BGS Thread

[Watchdog]

Actually I was wrong: upon closer inspection and under an appropriate lighting, I could see the traces left by the stitching of the BGS Bundesadler on the sleeve pocket (what the Germans call an Ärmelbüro).

Now, the question is do you think my Wachmeister shoulder boards and their buttons are the correct type? They came with an East German shirt I bought a few years back.
If they are, I will use them to restore this jacket to its former glory.

I think you were lucky with this jacket as the most common treatment they received on the way to surplus sales was a quick razor cut down one or more main panels of the garment. Another less destructive method was to cut the flap carrying the Bundesadler off the Armelburo altogether. Yours is untouched in that regard and therefore easily restored.

From your pics the shoulder boards do look correct but can be difficult to discern as some DDR items were very similar with the main difference being in colour. So a side by side comparison is sometimes helpful although as I say I think yours look OK.

Regards

Mark

[Watchdog]

Hi, I think I have patches for the arm flap of a BGS Sumpftarn parka I have but need to know if they are correct, also advice on stitching them on, the left photo shows possible zig zag stitching? with straight single stitching for arc? the middle shield seems to fit this but the far right doesnt [but the green colours look better on this one] is the arch correct and what about the shields, the parka is dated 1972, please advise, thanks, Ian

These patches did vary quite a lot.
The one on the left that has a pronounced border around the outline of the Adlerschild is correct for the jacket. The other without the border is for the Bamboo (yellow) shirt. The really early shirts were Tricot and seem to me to be quite rare but they were a darker colour, style and did not have a patch. The Bamboo shirt was really meant for the Moss Green tunic with beige trousers and was identical to that worn by the West German Police up until the change to the current blue. They were only worn with this uniform just before it was discontinued and the police shirts are not at all rare. I even have one with a UN patch in place of a Landeswappen! Have a look at post #228 here for one that is original as issued.
The patch was stitched directly to the garment sometimes with two parallel lines of straight stich which seems to be the case with the one you show so I would go for that so as to be unobtrusive. Zig-zag stitch was also used and that is of course a slightly more modern technique but in 1972 both methods would have been prevalent.

The 'Arcs' did vary even more so and the best thing to do is find one that is the right size (some are for other garments and can be too large or of the wrong degree of curve to fit) as indicated by any stich holes in your jacket and that matches the shade and material of the patch.

I hope this helps

Regards

Mark

[IAN S]

These patches did vary quite a lot.
The one on the left that has a pronounced border around the outline of the Adlerschild is correct for the jacket. The other without the border is for the Bamboo (yellow) shirt. The really early shirts were Tricot and seem to me to be quite rare but they were a darker colour, style and did not have a patch. The Bamboo shirt was really meant for the Moss Green tunic with beige trousers and was identical to that worn by the West German Police up until the change to the current blue. They were only worn with this uniform just before it was discontinued and the police shirts are not at all rare. I even have one with a UN patch in place of a Landeswappen! Have a look at post #228 here for one that is original as issued.
The patch was stitched directly to the garment sometimes with two parallel lines of straight stich which seems to be the case with the one you show so I would go for that so as to be unobtrusive. Zig-zag stitch was also used and that is of course a slightly more modern technique but in 1972 both methods would have been prevalent.

The 'Arcs' did vary even more so and the best thing to do is find one that is the right size (some are for other garments and can be too large or of the wrong degree of curve to fit) as indicated by any stich holes in your jacket and that matches the shade and material of the patch.

I hope this helps

Regards

Mark

Hi Mark, the one with the pronounced border it is then, what about the darker colour on the border cloth, is that correct or was a lighter one available? and two paralel lines [5-6mm apart] you would recommend rather than zig zag, what about colour of thread , any ideas?, I think the arc is ok but before I start do you have any arcs or eagle shields or photos of patches sewn onto flaps? thanks, Ian

[Watchdog]

Hi Mark, the one with the pronounced border it is then, what about the darker colour on the border cloth, is that correct or was a lighter one available? and two paralel lines [5-6mm apart] you would recommend rather than zig zag, what about colour of thread , any ideas?, I think the arc is ok but before I start do you have any arcs or eagle shields or photos of patches sewn onto flaps? thanks, Ian

The one you have looks typical.
If you see one that is a much darker green and of a felt like material you will see that it appears to be of better quality which is because it is for the tunic. If you look at the flap you show with no patch in place you can see marks left by the two parallel stitch lines. If there had been zig-zag stitching in place that would be equally obvious from the residual holes in the fabric. The thread should be matching the items used and not black. As for whether it would be better to use either style I suggest that you should be lead by the residual marks. If the jacket shows no such evidence then both styles were in use concurrently but the zig-zag is a little more modern so would suggest a slightly later item but not by much.

My BGS items are currently "buried" but I will dig them up again and take specific pictures. Just probably not today

Regards

Mark

[IAN S]

The one you have looks typical.
If you see one that is a much darker green and of a felt like material you will see that it appears to be of better quality which is because it is for the tunic. If you look at the flap you show with no patch in place you can see marks left by the two parallel stitch lines. If there had been zig-zag stitching in place that would be equally obvious from the residual holes in the fabric. The thread should be matching the items used and not black. As for whether it would be better to use either style I suggest that you should be lead by the residual marks. If the jacket shows no such evidence then both styles were in use concurrently but the zig-zag is a little more modern so would suggest a slightly later item but not by much.

My BGS items are currently "buried" but I will dig them up again and take specific pictures. Just probably not today

Regards

Mark

Hi Mark, thats great help and very much appreciated, if you have a spare arc then let me know otherwise I will go with the one I have [mine has slight tear], look forward to any photos you have when you have time, forgot to say I need a winter liner for the parka, size is GR 27,thanks again,

[Didier]

Hello,

Could you tell me whether my patches are the correct types for the Einsatzjacke?



From what I gathered the eagle should be okay but I have doubts about the Schriftbogen, which is definitely not the same colour as the eagle patch.

My gut feeling is that both should be colour matching.

Regards,

Didier

[Didier]

Maybe a little off topic, but here is my other postwar West German Stahlhelm, side by side with my BGS helmet:



Judging from the shiny almost olive green paint, I would say this one is a Landespolizei helmet.

[Watchdog]

Hello,

Could you tell me whether my patches are the correct types for the Einsatzjacke?



From what I gathered the eagle should be okay but I have doubts about the Schriftbogen, which is definitely not the same colour as the eagle patch.

My gut feeling is that both should be colour matching.

Regards,

Didier

I agree that the Adlerschild is ok though the Schriftbogen is a clearly different colour which simply means they are not a match. The Schriftbogen itself is OK it just doesn't belong on th same jacket. It looks like the material is slightly different too so it is likely of later production. I think by different manufactures as with most German items and that these differences in manufacture over time the variation is compounded. There are also variations in size and curvature of the Schriftbogen and the wrong size will simply be impossible to attach. My answer is to search and compare until I find matching items.

Regards

Mark

[Didier]

My BGS mannequin is slowly making some headway, but it is still far from being complete...