Fabe, thats a nice collection of early M56 Stahlhelms!
here is my East German Makarov dated 1962 with rain drop camo holster and original records of use from East German Police station where this pistol was once used.
my NVA Makarov pistol with holster & papers
Fabe, thats a nice collection of early M56 Stahlhelms!
here is my East German Makarov dated 1962 with rain drop camo holster and original records of use from East German Police station where this pistol was once used.
THX, nice pistol - the Hungarians made the PA-63 based on this model.
Unfortunatelly, I live in Europe, where I can only get butchered "toy-guns" & I refuse to collect those...
Thanks, the EG MAKAROV makes a nice self defense pistol, compact, very reliable, I found some nice JHP [jacked hollow point] ammo for home defense use, it's small but the ammo has a pretty good punch / power for it's size
it's never malfunction, I havent fired it for a while, I usually shoot a US M1911A1 .45 auto pistol.
here are the Hungarian models based on MAKAROV - some of these are used by the police even to this day...
The PA63 is not based on the Makerov, it is a copy of the Walther PP.
I have one that is my concealed carry pistol. The 9mm Makerov cartridge is much better than the 9mmK/380 round. Mine is the all blued version.
Sarge
my bad...
my East German Makarov also came with two original matching number magazines, numbered to the pistol.
hi battlegear ,nice pistol and holster ,can i ask if the strichtarn holster is part of the utv equipment system ?by battle gear
Hi Everyone, just came across this forum tonight for the first time. I have been collecting East German/NVA items for a number of years and thought I'd pass on some information.
Fabe, when you originally purchased your NVA Y-straps off of eBay, you posted a question about how early your Y strap set was. Your set is actually the third pattern used by the NVA. From the founding in 1956 to around 1960-61 the NVA used blackened leather Y straps very similar to those used by the Wehrmacht. From 1960-61 to about 1966 the NVA changed to the second pattern - a gray nylon webbing with grayed metal hooks and fasteners. The distinguishing feature of the 2nd pattern was a gray leather tab where the straps connect in the back. This 2nd pattern leather tab was in the shape of a heart.
The NVA changed to the third pattern around 1966 - which you have. The distinguishing characteristic is that the gray leather tab has been changed from a heart shape to a circle (easier and faster to make).
I'm attaching a photo from my own collection of an early NVA enlisted camouflage uniform set. The field cap is the first pattern, dated 1958, and has the first pattern black-red-yellow roundel or bullseye. The roundel changed in 1960 with the addition of the East German coat of arms sewn in yellow thread. First pattern field caps had side flaps that could be folded down over the ears. This changed around 1965-66. After that date, field cap side flaps were sewn to the body of the cap and could not be folded down.
You can see in my photo the first pattern black leather Y straps. The helmet is 1959 dated and has the first pattern leather liner and chinstrap.
The camouflage uniform is two pieces, both dated 1963. This camouflage pattern was worn from 1957-58 to about 1966. There were subtle changes made to the uniform during that time frame, but the basic design stayed pretty much the same.
I also have the breadbag, canteen and cover, gasmask bag, mess kit, first model rifle bayonet for the SKS issued to motorized infantry during the late 1950a - early 1960s. Most of the field equipment was worn to the side or rear of the uniform, so not readily seen from the front.
I think that anyone interested in WW2 German uniforms and equipment would find a study of NVA uniforms interesting. The NVA uniform was a fascinating mixture of traditional, Wehrmacht-inspired designs and a subtle dose of Soviet Red Army intrusions.
My second photo is the field uniform of an NVA major, circa 1962.
The basic visor cap, jacket, and breeches during this time period are classic Wehrmacht-inspired. The material is a high quality wool every bit as nice as Third Reich era officers' uniforms. The cap wreath is hand-made in silver bullion wire, just like many during the TR. The jacket has zig-zag stitching underneath the collar, and a field dressing pocket on the interior - all just like TR jackets. The breeches have a wide flare, and tabs for suspenders, again very similar to TR breeches. The uniform cloth from 1956 to around 1967 also had a green-gray cast to it, again similar to early Wehrmacht jackets and caps.
This jacket is actually a rare NVA style because of the subdued field insignia (shoulder boards and collar insignia). The NVA experimented with subdued field insignia between 1961-1963 or 64, before dropping it and going back to insignia made with brighter threads. This was another example where the NVA attempted to follow the Wehrmacht wartime practice of adopting subdued insignia for field/combat use. For whatever reason, the NVA quickly dropped the use of this insignia, and finding a uniform from that period with this subdued insignia today is very difficult.
Now for the Soviet influences. The officer's service belt is made in the style of wartime-1950s Soviet Red Army officer belts. A Russet red color, with a rounded leather tab behind the traditional German-style buckle. Badges awarded to NVA personnel were worn on the right breast - Soviet style -rather than on the left breast as was done by Imperial and Wehrmacht soldiers. Curiously the shoulder boards on NVA uniforms are attached in the Soviet style, with a button that actually isn't sewn to the shoulder, but tied to the shoulder with a string as was done in the WW2 Red Army.
Oh. and for the record, the NVA NEVER, NEVER authorized the wearing of Wehrmacht/TR awards. Wartime service in the Wehrmacht was never acknowledged by the NVA, and WW2 veterans were weeded out of the NVA and retired very early in the 1960s once the NVA was securely established. This was even true for the NVA's general officers who had served the TR.
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