cord onto regular) is an agressive retailoring?

Just think, there is nothing bad in returning to a thing it's initial, regular appearance.

[Belaruski]

I think Takc has a good point here.

It's not 'faking' to put the right buttons on. Faking would be the adding of a Vlasov ROA sleevepatch for example.