Folding spade NVA with "Sawteeth" "Made in GDR"

[Reibert]

Hi mates,

I would like to show you a Klappspaten / (folding spade), from the Nationale Volksarmee der ehemaligen Deutschen demokratischen Republik, (NVA of the former GDR), that I bought on April 9, 2017 at a flea market from a dealer "from the former East" of Germany, (former GDR).

The spade blade has a "saw" on one side and is stamped MADE IN GDR.
The spade blade is also provided with an opening for pulling out nails.

The MADE IN GDR, embossed into the spade sheet, (I didn't even take the spade out of the cover at the flea market, and I would definitely have left the "Handbagger" / "one-hand excavator" there too if I had discovered the MADE IN GDR ... ), immediately made me suspicious when I got home!

It looks like the spade is "good" after all and I obviously didn’t reach into the toilet!

Back then I bought the folding spade for Euro´s 16,-- (the dealer initially wanted Euro´s 25,-- for it...), but you can't often find these NVA folding spades here in Austria at flea markets.

[Reibert]

...

[Sleepwalker]

Hello,

The "Made in GDR" results from the fact that these spades were also sold and exported on the civilian market as camping equipment. They were mostly painted green.

Regards

[Reibert]

Thx, mate!
Nevertheless, it is now known that spades showin´ this particular stamp were also used in the NVA.

Ro

[Jack59]

Hi everyone,

Conscription started in 1962 in East Germany, the NVA went up from 85,000 to 127,000 members in 1967 to it's peak of 175,000 in 1987.*
The cost to maintain a force increasing all the time put a lot of pressure on the NVA budget meaning they had to & did cut corners on the quality of many of its equipment.

Now, here is either a poor men's folding shovel or one for weekend camping? This example is probably from the early 70s because of the GDR stamping on it. Could it be the first NVA folding shovel pattern? There is no lock nut, the handle acts as one. Was it ever issued to the NVA, Border troops or Workers Militia? I haven't seen any picture to confirm it. It could be an interesting shovel for collectors but won't get one without more info.
What do you think?
Thanks





*Wikipedia

[Reibert]

There:
"Early" NVA spade

a previous model of an NVA entrenching tool.

[Jack59]

1970s/80s Klappspaten with a MfS early 70s leather carrier & a general issued grey laminated vinyl one.

[Eschborn]

the shovel with the sawtooth is the latest UTV model 1985/1990

[Jack59]

UTV klappspaten carrier.