Soviet Open Day Frankfurt an der Oder 3 November 1990
Soviet Open Day, popular after the unification of Germany, this one at an engineer barracks. These conscriptsare playing chess in the "Lenin Room", a feature of every unit, used by the zampolit (assistant to the commander on political affairs - formerly the hated "commissar", post fall of the Soviet Union, the "unit education officer"). In the Soviet era, the Lenin Room was popular with conscripts, not for seeking propaganda, but because it was the only room in a unit accessible to them with tables and chairs, used to write letters home. In the foreground is a "nardi" board, a game similar to backgammon and very popular in the Soviet Armed Forces. The left soldier has the very typical raging acne prevalent among Soviet conscripts, chiefly due to a poor diet. The soldier on the right, a junior sergeant, or corporal, wears an engineer "collar dog" and his "duty NCO" armband. He is of obvious Central Asian origin.
Note the "shapka-ushanka" headgear (fur hats). These were worn from November to May, then dress was "pilotka" (side hat) or "furazhka" (peaked cap). These are conscript fur hats, more akin to an acrylic pile than fur. Officers and extended servicemen wore a more shaggy version made from long haired sheep.
Soviet Open Day Frankfurt an der Oder 3 November 1990
Soviet Open Day, popular after the unification of Germany, this one at an engineer barracks. These conscriptsare playing chess in the "Lenin Room", a feature of every unit, used by the zampolit (assistant to the commander on political affairs - formerly the hated "commissar", post fall of the Soviet Union, the "unit education officer"). In the Soviet era, the Lenin Room was popular with conscripts, not for seeking propaganda, but because it was the only room in a unit accessible to them with tables and chairs, used to write letters home. In the foreground is a "nardi" board, a game similar to backgammon and very popular in the Soviet Armed Forces. The left soldier has the very typical raging acne prevalent among Soviet conscripts, chiefly due to a poor diet. The soldier on the right, a junior sergeant, or corporal, wears an engineer "collar dog" and his "duty NCO" armband. He is of obvious Central Asian origin.
Note the "shapka-ushanka" headgear (fur hats). These were worn from November to May, then dress was "pilotka" (side hat) or "furazhka" (peaked cap). These are conscript fur hats, more akin to an acrylic pile than fur. Officers and extended servicemen wore a more shaggy version made from long haired sheep.