For the Bundeswehr lover in all of us...

[Gordon Craig]

A side view of the hat.

[Gordon Craig]

Sweat shield with maker info.

[Guardian 5]

BW in Afghanistan

Two Fernspaehern vicinity Kunduz Air Base in 2004.

[Guardian 5]

Retro - BW

Gents - Feast your eyes on this photo; there's something for everybody!

Vehicle lovers, check out the SPW-39, the BW's first post-war armored personnel carrier. This U.S. Army vehicle was essentially an M-18 Hell Cat Tank Destroyer without the turret.

Sitting inside is Franz-Joseph Strauss, an early West German Defense Minister.

Check out the ammo pouches on the captain in the vehicle. Anyone seen those before?

It also looks like the BW officer in the foreground is wearing a modified a BGS marsh pattern tunic.

Comments?

[Guardian 5]

BW dress hats

Sweat shield with maker info.

Gordon - Nice hat. What do you reckon - Artillery or Engineers?

I have two green piped greni hats, in distinctly different shades of gray.

One has the BW badge in bronze, the other in antique silver. I'll try to get some pictures posted next week.

TJ

[Gordon Craig]

TJ,

I would say artillerie. Engineers would be black. It is always possible it is Panzer during this time period. I'll have to wait until I get the hat until I say for sure.

Regards,

Gordon

[SprogCollector]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread so far! Nice to know there are other Bundy collectors out there. I'll add my few items to the mix.

I picked up this Customs cap a few months ago. The woven wreath reminds me of the woven wreath/cockade on TR old style field caps. Name is handwritten on the interior along with '1957 BGS' although this is clearly a Zoll cap.



Next are 3 Luftwaffe caps. The M-43 style cap is 1959-dated. It was missing the winged badge when I purchased it. Still looking for a replacement. The EM sidecap is from 1961. The officer sidecap is undated but I susupect it's relatively new (~1990s).


My early Bundy LW officer tunic. Undated but has the turnback cuffs and generic LW cuff titles. Probably mid-1970s or earlier.


Last is my favorite early postwar item. It's an LSU officers M-43 cap. Dated 1958. The label is very interesting as it's mostly in English and it has US-style format/info -- i.e. this cap is a size 7 as opposed to the more common 56cm, etc.

[Guardian 5]

Cool Stuff!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread so far! Nice to know there are other Bundy collectors out there. I'll add my few items to the mix.

I picked up this Custom cap a few months ago. The woven wreath reminds me of the woven wreath/cockade on TR old style field caps. Name is handwritten on the interior along with '1957 BGS' although this is clearly a Zoll cap.



Next are 3 Luftwaffe caps. The M-43 style cap is 1959-dated. It was missing the winged badge when I purchased it. Still looking for a replacement. The EM sidecap is from 1961. The officer sidecap is undated but I susupect it's relatively new (~1990s).


My early Bundy LW officer tunic. Undated but has the turnback cuffs and generic LW cuff titles. Probably mid-1970s or earlier.


Last is my favorite early BW item. It's an Army officers M-43 cap. Dated 1958. The label is very interesting as it's mostly in English and it has US-style format/info -- i.e. this cap is a size 7 as opposed to the more common 56cm, etc.

SC - Cool stuff!

Nice "50 mission crush" on the Zoll Cap and I agree that the embroidered badge is exceptional.

Just noticed the medical badge on the Bundesluftwaffe sleeve, a nice bonus on another outstanding piece.

Got a picture of the missing badge? I might be able to hook you up with one from the "spares" box.

The M43 style hat is very interesting and warrants further research. I'm fascinated with the early years of the BW and would love to know what you find out about it.

Take care - G5

[SprogCollector]

I had some really great background info on the very earliest BW uniforms. Lost most of it when my CD burner flaked-out on me and overwrote the CD when I tried to add a few items to the files.

The WARCOM on the label of the M-43 cap stipulates a Western Area Command order. Apparently the formation of the Bundeswehr was still being overseen by the occupying powers? In any event, the earliest uniforms were heavily influenced by the US. The branch insignia was clearly US-based and the helmets/webbing also appears to be US stock.

The Bundesluftwaffe M-43 is only a year newer but reverts to the more familiar format seen on later BW issue items. The missing badge on this cap resembles the wing seen on the visor cap badge (minus the wreath). Here's an image from an earlier posting which shows a superb uniform grouping to General Mahlke.


I'm not well versed on Zoll uniforms. I originally bought it due it being described as an early BGS cap.

[Gordon Craig]

SprogCollector,

Interesting that the War commission was still involved with Bundeswehr uniform purchases at this late date. Useful info. Thanks for posting it.

Regards,

Gordon

[speedytop]

Hi,

I don't think, that this cap is military, it is not belonging to the Bundeswehr:



It could be for an (civil) organization, working for the US Army.

Regards
Uwe

[Marc Sherriff]

The wording on the label could be an indicator, 'Cap wool mountain type LSU'. LSU could be Local Service (Services) Unit, possibly the forunner of the MSO or what ever the US equivalent was.

[speedytop]

Hi,

LSU = Labor Service Unit(s)

http://www.usfava.com/LaborService/

I think, that the cockade is added later (cockade is not in center), please see the pictures here:

http://www.usfava.com/LaborService/bilder.htm

Regards
Uwe

[Gordon Craig]

Uwe,

Those are very interesting sites. Wonderful picutres and information. The LSU ,marked cap is probabaly more rarae then the ealry BW caps. Thanks very much for posting the pictures. Reminds me of the museum at McNair Barracks in Berlin.

Regards,

Gordon

[SprogCollector]

Thanks for posting the info on the LSU. I wasn't even aware such an organization existed. It certainly explains the variation to the cap label and also the presence of the black snaps on the cap instead of the more familliar buttons.

The cockade on the LSU cap is actually centered and properly placed. The photo looks odd because the upper part of the cap has twisted towards the right side of the image. The cockade appears to have been on the cap for a very long time. There is a noticable dark spot beneath it. Whether it was original to the cap??? I noted in the photos of the LSU members that there is no visible cockade on the people wearing these caps.