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| Anti-mosquito protection. |
When people think of the Eastern Front, the usual picture is that of unfortunates exposed on the frozen steppe. Whilst this is certainly part of the picture, the climate and terrain of European Russia presents other hazards to the unwary.
Amongst these are mosquitoes! Prevalent in the Central and Northern forests, these blood suckers caused a great deal of discomfort to troops unused to dealing with them. Whether these annoying and painful partisans were following Comrade Stalin's call to repel the invaders is unknown - nevertheless they were a menace!
Just as winter clothing and camouflage had initially to be improvised, so too did anti-mosquito protection. In this photo we see three unnamed soldiers going about their business in a forest position. Tucked under the field caps of the soldiers on the left and centre are cloths that act as rudimentary protection for the sensitive neck area. The fellow on the right has something a bit more elaborate that may indeed be a proper anti-mosquito net (always in short supply)
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