BGS BundesGrenzSchutz

[Gordon Craig]

Marksharky,

I agree with what Steve has said. Uniform items for the BGS were produced through contracts and then issued to the soldiers. This included everyone up the the rank of Prasident (equivalent of Major General in the Bundeswehr) the highest rank in the BGS. There must have been special order uniforms for soldiers that could not be issued uniforms that would fit through tailoring but I have not seen any.
Grey shirts are very hard to come by. I was lucky when I bought the complete uniform with the shirt. Good luck in your hunt.
No doubt there were manual/s of clothing regulations for the BGS but I have never seen any. It would be a gold mine of information were we to find one.
Keep posting BGS items. As you know, there is a high degree of interest in BGS items by members and visitors of this forum.

Regards,

Gordon

[Nachrichten]

The shirt label and the front of the tie.

Amazing how much the BGS ties resemble the East German ones. Even the fabric weave appears similar/identical.

N

[Collectinsteve]

I noticed this too! It is also nearly the same as Soviet ties, and I expect many others.

BGS/Polizei also have a standard, full tie that must be manually knotted. The same for Bundeswehr Gesellschaft (formal dress) uniform's bow tie.

Steve

[Marksharky]

Here's my hat badge that I received when I made the trade for the shirt. If I am correct, I believe these badges came out with the new uniforms about 1976? Does anyone have more info or insight into that?

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

And here's a BGS magazine cover showing the bamboo colored shirts and the new hat badges:

[IMG][/IMG]

[Gordon Craig]

Marksharky,

The uniform change was actually authorized in 1975 but probably not worn to any extent until 1976 so your date is as good as any. It takes a few years to change over to a new uniform.
Since you are usuing a host and your picture will be lost soon I'll repost them.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

The cap badge and magazine referenced by Marksharky in his post above.

[Gordon Craig]

The magazine cover.

[Guardian 5]

Gents - On the subject of neckties, this one came with a Stadt level Polizei shirt. For the sake of comparison, I thought I'd put it in here.

In the U.S., most police uniforms no longer include a necktie. When they do, they are usually of the "clip-on" type. I've been told this is to prevent a suspect from grabbing a standard necktie during an arrest and doing harm to an officer.

With this in mind, I wonder if the example shown would be reserved for parades or special occasions. I would imagine this protocol would apply to the BGS as well.

All the best - TJ

[Guardian 5]

A view of the label. It would appear as though this was a standard civilian tie that closely matched the Polizei standard.

All the best - TJ

[Guardian 5]

Now onto the subject of shirts. I suspect that this is a BGS shirt, but I am not certain.

It is heavy for a shirt and seems to have been made as stand alone garment rather than a shirt designed to be worn under a tunic.

All of the buttons are gone, with the exception of two pebbled silver colored buttons on the pockets.

The cuffs are odd in that they appear to be designed to accomodate cufflinks; an strange choice for a duty shirt.

There is a faint "E0475" stamped on the inside below the collar. There are no other markings readily apparent.

There may have been buttons sewn to the shoulders, but only faint traces remain.

Any thoughts?

All the best - TJ

[Guardian 5]

A close-up of the pocket.

[Guardian 5]

The collar.

[Guardian 5]

The cuff.

[Guardian 5]

The brown dot seen on the shoulder appears to be the remnant of a button stitch.

On a final note, there is no tell-tale outline of a removed Bundesadler or BGS tab. From the scant evidence that remains, there could be the shadowy outline of a chevron of some type.

In any event, thanks for looking.

All the best - TJ

[Nachrichten]

Try this site:-

http://www.bundesgrenzschutz.heinzjo...tschriften.htm

There are lots of interesting articles in "BGS Zeitschrift" for 1975/76 dealing with the change-over of uniforms.

N