For the Bundeswehr lover in all of us...

[Bob Hritz]

Insignia.

Bob Hritz

[Gordon Craig]

Bob,

Welcome to our sickness! A very nice set of early Bundesluftwaffe shoulder boards. The picture of the insignia set pretty much covers the history of the BL.

Regards,

Gordon

[MaxxBrunn1938]

Well this is my newest and latest Bundeswehr uniform I just added to my inventory that I just started back up.
Since WW2 is my main area and I've finally desided to also start collecting Bund instead of destorying it, I've got a question about the collar tabs and ranks. They are not like WW2 German so can someone help? At least the DDR kept to tradition in some ways.

Joe

[MaxxBrunn1938]

And Cap

[Gordon Craig]

MaxxBrunn1938,

I think you have made a good decision here. I made the same one several years ago when the prices in TR, not to mention the fakes, made it unrealistic to continue collecting in this erea.
A nice start with a Panzer mountain troop tunic and cap. Since knowledge in your collecting area of BW is paramount I would like to suggest that you buy a copy of "Von der Affenjacke zum Tropentarnanzug" by Walter Kunstwadl. This a current book so still available to buy at a reasonable price. While it is in German, if you have been collecting TR stuff for a while you will probably have pickd up enough written German knowledge to make the excellent pictures in this book well worth the purchase cost. For rank information try www.bundeswehr.de . The ranks on this web site have been fairly constant for some time. You will need reference books, very few in number, for the early uniforms and rank insignia which are extremely rare and much sought after. This thread, and some of the other ones on the International Forum, will provide you with a lot of info on the Bundeswehr. Good luck in this new collecting area.

Regards,

Godon

[MaxxBrunn1938]

MaxxBrunn1938,

I think you have made a good decision here. I made the same one several years ago when the prices in TR, not to mention the fakes, made it unrealistic to continue collecting in this erea.
A nice start with a Panzer mountain troop tunic and cap. Since knowledge in your collecting area of BW is paramount I would like to suggest that you buy a copy of "Von der Affenjacke zum Tropentarnanzug" by Walter Kunstwadl. This a current book so still available to buy at a reasonable price. While it is in German, if you have been collecting TR stuff for a while you will probably have pickd up enough written German knowledge to make the excellent pictures in this book well worth the purchase cost. For rank information try www.bundeswehr.de . The ranks on this web site have been fairly constant for some time. You will need reference books, very few in number, for the early uniforms and rank insignia which are extremely rare and much sought after. This thread, and some of the other ones on the International Forum, will provide you with a lot of info on the Bundeswehr. Good luck in this new collecting area.

Regards,

Godon

Thanks Gordon for the information on the books, so then I'm to assume then that the Waffenfarbe stayed the same then? In just what I use to see the collar tabs to me didn't seem to match..
Well now that I've got a whole new field to explore I'm going to be busy. I've tried to get back into WW2 after being gone from it for over 17 yrs and I'm over the prices and fakes which have gotten better. Even now some of my "originals" back then have turned out be VERY GOOD FAKES that were thought to be real back then , and of course there's nothing that can be done about it.

Joe

[Marc Sherriff]

Stabsunteroffizer from Panzer Brigade 24 of 1. Gebirgsjager Division.

[Guardian 5]

Marc - fast turn around on the Gliederung research. Brilliant!

MaxxBrunn1938 - Nice job on grabbing a "double elite" - Panzer / Gebirgsjager.

Horrido!

TJ

[MaxxBrunn1938]

Thanks Gordon glad I got a great item instead of junk I do have a question, what is the award on the pockect and does the landyard cover? Do they only have one style now or like WW2 for Infantry, Panzer?

Thanks
Joe

[Gordon Craig]

MaxxBrunn1938,
In the main, the arms of colour remainded the same. Some units even carried on as "tradition" units. For example, Panzer Brigade 9, which is a panzer demonstration uint stationed at the panzer training school in Munster, does a very similar job to Panzer Lehr of pre war time and early war times. They use the same divisional insignia as Panzer Lehr did.
The badge on the right pocket is a sports badge known as Leistungsabzeichen. They are also produced in cloth embroidered issues fwor wear on field uniforms. They come in bronze, silver and gold grades. The schutzenschnur also comes in broze, silver and gold grades with a silver cord for the Luft and Heer but a blue cord for the Marine. There is only one style now. If memmory serves me correctly, the BW used a button under the shoulder board to fasten the schutzenschnur to the same as the Wehrmacht did. I know they did for aguillettes on the general's uniforms I have with me. The DDR did not follow this previous practice.
I think that answers all of your questions. As least for now.

Regards,

Gordon

[speedytop]

Hi Joe, hi Gordon,

the "Leistungsabzeichen" is more than a sports badge, the conditions on the sports badge are only one part of it.
ZDv 37/10 from 1996, Anlage 9


The "Schützenschnur" ist not fixed correctly.

Plese see here, No. 574-577, Bild 549/1 on page 221:

http://www.pumakompanie.de/HTML_dat/...eien/37_10.pdf

Regards
Uwe

[MaxxBrunn1938]

Today while down in San Diego I stopped into a surplus store I use to go to alot before moving up to Oceanside about 18 yrs ago. I was there to check out any Bundeswehr uniforms and caps and YIKES!!! I couldn't belive the prices he had on them. $55.00 for Luft or Gray tunics and $35.00 for the caps. I use to pick them up from him years ago for less then $4.00 for the caps and $10.00 for the tunics. His excuse for the prices were they were getting harder to get. When I told him they were cheaper on Ebay as well as some surplus shops online he kind of grumbled. I mean I use to buy alot from this guy but I walked out this time empty handed.
What do you guys think true or rip off?

Joe

[Gordon Craig]

Joe,

Like everything in this business, price is subjective and often applies to the area you live in. I have no surplus stores left open in the city I live in in Canada. Closest one is a hours drive away. Therefore, to buy something I have a two hour drive without knowing what, if anything, will be available that migh interest me.
Like you, years ago I used to buy BL tunics for $11/$12.00, and those were run of the mill pieces, but not now. I rarely see them for sale outside of the internet and when you add shipping they would end up in the $35.00 to $55.00 range. Don't forget that you are talking about 18 years here.
When looking at what things cost today versus what they cost ten to fifteen years ago, and that goes for everything you buy not just collectables, I consider the following;
1-How much was my/your salary that long ago?
2-At that hourly rate of pay how long would I/you have had to work to buy this specific item?
3-Then compare this with the same 2 facts today. You might be surprised at the answer!

Regards,

Gordon

[Capt. R]

Today while down in San Diego I stopped into a surplus store I use to go to alot before moving up to Oceanside about 18 yrs ago. I was there to check out any Bundeswehr uniforms and caps and YIKES!!! I couldn't belive the prices he had on them. $55.00 for Luft or Gray tunics and $35.00 for the caps. I use to pick them up from him years ago for less then $4.00 for the caps and $10.00 for the tunics. His excuse for the prices were they were getting harder to get. When I told him they were cheaper on Ebay as well as some surplus shops online he kind of grumbled. I mean I use to buy alot from this guy but I walked out this time empty handed.
What do you guys think true or rip off?

Joe

Is that the army navy surplus on the corner near or next to the armorer shop - near J street? If it is the same one, it has a huge cellar of surplus - many rooms to pick through and lots of ww2 stuff in the windows out front? That was a good place. Used to go down there from Carlsbad when I was stationed at Camp Pen. bought a DDR banner for $20 there!

[MaxxBrunn1938]

Is that the army navy surplus on the corner near or next to the armorer shop - near J street? If it is the same one, it has a huge cellar of surplus - many rooms to pick through and lots of ww2 stuff in the windows out front? That was a good place. Used to go down there from Carlsbad when I was stationed at Camp Pen. bought a DDR banner for $20 there!

No this one is in North Park just off of 30th. The one down off of J street I've not been to in years and don't think it's even around anymore since they've cleaned up Downtown San Diego to make it respectable.

Joe