Marching Order for La Legion Russe
Required Items:
- (1) M1915 Adrian helmet (painted drab green-khaki with Imperial eagle badge)
- (2) M1908/12 'Gymnasterka' (no pockets or piping - no Soviet era tunics permitted)
- (9) M1891 Mosin 3-Line Rifle (Berthier is pictured above)
- Shoulderboards 'pogoni' (drab green with optional white piping)
- (3) Trousers 'sharovari' (green-grey wool. Soviet trousers NOT permitted)
- (4) Boots 'sapogi' (Soviet era OK, or ankle boots w/ puttees)
- (7) M1892/14 Braces and M1905/15 ammunition pouches
- M1912 Greatcoat 'shinel' (Soviet era OK if stripped)
- (10) M2 gas mask & canister (French issue)
- ID plaque (French issue)
- Soldier's Notebook Planner (Russian - will be issued to you)
Recommended Items:
- M1909 Field cap 'furashka' (EM cockade, or none at all)
- (5) M1909 Infantry Rucksack 'meshok'
- (6) M1909 Russian infantryman's forage bag (or Mlle 1892 French musette, pictured above)
- (8) 2 liter Bidon and quart cup (French canteen)
- Bandoleer
- M1897 'Ketelok' (mess tin) / wood spoon / enameled cup
- Linneman personal shovel w/hanger
Optional Items:
- M1910 'Papaha' (cold weather hat with EM cockade)
- 'Bashlyk' (winter hood)
- Raincape-tent w/pole, rope, stakes
- 'Portyanki' (footwraps - cotton for summer, flannel for winter)
- 'Beluha' (underwear)
The troops of the Russian Expeditionary Brigades, later La Legion Russe, were outfitted with French equipment, such as the French Y-strap equipment (though they retained the Russian-issued belt), the Bidon (canteen), and the Adrian helment, which was painted green and bore the Romanov double-headed eagle badge.
Required Equipment:
M15 Adrian Helmet with Russian Eagle
Produced by the French, this helmet was issued to the Russian Expeditionary Forces on their arrival in 1916. The Model 1926 Adrian is virtually identical, with exception of the rim at the base of the bowl where it meets the brim.
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Brown or black Russian infantry belt with simple buckle
Though Russian soldiers in France wore the French Y-straps and cartridge pouches, they retained their own single tongue belts, which did NOT have the standard Imperial plate buckle.
M1905/15 Cartouchières brown French infantry ammunition pouches.
Three cartridge pouches are necessary to complete the set.
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French M2 gas mask
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Soldier's Notebook 'Записная Книжка'
The 'Notebook Planner' bore the soldiers medical records, enlistment information, citations, and acted as a passport, recording the soldier's leaves and pay.
available from antikvariat.ru
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Optional Equipment:
M1909 Russian infantryman's forage bag 'запасн сумка'
source: Antikvariat
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M1909 Infantry Duffel Bag 'Вещевой мешокъ'
source: Antikvariat
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Mle 1892 French musette breadbag
source: Schipperfabrik (order VERY early!)
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M1877 2 Litre Bidon, French canteen and quart cup
Originals can be found on eBay and WWI forums
Reproduction covers, corks and other accessories are available from Nice Collection
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-In Camp-
Russians in their bivouac.
Canvas Tent 'Полотно палатки'
The tent panel is a 152 x 155cm light canvas tarp which is issued together with a tent pole, stake, and rope. To construct the tent, 4 tents are fastened together with rope to form a square. A fifth and sixth tent are folded in half as triangles and form the ends.
Illustration schematic of the sectional pole.
Each tent pole is a composite of two identical sections, each 22" inches long. Take a 22" section of 1 1/4" oak dowel and drill a 1/2" bore hole in each end, about 4 inches deep. Use a jig or drill press to make the holes as precise as possible. Next take a section of 1/2" oak dowel and insert and glue it into one end, so that the pole section has a 4" peg on one end and a 4" peg hole on the other.
Soviet-era illustration of the assembled tent.
Most often however, it probably resembled something like this:
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M1897 'Котелокъ' (ketelok)
Copper or aluminum mess tin.
M1897 'ketelok' pattern (measurements in vershoks)
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- Trench club or axe with foam head. Recommended for nighttime fighting
- Wire cutters
- Linneman type entrenching shovel
- E-tool carrier
The French equipment with exception of the Adrian helmet can be purchased from Schipperfabrik. (order VERY early from this vendor!) [NB: It is extremely important to treat any leather items (such as belts and shoulder straps, rifle slings and boots ) with mink oil to protect them from drying out. Mink oil is available at any drug store in the shoe-shine section.]