This thread is with permission of the moderators. I have a slim hope of a civil discourse.
In the previous contentious thread about the “pink smock” there was debate about the authenticity of the “1947” box type “Minsk Film’ marking. Some claimed this was not a typical studio marking. So… I hired a film historian researcher based in Moscow to look into this matter by visiting the vaults of Mosfilm and Belarus Film in Minsk. It took him a LOT of red tape and letter writing to gain access over time. He also spoke with several film historians as well. No one working at these studios pretty much predates the 1990s or remembers much of anything about the early holdings. Looking at pictures of regular SS smocks and pink smocks they said the studios would never have had the capability to make the camouflage printed material, nor ever did. They did however manufacture prop German gray tunics from scratch apparently using Russian cloth.
Here is what we found . Both studios still have some original uniforms, SS, Heer, and other branches , principally as study pieces in case they had to make some for film work. We could find no SS camouflage smocks but there was at least one Heer pullover and one SS dot pattern jacket. Most the non camouflage tunics had been stripped or mucked up at some point probably having had multiple insignia changes over the years. Condition wasn’t even that great.
Here is what I found interesting. Both Mosfilm and Belarus film early used a box type stamping , with a late 1940s date almost just like the “Minsk Film” stamping. Copies here are again posted of original Soviet documents shipping large quantities of German uniforms (most likely surplus from warehouses) from Berlin in 1946 to the film studios. So these things are arriving at the studios in late 1946 and in 1947 to 1949 are being date marked. Therefore as far as the “pink smocks” go if someone was going to fake markings in 1980 when these first showed up they would need to have access to Mosfilm and Belarus markings to use as reference even though still behind the iron curtain. This would be to fool Western collectors who also would have no access to see what Soviet film company markings looked like. It was hard enough to get in today so I can’t imagine it would be easier in Soviet times. With that said below are the pictures.
I realize the non believers will never believe no matter what is presented, but I promised I would post my findings and here they are. For me it’s interesting information on how the studios acquired and marked their items in the 1940s.
First pictures (to refresh your memories) are of the 1947 "MINSKFILM" marking in a pink smock. This marking has also been found in two other SS smocks including a Palm pattern. I will follow with examples of studio held examples taken on location so please hold off with comments til I get them all up to preserve the continuitiy.
In the previous contentious thread about the “pink smock” there was debate about the authenticity of the “1947” box type “Minsk Film’ marking. Some claimed this was not a typical studio marking. So… I hired a film historian researcher based in Moscow to look into this matter by visiting the vaults of Mosfilm and Belarus Film in Minsk. It took him a LOT of red tape and letter writing to gain access over time. He also spoke with several film historians as well. No one working at these studios pretty much predates the 1990s or remembers much of anything about the early holdings. Looking at pictures of regular SS smocks and pink smocks they said the studios would never have had the capability to make the camouflage printed material, nor ever did. They did however manufacture prop German gray tunics from scratch apparently using Russian cloth.
Here is what we found . Both studios still have some original uniforms, SS, Heer, and other branches , principally as study pieces in case they had to make some for film work. We could find no SS camouflage smocks but there was at least one Heer pullover and one SS dot pattern jacket. Most the non camouflage tunics had been stripped or mucked up at some point probably having had multiple insignia changes over the years. Condition wasn’t even that great.
Here is what I found interesting. Both Mosfilm and Belarus film early used a box type stamping , with a late 1940s date almost just like the “Minsk Film” stamping. Copies here are again posted of original Soviet documents shipping large quantities of German uniforms (most likely surplus from warehouses) from Berlin in 1946 to the film studios. So these things are arriving at the studios in late 1946 and in 1947 to 1949 are being date marked. Therefore as far as the “pink smocks” go if someone was going to fake markings in 1980 when these first showed up they would need to have access to Mosfilm and Belarus markings to use as reference even though still behind the iron curtain. This would be to fool Western collectors who also would have no access to see what Soviet film company markings looked like. It was hard enough to get in today so I can’t imagine it would be easier in Soviet times. With that said below are the pictures.
I realize the non believers will never believe no matter what is presented, but I promised I would post my findings and here they are. For me it’s interesting information on how the studios acquired and marked their items in the 1940s.
First pictures (to refresh your memories) are of the 1947 "MINSKFILM" marking in a pink smock. This marking has also been found in two other SS smocks including a Palm pattern. I will follow with examples of studio held examples taken on location so please hold off with comments til I get them all up to preserve the continuitiy.
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