For the Bundeswehr lover in all of us...

[Guardian 5]

OLC = Overhoff & Cie, Luedenscheid. They were a prime supplier of accoutrements, etc. to the Wehrmacht and continued to supply the BW and BGS in the post-war era. This leads me to conclude that the unknown strap is a uniform component vice a weapons sling.

TJ

[Gordon Craig]

TJ,

The OLC made strap looks more like an equipment strap to me than a cross strap for a waist belt. The type of hook used would lead me to beleive that. Hard to tell though from the picture shown with no other information to go on.

Regards,

Gordon

[uscob]

Has any got an idea what the sling pictured below was for? I think its BW as the clips have the same marking as those on the olive ww2 like y-straps.
Cheers.

The Shoulder Pad is missing. I had them on the Field Dentist's Leather Equipment Cases. When I find them, I'll post a Pic.
They're made with the same pebbled green Leather as the Strap.
Nico

[Guardian 5]

Gordon and Nico - Thanks for setting me straight!

Field Dentist Leather Equipment Case strap; now that's something you don't see everyday....

TJ

P.S.: Gordon - I'm loving that thread on Hungarian camouflage.

[weka]

Thanks for the info guys, i got it from rangershop.de a couple of years back.

[Viktor]

Genossen,
I have a strap like this, it was a waist strap on a Rucksack, ( It as Stolen.. )...The Back Pack was a Large Single Pocketed sack....no front or side pockets.

[Klaus1989]

We need to get this thread rolling again with more BW items! I will start by posting my latest acquisition - 1959-dated example of Heer Feldmütze made by Wolfgang Hoffmann Marktzeuln. I had been looking for one these for little while.

regards
Klaus



Label:

[weka]

Just won a post war splinter jacket this on a local auction site. Seller claims it had been worn in Vietnam which i suppose is not out of the realms of posibilities. Can't wait for it to turn up.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=160941848

[Guardian 5]

Weka - That has to be one of the most outrageous examples of dealer hyperbole I have ever encountered, but congratulations are in order for snagging one of the most elusive examples of post-war German camo.

If the dealer can back up her claims, you've got yourself one heck of a story. Post it here first!

Here's one of my new acquisitions, a Bundeswehr Air Defense soldier in basic training at Rendsburg in 1959. He can't wait to take off his steel pot and slip on the soft cap like the one Klaus posted above, and when he graduates, he will receive a nice set of camouflage battle dress like yours.

TJ

[weka]

Recieved the jacket in the post today, in faded ink is written:

Cpl. Green, 40 Air Dispatch PL RAASC (Royal Australian Army Service Corps)
This unit did do resupply missions in the Vietnam highlands. Waiting to here back from the seller on the history of this jacket and hopefully how it ended up downunder.

[weka]

Got an email from the seller and her husband, an Aussie was in Vietnam. Nice bit ofhistory to go with jacket. Anyway happy with my purchase.

[Guardian 5]

Weka - A new chapter is added to the history of the Bundeswehr [I]Kampfanzug Modell 1955!

With camo so hard to come by in the early years of the Vietnam War, I guess your story isn't that far fetched after all. The U.S. Forces were often compelled to wear "duck hunter" camo purchased at the Sears and Roebuck retail chain.

Some years ago, I toured the tank park of a Bundeswehr unit stationed on the Luxembourg border. The unit was equipped with M-48A5 tanks. The Unteroffizier I was with pointed out that many of the vehicles had sustained battle damage and showed me where repairs had been made.

Apparently the tanks had been deployed to Vietnam, withdrawn, and arsenal refurbished. They later ended up in West Germany to bolster the Panzer Corps until enough Leopard I's were manufactured to fully equip the Bundeswehr.

Now it seems as though other bits of kit traveled between Vietnam and the BRD during the war years. With this bit of news, I feel like celebrating like the gents below.

Take care - TJ

PS- I just noticed that one of the crates is marked "huevos" (eggs shipped in from Spain); it would appear as though these guys were destined for an omelet breakfast! These guys were part of a Pionier unit; note mix of dress caps and fatigue caps like the one Klaus just posted.

[hoover]

Hi!

Very interesting thread you are talking about.

I served from 1990 to 2002 in the German Bundeswehr, and a lot of the items you are showing here I had to use in service. But, most of the equipment and uniforms (some still out of the 50´s) I have thrown away. Schade.
I have some old pics ofthe "green aera".



That´s me on a winter exercise. I was a Quatermaster/Weapons Feldwebel in the German/Dutch Korps then.
we still had the second type moleskin uniform and the old suspenders.


During night combat training I was respnible fo making noise and lights

So I fired 250 flares in 2 hours. I couldn´t use my right hand for 1 week afer tht.


That´s a pic of my NCO-training in 1991. The soldiers came from very different units and the equipment was very different.

I have some scans from old German magazines and books of the early Bundeswehr in the 50´s. Maybe I can show them here.

[Gordon Craig]

hoover,

Welcome to the forum. Great to have someone who served as many years as you did in the BW join us here. Very interesting to hear that men from different units were dressed differently. We would definitely be interested in seeing scans of your magazine pictures. Perhaps you could start a new thread for them. This one is getting very long and a lot of information is mixed together. We have been trying to convince those that operate this site to set up a separate BW forum and the more threads, and posts, that we have the more chance we have of being successful in our goal. Looking forward to your pictures where ever you post them.

Regards,

Gordon

[Capt. R]

Flare gun

Hoover
Welcome to the forum.

I noted your comment about making noise and light with the Bw flare gun. I see 2 flare pistols in your pic. I bought one recently and fired about 20 flares - red star cluster and green - this past weekend. Very loud and it really has a kick. My hand and thumb were killing me after that and I only fired 20 flares!! I see you have gloves and that prob. helped - and I guess that you alternated left and right hands. I fired several green flares horizontally - actually at a 45 degree angle - and the range was incredible! I cleared some trees out past a field in the country! Not sure the distance.

Can you tell me if the P38 made in Ulm/Donau was still being used as a sidearm or did the P1 replace it. Or, were the 2 used at the same time. Others have told me also that the Police NEVER used P1, only P225 (Sig P6) - any truth to this? Others have said each state police force used different sidearms such as H and K, etc. BUt NO P1's.

Thanks