About the Daily uniform of KGB

[81REDSTAR]

Can anybody tell me do the KGB personeel actually wear the
daily dress uniform on duty?or only wear them when is needed,eg when they are visiting
the Mfs of DDR?Does anybody have any photo of the KGB personeel waering their daily dress uniform on duty?

[Kozlov]

I think it rathered depended on what they were tasked to do. Some things called for military uniforms, others not.

Remember of course the term "KGB" is quite wide ranging, encompassing all matters to do with State Security.

[Ciaran Byrne]

There is a photo of Vladimir Putin in existance that shows him wearing the KGB everyday uniform.

[DougD]

Kgb

I talked to the KGB Colonel who runs the KGB musuem in Moscow in 2002 and asked him about uniforms. We were standing in front of a KGB generals parade uniform (red piped) and he said that they wore the uniform maybe 2 times a year. I do not know if he meant uniforms in general or the parade uniform in particular.

DougD

[bnz. 42]

Remember of course the term "KGB" is quite wide ranging, encompassing all matters to do with State Security.

That is correct. Even Frontier Guards were array of KGB.
KGB officers were almost in many/most/every military unit (doing their job) and could wear a color of any branch but usually of the unit they were in (Tank, Artillery, or Air Force, doesn't matter).
In civil environment, they usualy wore civilian clothes. It is why this Colonel said that they wore the uniform 2 times a year.

[Kozlov]

Oh you see a lot of the KGB PV (border guards) in their service uniform - as far as I can tell they wore either service dress or field dress everyday. However, they are different again to the "cornflower blue" boys (and girls!).

If you look at this link you will see what the KGB was made up of:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell...kgb-su0515.htm

Decide for yourselves how many of those roles you wear a nice sparkly uniform with cornflower blue insignia ;-)

[81REDSTAR]

Can anybody post a pic of a KGB officer wear the daily dress uniform with the KGB blue collar patches?

[DougD]

" Even Frontier Guards were array of KGB.
KGB officers were almost in many/most/every military unit (doing their job) and could wear a color of any branch but usually of the unit they were in (Tank, Artillery, or Air Force, doesn't matter).
In civil environment, they usualy wore civilian clothes. It is why this Colonel said that they wore the uniform 2 times a year."

I have to disagree with that. The KGB Colonel and I were discussing KGB proper (i.e. the typical western idea of the KGB); not KGB Troops,Frontier Troops, or Railraod,etc. The KGB had its own service with royal blue piping on the uniforms. I think that when speaking of KGB guys in the regular army and wearing the uniforms of the regular sevice ( armour, signals, etc.), that would be for Spetsnaz or undercover agents. The regular KGB troops had specific uniforms that were worn, but the 'traditional' KGB guys would rarely wear theirs. So, when asking about KGB uniforms we have to be specific about the area of the KGB we are talking of.

There had always been a debate about KGB Troop generals though; red or blue piping? There are alot of KGB Generals items for sale on E and other places with the blue insignia. These items are all unissued though.In 1945 NKVD troop generals changed to army uniforms with red piping; there is no regulation showing that they went back to blue. In the KGB museum was a KGB generals parade uniform with the red piping to confirm this. Also last month I sold KGB Lt.General Petrovs uniform ( along with his photo albums showing him in the uniform during exercises) that was red piped.

So, that debate was settled in my mind.

DougD

[81REDSTAR]

Thanks for answer!DougD