Ladies and Gents...One of my New Year resolutions was to collect enough early BW clothing and equipment to display, to represent a Trooper from the 1956-59 period ....it took me over 10 months ! as early BW stuff is becoming more desirable thus more costly as demand seems to out strip supply ! here he is......Wearing the BW first combat uniform, the "Splittertarn" (virtually the same as wartime "Splintertarn") jacket with hood matching trouser and gloves, all very similar to a WW2 Panzergrenadier. His equipment hints of a U.S. influence but is also IMO of a Germanic appearance...I based my reconstruction on a illustration printed in 1955, shown here....
I shall post showing and identifying items as I mount on my display ...enjoy.
Prost ! Steve.
The "Splittertan" jacket and trusers, the first combat uniform to be worn by the BW, in a pattern not unlike the wartime cammo pattern "Splintertarn". This was not the first choice, in 1955 a version of the late war Waffen SS "Leibermuster" was trialled (as part of an European Army Project, the EVG plan) but rejected in favour of "Splittertarn", however the jacket retained the the style/cut of the EVG uniform, hence the small "D" rings above the pocket for the attachment of a EVG backpack, the design of which was never used in the BW. Ammunition clips were not to be held in pouches (they came in the early 60's) but instead they resided in the breast pockets, in small compartments sewn into the pocket linings....a large hood could be affixed by press studs to the jacket big enough to go over a steel helmet, a set of gloves completed the uniform....This uniform was only made for a couple of years, 1956 and 1957, possibly into 58' it was replaced in 1959 by the "Filzlaus" woolen tunic, but thats another thread waiting to happen ! The tunic and trousers shown here are dated May 1956 (my birth date!)...
Prost ! Steve.
Next....the helmet was the M1956 "Zweiteilige" (two piece), a German made, U.S. style M1 clone....constructed of inferior steel, even dropping it caused dents/damage, at this stage the Allies preferred to equip the fledgeling "new" German Army with inferior/obsolete equipment....just in case ! The belt worn at this time was a cotten made item with a central twist fit buckle and an adjusting slider buckle either side ( a German version of the U.S. M36 pistol belt has also been observed in this period) , this belt was also worn with the service/dress tunic the "Affenjacke", very little equipment was suspended from this belt, unlike in WW2, as we shall see.....note the typical German style pebbeling to the buckle surfaces, which would of been originally an "Altfgold" colour. This belt came in shades of green through to grey, my example is pretty washed out !
Prost ! Steve.
Footwear.....two styles of boots were worn in this period the long marching boot (jackboot style) and the short style boot...I have chosen to go along with the short style, worn with gaitors, very much in the WW2 style...the black leather boots or kampfstiefel/Infantrieschule with distinctive front metal cleat, were worn eith either black leather gaitors or canvas WW2 style versions, shown here.....
Prost ! Steve.
At this time a load or carrying system had been designed for the soldier to carry various types of equipment on his back, either a large backpack, zeltbahn, mess tin etc, it could also carry a smaller load an "assault pack", small bag (breadbag) mess tin, canteen with zelt wrapped around them, as in WW1 & 2 ! ...this load bearing device was almost a combined "Y" strap and "A" frame device, there was a movable "ledge" which supported the weight carried......See here
Prost ! Steve.
I shall resume this thread later today.......
The pack and other equipment mounted on the carrier.....a large pack, this is the same as the 1950's pack, bar the metal ends to the fastner straps, it is dated 1962, upon this is the mess tin, easily identifiable as the shape of the tin has altered little since Imperial times...the water bottle/canteen is the first official version, and its design is heavily influenced by the U.S. canteen, it is of plastic/sheet metal with leather and canvas straps, note the German style spring clip, it is dated 1956...it was used upto the early 1960's alongside both of its successors....the zeltbahn made a welcome return in 1956, but strangely enough not in "Splittertarn" like the rest of the BW cammo, but in, what is called the "ameoba" pattern.....it was now more a rectangular shape with pointed ends, not like its predecessor triagular, it was still designed to worn as a poncho or as part of a bivouac ..it came in neat handy "ameoba" patterned bag, that doubled as a hood when worn as a poncho....these "ameoba" zelts were still being used in the BW upto the 1990's ! The "ameoba" zelts were often cut up and made into helmet covers. They sport a spring/summer pattern on one side, mostly greens, and autumn on the reverse, mostly browns. later zeltbahns were made in olive and flecktarn colours. A smaller pack..the "Kleinerkampftasche" could also be carried when the large pack was not, this smaller pack was of a boxed webbing/canvas appearance very unlike the bread bag which in its wartime appearance was never issued in the BW.
Prost ! Steve.
Other equipment carried......first version Gasmask and tin (it was replaced in 1959), virtually the same as the wartime can and mask, except this 1956 dated version has a cloth cover, it was supposed to reduce noise level when being carried, I believe the tin is slightly longer than its wartime brother, and was carried in exactly the same manner.....entrenching tool and carrier, this one is the second official BW type, the first is very rare and was carried diagonally by webbing straps across the chest, it is on my want list ! the version shown is dated 1959, last year for the webbing carrier as it was around that time they went to a green leather holder, note the press stud fastner on the side, this was for a small hand held saw component... the entrenching tool was a folding combined pick and shovel....some early photographs show BW troopers carrying wartime looking tools in black leather holders, these were never issued in the BW, and are believed to brought into the BW by personal transferring from the Bundesgrenzshutze (Federal Border Police).
Prost ! Steve.
In cold weather a so called/nicknamed "Teddy bear" suit was worn under the cammo uniform, I only have a top, no bottoms..extremely difficult to find these days ! made of short synthetic fur material on the inside for insulation purposes, and tied around the body, over, I would imagine, a shirt and or the long semi buttoned undershirt, I believe long johns were the order of the day worn under fatigues. Here are my examples of the "teddy bear" jacket and the long under shirt......I also show the fatigue, Arbeitszug (work) uniform in HBT matrial, this was often worn under the cammo uniform.
Prost ! Steve.
......and now the dressed display ! finished off with a pair of British "WD" arrowed binoculars.....
I hope you like it, now to complete my "Filzlaus" 1960's Panzergrenadier display.......
Prost ! Steve.
A late 1950's Panzergrenadier.......
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