''French'' ( rus, френч) was the designation of a particular type of military jacket or tunic in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

and later in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In the years immediately preceding the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, several new models of khaki-grey uniform jackets were adopted in Russia for service wear by Imperial Army officers. In most cases these were related to (and influenced by) the latest creations in the armies of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. These loose-fitting and practical garments received the collective designation ''french'' in tribute to the supreme commander of the British Expeditionary Force to France,

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered a ...

John French. The main features of the ''french'' were as follows: * soft collar – turndown version or standing version with button fastening, * variable half-belt and changeable sleeves * four big pockets (appliquéd, with buttons) with flaps (two upper chest, two below). In the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

it was usually worn by commanding officers, chiefs and political officers and from 1924 to 1943. In the air force there was a limited number of ''frenches'' regularly worn by British officers. It was characterised by an open collar, to be worn with tie or scarf.

Evolution to the ''Stalin tunic''

The ''French'' tunic eventually evolved in the 1920s to the Stalin tunic, which was adopted by several political leaders, such as

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

References

Френч
// Крысин Л.П. Толковый словарь иноязычных слов. — Эксмо, 2008. — 944 с. *

Evolution to the ''Stalin tunic''

References

See also