The WAS special project is dedicated to the 72nd anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. Study and compare the infantry uniforms of the seven armies that fought in the European theater of World War II.
Andrey, 35 years old, elevator maintenance engineer
Form: Wehrmacht, 1945
WHAT WEARED
This is a uniform set of 1940, but it could be seen at the end of the war. In 1945, the uniform of different times was already used in the German army. The supply was broken, and everything they had was given out from the warehouses. The set did not remain in use for long even after the war, in the occupation zones until the formation of the GDR and the FRG.
The German uniform made of woolen cloth is considered hot for the summer, but it is comfortable. In autumn and early spring, it is much better than in the cotton tunic of the Red Army. During these seasons, the Germans were in a better position.
DETAILS
Caps of the 1943 model entered the Wehrmacht instead of caps. The headdresses of mountain rangers were taken as a sample. Unlike the cap, the cap has a visor to protect the eyes from rain and sun. The lapels are detachable to cover the ears and neck. Closer to 1945, the model was simplified: the lapels became false, decorative.
In battle, they wore a steel helmet. I have it of the 1942 model, also simplified to reduce the cost of production. For example, stamping is now without bends at the edges. And yet, the German helmet protects the ears and neck better than the Soviet one.
The color of the gaps on the buttonholes determined the type of troops. Green (later grey) clearance is a badge of infantry. In the artillery gaps were red. Chevrons were not supposed to be ordinary.
On the pocket is an infantry badge. This is not a reward. It was issued for 10-15 days spent at the front. In fact, this is a certificate of a participant in hostilities.
EQUIPMENT
On my back I have an unloading frame, which is attached to the harness belts. It was introduced at the end of 1941 to increase the number of items worn by a soldier. It can be combined with a backpack or used without it.
A bean-shaped bowler hat is fixed on the frame (tourists still use similar ones) and a raincoat section with a tent set: pegs, half-racks. The tent is assembled from four such panels. A bread bag was fixed under the tent, in which everything needed for a short combat operation could be put: a kit for cleaning a rifle, a sweater, a towel, a soap dish.
The military uniform has always had and has some resemblance to the usual civilian clothing worn at the present time. In those states where there was a caste system, the clothing of the Warrior caste was also the uniform of the army. Generally speaking, originally every man capable of bearing arms was a warrior and went to war in the dress that he always wore; specially military armor was very primitive and varied. However, the desire to distinguish one's own troops from the enemy's, as far as possible from a distance, led already in ancient times to the fact that the armed forces tried to have one-color clothes, or at least distinctive signs with a variety of clothes. If any branch of the army had the value of a permanent and honorary one, it also received distinctive signs of its dignity (for example, a detachment of "immortals" or a guard of Persian kings). Proper uniforms, according to military historians, got their start in Sparta, but this was only a consequence of the peculiar structure of the entire Spartan life: the regulation that prescribed the rules for washing, the schedule of meals at dinner, etc., could not but touch on such an important event as the performance to war, and not provide for the color of clothing most convenient for this purpose - and the Spartans choose red, so that the blood flowing from the wounds is less noticeable and does not embarrass the faint-hearted.
The convenience of uniform uniforms could not but be realized by other Greeks, and after them by the Romans. Roman legions have something like a form of uniform in the modern sense: white clothes, monotonous weapons and armor, and multi-colored feathers on helmets that distinguish a legion from a legion. In the Middle Ages, there was, in fact, no army, since it was made up of vassals and their squires and warriors; there was no question of any uniformity in the form of uniforms, but each wore the distinctive signs of his master; the cut of clothes was also approximately the same, depending on the rank.
military uniform 2 world war
The clothes of wealthy barons and their servants were characterized by luxury, which was the subject of rivalry between them. Under the military uniform at that time, one should actually understand the military armor in which they went into battle. Later, when mercenary detachments appear, one notices the desire on the part of their superiors to dress their squads uniformly; according to the color prevailing in their costume, these gangs sometimes received their names. At the beginning of the new time, standing armies are gradually set up, the maintenance of which in all respects falls on the government.
The end of the 17th and the entire 18th century were marked by long and bloody wars between the most important states of Europe; At that time, much attention was paid to the army. This was also reflected in the uniform of the troops, which, especially in the guards, became fabulously beautiful, uncomfortable and expensive. The greatest luxury was distinguished by the form in France and the states under its influence. The Prussian and Swedish troops were more modest than others. The French Revolution and the wars that followed it, and then the constant growth of armies under the influence of the development of militarism, led to the simplification and cheapening of uniforms. At the present time, everywhere there is a desire to bring the Form so that it is convenient, durable, easily fitted, satisfies the climatic conditions and does not greatly burden the soldier with caring for her. The most beautiful and varied of forms in all states belonged to the cavalry, while local and auxiliary troops have the most modest. The form of uniform must satisfy the condition of distinguishability of one part of the troops from another, so that the serviceman's belonging to his unit is completely obvious; this is necessary both for the maintenance of discipline and for the development of solidarity between the ranks of one unit. More than ever, uniforming of the army is necessary since the principle was proclaimed that states fight through their armed forces, and not the entire population. The requirement that the enemy be open obliges the belligerents to wear a uniform that distinguishes them from civilians from afar and at the same time has features that could not be quickly and conveniently hidden. The People's Militia may also wear a non-uniform Uniform, but must have badges that are distinguishable at least at a distance of a shot.
Where did the myth come from that the uniform of the SS during the Second World War was exclusively black? After all, that was far from the case. Experts blame the legendary film directed by Tatyana Lioznova "Seventeen Moments of Spring", where almost all the uniforms of the SS were black. Apparently, the directors of the film needed this for artistic purposes.
Western researchers argue that the Nazi uniform has become a fetish and a central symbol in performances, cabarets, films, pornography, fashion and sexual perversion. Suffice it to name Liliana Cavani's sensational film "The Night Porter", where the uniform sets off the love story told. According to Australian University professor Jennifer Craik, "the form, conceived in order to dazzle a new nation and a 'pure race', has become in popular culture a symbol of impurity, perversion and cruelty."
First you need to clarify one simple fact for yourself - the SS organization had a three-member structure and consisted of the General SS (Allgemeine SS), parts of the SS "Dead Head" (SS-Totenkopfstandarten) and special paramilitary SS units located in the barracks (SS-Verfügungstruppe) . The last two, along with the "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" (Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler), formed the backbone of the future SS troops (Waffen-SS). This criminal organization, which existed until 1945, did not manage to completely reform itself and, of course, transform its uniform. But it would be an unforgivable delusion to consider this uniform unified and unchanged. In addition to this historical fact, we recall that military clothing consists, as a rule, of full dress, everyday, field, summer and winter uniforms.
Initially, the SS wore uniforms similar to those worn by their rival stormtroopers. The difference between the SS men and the members of the SA in uniform was insignificant. In 1930, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler abolished the old brown uniforms and black ties and introduced black uniforms. The new black uniforms (Schwarzer Dienstanzug der SS) were worn with breeches and knee-high boots, as well as officer marching belts. The next reform of the uniforms of the SS was caused by the demand of the government of the Weimar Republic in 1932 to dissolve the paramilitary organizations and forbid their members to wear military and paramilitary uniforms.
On July 7, 1932, black uniforms and caps were introduced for members of the SS, sewn according to the patterns of the artist and adviser to the Reichsführer SS on "artistic matters" Karl Diebitsch, who was assisted by SS Sturmhauptführer (captain) Walter Heck (Walter Heck), who developed emblem in the form of a double rune "zig". The choice was probably based on the black color of the uniform of the Prussian "death's head" (Totenkopfhusaren) hussars, which the latter wore from the 18th century until 1910. Initially, only SS officers wore such a uniform, but by the end of 1933, all ranks already had it.
In fact, they stopped wearing black uniforms after 1939 (with the outbreak of World War II), when a mass transition of members of the political party organization of the General SS (Allgemeine SS) to gray uniforms began, in addition, many SS men entered military service, including the SS troops (Waffen-SS), which since 1937 wore camouflage uniforms. The main difference between the SS uniform is buttonholes with standard runes and a woven emblem with an eagle, sewn not on the right side of the chest above the pocket, like the Wehrmacht soldiers, but on the left sleeve. In 1938, army-style shoulder straps appeared with piping of different colors, depending on the type of troops.
At the very beginning, we mentioned that copies of the black SS uniform could well have ended up in the dressing rooms of Soviet film studios, because in 1942 a large number of sets of black SS uniforms were transferred to auxiliary police units in the occupied territories of the USSR, with the replacement of SS symbols and insignia. The rest of the kits ended up in the West, where they were handed over to members of local SS formations in the occupied countries. As for the women's units of the SS, they had a uniform consisting of a black cap with an SS eagle, a gray jacket and a gray skirt, as well as stockings and shoes.
The most observant TV viewers have long noticed that Shtrilits appeared on the screen in an elegant gray uniform without a defiant swastika on his sleeve. In it, a Soviet intelligence officer goes to see Himmler. And he did the right thing, otherwise the Standartenführer could not escape the dressing down from the Reichsführer and this would be a "puncture" of our agent. Types in black uniforms disappeared not only from the streets of German cities, but even from the building of the RSHA. People spoke caustically about them, calling them "black SS", in contrast to the brave "white SS", which they were proud of. Because they shed blood. The second question is why?
Sets of light gray uniforms began to arrive in the reinforcement of the SS as early as 1935, but three years later its design was thoroughly redone. Having retained (except for the color) the cut of the black uniform, the light gray instead of the red with black edging of the armband with a white circle with a swastika inscribed in it acquired an SS eagle on the left sleeve above the elbow.
This change in uniform was supposed to give the members of the SS a more militarized look. The military catastrophe on the eastern front caused a new wave of mobilization and among the burghers, especially the disabled and wounded, the SS men who were holed up in the rear did not cause respect. The gray uniform deceptively showed that these guys also sniffed gunpowder.
German staff officers in the field near the aircraft Fi 156 "Storch" (Fieseler Fi 156 Storch)
Hungarian soldiers are interrogating a Soviet prisoner of war. The man in the cap and black jacket is supposedly a policeman. On the left is a Wehrmacht officer
A column of German infantry moves along the streets of Rotterdam during the invasion of Holland
Luftwaffe soldiers from the air defense unit work with a stereoscopic rangefinder Kommandogerät 36 (Kdo. Gr. 36). The rangefinder was used to control the fire of anti-aircraft batteries equipped with Flak 18 series guns.
German soldiers and civilians at the May 1 celebration in occupied Smolensk.
German soldiers and civilians at the celebration of May 1 in occupied Smolensk
German assault gun StuG III Ausf. G, belonging to the 210th assault gun brigade (StuG-Brig. 210) moves past the positions of the 1st Marine Infantry Division (1. Marine-Infanterie-Division) in the Ceden area (currently the Polish town of Cedynia - Cedynia).
German tankers repairing the engine of the Pz.Kpfw. IV with a short-barreled 75 mm gun.
German tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H training tank division (Panzer-Lehr-Division), shot down in Normandy. In front of the tank lies a unitary high-explosive fragmentation shot Sprgr.34 (weight 8.71 kg, explosive - ammotol) to the 75-mm gun KwK.40 L / 48. The second shell lies on the body of the vehicle, in front of the turret.
A column of German infantry on the march on the Eastern Front. In the foreground, a soldier carries a 7.92 MG-34 machine gun on his shoulder.
Luftwaffe officers in front of a car in Nikolsky Lane in occupied Smolensk.
Employees of the organization Todt dismantle reinforced concrete French defenses in the Paris region. France 1940
A girl from the village of the Belgorod region sits with a balalaika on the trunk of a fallen tree
German soldiers rest near an army truck "Einheitsdiesel" (Einheits-Diesel).
Adolf Hitler with German generals inspects the fortifications of the Western Wall (also called the "Siegfried Line"). With a map in hand, the commander of the border troops of the Upper Rhine, Infantry General Alfred Wäger (Alfred Wäger, 1883-1956), third from the right is the chief of staff of the Wehrmacht High Command, Colonel-General Wilhelm Keitel (Wilhelm Keitel, 1882-1946). Second from the right is Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945). A cameraman is standing on the parapet in a raincoat.
Church of the Transfiguration in occupied Vyazma.
Pilots of the 53rd Luftwaffe Fighter Squadron (JG53) at an airfield in France. In the background are Messerschmitt Bf.109E fighters.
Artillery officers of the Wehrmacht African Corps, photographed by the corps commander, Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel (Erwin Eugen Johannes Rommel).
Calculation of the Swedish-made 40-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun "Bofors" on the cover of the Finnish airfield Suulajärvi.
Vehicles of the Hungarian army on Vorovskogo Street in occupied Belgorod. On the right is the Polish-Lithuanian church.
The commander of the 6th German Army, Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau (Walter von Reichenau, 10/8/1884-17/01/1942) stands near his staff car. Behind him stands the commander of the 297th Infantry Division, General of Artillery Max Pfeffer (Max Pfeffer, 06/12/1883-12/31/1955). There is a version according to which, according to the words of the Wehrmacht General Staff officer Paul Jordan (Paul Jordan), when in the first months of the war, during the offensive, the 6th Army collided with T-34 tanks, after a personal inspection of one of the tanks, von Reichenau told his officers : "If the Russians continue to produce these tanks, we will not win the war."
Finnish soldiers break camp in the forest before leaving their group. Petsamo Region
A salvo of 406-mm bow guns of the main caliber of the American battleship Missouri (Missouri (BB-63) during firing practice in the Atlantic..
Pilot of the 9th Squadron of the 54th Fighter Squadron (9.JG54) Wilhelm Schilling in the cockpit of a Messerschmitt Bf.109G-2 fighter at the Krasnogvardeysk airfield.
Adolf Hitler with guests at the table in his house in Obersalzberg. Pictured from left to right: Professor Morrel (Morrel), wife of Gauleiter Forster (Forster) and Hitler.
A group portrait of policemen against the backdrop of a temple in an occupied Soviet village.
A Hungarian soldier at the captured Soviet heavy artillery tractor "Voroshilovets".
Dismantled Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 in the occupied Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh region
Loading ammunition into the German assault gun StuG III. In the background is an ammunition carrier Sd.Kfz. 252 (leichte Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen).
Soviet prisoners of war are repairing the cobblestone pavement of the street before the parade of Finnish troops in the center of captured Vyborg.
Two German soldiers at a single 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun mounted on a Lafette 34 machine gun in a position in the Mediterranean
Gun crews with their 88-mm FlaK 36 anti-aircraft guns on the German artillery support ferry "Siebel" during the voyage to Lahdenpohja (Lahdenpohja).
German soldier digging a trench in the Belgorod region
Destroyed and burned German tank Pz.Kpfw. V "Panther" in the Italian village south of Rome
The commander of the 6th motorized infantry brigade (Schützen-Brigade 6), Major General Erhard Raus (Erhard Raus, 1889 - 1956) with officers of his headquarters.
Lieutenant and Oberleutnant of the Wehrmacht confer in the steppe on the southern sector of the Eastern Front.
German soldiers wash off winter camouflage from a Sd.Kfz half-track armored personnel carrier. 251/1 Ausf.C "Hanomag" (Hanomag) at the hut in Ukraine.
Luftwaffe officers walk past cars in Nikolsky Lane in occupied Smolensk. The Assumption Cathedral rises in the background.
A German motorcyclist poses with the Bulgarian children of the occupied village.
An MG-34 machine gun and a Mauser rifle at German positions near an occupied Soviet village in the Belgorod region (Kursk region at the time of this photo).
A German tank Pz.Kpfw, shot down in the valley of the Volturno River. V "Panther" with tail number "202"
Graves of German soldiers in Ukraine.
German cars at the Trinity Cathedral (Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity) in occupied Vyazma.
A column of captured Red Army soldiers in a destroyed village near Belgorod.
A German field kitchen is visible in the background. Next, the StuG III self-propelled guns and the Horch 901 car.
Colonel General Heinz Guderian (1888 - 1954) and SS Hauptsturmührer Michael Wittmann
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel at the Feltre airfield.
German road signs at the intersection of K. Marx and Medvedovsky (now Lenin) streets in the occupied Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh region
Wehrmacht soldier near road signs in occupied Smolensk. Behind the ruined building, the domes of the Assumption Cathedral are visible.
The inscriptions on the plate on the right side of the picture: Bridge (to the right) and Dorogobuzh (to the left).
A German sentry and a soldier (probably the driver) at the Mercedes-Benz 770 headquarters car near the Market Square in occupied Smolensk.
In the background is a view of Cathedral Hill with the Assumption Cathedral.
Wounded on the Eastern Front, a Hungarian soldier is resting after bandaging.
Soviet partisan executed by the Hungarian invaders in Stary Oskol. During the war, Stary Oskol was part of the Kursk region, at present it is part of the Belgorod region.
A group of Soviet prisoners of war sit on logs during a break during forced labor on the Eastern Front
Portrait of a Soviet prisoner of war in a shabby overcoat
Soviet captured soldiers at the assembly point on the Eastern Front.
Soviet soldiers with raised hands surrender in a wheat field.
German soldiers in Koenigsberg next to the MG 151/20 aircraft gun in the infantry version
The bombed-out historic center of the German city of Nuremberg
A Finnish soldier armed with a Suomi submachine gun in the battle for the village of Povenets.
Mountain rangers of the Wehrmacht against the backdrop of a hunting house.
Luftwaffe sergeant near the airfield. Presumably an anti-aircraft gunner.
Jet fighter Messerschmitt Me-262A-1a from the 3rd group of the 2nd combat training squadron of the Luftwaffe (III / EJG 2).
Finnish soldiers and German rangers are sailing in boats along the Lutto River (Lotta, Lutto-joki) in the Petsamo region (currently Pechenga, since 1944 part of the Murmansk region).
German soldiers are tuning the Torn.Fu.d2 radio station, a backpack VHF infantry radio station manufactured by Telefunken.
The crash site of the Re. 2000 Heja pilot István Horthy (István Horthy, 1904-1942, eldest son of Hungarian regent Miklós Horthy) from the 1/1 fighter squadron of the Hungarian Air Force. After takeoff, the plane lost control and crashed near the airfield near the village of Alekseevka, Kursk Region (now the Belgorod Region). The pilot is dead.
Citizens at the Annunciation Market in German-occupied Kharkov. In the foreground are artisan shoemakers repairing shoes.
Finnish troops at the parade at the monument to Swedish Marshal Thorgils Knutsson in captured Vyborg
Three marines of the 1st Kriegsmarine Division (1. marine-infanterie-division) in a trench on the bridgehead in the Zeden area (currently the Polish town of Cedynia - Cedynia).
German pilots look at peasant oxen at one of the airfields in Bulgaria. A Junkers Ju-87 dive bomber is visible behind. On the right is a Bulgarian officer of the ground forces.
Technique of the 6th German Panzer Division in East Prussia before the invasion of the USSR. In the center of the picture is the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D tank. An Adler 3 Gd car is visible in the background. In the foreground, parallel to the tank, is a Horch 901 Typ 40 vehicle.
Wehrmacht officer whistle gives the command to attack.
German officer on the street of occupied Poltava
German soldiers during street fighting. Medium tank Pzkpfw (Panzer Kampfwagen) III on the right
initially armed with 37s, and then with a 50-mm 1/42 cannon. However, their shots were
unable to penetrate the inclined armor protection of the Soviet T-34, as a result of which
the designers re-equipped the machine with a 50-mm KwK 39 L / 60 gun
(60 calibers versus 42) with a longer barrel, which made it possible to increase
the initial velocity of the projectile.
German staff car with a French flag on the hood, abandoned on the coast of France.
The photographs were taken on May 8, 1945 during the retreat of the 6th Wehrmacht Infantry Division in the Neustadt area near Tafelfichte in the Ore Mountains (Bohemia, modern Nové Město pod Smrkem, Czechoslovakia) and the Giant Mountains (Riesengebirge, Silesia, Czechoslovakia). The photos were taken by a German soldier who still had Agfa color film in his camera.
Retreating soldiers at rest. The emblem of the 6th Infantry Division is visible on the cart.
Adolf Hitler and German officers walking their dogs at Rastenburg headquarters. Winter 1942-1943.
German dive bombers Junkers Yu-87 (Ju.87B-1) in flight over the English Channel.
Soviet captured soldiers butcher a horse for meat in a village in the Kursk region.
Adolf Hitler takes the parade of German troops in Warsaw in honor of the victory over Poland. On the podium are Hitler, Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch, Lieutenant General Friedrich von Kohenhausen, Colonel General Gerd von Rundstedt, Colonel General Wilhelm Keitel, General Johannes Blaskowitz and General Albert Kesselring and others.
German Horch-830R Kfz.16/1 vehicles are passing in the foreground.
German soldiers at the wrecked Soviet T-34 tank in the village of Verkhne-Kumsky
Oberfeldwebel of the Luftwaffe gives a coin to a gypsy girl on the island of Crete.
A German soldier inspects a Polish PZL.23 Karas bomber at the Okentse airfield
Destroyed bridge across the river Seim in Lgov, Kursk region. In the background is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Parts of the Koll tank brigade (Panzer Brigade Koll) enter the Soviet village near Vyazma. The column consists of Pz.35(t) tanks.
German soldiers parse letters - they are looking for items addressed to them.
German soldiers at their dugout listening to their comrade play the accordion during a lull during the fighting in the Belgorod region
German dive bombers Junkers Ju-87 (Ju.87D) from the 7th Squadron of the 1st Dive Bomber Squadron (7.StG1) before taking off on the Eastern Front.
A column of German vehicles of the Koll tank brigade (Panzer Brigade Koll) moves along the road near Vyazma. In the foreground is the command tank Pz.BefWg.III of the brigade commander, Colonel Richard Koll. Phänomen Granit 25H ambulances are visible behind the tank. On the side of the road, towards the column is a group of Soviet prisoners of war.
A mechanized column of the 7th German Panzer Division (7. Panzer-Division) drives past a Soviet truck burning on the side of the road. In the foreground is the Pz.38(t) tank. Three Soviet prisoners of war are walking towards the column. Vyazma region.
German artillerymen are firing from the 210-mm Mrs.18 heavy field howitzer (21 cm Mörser 18) at the positions of the Soviet troops.
Oil leak from the engine of a German fighter Messerschmitt Bf.110C-5 from the 7th Squadron of the 2nd Training Squadron (7.(F)/LG 2). The picture was taken at the Greek airfield after the return of 7. (F) / LG 2 from a sortie to cover the landing on Crete.
Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, commander of Army Group South, and Panzer General Hermann Breith, commander of the 3rd Panzer Corps, at a meeting near the map of military operations before Operation Citadel.
Destroyed Soviet tanks in a field near Stalingrad. Aerial photography from a German aircraft.
Polish prisoners of war captured during the Polish campaign of the Wehrmacht.
German soldiers at the assembly point, taken prisoner by the Allies during the Italian campaign.
German command tank Pz.BefWg.III from the Koll tank brigade (Panzer Brigade Koll) in a village near Vyazma. In the hatch of the tank turret is the brigade commander, Colonel Richard Koll.
If you do not take into account the dress uniform, then the most important component of military uniforms is its functionality. During combat operations, soldiers must be provided with uniforms and equipment for convenience and practicality. Since ancient times, by the uniform they recognize their own and others. The goal is pursued one - to be seen where to shoot and recognize their comrades and the enemy.
In ancient times, when the uniform of a warrior was pretentious and replete with decorations and decorations, there were curious cases. A historical fact is the case of a partisan of the Patriotic War of 1812, Denis Davydov. The peasants, who were poorly versed in uniforms, mistook his detachment for French marauders or food masters and fought back, which almost cost the life of the brave partisan and his subordinates. The whole thing was in the hussar uniform, which was similar to the hussar uniform of the French. After that, Denis Davydov was forced to change into a Cossack, which was the uniform of Russian Cossacks.
During World War II the personnel of the army of the warring parties were uniformed in accordance with the traditions and economic capabilities of a particular state. At the same time, it should be noted that uniforms and equipment changed depending on the time of year and the theaters of hostilities.
Workers' and Peasants' Red Army
On the equipment and uniforms Red Army soldiers were influenced by the Winter (Soviet-Finnish) War of 1939-1940. It was during the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus and north of Lake Ladoga that it turned out that the soldiers of the Red Army were not equipped for winter conditions. “The equipment of the troops, primarily riflemen, did not meet the conditions of the winter, and even as severe as the past one. There were few felt boots, there were not enough sheepskin coats, mittens; the old helmet turned out to be of little use for wearing in great cold and it needed to be replaced with a hat with earflaps.
The soldiers of the Red Army were equipped according to the time of year. In the summer, caps and helmets were used. The most common was a steel helmet. In the initial period of the war, the old SSH-40 helmet was still used, which had an overlay on its top. It was provided in order to protect the head from a saber strike. According to legend, Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny took part in its development. However, it was replaced by a lighter and more comfortable steel helmet. The war has shown That the enemy will not reach saber attacks.
The personnel of the rifle units were shod in cowhide boots or boots with canvas windings. During mass mobilization, cowhide boots were replaced with tarpaulin boots.
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0 - Soldiers of the Red Army during the fighting in Stalingrad
2 - Soldiers of the Red Army at the end of the war
In winter, hats with earflaps were introduced with falling earmuffs that protected the neck and ears from frost. The lightweight uniform also included cotton tunics with breast welt pockets, trousers, and a cloth overcoat with hooks. The overcoat was adjusted taking into account her socks on a quilted padded jacket.
for storage property a satchel or duffel bag was used. However, even during the Finnish campaign, it was noted that there were not enough satchels for supply, which was more convenient as an item of equipment. But its production (leather or tarpaulin was used) was expensive. Therefore, the soldiers of the rifle units were equipped with duffel bags.
Water was carried in an aluminum flask. To save aluminum, flasks of the same shape began to be made from bottle glass with a stoppered (rather than screw) cork. These flasks are also hanging in a bag from the belt. But neither convenience nor practicality, they did not possess. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, their production was almost curtailed.
Grenades and cartridges were worn on the belt - in special pouches. In addition, the outfit included a bag for a gas mask. The Red Army wore raincoats, which could be used to design individual and group tents. The tent set included an aluminum peg and a coil of hemp rope. In winter, the uniform was supplemented with a short fur coat, a padded jacket or padded jacket, fur mittens, felt boots and padded pants.
Thus, the uniform of the Red Army seemed to have been thought out to the smallest detail: in the duffel bag of the 1942 model there was even a compartment for an ax. It follows from the documents that the uniform of a Red Army soldier was of high quality and practical. Numerous pockets, bags for ammunition greatly facilitated the conduct of hostilities.
Army of Nazi Germany (Wehrmacht)
field uniform a Wehrmacht soldier included: a steel helmet with a double-sided cover, an overcoat, a gas mask case, a harness, rifle or automatic pouches, a cape, a bowler hat. A leather satchel was used to store property. German soldiers put on leather boots. Moreover, by the beginning of the German attack on the Soviet Union, the leather and footwear industry throughout Europe was working for the needs of the Third Reich. Wehrmacht uniforms were produced at the Hugo Boss factory and were complete for European territories. The calculation for a lightning war did not provide for the procurement of warm clothes (short coats, fur products, felted boots and hats). The eastern front, with its frosts, required a completely different approach. The first winter the soldiers froze.
First of all, warm clothes save you from frost. Troops provided with uniforms for the season are able to withstand any frost. Analyzing the memoirs of German servicemen relating to this period, you understand how unsatisfactorily the Wehrmacht army was provided, buried in the winter of 1941. “The lack of warm clothes became our main misfortune in the next few months and caused our soldiers a lot of suffering ...” - recalls the commander of the 2nd tank army (group), Colonel-General G. Guderian.
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1 - Wehrmacht soldiers in summer uniform 1941
2 - Wehrmacht soldiers in winter uniform after 1943.
By the second winter, things had changed. AT uniform insulated jackets, quilted pants were introduced, as well as woolen gloves, sweaters and socks. But this was not enough. To solve the problem of supplying troops with warm uniforms and footwear and to save their soldiers from frost, the troops began to make straw boots that are worn over ordinary boots. However, in the memoirs of German soldiers, which have now appeared on the bookshelves, one can find a comparative assessment of the uniforms of Soviet and German soldiers. This assessment was not in favor of the latter's uniform. Most of all, there are complaints about German soldier's overcoats, sewn from fabric that is not adapted to any frost due to the low wool content.
British Royal Armed Forces
The British soldiers did not have a single field uniform. It was different depending on the parts of the country that are part of the Commonwealth countries. The personnel of the dominion units had elements and distinctive features in uniforms, including field uniforms. Field uniform included: a collared blouse or woolen shirt, a steel helmet, loose trousers, a gas mask bag, a holster with a long belt, black boots and overcoats (jackets). By the beginning of hostilities in Europe, a uniform was adopted that differed from the previous one in separate elements. In connection with the mass call of recruits, the form was simplified and became more universal.
During the war, there were minor changes, in particular, a lining appeared at the collar and other elements of clothing that prevented the rough twill from rubbing against exposed skin. Buckles began to be produced with teeth. Instead of boots, British soldiers were provided with boots with short windings. British soldiers had to wear a heavy down-lined tropal cloak. Knitted balaclavas were worn under helmets in cold weather. In the conditions of the African desert, the uniform was lightweight and often consisted of shorts and shirts with short sleeves.
It should be noted that the uniforms of the British army were intended for the European theater of operations. When landing in Norway, soldiers of special units were provided with Arctic uniforms, but this was not widespread.
1 - Sgt. Territorial Guard of Wales. England, 1940
2 - Sgt. 1st Command, 1942
United States military
field uniform American soldiers for many years was considered the most convenient and thoughtful in the conditions of World War II. The uniform included a woolen shirt, a light field jacket, trousers with linen spats, low brown boots, a helmet or cap. Functionality was distinguished by all the clothes of US soldiers. The jacket was fastened with a zipper and buttons and was equipped with slit pockets on the sides. The best equipment allowed the Americans to become arctic kit, consisting of a warm parka jacket, lace-up boots with fur. The command of the US Armed Forces was convinced that the American soldier had the best equipment. This statement is controversial, however, it has its own reason.
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3 - Officer of the 10th Mountain Division
Japanese Imperial Army
During World War II, the Japanese had three types of uniform. Each of them included a uniform, trousers, an overcoat and a cape. For warm weather, a cotton version is provided, for cold weather - woolen. The outfit also included a helmet, boots or boots. Warm uniforms were provided by servicemen operating in the north of China, Manchuria and Korea.
For a more severe climate, such uniforms were not suitable, because the uniform included overcoats with fur cuffs, woolen quilted trousers, and underpants. It was suitable only for certain latitudes with a tropical climate.
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2 - Japanese army infantryman in tropical uniform.
Italian army
Outfit Italian soldiers were more suited to the southern European climate. For operations in severe weather conditions of 1941-943, the uniform of the Italian military was completely unsuitable. During the Second World War, soldiers of the Italian Armed Forces wore a shirt and tie, a single-breasted tunic with a waist belt, breeches with windings or wool knee-high socks, ankle boots. Some soldiers were more comfortable using breeches.
A uniform not suitable for winter campaigns. The overcoat was sewn from cheap coarse cloth, which did not warm at all in the cold. The army was not equipped with winter clothing. Insulated options were available only to representatives of the mountain troops. The Italian newspaper "Provincia Como" in 1943 noted that only a tenth of the soldiers during their stay in Russia were provided with a suitable uniform for this.
Italian command statistics report that 3,600 soldiers suffered from hypothermia during the first winter alone.
1 - Private Army Group "Albania"
Army of France
French soldiers fought in colored uniform. They were outfitted in single-breasted button-down tunics, double-breasted overcoats with side pocket flaps. The floors of the overcoat could be buttoned back to make it easier to walk. The clothes had belt loops. Foot troops wore breeches with windings. There were three types of hats. The most popular was the kepi. Adrian's helmets were also actively worn. Their distinguishing feature is the presence of an emblem on the front.
In very cold weather, the French uniform expanded its range to a sheepskin coat. Such clothes can hardly be called optimal for different weather conditions.
1 - Private of the Free French Army
2 - Private Moroccan troops "Free France"
Determine which dress was exemplary difficult. Each army was provided depending on the economic opportunities and the planned regions of the troops' operations. However, there were often miscalculations when the calculation was based on a lightning war, and the troops had to operate in severe cold conditions.
