Figure 1.--The photograph here is from the section of the film when "Solly" escapes to the Soviet area of occupied Poland and joins the Komsomal, the Communist Youth Organization. Here we see the Komosol youth directing younger boys in the Young Pioneers. The uniform shown is white shirts with red neckerchiefs and short pants. The children are depicted as wearing a very standardized uniform similar to that worn after World War II, We are not sure how accurate this depiction is for 1940-41.

The scene here is from the section of the "Europa, Europa" when the main character, Solly, escapes NAZI-occupied Poland to the Soviet occupied area. Solly joins the Komsomal, the Communist Youth Organization. Here we see the Komosol youth directing younger boys in the Young Pioneers. The uniform shown is white shirts with red neckerchiefs and short pants. The children are depicted as wearing a very standardized uniform similar to that worn after World War II, We are not sure how accurate this depiction is for 1940. Certainly the red neckerchiefs are accurate. If I remember correctly, the depiction was at a camp or orphanage, perhaps the uniform might have been more standardize there than in the general population. The Russian Revolution occurred in 1917. In the chaos of World War I and the Civil War. We are not sure precisely when the first pioneer uniform was created and when children began wearing them. We doubt is this occured during the caos of World War I and the Civil War. HBC at this time has not details on chronolgical changes in the Pioneer uniform. We are not sure to what extent boys wore elaborate uniforms in the Soviet Union.

Film Depiction

The scene here is from the section of the "Europa, Europa" when the main character, Solly, escapes NAZI-occupied Poland to the Soviet occupied area. Solly joins the Komsomal, the Communist Youth Organization. Here we see the Komosol youth directing younger boys in the Young Pioneers. The uniform shown is white shirts with red neckerchiefs and short pants. The children are depicted as wearing a very standardized uniform similar to that worn after World War II, We are not sure how accurate this depiction is for 1940. Certainly the red neckerchiefs are accurate. If I remember correctly, the depiction was at a camp or orphanage, perhaps the uniform might have been more standardize there than in the general population. Some of the boys wear knee socks, others wear long stockings. This photograph shows younger boys, but the same uniform was worn by boys as old as 16 and 17, and the older boys, as shown in the film, wear both knee socks and long stockings.

Soviet Occupied Poland (September 1939-June 1941)

One topic not depicted in the film is the terrible repression carried out by the Soviets in the area of Polsnd they occupied (1939). Like the NAZIs, the Sovirt targeted the Polish inteligencia. They also wanted to destroy Polish national identity. Some like the Polish Army officers were shot by the NKVD. The bodies found in the Katyn Forrest were part of this opperation. Others were cimmitted to the Gulag. There were also families deported to remote areas. This same process would be repeated in the Baltic Republics. The film focuses on the Jews and here Soviet policy was very different than NAZI policy which is why the depiction of Solly's experience during the Soviet occupation is generally positive. The topic of the Soviet occupation of Poland is one that is not well covered by either historians or the movies. Most of the attention is on the NAZI occuption of Poland.

Reader Comment

A HBC reader writes, "One scene is a good illustration of the clothing of the Russian Young Pioneers which Solly joins after he has escaped to Russia. The shot given here shows the younger boys of the movement wearing their traditional white shirts, red neckerchiefs, and dark short pants. The hosiery that went with this uniform varied. Some of the boys wear ankle socks, some wear knee socks, and some wear long stockings. You can see the grey long stockings on the boy just left of center. The older teenage boys (like Solly) wear the same uniforms with the same variety of hosiery.

Soviet Pioneer Uniform Chronology

The Russian Revolution occurred in 1917. In the chaos of World War I and the Civil War. We are not sure precisely when the first pioneer uniform was created and when children began wearing them. We doubt is this occured during the caos of World War I and the Civil War. HBC at this time has not details on chronolgical changes in the Pioneer uniform. We are not sure to what extent boys wore elaborate uniforms in the Soviet Union. We believe that red scarves were wxtensively worn, but are not sure about complete uniforms. Russia was a very poor country in the 1920s and 30s. One painting from the 1930s suggests that the boys had a khaki uniform. Of course paintings are not as substantial information as photographs, but this is the only information we have on the 1930s at this time. We are not sure when this uniform was first adopted and presisely when thePioneers changes to the white shirt and blue pants uniform. World War II (1941-45) devestated the country. Thus many Russians would not have had the money to purcase elaborate uniforms. It is likely, however, that there were official uniforms that selected boys and girls wore for ceremonial occasiions. Children at elite schools in Moscow and other major cities were porobably more likely to have Pioneer uniforms. As conditions improved in the 1950s and 60s, more boys were likely to wear basic uniforms. Our information, howevr, is still very limited. Most of our images of Soviet Young Pioneers date from the 1960s, but we have begun to aquire some eralier information.

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Created: September 24, 2003
Last updated: 9:35 PM 12/7/2008