NKVD branch colours

[kliment]

Hello,
The little Belgian continues to try to understand. I have a few questions about the branch colours of the NKVD/GUGB at the beginning of the war. I have post a picture for each:
Pic.1: General-lieutenant I.I. Maslennikov (NKVD) in parade dress. Are the collar tabs blue?
Pic.2: The site civil-uniform.narod.ru gives this as the collar tab for a commissar of state security 1st rank from 1937-1943. No change with the 1940 reforms (as for the political commissars)?
Pic.3: Webster & Nelson identify that as the general’s cap of NKVD military security, and a officer’s cap with the same branch colour as a military intelligence officer. Is it GRU, NKGB 2nd directorate, cavalry?

[Lapa]

Kliment,

I believe that answer to question 1 and 2 should be the same: color is brick as far as I know.

Marc

[DougD]

The M1940 uniform in Webster/Nelson was incorrectly noted as Military Intel. and is just an NKVD general. That exact tunic is for sale by a large dealer right now (not me).

[DougD]

I'll have to disagree with you on this point. NKVD historian Shawn Caza also had one in his NKVD uniform collection for quite a few years that came from very good source. It is not the one in the Webster / Nelson book, but like the one in the W/N book it had the four pockets and royal blue cuff and collar rank; it may not have been in the regulations but i do not think it was a repro. As for the cap in W/N I have not seen another like it not have I held it, so I will not comment on it.

[vvadim]

I don’t know what Shawn Caza have for quite a few years, but Webster/Nelson was made in 1994, that I believe it’s quite a few years too, but it’s doesn’t make it real.
Visor hat it’s either made from scratch or converted from something like this.
This is photograph of Head of GRU general-lieutenant Golikov. Color tabs, piping, visor hat is in RED.

[DougD]

I am not sure what your point is with the 'red' ; as stated, only the Webster / Nelson book (1998) called the tunic 'GRU', which was already noted as an error (even the seller now does not fully call it GRU, but lists it as NKVD first, but notes what the book states).

Having a uniform in a book does not make it real (look at the M1945 Marshal in the W/N book), but not having an original photo of it or having it in regulations does not make it fake. I'd rather see non-multiple examples as well as construction errors (as there are in the 'M1945 marshal' in that book) before deciding it was fake.

I simply do not think these 2 M1940, four pocket generals tunics that I have seen are fake. I guess we will have to disagree on this.

[vvadim]

Originally Posted by kliment

Pic.1: General-lieutenant I.I. Maslennikov (NKVD) in parade dress. Are the collar tabs blue?

Generals of NKVD troops have exactly the same colors as they army counterparts. General Maslenikov had red collar’s tabs, piping etc.

Originally Posted by kliment

Pic.2: The site civil-uniform.narod.ru gives this as the collar tab for a commissar of state security 1st rank from 1937-1943. No change with the 1940 reforms (as for the political commissars)?

Yes no changes until 1943.

Originally Posted by kliment

Pic.3: Webster & Nelson identify that as the general’s cap of NKVD military security, and a officer’s cap with the same branch colour as a military intelligence officer. Is it GRU, NKGB 2nd directorate, cavalry?

I believe it's entirely made from scratch, but definitely has nothing to do with GRU, NKGB or Cavalry.

Originally Posted by DougD

The M1940 uniform in Webster/Nelson was incorrectly noted as Military Intel. and is just an NKVD general. That exact tunic is for sale by a large dealer right now (not me).

That’s entirely fantasy tunic, no such branch colors ever existed.