papakha winter cap

[charlet]

?!??? your papakha has the cocardes of the diplomatic corp...an ambassador papakha? I'm doubting...what's its origin?

[Bill Dienna]

This papakha came out of an old collection in Great Brtain, which included a few World War II period diplomatic items (such as a black dress tunic and the service visor cap in gray) that I aquired for my own collection. The diplomatic service did in fact wear papakhas during the time period represented by the 11 Republic crest on this cap. There was an article in the Russian military uniform magazine from several years ago that described the Soviet diplomatic uniforms up until the 1947 time period, and papakhas were indeed part of the winter uniform. I have the magazine, and I will attempt to scan one of the illustrations and post it.

[otlichnik]

Bil,

I have that article too somewhere but can't find it right now. The hat badges are obviously correct for the diplomatic service. I am just curious about the hat. It appears to be the same as the grey colonel's hat. I would have thought that they would have a black topped one to match the uniform colour.

Shawn

[Bill Dienna]

Shawn...
You're right, black top would seem logical, although the Diplomatic service also had a gray service uniform as well.
It seems to me that the insignia has been on there forever, but there is still a great deal to be learned about the uniforms of the Diplomatic service...and I'm working on it!

The magazine article to which I referred has color drawings of various diplomatic uniforms until the 1947 time period. These include the winter dress uniforms for both the black and gray diplomatic uniforms. With the black uniform the senior officer wears a black overcoat with what appears to be a black papakha. With the gray winter uniform the officer, who appears to be a junior diplomatic official, wears a gray ushanka with a gray overcoat. I would expect that a senior officer with the equivalent diplomatic rank of colonel or above would have worn a gray papakha when wearing the gray winter uniform.

[otlichnik]

Bill,

Thanks for clearing that up. It obviously matches the grey hat you have. I know that grey uniform is very rare, but I can see why they abandonded it for the black. Speaking of just plain looks (- not of value, rarity and collectability -) the grey hat is not really that attractive. "Hey, bell boy." The black makes a much slicker uniform.

Shawn

[Nack]

In this thread, one forum member says that only colonels and higher were allowed to wear this type of hat. In another thread ("Fur Cap Question"), another member says that the papakha was worn by lesser officers. Is the hat in the "Fur Cap Question" not a papakha, whereas the hat in this thread is? Or is there controversy on the subject in general?

[vikingraider1]

The papakha was only worn by military colonels and above. Lesser officers wore a quality real fur Ushanka as opposed to the fake (or fish fur as it was known).

[ibaya]

I believe these were/are used by honor guards. The cockade is a 2-piece 1964 officer variety, which seemed to be in general use, not just the air force (I have a Kirov Artillery Engineering Academy yearbook, dated 1965, and most of the officers were wearing this).

Reference "Cockades", A.N. Kutsenko, p. 8, #31

[ibaya]

featuring an honor detail outfitted in these hats (but with the normal conscript badges)

[j h beers]

I do not know "historically" what colonels in the USSR wore a grey topped papaka cap like the one in your photo, but for the past fifteen or twenty years I believe that only police colonels (the Militia?) wore them...

Jim