Russian Bolshevik Sailor Uniforms

[Mark Plant]

Cheers, Cuprum. I think I will go with black caps bands for NCOs, with it just looking like a different colour in that photograph.

[cuprum]

The Colour of the service cap black with white line. The Other variant no.

[Remington]

I just wanted to say thanks for this thread. I am not really that much less confused after reading through the 3 pages, but at least there are some hints.  And the Steve Dean painted examples help as well (from what I can see... they should be correct).

Any idea where I could find a good specimen of a flag they would carry? Could it be a normal, plain Bolshevik one?

[Red Orc]

In the early period immediately after the revolution they would probably just have a red flag. The Hammer and Sickle didn't become the official flag until 1923 I think.

EDIT: on the first page of this thread Keith links to the flagspot site - http://flagspot.net/flags/su~ru.html - where there are different flags from different periods. So I suppose really it depends when and wherre your sailors are based I guess.

[Remington]

Oh, I missed that... Thank you very much. Pity that there isn't a nice stylised version of these available. Might have to try to get the dust off my photoshop skills.

[cuprum]

Look a theme here.
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=16358.0
Besides, here a banner taken on a red military river vessel. Quite probably, that seamen on a land used the same banners.

[Remington]

Brilliant! Thank you. I've seen the same flag with a blue Andrea's Cross and someone told me that it is also suitable for sailors. Is that true?

EDIT: By the way... Your Black Army flag is beautiful!

[cuprum]

This banner with the Andreevsky cross has been grasped by the Polish armies on a red vessel during the Soviet-Polish war in 1920. It is not regulated anywhere. In Russian imperial fleet the banner was with a blue cross. Probably, red seamen used a red Andreevsky cross what to keep sea symbolics, but to designate red colour the accessory to Red fleet.

[Remington]

I see. That is very interesting. So, in theory, I could paint one banner with the red and one with the blue and then decide before every game depending if I play red or not, right?

[cuprum]

Blue cross - imperial army or white seamen, a red cross - red seamen, a black banner - seamen-anarchists (such too was much).
Why is not present!

[Remington]

Perfect. That way I could have different flags for the same group. So the anarchist flag would be plain black?

[cuprum]

Flags of anarchists usually black though could be and red. The photo of seamen with such flags at me, unfortunately, is not present. But, with the big share of probability, it is possible to assume, that there were anarchist slogans. Like the such:
"Anarchy - mother of an order!"; "through anarchy - to an order!"; "the power generates parasites. Long live Anarchy!" And others. The symbolics - a skull with bones was often used.
White seamen were not numerous and, as far as I know, were at war as a part of sea and river fleet, sometimes on armored trains.
Here the image of seamen from army Kolchaks, The uniform from deliveries of allies was partially used:

[Remington]

You are a treasure chest of knowledge, cuprum! Thank you.

I guess I need to paint a pin on the caps above the ships name for my soldiers. As for the ships name... I think I will leave that out. It's too small of an area to paint a name on it effectively.

[cuprum]

In similar cases I use such way.
The place where the inscription completely is located is painted over by a gold paint. Then, by means of very thin brush or a toothpick, this site is painted over and gold rectangles in size with the letter are left. After that cautious strokes designate"letters. An inscription, of course, it will not be good to be read, but it will be visible, that on this place something is written.

[Remington]

Genius! I will try it tonight.