Striking 1943 photograph showing Soviet Red Navy naval infantrymen of the Baltic Fleet rowing an open ship's boat, armed with Mosin-Nagant rifles and wearing rare SSh-36 steel helmets.
Soviet Baltic Fleet Naval Infantry on a Rowing Boat (1943)
This dynamic 1943 frontline photograph captures a squad of Soviet Baltic Fleet naval infantrymen (morskaya pekhota) rowing a multi-oared wooden ship's boat (naval yawl) during an amphibious landing exercise or tactical transit across Baltic waters.
Renowned for their fierce combat reputation and nicknamed the "Black Devils" (Schwarze Teufel) by German forces due to their dark naval pea coats, Soviet naval infantry units played a crucial role in defending Leningrad, conducting amphibious raids, and securing islands across the Baltic Sea.
Equipment and Uniform Analysis
The close-up perspective provides a rare look at the weapons, gear, and helmet variations used by Soviet naval assault troops in mid-war conditions:
- Mosin-Nagant Bolt-Action Rifles: Stowed vertically between the rowers are standard 7.62mm Mosin-Nagant Model 1891/30 rifles equipped with fixed quad-barreled socket bayonets, serving as the primary firearm for naval landing parties.
- Rare SSh-36 Steel Helmet: While most sailors wear standard uniforms or later-issue steel helmets, one infantryman in the background is wearing a pre-war SSh-36 steel helmet (characterized by its top ventilation comb and flared rim), which had become increasingly rare by 1943 following the widespread adoption of the SSh-40.
- Amphibious Small Craft Operations: Lacking purpose-built landing craft in large numbers during the early-to-mid war period, the Red Navy relied heavily on ship-borne wooden rowing yawls, motor launches, and requisitioned civilian boats for shore insertions.
- Striped Telnyashka and Uniforms: Beneath their field gear, the sailors wear traditional blue-and-white striped sailor shirts (telnyashka), symbolizing their naval pride even when fighting as land-based infantry.
Role of the Baltic Fleet in 1943
Throughout 1943, Baltic Fleet naval infantry units actively engaged in operations to relieve the Siege of Leningrad, launched tactical reconnaissance landings along the Gulf of Finland, and defended key island outposts against Axis naval forces.
📍 Location: Baltic Sea, USSR
📅 Date: 1943
📷 Photographer: Unknown
📰 Primary Source: Central Naval Archive of the Russian Federation (TSVMA) / RGAKFD
Recommended reading:
- Amphibious operations: Tactics and landing craft of the Red Navy in WWII
- Naval infantry history: Combat record of Baltic Fleet naval infantry brigades
- Helmets and equipment: Evolution of Red Army steel helmets from SSh-36 to SSh-40
- Siege of Leningrad: The role of the Baltic Fleet in the liberation of the Baltic coast