For the first time a photographic study of the Soviet uniforms from the Revolution, Civil War, Purges, and the Great Patriotic War. Hundreds of full color highly detailed photographs of actual uniforms are combined with period black and white photographs. Actual uniforms of Marshals of the Soviet Union, to private soldiers of all services are to be found in this extensive volume.

Includes 100 images of Russian Army uniforms from 1907-1920, 45 images of post-World War II uniforms, and 50 images of Russian/Soviet uniforms from 1921-1946.

This book provides a detailed look into the wide range of uniforms, weapons, and field equipment used by the Imperial Russian Army between 1907 and 1917. Information on Russian uniforms and equipment is scarce, and many valuable sources are only available in Russian or other foreign languages. This book sheds light on the many interesting Russian field uniforms and items of equipment that were in use during the First World War, items which are rarely found today. With over 800 rare period photographs and superb color photos of items out of private and museum collections, the author presents a broad range of artifacts, together with a full and to the point description. This book is aimed towards the novice and advanced Russian World War I collector and enthusiast, military history student, modeler, researcher and re-enactor.

Camouflage Uniforms of the Soviet Union and Russia is a comprehensive guide to the history, design and use of camouflage field uniforms of the Soviet Union and Russia. This excellent reference contains factual and interesting material covering the earliest days of uniform development to the most recent issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, former KGB and Spetsnaz forces. Packed with detailed color photographs, this book fills an important void in the collector reference library that has been vacant far too long. Designed with both the militaria collector and Russophile in mind, this book is an easy to use picture guide to the most sought after collectible in the Soviet and Russian militaria field, and is a must for any serious collector or intelligence analyst interested in the former Soviet Union or Russia.

This book (Volume One) gives an historical overview of 36 countries whose armed forces served in Europe 1900-2000, together with uniform descriptions. Includes 200 full colour paintings of the regular armies, marines, airforce and para-military troops engaged in land exercises, operations and warfare in Europe, including non-European troops serving in Europe. Each entry is accompanied by a history and description of the uniforms illustrated. The author and illustrator Ron Kidd, has been interested in both police and military history, uniforms and insignia since he was a school boy in the 1950's. He has visited over 300 police and military museums world-wide, and has written and illustrated a number of magazine articles on both police and military history and uniforms. He is a member of both the Military Heraldry Society and the Military Historical Society. It is anticipated that Volume Two will be published in 2013.

This is the third volume by the acclaimed Hungarian collector-and-photographer team, identifying and explaining historic Soviet militaria from private collections. A wide range of uniforms, insignia awards, weapons, equipment, documents and ephemera from the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War are illustrated, in more than 230 close-up color studies, supported by more than 60 fascinating monochrome photographs that have survived, unpublished, in private hands. This volume includes explanations of Soviet military symbolism from the early days of the Communist state, but concentrates on the period of key interest between 1943 and 1945, when Stalin consciously revived many of the visual traditions of the Tsarist years in order to harness Russian patriotism against the Nazi invaders.

This study explores the organization, history and uniforms of the Soviet Red Army during the 20 years between its victory in the Civil War and the invasion of the USSR by Germany in 1941. The two decades following the Bolshevik victory over the 'Whites' in the Russian Civil War saw widespread and fundamental developments for the Red Army. Nevertheless, these still left it largely unready to face Germany's Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. Having been reduced in size and planning for modernization, the Red Army of the 1920s was employed to ruthlessly crush anti-Bolshevik opposition (real or suspected) in several regions of the USSR, notably Ukraine and Central Asia, and to fight a brief border war against Chinese Manchuria. During the 1930s, Stalin virtually 'beheaded' the army by a needless series of murderous purges of the officer class; despite this, the Red Army was victorious in clashes against Imperial Japan in the Nomonhan region in 1938–39, where General Zhukov earned his spurs. Simultaneously, the Soviet Union sent instructors and pilots to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). The non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany allowed Stalin to take over half of Poland in September 1939; but a few months later his 'Winter War' against Finland demonstrated serious inadequacies in the Red Army's readiness for modern warfare, which would be shockingly confirmed in the first days of Operation Barbarossa. Using rare photos and detailed colour artwork, this study explores the interwar history of the Red Army, describing its campaigns, organization and uniforms, and focusing on the 20 years between its victory in the Civil War and the invasion of the USSR by Germany in 1941.

Contents: The Prewar Experience; Evolution of Airborne Forces During World War II; Operational Employment: Vyaz'ma, January-February 1942; Operational Employment: Vyaz'ma, February-June 1942; Operational Employment: On the Dnepr, September 1943; Tactical Employment; The Postwar Years.