Askold's WH foreign volunteer collection.

[Uncle Kurt]

Hello,
and many thanks for your good information.

[Askold]

Wanted to share my latest purchase. I missed this photo in an auction about a year ago and was regretting it very much. Now a year later and traveling all the way from russia, it is finally in my hands!

A German officer from Ukrainian Liberation Army. YBB photos are very rare, because unlike Western Ukrainians who made it to the West, the Eastern Ukrainian volunteers were all deported by the Allies back to Soviet Union, which was pretty much a death sentence for these men and women. Besides few press photos, this is the first and only known photo portrait that I know of, to show the YBB shield in wear.

P.S. The boards seem to have darker piping, so I would guess this was artillery or possibly signals unit.

[Askold]

Finally something to place my salty YBB shield next to

[D Davies]

Very nice and rare photo Roman congratulations
Cheers
Dave.

[NickG]

Nice image of a Ukranian senior NCO (stabsfeldwebel). Interesting that this ground-sheet/zelt made tunic (worn with wool breeches)
has French cuffs made in a different (much lighter) shade of material. Cool photo!

[Gaspare]

Super rare is right! , What a treat to see,,thanks for showing it to us!..,good catch my friend!

The 2 YBB jackets I've seen were Dutch reworks. Another I saw in Ukraine was made from a reworked RAD jacket. That late in war supply probably used whatever they could get their hands on to distribute!

Anyone have the YBB press photos to show??

[Askold]

Dave, Nick and Gaspare - thank you very much guys! I knew you would appreciate it!

Gaspare

- looking at other photos of Ukrainian volunteers (not YBB), one could see all kinds of tunics in use, I do remember seeing a pic somewhere with what looked like RAD tunics. As the war progressed, all those volunteer companies were banged up together and called YBB, so you tunics make perfect sense.

Nick

- by zelt-made tunic - do you mean field made? I am not sure if its zelt material (where would you get non-camo zelt in the East). I would think this is probably HBT tunic (note the white stitching on the collar lapel) , field upgraded to have an officer look - the french cuffs from different material and the popular dark green collar. Considering that it is extremely hot in Ukraine during Summertime, it would make sense for him to wear light tunic, instead of typical woolen one.

I also just noted that he is wearing cavalry breaches with leather backing - I suppose this would make the piping on the boards yellow for cavalry.

[Askold]

P.S. If anyone else has any YBB photos to share, it would be a very pleasant discovery

[Askold]

Just when you thought that nothing could be found in the old country anymore - a metal cockade for the Ukrainian Baudienst (USB). Nine of them were dug up on the territory of the old Baudienst school in Rivno. While most of the Baudienst cockades were made in cloth, some were also stamped out in metal for the peaked caps.



Also picked up this color slide of Lviv/Lemberg opera house, 1941/42. Not really into collecting slides, but this one caught my attention because of the large flags over the opera. To my knowledge this is the first time that the Ukrainian flags were photographed on color film.

[dblmed]

Super ! ! !

More ultra rare historical items ! ! !

Wonderfully educational thread...

Best, Dave / dblmed

[Askold]

Thank you Dave! I think I got lucky - these were found just days before my visit to Ukraine, so I managed to secure one.

[Rikster]

"POA" officers collar patches found at a roadside market at home in Bishkek...

[Rikster]

.....and these? piping seems to be orange in colour

[Askold]

Hi Rikster, the orange piping could be faded copper-brown used by Bergkaukasian units.

[Rikster]

not my area, I guess thats possible, thanks.