10-19-2008, 01:09 PM
Jim, to which piece are you referring - the grey/black background airborne insignia?
If so, the acknowledged official VDV (airborne forces) patch is light blue felt-like cloth (goluboi) with yellow "plastic-light" highlights. It was worn on parade, garrison, and field uniforms and more frequently, removed from wear in combat. So, there are no camo, subdued, "combat-versions" of the patch (which I assume this is trying to be).
In 20 years of collecting (and hanging around ex-Soviet airborne and special forces personnel of various organizations and ministries) I've only seen light blue patches (and fakes of these too, especially embroidered ones from Pakistan, I believe). Now within only the last few years other colors (dark blue supposedly for KGB, green for Border Troops, and now this black/charcoal one, etc) have crept up on eBay. Again, I've been visiting collectors clubs across the former Soviet Union for 20 years and never seen such patches different from the light blue ones. There are dembel-modified ones, but these are easy to pick out and to an individual, demobilizing soldier's taste.
The Soviet Union did not value individuality or sticking out from the crowd. Thus, you don't see the plethora of unit patches in other, especially Western armies. Even their spetsnaz forces didn't wear identifying insignia apart from regular airborne. Also, smaller-sized non-VDV organizations (like KGB or Border Guards) would hardly warrant a production run of their own patches. Soviet airborne-qualified naval infantry did NOT have their own patch, for example, only wore the standard VDV badge.
Finally, show me a reference, regulation, photo, or any evidence of these patches being worn/accepted as official.
If I present an airborne patch with Bozo the Clown on it, the burden of proof to prove its veracity is on me, not a 20-year old, established collecting community.
If so, the acknowledged official VDV (airborne forces) patch is light blue felt-like cloth (goluboi) with yellow "plastic-light" highlights. It was worn on parade, garrison, and field uniforms and more frequently, removed from wear in combat. So, there are no camo, subdued, "combat-versions" of the patch (which I assume this is trying to be).
In 20 years of collecting (and hanging around ex-Soviet airborne and special forces personnel of various organizations and ministries) I've only seen light blue patches (and fakes of these too, especially embroidered ones from Pakistan, I believe). Now within only the last few years other colors (dark blue supposedly for KGB, green for Border Troops, and now this black/charcoal one, etc) have crept up on eBay. Again, I've been visiting collectors clubs across the former Soviet Union for 20 years and never seen such patches different from the light blue ones. There are dembel-modified ones, but these are easy to pick out and to an individual, demobilizing soldier's taste.
The Soviet Union did not value individuality or sticking out from the crowd. Thus, you don't see the plethora of unit patches in other, especially Western armies. Even their spetsnaz forces didn't wear identifying insignia apart from regular airborne. Also, smaller-sized non-VDV organizations (like KGB or Border Guards) would hardly warrant a production run of their own patches. Soviet airborne-qualified naval infantry did NOT have their own patch, for example, only wore the standard VDV badge.
Finally, show me a reference, regulation, photo, or any evidence of these patches being worn/accepted as official.
If I present an airborne patch with Bozo the Clown on it, the burden of proof to prove its veracity is on me, not a 20-year old, established collecting community.
