West German Helmets

[Guardian 5]

BW helmet covers

Genossen,
I was told that the BW was Camouflage hungry in the 1980's, they would trade for any NATO Camouflage they could.. Is this true?, I have The 1959 and Amoeba Camo Helmet Cover and Camo Net on my Heer and Falli Lids..

Viktor - You're on the Bundesrepublik site now, watch it with the commie stuff! lol!

From I can tell from the photographic evidence and my first tour in "West Germany" (87-90), you are correct. By the mid to late 1980s, the Bundeswehr Splitter pattern and amoebatarn covers were getting hard to come by. As Speedytop indicated, the BW was using whatever they could get their hands on and they weren't too picky.

It was also during that period that the U.S. began transitioning from the M-1 Helmet to the Kevlar (It was never ever called the "Fritz" helmet by GIs, a term coined by British defense writers).

As the kevlar came into service, alot of the M-1 helmet covers in woodland pattern camouflage began finding their way into the Bundeswehr, probably through the fast and furious trading sessions that took place after every partnership event between the BW and their U.S. counterparts.

The attached photo from, Modern German Panzergrenadiers by Michael Jerchel, depicts two grenis from PzGrenBtl 212 wearing U.S. woodland pattern camo covers on their "Stahlhelm 1 A 1 modifiziert"

[Guardian 5]

Ass Chewing

This Oberleutnant in the classic ass-chewing mode is still wearing a woodland camo cover even when it is apparent that flectarn covers are available (a sign of his status as a long serving professional?).

He's also still carrying an M2 ("Oot-zi"); another sign of his refusal to discard his "old school" ways.

Photo from Deutsche Fallschirmjaeger Heute by Carl Schulz.

[Guardian 5]

Amoebatarn/Flectarn mix

This falli has chosen to keep his amoebatarn cover instead of switching to flectarn. This photo is also from the Schulze book.

[Guardian 5]

BW soldier with DPM camo cover

As Speedytop indicated, the BW scrounged their camo from wherever they could. The trooper on the right has fashioned a DPM camo cover, probably from Dutch or British camo cloth.

This photo is from Die Bundeswehr Heute by Egbert Thomer.

G5

[Klaus1989]

This Oberleutnant in the classic ass-chewing mode is still wearing a woodland camo cover even when it is apparent that flectarn covers are available (a sign of his status as a long serving professional?).

He's also still carrying an M2 ("Oot-zi"); another sign of his refusal to discard his "old school" ways.

Photo from Deutsche Fallschirmjaeger Heute by Carl Schulz.

Interesting photo. Soldier in backround looks like he is carrying G36. But what is with the blue jacket the Fallschirmjäger is wearing?!

Never understood why the BW actually stopped using splittertarn uniforms and changed to non-camoflage olive-green ones!

Klaus

[speedytop]

Hi,

the blue "jacket" is an overall for maintenance soldiers.

Regards
Uwe

[Viktor]

Genossen,
THe BW I'm told, traded with BAOR personnel in the 1980's for DPM, at that time were the Dutch Army issuing DPM?, I'm also told by some Ex BW friends that they never used BGS Patterns, does this follow with your experience?...

The pre Flecktarn BW is one of my Directions of Interest... ...

[Gene T]

Here is my M35/40/51/53 police helmet. It has traces of a Baden decal, but is a bit different from the one Gordon posted. The size 66 shell is completely unmarked. It has a bulbous forehead, and a rather stubby and narrow visor, giving it a noticeably different profile from that of wartime M35/40s. Although I didn't realize this at the time I bought the helmet, it has since occurred to me that the bulbous forehead and stubby visor are probably the result of modifications made to a size 64 mold to accommodate the manufacture of size 66 shells. If true, then the West Germans were resorting to this cost-saving shortcut long before some of the repro guys took up the idea.

Gene T

[Gordon Craig]

Gene T,

Very interesting helemt. I have never seen one like it before.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Guardian 5]

Genossen,
THe BW I'm told, traded with BAOR personnel in the 1980's for DPM, at that time were the Dutch Army issuing DPM?, I'm also told by some Ex BW friends that they never used BGS Patterns, does this follow with your experience?...

The pre Flecktarn BW is one of my Directions of Interest... ...

Viktor - I'll have to do some research on the first part of your question.

As for the information about the BW not using BGS patterns, that squares with my experience.

Take care - TJ

[Gordon Craig]

BW Experimental Fibregalls helmet

In the 1950s, the BW started a project to look at the feasibility of making combat hemets out of fibreglass. A while back I purchased a helmet that was advertised on an auction house as being one of these helmets. The helmet I bought resenbles the experimental fibreglass helmets in Baer's volume #II. My friend Roger Lucy, a well know helmet collector, says he feels it is not German but a helmet made by a country in the far east trying to do the same thing using the West German project as a model. There no makings on the helemt except for an unknown mold mark in the interior centre at the top. I'd appreciate any comments from forum members about this helmet. The pictures are from a printout of the auction that I have on file. I do not have this helmet with me right now.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Interior of my helmet.

[Gordon Craig]

A picture from Baer's book showing the external and internal views of one of these helmets by a specific maker.

Regards,

Gordon

[Joe]

Looks like an Iraqi Helmet

[Gordon Craig]

Joe,

Thanks for your comments. I've had this helmet since a long time before the Iraqi war but anything is possible. Do you have any pictures of Iraqi helmets that look like the one I posted that you could post pictures of?

Regards,

Gordon