More about the uniform...

This uniform entered service as part of the 1969 uniform regulations.  Soldiers would wear this uniform when on leave and when on-base.  The 'out of column' designation simply denotes that shoes and trousers were to be worn instead of breeches and boots.  This was a common Soviet practice that gave a professional image that was not as formal as the 'in column' uniform.  In the early 1970's the uniform would undergo a minor change in that the shoulderboards would feature 'CA' letters on them, in contrast to the blank 1969 boards.

The army visor cap features a red or black band that denotes the branch of service of the wearer.  It matches the color of the collar tabs, shoulder boards, and branch of service patch on the tunic.  A black plastic band just above the visor and the 'star and wreath' badge were also used to indicate its enlisted status.

A tunic with four brass buttons and two pockets is worn over the army green shirt and tie.  Trousers of a matching color complete the uniform.

Ribbons and badges were authorized for wear with this uniform.

Service Chronology

The enlisted summer parade-walking out (out of column) uniform was a common sight in the latter half of the Cold War as it was worn by soldiers in ceremonies and on leave.  It replaced the M-1958 uniform and in doing so dispatched with the last of the old Soviet aesthetic.  The tunic and trousers were of the same color, with simplified branch of service colors, and the cut was also more modern.

It was worn throughout the seventies and eighties and even after the fall of the Soviet Union.  By the early 1990's the uniform was supposed to be replaced by a new Soviet pattern, but the administrative chaos and budgetary difficulties prevented it from seeing widespread service.  The design would later be used in the M-1994 Russian enlisted summer parade-walking out (out of column) uniforms which ultimately replaced the venerable M-1969 pattern.