East German NVA M56 helmets

[reneblacky]

You know you are having a bad day when....

Well, in my case when you get a Stricharn cover for your modell 56 and the dog then attacks it!!

Now possess one slightly "chewed" Strichtarn with a holed mosquito veil ....

Crap!!!! had a run in with a BGS hound!

[Kamuflaza]

Hi,

just to show my lattest add to NVA DDR helmet collection. It is latter model from 1988., size II. Has NVA stamp on the inside of liner.
But the interesting fact is that it came with woodland cover. I think that cover was made locally for Croatian army during the Yugoslav wars, as Germans sent much of theirs surplus to Croatians.
The colors of the woodland cover are slightly different than the US made woodland covers, little less greener. I have the same color scheme Croatian army uniform, i think that kind of scheme was referd to as winter one during the war.



PS I havent put pictures without cover, because it is standard nva steingrau color, but in pretty good shape.

[MedicalAmmunitionCrate]

I don't often see M56 Helmets with covers.. In fact, this is the first time I've seen one! (Or maybe I'm just forgetful), very nice!

[Composite]

...a few years ago a guy was selling NVA lids with camo covers, not dissimilar to these, as Turkish-used or Ebay.....

[Kamuflaza]

Thanks!

I haven't seen Turkish ones with cover (but I didn't do much research about them).

This one I've got is definitley with croatian made cover. Almost the same cover on M56 was used by the Bosnian also, but in more american color scheme fashion. Will put some pictures later.

But during the war it wasn't uncommon that soldiers who wasn't issued with helmet covers made covers on their own. In most cases they would cut off hood from jacket or stick with glue previonsly cut camouflage cloth, so the patterns would often differ from one to another.

[Kamuflaza]

As promised:

first photo shows croatian army during war for the independence in action, soldiers wearing M56 helmets with and without woodland covers, on the second is parade of bosnian army after the war. Both showing great examples of DDR M56 used by other armies with locally made woodland covers.

Also there were two types of this covers both in woodland pattern. First one is this like I have showed in earlier post, and the other one is made in same fashion as old DDR hood types of cover. It is looking like the cut off hood of the military jacket, only difference between DDR and Croatian/Bosnian army is in the pattern, strichtarn (rain camo) became woodland.

Hope I will aquire one to show it here.

[ogpsycho]

Very interesting, thanks for showing!

Kind regards
Basti

[James C]

This is the only Croation Woodland cover i have and for the later composite BK9 but it never fitted mine very well so i display it on the earlier Yugoslavian M59 instead

[James C]

Yugoslavian MOL 68 camo was also in Usage by Croatia

[Composite]

Nice...did you acquire this one as a set (helmet, net and cover)?.....if so I’d be interested to learn how the rest of the helmet cover was stored/handled......or, was it a cover made specifically for this one?...sorry for all the questions....