Does anybody know what sorts of insignia - if any - that the Soviets wore on their "Afghanka" BDUs? I'm talking about the 4-pocket tunics with additional pockets on each of the sleeves.
There doesn't seem to be any room to put collar insignia or unit patches (or any other kinds of sewn-on items) anywhere.
I finally have a set and I don't know what else is supposed to be on it.
Anybody have photos of soldiers from this war in their field clothes? The only pictures I've seen have the soldiers wearing the KLKM (sp) overalls on top so I can't see anything under them.
Perhaps that the way they wanted it, but what about rank insignia? Anything?
If I remember correctly, only rank insignia were allowed (dark red stripes for NCO's, small subdued stars for WO and junior officers, big subdued stars for senior officers and for generals the 6-sided field shoulderboards were attached to the uniform's shoulderboards), however, from photographs it seems that it was very commonto wear branch emblems on the collar (with no tabs, just at the bottom of the collar's "V", just like they wear them on modern Rusian field uniforms), and soldiers sometimes wore branch sleeve patch on their left sleeve pocket. I have even seen photographs of servicemen wearing ribbon bars or even the actual awards on their afganka jackets!
I have only one uniform of this type that has the original insignia: it's border guard camouflaged clothing for BG (or interior troops? They used that clothes as well) WO and it only has infantry collar emblems and 2 small stars put in a line on each of the shoulderboards.
I've seen one in a militaria shop in Toronto which had VDV patches on each arm pocket with shoulder boards and collar tabs along with a small ribbon bar and belt, it was pretty impressive looking but I didn't have 500 bucks just laying around. :)
That and I'm not sure if that was a dembel uniform or what?
As for now, you may check out examples on this photos - there's even a general wearing VDV emblems on collar of his afganka: English Russia » ‘Russian’ Afghanistan
Al-muell Wrote:As for now, you may check out examples on this photos - there's even a general wearing VDV emblems on collar of his afganka: English Russia � ‘Russian’ Afghanistan
OKP Wrote:The general is Pavel Gratchev better known as "Pachka Mercedes":chuckle:chuckle:chuckle
Didn't know - Grachov was quite a known person here in the early 90's as a Minister of Defence of the RF who oposed the withdraw of the soviet forces from Poland, but honestly, I didn't even know he was in Afghanistan.
Glad to learn something new! Thanks:thumbsup
