The M1941 Telogreika was a padded vest used by the Soviet Union during World War II. The M1941 is made of cotton and wool sewn into pads and came in several different colors. Khaki being the most numerous as it was issued to most ground troops and black being issued to tankers.
The standard Telogreika was around one metre tall but could be made to fit most sizes. The Telogreika was also designed to be used with a set of padded pants made using the same materials giving it a similar appearance to the Telogreika. To complete the uniform, Velenki boots were issued along with a winter Ushanka.
Variants[]
The Telogreika only had one official variant produced during its lifespan though numerous minor changes were made to the original design in the years between. This variant, designated the M1944 Telogreika had the main change of the removal of a large collar on the jacket.[1]
History[]
As the designation would suggest, the Telogreika was initially released for active service with the Red Army in 1941. When the Telogreika along with its additional uniform pieces were first given to Soviet troops, they quickly became the favoured uniform and provided great protection against the harsh winter weather.[2] In fact, they were usually so effective at combating the cold that German soldiers were known to steal them off of corpses so that they could use them themselves.
References[]
- ↑ http://www.sovietstores.com/soviet-uniform/telogreika-m-1944-ww2-type-winter-tunic-or-telogreika
- ↑ Mollo, Andrew. The Armed Forces of World War II. Crown Publishers (1981), Page 162