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Soviet quilted jacket “телогрейка”

Soviet quilted jacket

Written by Kim Meyers

This object is a traditional Soviet quilted jacket. Originally, the jacket would have been a paler beige/drab olive colour, but it turned slightly darker over the years.

The convertible collar indicates that this jacket was part of a soldier’s winter uniform. It is a single-breasted coat, which confirms its use as a field uniform rather than a parade uniform.[1]

 Each button has the typical five-pointed star with the hammer and sickle in the middle. Although they have become red-brownish, the buttons used to be golden.[2]

The inside of the jacket is stuffed with wool to keep the wearer safe and warm in the cold conditions of Eastern Europe.

Taking a closer look at the condition of the jacket, one can see that besides the stains no further damage or signs of repair can be found.

If the jacket had been used by a prisoner of war over a period of a couple of years, it would have considerably more damage and signs of repair. As this is not the case, one can only assume that it was not worn for very long.

It was very common in Soviet prisoner-of-war camps to give detainees a used telogreika (телогре́йка) like this one to protect them from the cold climate during the winter months. The Russian word telogreika means “body warmer”, which literally indicates its purpose.

As the detainees did not have any right to private property, and as they were only allowed to wear the clothes they had on at the moment of their arrival, these jackets were often worn over their own uniforms. Pictures of these camps therefore often look like pictures of gulags.[3] Their equipment and materials were standardised and offered no additional comfort. These people, equipped with the bare minimum, had to survive very harsh conditions of captivity.

Historical and symbolic value

This jacket, which was found in 1981 in Wiltz at a dump by Henri Krischler, presumably comes from a Luxembourgish recruit who served in the German army at the Eastern Front. As far as Mr Krischler, who was kind enough to lend this special item, could remember, the jacket was lying in the dirt and covered with mud and rubbish.

Because of the lack of background information on this particular jacket, we have to engage in speculation about its history. The jacket might have spent the 35 years after the end of the war in storage somewhere around Wiltz, in the north of Luxembourg. It is possible that someone cleaning the premises did not recognise the value of the jacket and just thought that it was an old piece of clothing that was not worth keeping anymore.

For our presentation, the exact information is less important than its symbolic meaning for (Luxembourgish) prisoners of war. It is precisely this meaning that encouraged me to do some research on the object.

It is worth noting that this item does not only trigger emotions and memories in people from the Soviet Union; it might also have some relevance for people from Western Europe.[4]

The telogreika was first introduced in the 1930s and was standard equipment for Soviet soldiers until the 1960s. So people in Eastern Europe are very familiar with this item. Men had to wear these jackets daily during their duty as soldiers, guards or elsewhere. Even today, the successor of the original telogreika, with its typical woolen interior and single-breasted design, can be found in the Russian army.

Even though this type of jacket is more widespread in the former Soviet Union than in Western Europe, it figures in pictures, drawings, memories, films and stories in both worlds.

Memories and emotions

In Western Europe, this object is mainly known as a piece of clothing worn by prisoners of war who were kept captive in Soviet camps. Jackets like this were often the only available winter clothing the men could get. Clothing for detainees was scarce and had to be worn for several years. As damaged clothes were generally not replaced, the items they had were particularly appreciated. This is the reason why in pictures of prisoners in these camps, stitching can often be seen on the clothes.

It is likely that this item, with its strong symbolic meaning, also triggered strong emotions. In the east, it represented the poor conditions in which the Soviet soldiers fought for their home country. It was a time not just of heroism but also of degrading conditions, with human needs coming second to the necessities of the war. And in the west, returning prisoners of war did not come back with positive memories.

Interestingly, returning soldiers are often depicted without these Soviet jackets. This is mainly because they were often threadbare and needed to be replaced. A group of returning soldiers in tatty clothes would not have represented the image the responsible government wanted to proudly show. There are reports that Luxembourgish prisoners of war were given new underwear and new uniforms in Wolfsburg upon their return. This fact makes the jacket even more interesting as a relic of its time, since many simply did not find their way to Luxembourg.


 

[1] Handbook on the Soviet Army, US Army Department, 1959, p.229

[2] Handbook on the Soviet Army, US Army Department, 1959, p.229

[3] Tininis, Vytautas, Soviet Union-controlled POW camp in Macikai 1945–1948, p.70

[4] Jones, Gareth (ed.), The Military History Book: The Ultimate Visual Guide to the Weapons that Shaped the World, Dorling Kindersley Ltd., 2012, p.363