For the Bundeswehr lover in all of us...

[Klaus1989]

Slightly irrelevant since majority of us seem to collect mostly 1950s-'60s BW but found this cool link on bundeswehr.de today. It shows 360 degree animations of all major modern BW uniforms:

http://treff.bundeswehr.de/C1256FC40...mation_uniform

Klaus

[Guardian 5]

Early Bundeswehr Camo

Gents - these pictures offer good contrasting views of early BW camo ("Amoebatarn" and splinter) as well as a good shot of an as of yet undescribed BW canteen perched on top of the rucksack (bottom photo).

Comments?

G5

[Guardian 5]

BW in Bosnia photo

Gents - this pic taken from the 31 JUL 01 edition of the Frankfurter Allegmeine Zeitung depicts a BW "obie" from the Franco-German "Division Salamandre" operating in Bosnia wearing an interesting flecktarn boonie cap.

G5

[Guardian 5]

Insignia Close-Up

Gents - attached find a close up of the insignia in the photo.

G5

[Gordon Craig]

G5,

Nice photo of a hat I haven't seen in wear before. Also nic set of insignia I know have to look for!

Regards,

Gordon

[Guardian 5]

A side view.

Gordon - I came across this interesting Bundesmarine hat yesterday. It has a little chin strap hidden away in the band. Another interesting innovation -

[Guardian 5]

Here is a view with the band threaded through the slot in the cap to facilitate the chinstrap function.

[Guardian 5]

An interior view.

[Guardian 5]

Picture of the interior.

[Guardian 5]

Here's a look at some early Bundeswehr canteens.

[Gordon Craig]

TJ,

I've seen that chin strap on Bundesmarine hats before. Makes logical sense for use at sea. Thanks for the pictures of the early canteens. Very interesting.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Guardian 5]

Another Mystery Solved

Anyone with a Bundeswehr e-tool (or Kaiserheer & Wehrmacht e-tool for that matter) will be familiar with the trademark of the "littleman and the shovel".

I wondered for years who belonged to the trademark. Last week on the Wehrmacht Equipment Forum, tobi1418 quenched my curiosity. The name of the firm is Idealspaten of Herdecke in the Ruhr Valley. They have been in business since 1899 and have been supplying e-tools to the German Army for over a century. Today their focus is on top-shelf gardening tools, many of which would make fine pioneer tools for your restored kubelwagen or MUNGO.

TJ

[Guardian 5]

Attached find a photo from Die Panzergrenadiere Der Bundeswehr 1956 - Huete by Peter Blume. It depicts a c.1989 Panzergrenadier sporting a unit patch on his moleskin shirt. Does anyone have any of these that they're looking to sell or trade?

It's interesting to note the piece of discarded camo net that this MG3 gunner has used to camouflage his helmet and that his flak jacket featured deltoid protectors to protect the shoulders - - a recent add-on for US troops issued with Interceptor Body Armor and deployed to OIF/OEF.

TJ

[Guardian 5]

Here's a fine study of a dismounted squad leader from the same book.

[Klaus1989]

...and that his flak jacket featured deltoid protectors to protect the shoulders - - a recent add-on for US troops issued with Interceptor Body Armor and deployed to OIF/OEF.

And the shoulder protectors look much less ridiculous than American ones

This flecktarn flak vest is still in use in Afghanistan of course, but interesting that is worn here with moleskin uniform. Seems that German soldiers not deployed abroad usually do not wear these except for certain field maneuvers.

I am also trying to figure out when flecktarn uniforms and kevlar helmets were adopted. I have seen moleskin worn as late as mid-1990s and steel helmets worn in the 2000s. But then some units still use the G3, despite that G36 has supposedly replaced it almost entirely.

Klaus