Interesting "french" jacket - soviet military?

[Al-muell]

One of my friends aquired this jacket togeather with soviet ww2 camo smocks. Actually, since he gave a good price for that smocks (4 of them!), he got this jacket for free.
The jacket is in french style (polish army used the very similar during polo-soviet war thanks to french help btw). It doesn't seem to be any kind of regulation stuff, but....
1.It looks similar to the one shown on one of the first pages in Shalito & co's book (altough this one has hidden buttons).
2.It has some stamp - not very clear, but seem so had been in russian. (see picture, it also shows what the original colour probably was)
3.It seems to have had some badges in the past - tere is a clear screw hole on a left breast pocket and a trace of something removed on the left collar.
Is there any way to determine wether this was ever used by soviet military?
Thanks in advance!

[Jeffrey Meffert]

I'm not the uber-expert but those lower pockets don't look like any soviet ones I've ever seen. Even the m24 pockets aren't that roomy.

[DougD]

I hope Dave chimes in on this one, but in my opinion its not soviet. Its not regulation soviet (i.e. after 1922) but COULD have beeen used by red (or white) forces during the Russian Civil war era when uniforms were what you made of what you could find. Its impossible to prove either way for the 1917-1922 period.

DougD

[Al-muell]

That's what I was afraid of. It's definately non regulation stuff. My guess was that it could have been of fully french origin. I have read that during the WW1 Russia received this style jackets (although probably not the same) from France. It seemed likely, since early polish jackets (also of french origin) were almmost the same (same high collar, same pockets, only with visible buttons.

OK, anyway thanks for help.

[Jeffrey Meffert]

My understanding is that the "French" style is not that they were inspired by uniforms from France but rather the uniform designs of General French who, ironically, was British.

[Nack]

Doesn't the "French" jacket look like a suit jacket? I think we are actually talking about a jacket from France here. Didn't the Czar sent Russian troops to France as payment for equipment sent to Russia during the WWI era (and didn't those troops mutiny)?