New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Animal Fri 17 Dec 2010, 2:15 am

Russia's chic uniform 'sends soldiers to hospital'
AFP

Soldiers of the Russian Army parade in Mexico City in September. Russia's sharp new military uniforms, …

– Wed Dec 15, 9:11 am ET

MOSCOW (AFP) – Russia's sharp new military uniforms, created by a top fashion designer, have landed hundreds in the hospital after proving too thin to withstand ferocious winter cold, a state daily said Wednesday.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that between 60 and 250 servicemen have been laid up with everything from flu to pneumonia as Arctic chills sweep through the country's northern reaches.

[Rewind: Army finally unveils female-cut combat uniform]

"They literally felt naked outside," the paper quoted the mother of one solider as saying. "Many of them ended up in hospital. Ours developed pneumonia," she said of her son.

The government daily said defence officials have admitted not receiving complaints about the uniforms in time to do anything ahead of the winter season.

"It seems that all this happened because of slovenliness on our part," Joint Staff General Nikolai Makarov told the daily.

AP Photo
Introduced in 2008, the parade uniforms designed by fashion celebrity Valentin Yudashkin are threaded with gold and more shapely and chic, in a throwback to the uniforms of the imperial Tsarist army.

The field versions, meanwhile, are lighter and come with thinner but more mobile boots.

Russia designed its first post-Soviet uniform in the 1990s, but it was unpopular with officers who complained that it made them look like they were serving in a Third World army.

Animal Fri 17 Dec 2010, 4:02 am

What would a fashion designer know about standing out in the cold for hours on end waiting for an event to happen? The designer would have to test the weather himself in order to create a uniform suitable for the cold. I'll bet he never put it on himself and stood out in the cold for several hours. Test the gear before you give to someone else, dear.

buistR Fri 17 Dec 2010, 6:27 am

They are very Tsarist though (the parade uniforms illustrated - not the too thin field ones). The red plastrons and the "Tsar's Green" base colour closely match the immediately pre-1914 full dress of the infantry regiments of the Imperial Guard. Appearing at a time when the U.S. Army is adopting a new universal service dress in the historic pattern of dark blue tunics and light blue trousers makes one wonder if the world of military fashion is coming around in a circle. Red coats for the British and Prussian blue for the Germans next?

Thanks for publishing these Animal.

ChrisF202 Fri 17 Dec 2010, 11:57 am

buistR wrote:They are very Tsarist though (the parade uniforms illustrated - not the too thin field ones). The red plastrons and the "Tsar's Green" base colour closely match the immediately pre-1914 full dress of the infantry regiments of the Imperial Guard. Appearing at a time when the U.S. Army is adopting a new universal service dress in the historic pattern of dark blue tunics and light blue trousers makes one wonder if the world of military fashion is coming around in a circle. Red coats for the British and Prussian blue for the Germans next?

Thanks for publishing these Animal.

The British Army has debated replacing the universal blue No 1 dress for the regiments that historically wore red dress uniforms with a red No 1 dress uniform on several occasions but I believe it was rejected for cost reasons. Many individual regiments do occasionally turn out small detachments, and regimental bands in red dress uniforms but I believe those are paid for via donations, and out of pocket by individual soldiers. AFAIK, only the Foot Guard regiments and the Life Guards are issued a red dress uniform to all ranks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_coat_%28British_army%29#Modern_use_in_Commonwealth_armies

Animal Fri 17 Dec 2010, 5:49 pm

buistR wrote:They are very Tsarist though (the parade uniforms illustrated - not the too thin field ones). The red plastrons and the "Tsar's Green" base colour closely match the immediately pre-1914 full dress of the infantry regiments of the Imperial Guard. Appearing at a time when the U.S. Army is adopting a new universal service dress in the historic pattern of dark blue tunics and light blue trousers makes one wonder if the world of military fashion is coming around in a circle. Red coats for the British and Prussian blue for the Germans next?

Thanks for publishing these Animal.

I think political considerations would prevent Germany from going back to Prussian blue(or pale blue for Bavarian units).

wfrad Mon 20 Dec 2010, 8:44 am

I don’t know about the politics of it but I would say field green and black uniforms are more prone to be controversial for German uniforms, yet similar shades are still worn by various organisations in Germany today.

Many regiments in the British army used stock piles of old dress uniforms, replacing worn out items from regimental funds but due to amalgamations dress uniforms were a problem, there have been numerous regiments amalgamated and it must be near impossible to use former stock piles and remain true to regimental dress history.
When you had just one or two regiments of infantry amalgamated who’s dress uniform was similar then would only have required new buttons and badges, the old sock could be used with ease, not really the case today.
With regiments having differences in colour and even cut of their uniforms, Scottish regiments would be a good example.
Since for most regiments dress uniforms have been discontinued [but still allowed] for over a hundred years now and some of the newer regiments like the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment have had quite a few amalgamations, I don’t think any new regiment can incorporate all of the features of their regimental history.
The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment would have around seventeen regiments to consider just from the 1881 reforms.
Anyone who has ever worn one of those Victorian items of dress will remember the scratching, itching and sweating in summer.
Smart to look at but a pain to clean and wear.
Regards
WF

buistR Mon 03 Jan 2011, 7:39 pm

Aah but good for attracting the opposite sex WF and that was always important to the young soldier. The sweaty aspect probably wasn't too important in Victorian times when everybody was a bit more odiferous than would be acceptable now.

I take your point about the impracticality of modern amalgamated regiments being able to draw on old stocks of dress uniforms from their multiple predecessors (and I didn't seriously mean to suggest that there was any likelihood of red coats reappearing in significant numbers outside the Guards and military bands). However the Queen's Royal Lancers have tackled the issue in an imaginative way - they have a Lancer Honour Guard which parades with individual troopers wearing the 1914 full dress of the 5th, 16th, 17th and 21st Lancers. The colours (dark blue, scarlet, white and French Grey) are all different but since the basic uniform pattern is almost identical it apparently looks quite good. They carry lances which must be difficult to handle on parade but which (unlike uniforms) are never likely to wear out.
Cheers

buistR Wed 19 Jan 2011, 8:11 am

Further to the above, I understand that the British Army is looking to adopt a new "Future Army Dress" which will essentially be an updated and retailored version of the long established khaki No. 2 dress. This is part of a programme that may also involve the reintroduction of "barrack dress" for office and other non-training/combat wear. In recent years the British soldier, like his US counterpart, has been expected to wear camouflage clothing for office wear - partially for reasons of economy and partially so that "we don't forget what we are". While those arguments seem sensible enough, the DPM camouflage gear is apparently more expensive than the simple slacks and shirt constituting barracks wear (usually worn with such "tribal" items as regimental stable belts, lanyards etc). Also some of the personnel involved felt uncomfortable clumping around the office in combat boots etc - one commented that DPMs failed to make him meld into a background of computer terminals and workstations.

brainhunter Mon 24 Oct 2011, 8:22 pm

Also you can get old Russian uniforms (more reliable) here in online store:
http://www.Soviet-Power.com

wfrad Mon 24 Oct 2011, 9:03 pm

Nice link, thanks
WF

Sponsored content

New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

British Uniforms

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be

Soviet and Russian old military uniforms

Soviet Uniforms

Re: New Russian Army Uniforms Not Quite What They're Cracked Up To Be