Russian sleeve insignia

[DrB]

I need some help, Pals.

I purchased a very crisp and unpainted Russian casting (54mm) of a World War One Russian soldier walking with a blanket roll , slung rifle and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I assumed this was just "Ivan, the infantryman."

I had no trouble with the uniform, equipment, rifle, etc., but the sleeve insignia stumped me. I tried Mollo's book on WWI with no results on the insignia and the coffee table books I own have no "hard" evidence of insignia.

Question: Left sleeve only, upper arm, three stripes in chevron format, pointing "up" like the US ones do. What did it denote and what color should they be?

Lower left arm, just above the cuff. Two short stripes, horizontal in orientation to the cuff. Significance and color needed there also.

My educated guess was that the upper one should be rank, but Mollo says this was carried on the shoulder strap. The lower one could be service stripes of some sort.

There is no evidence of stripes or chevrons on the right sleeve.

Thanks in advance.

DrB

[Joe Sweeney]

DrB,

The horizontal bars at the lower end of the left sleeve should be red and are wound badges introduced in 1916.

The upper chevrons with points up I have not found info for. Chevrons with points down were issued to shock units in 1917 and carried over into the white armies. There are some illustrations of Red troops with Points up in Osprey publications on the Civil War.

I have a 1917 Austrian Inteligence report on the Russian Army, similar to the British Armies Handbooks on the German Army, and it makes no mention of chevrons points up but does mention shock chevrons points down and wound badges.

Rank was denoted by strips of cloth on the pogony--shoulder boards.

Joe Sweeney

[DrB]

Dear Joe

I couldn't believe it, but I looked at the Russian again and the chevrons are pointing down, not up!.

Mystery solved. Now what color were they? There are three of them together. Did this have any significance?

Thanks for your reply.

DrB

[Joe Sweeney]

DrB,

To add a bit of confusion the stripes issued to shock units were on the right sleeve and red over black.

The White army chevrons on the left sleeve were from top to bottom White, Blue, and then Red.

It sounds like your model maybe actually be a White Soldier.

Joe Sweeney

[DrB]

Dear Joe,

Guess who is about to lose their chevrons and become Ivan, the infantryman?

Thanks,

DrB

[Joe Sweeney]

When in doubt that may be safest move unless some else chimes in with additional info.

Joe Sweeney

[Guest Chip Minx]

drb,

I agree with Joe. Sleeve insignia are best left off. Period photos have never shown anything being worn on the sleeves except for the occasional specialty insignia (at least in my experience).

Regards,

Chip