The Obr.69 is a Soviet military uniform introduced in 1969 to replace the Gymnastyorka style uniforms, which had remained virtually unchanged since World War II. It was used by all branches of the Soviet Armed Forces aside from the Soviet Navy. The uniform was produced in a wide variety of variants, and remained standard issue until finally replaced by the Afghanka uniform in 1988, though the uniform remained in use with some Soviet successor states well after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Design Details
Technically, "Obr.69" refers to the entire line of dress and field uniforms introduced by the Soviets with their 1969 uniform regulations, though typically "Obr.69" is used to refer to the enlisted man's field uniform. The uniform was produced in two main versions - Summer weight, which is made from a lightweight cotton material, and was worn with the traditional Pilotka hat - and Winter weight, which is made from Wool Gaberdine, and worn with the Ushanka and often a Greatcoat ‘Shinel’. The Summer uniform was worn from April to October, and the Winter uniform was worn during the intervening months. The only difference in cut between uniforms was the lack of knee reinforcements on the winter version.
Additionally, a 'tropical' or desert version of the uniform was produced for soldiers stationed in the southern regions of the USSR, made of a slightly different material. This version of the uniform also lacks the knee reinforcements, and features green felt insignia positions, similar to Shinel greatcoats. This uniform was worn with the Panamanka hat and seems to been discontinued after the mid-1970s, as examples today are rare. Another variant is a polyester-cotton blend version of the summer uniform, made from a similar material as the US OG-507 uniform. Some Pilotkas were also made from the same material. Again, these uniforms are rare today, with most examples that turn up being dated to the mid-1970s.
Officer's Obr.69 field Uniforms were darker in color than enlisted man's summer uniforms, and have subdued green plastic buttons. They also feature branch-of-service colored piping on the trousers, and were worn with a subdued visor cap.
Originally the uniforms were made with green plastic buttons for all enlisted men - in 1973 these were changed to polished brass, while officers retained their green plastic buttons.
The Obr.69 featured a button-up tunic, doing away with the Gymnastorka-type tunics which had been used by the Russian army for nearly a hundred years. One possible reason for the change was the likelihood of Chemical and Nuclear Weapons being used in a possible future war with the United States and NATO - If the Gymnastorka, which was a pull-over design, became contaminated with chemical weapons or radioactive particles, it could not be removed without pulling it over the wearer's face, which would be highly undesirable.
The uniforms were worn with shoulder boards and collar tabs, which denoted rank and branch of service (see Military ranks of the Soviet Union). These were sewn on and in full color, and while in the field, the shoulder boards had “СА” ciphers from 1973 onwards, standing for “Soviet Army”. While the insignia was supposed to be removed while in the field, in practice this was rarely done until the start of the Soviet-Afghan War in 1979. Additionally, like all Soviet uniforms, a Podvorotnichok was sewn into the collar and changed daily by the wearer. Soldiers could also wear awards on the uniform's chest while not in the field.
History
Following the Second World War, the Soviet Armed Forces continued to utilize the wartime Obr.43 Gymnastyorka uniform, until the introduction of the 1969 uniform regulations, which introduced replacements for virtually all the uniforms being used by the Soviet Armed Forces at that time, including a new Everyday/Field uniform. Although this uniform had no official name within the Soviet Military, today it is known in Military collecting circles as the M69, Obr69, or M1969, after the year of its introduction. A slight revision would come in 1973, when the uniform's green plastic buttons were changed to polished brass ones, which were more durable and had a sharper appearance.