03-20-2009, 12:09 AM
Yuri Wrote:Would it only be worn in Afghanistan? Or is it the everyday/field EM summer uniform also worn in the Soviet Union in summertime? Or would the everyday uniform worn in the Soviet union have a different color (not such a desert color)?
Could it be worn with a helmet when wearing the version with colored shoulder boards and collar tabs? (because you say most would wear collored insignia all the time since they only have one uniform for everyday and field)
Both pilotka and afghanka hat could be worn with this uniform with colored boards?
On the back of the buttons is the number 87 (year?)
Is there anyone here who has some period pictures of the uniform in use (searching Google images hasn’t been very successful)
Many thanks for the help so far.
As for the year and helmet - Esteban already answered that.
Both pilotka and the hat (it's ussually reffered to as "afganka", but this causes some confusion, as this name is also used for the uniform introducedin 1981 which had a different cap, so I prefer this cap to be called as in regulations - "panama") were allowed - "panama" for warm climates (iclouding Afghanistan), with upper button open and pilotka for the rest of climates in summer. - just as on pics Tretov posted.
However, the sumer one was supposed to be worn with different trousers and footwear. Altough the existence of that trousers has been confirmed (seen one pair personnaly), that shoes were never seen even by the soldiers who were supposed to get them. On afghan war era photos You will see soldiers wearing just the standard breeches and high boots. As I said, average soldier ussually got only one unform, so even in warm climates he would wear colour boards.
This uniform was used since 1969, so it was used before Aghan war and during it. The coulour would ussually indicate that this one was meant to be used in places with dry vegetation, but the Soviet army have alvays had problems with that (e.g. on some pictures You can see soldiers in Afghan barren mountains wearing KZS overalls for lush vegetation areas (grass green with yellow patches), and even now in the Russian Army You may see the soldiers from the same unit wearing three different colour variants of Flora camo.)
