M-1940 Service/Walking Out Uniform of Colonel-General (later Marshal of Tank Troops) Yakov Fedorenko.

I am delighted to be able to add this M-1940 Service/Walking Out Uniform of Colonel General (Later Marshal of Tank Troops) Yakov Nikolayevich Fedorenko to "The Sinclair Collection".

Yakov Nikolayevich Fedorenko was born on October 22, 1896 in Tsareborisovo part of the Kharkov Governorate in the Russian Empire. Life was hard for young Yakov. By the age of nine he was already working as a coachman and shepherd. After being drafted in 1915, he started his military career on a minesweeper at the service of the Emperor in the Russian Navy. His father was a port stevedore and because of that connection, he was ablate go to the School of Steering and became a helmsman on a barge. Yakov participated in the October Revolution and in 1918 joined the Red Army where he commanded a detachment of sailors. It is noted that Fedorenko was responsible for the establishment of Soviet power in Odessa and shortly afterwards joined the Red Guard. During the Civil War he commanded an armored train and was a commander on several fronts where he was wounded several times. By the end of the Russian Civil War Fedorenko commanded a division and served on almost all fronts. During the interim between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Fedorenko attended and graduated from several Staff and Command Schools. In 1934-1935 he was promoted to Commanding Officer 3rd Separate Tank Regiment. In 1935 he rose to the rank of Commanding Officer of the 15th Mechanized Brigade and by 1937 became the Commander of Tank Forces of the Kiev Military District and also on the Ukrainian Front. On June 4, 1940 Yakov Fedorenko was promoted to Lieutenant General of Tank troops, a rank he kept through Operation Barborossa.

Colonel- General Yakov Fedorenko in a M-1940 Parade Uniform.

On January 1st, 1943, Fedorenko was promoted to Colonel-General of Tank Troops which at the time was the highest rank a tank commander could hold. On February 21, 1944, new ranks for the Branch Marshals of the Red Army were created and Fedorenko became the first Branch Marshal of Tank Troops and Commander in Chief of Tank and Mechanized Forces. He held this rank until March 20, 1947. Fedorenko was a very proactive commander and visited the front often where he raised the morale of his soldiers. He was actively involved in the Defense of Moscow and the Battle of Stalingrad. History records him as being largely responsible for the Russian victory of the battle of Kursk, arguably the greatest tank battle in history and a major deciding factor in the turning point of the war for the Soviets. After the war, Fedorenko commanded land and armored forces and developed new strategies for the Soviet Army. He was elected to the Supreme Soviet in 1946. Yakov Nikolayevich Fedorenko died in Moscow on March 26, 1947. He was fifty years old.

The uniform, made of wool, is of exceptional quality as one would expect of a Colonel General. The set includes the tunic, with general sleeve chevrons and black collar tabs, with finely embroidered bullion stars and early metal screw on tank insignias. There is also a hand embroidered order hole on the left breast for Fedorenko's Order of Lenin. I have not been able to find out when Fedorenko was awarded his first of four Orders of Lenin but given the condition, time frame and wear of the tunic and breeches, I would guess that the uniform dates to sometime in early 1943 and was not an every day uniform but was saved for Stavka duties and meetings and not for general field use. New uniform orders arrived a short time later in 1943. The new uniforms were the new "Service Uniforms" and "Service/Walking Out Uniforms" along with the new more ornate M-1943 Parade Uniforms so Fedorenko probably did not wear this uniform for long. The brass buttons are typical early war issue. The back of each of the buttons is painted in a lighter shade of olive drab. There are no marks or stamps on the inside of the tunic. The blue M-1940 breeches are again of high quality wool with red generals stripes and boot anchors at the bottom. The M-1940 generals wool cap is a fine example with a Moscow makers mark and a size 57 that is clear on the inside. The band around the cap is of black velvet ( black indicating Tanks and Artillery) and the Russian word for velvet can be seen hand written on the inside. This was probably a note for the maker at the time. The cap shows much wear. There is slight nothing. Although the cap came with the uniform, I am not certain that the cap was indeed Fedorenko's. More research on this needs to be done. The leather belt is a standard general's M-1940 issue. All of the material test negative under UV light indicating no synthetic materials. There is wear to the lining around the neck area of the tunic and there are three small buttons to hold a white collar which would have been fastened and laundered as needed. The inside of the lining, the arm pits, sleeve and cuff areas, all show slight staining and wear. The general's breeches show slight wear from use but are in otherwise excellent condition.

The uniform set was originally owned by a Russian collector living in Los Angeles who was importing and selling higher end Soviet uniforms. In the early 1990"s, the uniform set was acquired by Mr Dale Shimp for his Private Collection. Mr Shimp's entire collection was bought by D.A. Drabik Russian Militaria and I acquired this set through him. Although this Service/Walking Out Uniform is not a six button Parade Uniform, because of its rarity, condition and importance, I am adding it to the collection. One would be hard pressed to find another uniform of this calibre and historical significance!

Yakov Fedorenko in his M-1945 "Victory Parade" Uniform. Photo taken shortly before his death in 1947.

See Marshal of Tanks Yakov Fedorenko's M1943 Parade Uniform and "The Sinclair Collection" by clicking on any of the pictures above or the link below.