Enlisted Summer Work Uniform

 


Private of Motor Transport (1974)
 

The soldier is Wearing:
The enlisted pilotka with a red star cockade.

His tunic features two breast pockets fastened by a button. While the tunic itself is closed by a row of buttons hidden behind the placket.  Straps on the cuffs allow the uniform to be adjusted for the wearer.  A belt with a brass buckle complements the tunic.

The trousers feature reinforced knees and are worn tucked into the boots.

Sources Cited

Back to Army Uniforms of
the Soviet Superpower

 

Operational History

The 1969 regulations changed virtually every uniform used by the Soviet military, the soldier’s work uniform was no exception.  The M-1969 summer work uniform was a thorough redesign of the earlier M-1958 pattern.  It is worn with the basic piloitka adorned with a red star cockade.  The tunic differs from its predecessor in that it featured two breast pockets with a button closure.  A row of buttons hidden behind the central placket secure the tunic.  It is worn with the standard Soviet enlisted belt and buckle.

The trousers have a button fly and reinforced knees.  It is worn with a thin fabric belt and is tucked into the standard Soviet work boots.  No shoulder boards or branch of service insignia are worn on the uniform, though collar liners are required.

 

More about the Uniform…

The M-1969 summer work uniform was an improvement over the previous design.  The two breast pockets could be closed which was not possible with the open pockets of the prior model.  The uniform offers easy mobility for the completion of work related tasks.

Its only limitations are the fact that no rank or branch of service insignia are visible, and the pockets are not convenient to reach.  These would be addressed in the 1989 regulation reforms.

 

Service Chronology

The soldier’s summer work uniform introduced in 1969 was a slight redesign of the older 1958 version.  Aesthetically, the belt and breast pockets added visual interest, while the reinforced knees added functionality.  This uniform would continue in service until the 1989 regulations when it was replaced by a newer design of jacket and trousers worn over the boots.
This Uniform Replaced... M-1969 Summer Work Uniform This Uniform was Replaced by...
 M-1958 Summer Work Uniform
M-1989 Summer Work Uniform
 

 

Works Cited

(1) Prilutskaya, N. V. and N. L. Kortunova, ВОЕННАЯ ОДЕЖДА ВООРУЖЕННЫХ СИЛ СССР И РОССИИ (1917-1990), Moscow: Military Publishing, 1999. Print.

(2) Zaloga, Steven J., Inside the Soviet Army Today, London: Osprey Publishing, 1987.

(3) Правила Ношения Военной Формы Одежды [Regulations on Wearing Military Uniforms], Moscow: USSR Ministry of Defense, 1989.

(4) Правила Ношения Военной Формы Одежды [Regulations on Wearing Military Uniforms], Moscow: USSR Ministry of Defense, 1973.

(5) Правила Ношения военной формы одежды военнослужащими советской армии и военно-морского флота (на мириое время) [Rules of wearing military uniforms by the servicemen of the Soviet army and navy (in peacetime)], Moscow: USSR Ministry of Defense, 1958.

Last Updated 4 January 2019 by Ryan Stavka