I have just come across a seller of cheap M43 Gymnasterkas and was wondering if anyone here was interested in one. The price he is asking is a grand total of $25(US) posted! They're very much post war but at that price not to be sniffed at. I'm not sure of the sizes yet but there are quite a few so should be one to fit most sizes. Also has some Ushankas if anyone is interested.
I'm not going to wait long before placing my order so if anyone is interested drop me a PM ASAP.
as long as its not an april fools joke im interested 
"Take that you rotton helping of strawberry flan!"
Joseph Porta to "strawberrys and cream", in the sven hassel book ,ogpu prison
Well judging by the time posted being after mid-day it would be in poor taste to post this as a joke 
No its not an April fools, I'd hope to come up with something better if I planned to play a trick. 
No its not an April fools, I'd hope to come up with something better if I planned to play a trick.
You could have just said the Front of Russia order had arrived! 
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Yes, but you'd never have believed that! 
Plus I'd feel very cruel if anyone actually did get duped by it. 
Ill have two , nato 180/112 (thats about a 44 to 46 chest)
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Ill have two , nato 180/112 (thats about a 44 to 46 chest)
That's not going to look good on your employment record, Comrade. 
Its ok, my lot won in the end!
Its Ivan who was out of a job not us in NATO lol 
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Its ok, my lot won in the end!
Its Ivan who was out of a job not us in NATO lol
Three words....
Options
For
Change
Which were signifacntly better options than having an army that hadnt been paid for months and were sent into the woods to forage for thier rations like our Eastern cousins. 
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
That'll have been after the fall of the USSR and during the Yeltsin years of Western led 'shock therapy' for their economy.
We like Yeltsin here in the West. The Russians ummmmm not so much.
The soviet military system was still pretty appalling with regards to supply kit and provisions. I've got some great books on the Soviet army of the 1980s and some of their shortfalls were appalling. rations were most definitely supplemented by 'other means' then (usually older soldiers stealing them off younger recruits and conscripts! )
Sleeping bags were not issued until almost the 90s and Spectacles were not provided to conscripts because 'young men shouldnt need glasses' , genius!
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
The soviet military system was still pretty appalling with regards to supply kit and provisions. I've got some great books on the Soviet army of the 1980s and some of their shortfalls were appalling. rations were most definitely supplemented by 'other means' then (usually older soldiers stealing them off younger recruits and conscripts! )
Sleeping bags were not issued until almost the 90s and Spectacles were not provided to conscripts because 'young men shouldnt need glasses' , genius!
And don't forget the ' Live NBC training ' with rubber suits, in summer, the lads cut vent holes in the suits and were not told that there was a real threat of death!. genious!!
"Will you stop talking about the war!!"
"What, you started it!"
"We did NOT start it!"
"Yes you did, you invaded Poland..."
Yup my mate was with the JNBC regiment and they did exercises in Poland on former warpac training areas and found numerous bodies of lads who'd died doing CNBR as they train with real agents.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
The Russian Army is still having so many problems.When I have time I stop some on the street or around town,I ask how things are and they tell me how bad it is.Units that are closer to Moscow are better fed,and paid.I know many of these guy who have paid to stay out,as to have a doctor write a bad health report,and so saying that they are unfit for service
.
Acording to what I learned from listening to Russias top general is that 43% of Russian men are unfit for military service.As living conditions here have taken there toll.Most of the men smoke,and drink.alot!!And many have mental problems,and now the heroin problem is becoming bad.And that is why there is more woman than men!!
I remember not long ago I would get stopped in the street,train station or even Metro for a document check,as they were looking for deserters!! I thought it was some what funny to me as I am retired from the military myself,acording to what I here there is about 200,000 men who have refused to be inducted.At times I have sat in train and bus stations and have seen police chasing young guys around trying to capture them!! Not hard to get away as a bribe can solve the problem.
There is changes in the works.One is that they have to serve only one year,it started already.Its actually very much pathetic.They had 2 inductions this year,none of them met there goal in getting what they needed.They are massively top heavy in officers,and NCO,s do not really make a impression.What has been shocking to me since I moved here from California,7 years ago is the obsolete,cheap non functional garbage the army uses.They still have this old mindset of huge armor warfare.They are planning on eliminating 20,000 officers this next few years.GOOD LUCK!! or "hoodacha" in Russian.As if you piss off the generals to much,you could end up like Krushev.Most of the officers fill the job as a corporal does in a Western army.Oh by the way,before I end,they will eliminate the warant officer ranks "PAKA" (catch you later in Russian) Ian
