UNIFORM OF SOVIET MILITARY AND CIVILIAN RAILROAD PERSONNEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: May 27, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/-28 :)CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
r n-N F-I-D-R-N-T I A L
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
USSR
Uniforms of Soviet Military
Civilian Railroad Personnel
REPORT NO.
and DATE DISTR. MAY 2, 1955
NO. OF PAGES 5
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
50X1 REFERENCES
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
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SOURCE
Comment In paragraph 3, Ministry of Railways should read,
"Ministry of Transportation".
STATE
ARMY
LIBRARY SUBJECT AND AREA CODES (18)
3-02-0406 5/55
235
235.29
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#2C 1 NAVY fX AIR
X-75rlii!P. AEC
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(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#''.)
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INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/28: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/28: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
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REPORT NO.
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COUNTRY USSR DATE DISTR. 17 Feb. 1955
SUBJECT Uniforms of Soviet Military and Civilian NO. OF PAGES 4
Railroad Personnel
DATE OF INFORMATION
PLACE ACQUIRED
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
REFERENCES:
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SOURC
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Note: During the period r5ox1 the 50X1
personnel listed b=Amw. ne alviaea them into three main cate-
gories which correspond to three separate Soviet governmental
entities: the Soviet Army, the MVD, and the Ministry
of CRailwiyt (Ministerstvo Putey Soobshcheniya). The latter
is a civilian agency.
Arm Personnel
source saw Soviet Army
ati who were called railroad troops or work battalions.' They laid
rails and performed railroad construdtion work. He only remembered
that they had black shoulder boards but insisted they were not
engineer troops. They wore a metallic device on their shoulder
boards but source could not remember any of its details.2
MVD Railroad Militia (Zheleznodorozhnaya Militsi*.Personnel 50X1
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2.H aw thtOopersonnel in many places, particularly
Li Michurinsk (N 52-54, E 40-30). He believed they were a
part of the regular militia and that they were subordinate to the
MVD. Their uniform is described as follows:
Trousers: Black with dark magenta seam-piping.
Blouse: Black with a dark magenta cuffroband; in the front, there
was a whistle on a white cord. Yellow service chevrons
were on the left sleeve.
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npriaccifien in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/28: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
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Shoulder boards: Those Of the EM were dark magenta,but source did
not remember those worn by the officers.
Cap:
was black with a red star cockade.
The entire crown was dark magenta and the cap'Ammaed
Overcoat: Black with two rows of buttons. The black collar
tabs were framed with dark magenta piping and
decorated with a button.
They also wore black boots with spurs, a saber, and a belt with a
pistol. Source could not remember any other metallic insignia or
devices which were worn by these troops.
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Ministry of 21811.1ways,Zetmonae.L
Source divided the:MlnistrY of T,Paalwas7,rallAaersbnneIl
(zheleznodorozhniki).. as follows: workers, service and administrative
personnel, and railroad protection or escort personnel.
a. The workers (raboch10-. included such personnel as signalmen,
locksmiths, 4e1esaryl and.reriairmanThey-coUl&-weareither
(claalian (cdotbingthe7folaOwing uniform:
Trousers: Black with green-seam-piping.
Tunic: A black pullover-type.
Cap: TM Blatk with A.-;b1W6k vibOratid,band, green piping between
the crOwn and the band and around the crown; A rectH
Star cockade was centered between the band and crown
and a brass crossed-hammer-and-wrench insignia was.
centered on the band.3
-Becal.166. the Wdrkers had no assimilated rank, they more no shoulder
boards.
b. Servide and administrative personnel (sluzhationsisted:of
executives or "chiefs", white collar workers, va4ous mechanical
and technical engineers, and foremen. Although they were civi-
lians, they were distinguished by military ranks, prom junior
lieutenant upward. Source never saw anyone with A rank higher
than lieutenant colonel but assumed that higher ranks did. exist.
The personnel of this category were addressed y their civilian
title and their rank, e. g., comrade enginegefAlietitena
foomrade COnStruction engineer captain", "comrade technician
majoe, etc.., never by their rank along. 'Their uniform con-
sisted of the following:
Trousers: Black with green seam-piping. The quality of the
trouser material was better than that of the
workers!. trousers described above. White trousers
were optional for summer wear.
Blouse: Black with green cuff-bands and green piping around
the collar. There was a single row of white buttons
which bore the crossed hammer-and-wrench railroad
insignia. A white blouse was optional for summer wear.
Cap: ? Black, the same as that worn by the workers but of a
better quality. A white cap was optional for summer
wear.
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npriassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/28 : CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/28: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7
Overcoa ?
Shoulder
boards:
Black, with
tabs framed
Silver with
framed with
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two rows of buttons
with green piping.
black longitudinal
green piping.
and black collar
stripes or stripes
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c. The railroad guards and escort (zheleznodorozhnaya okhrana)
personnel escorted freight trains and protected them from
theft and pilferage. Source thought they were Subordinate to
thell4inistry of WRailwaytarld4Orenot at,P401dered
military personnel but volunteer civilian workers who contracted
to. serve for a 'certain (unknown) number of years. The uniforms
they wore were deitgned after World War II and were Very similar
to thoseworn by Soviet Army personnel. Their uniform consisted
Aof the follow*ng:
Breeches:
Tunic:
Cap:
Overcoat:
Belt and
Boots:
Shoulder
boards:
Arms:
OD or blue.
An OD pullover-type.
The entire
on the top
of crossed
center(at
crown was light green
. The band was yellow
rifles with bayonets,
the crossing point)by
with yellow piping
riv0A11 1 a cockade
covered in the
a red star.
Gray which was similar to the Soviet Army overcoat
but hadsinsteadstwo rows of buttons which also bore
the crossed-rifles-and-star emblem. The coat had
green collar tabs with yellow piping. Source believed
that the coat was the regular-issue Soviet Army coat
with the hooks removed and replaced by the buttons.
Black. The belt buckle also had the crossed-rifles-
and-star emblem.
Light green with yellow piping around the top. The
band was yellow.4 A cockade with the crossed-rifle?
and-Star emblem was on the band.5
These guards normally carried a rifle when engaged
in guarding freight trains. Those that source saw
guarding station areas normally carried pistols.
He believed that these individuals carried about
15 rounds of ammunition.
Comments:
1. These battalions were probably labor battalions.
2.
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4. This is the first instance of yellow-bordered, green shoulder boards
and yellow hat lands '_known he iittorrogato.r..
5. Source never saw railroad guards and escort personnel who might have
been officers.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/02/28: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400470009-7