Pronounced with a hard 'G' incidentally.

According to http://www.rkka.ru http://www.rkka.ru/uniform/terms/gymnast_43.htm these are the regulations for the M43.

This tunic was introduced on 15th January (Prikaz No.25) and from the first pockets were only for officers. On 5th August 1944 enlisted female personnel were authorised to have pockets and on 6th September 1944 all enlisted personnel were permitted the type with pockets. Though you only have to look at the pictures to see that the norm right up to the end of the war for enlisted personnel was the pocketless type.

For many years the only game in town has been 1950s pocketed gymnastierki. However, now there are plenty of good reproduction bez karmanov (without pockets) ones available from the usual outlets.

However....

Repro (actually of an Obr35 but you see the same thing on the repro Obr43)....



Original....



Note the flared sides on the original, this makes the gymnastiorka a damned sight easier to get on and off and also means that you can put the regulation single pleat in the back which keeps KomStezh happy

Finally, at the prices there's no point to farbing out on this one...

Privyet - eta ya!
Zdyest eta maya gimastiorka 'byez karmanov'.

I know the pilotka is far too small - I borrowed it off one of my Petrozavodsk droogs. (because I don't normally wear one, as those who know me know)

Welcome Zayats. I wouldn't dare comment on your pilotka since I imagine its normally a blue hat you wear.

(smirks) Indeed, and I'm wearing the pilotka because for the Medvezhegorsk event we were in the M43 field form for NKVD.

Here is the 1943 prikaz for NKVD gimnastiorki.