I recently had to move around a bunch of my bulky winter gear and decided it was a good time to document the BW stuff I have. Especially the mystery parka at the end of this post.
First up is a 1st Model Field Jacket, dated 1959 (shell) and 1958 (liner). This replaced the Splittertarnjacke with Teddyfutter liner. As far as I can tell the original liner, produced in 1958 and 1959, was a quilted nylon type. From 1959 on the liner was the familiar Teddyfutter.
The example pictured below is pretty beat up. The epaulettes have been cut off and the BRD flags removed from the shoulders. I have a much better condition one waiting for me in Germany.
Next is what is a set of winter over trousers, dated 1959. At least I assume these are for winter use, but I suppose the could also be for wet weather despite apparently not being specially treated to repel water. In any case, at this point the standard uniform trousers were wool, so cotton overtrousers would be a big benefit in terms of both cold and wet.
The features of this one are reverse snaps (i.e. the male side on the flaps), pass through hand pockets, sewn in elastic suspenders, strap gathers at ankles, and pocket on the right leg only. It is interesting to note that in 1958 the Austrian Bundesheer experimented with reverse position snaps as well.
Here is a 1962 example of the overtrousers. It is nearly identical to the 1959 type except the snaps are in the normal configuration and with a more pointed leg pocket flap. The integrated belt buckle is also different, being rather plain compared to a deeply pocked type found on the above version.
Rounding out the above two types is this one dated 1975. It is very similar, however it is simplified in several ways. First, the leg cuffs have snaps to gather at the ankles instead of straps. The fly of the above two is a V shape overlapping flap with a button on the inside, while this one now has a snap. There is no longer a belt, nor are there belt loops. However, the design is similar in other ways.
Sometime around 1986 or 1988 the OD Gortex type overtrousers came into use. They are very similar in design to the above type and, as far as I can tell, replaced them. The Flecktarn type (1990) is nearly the same as the OD Gortex type. This would suggest that all 5 types are wet weather gear, but again I can not be certain of this.
OK, back to jackets. Here is the type we are familiar with most, which I call 2nd Model Winter Parka. It was likely introduced in 1970 along with other new garments. My example is dated 1984. It is a simplified 1st Model with rounded surface buttons in place of the flat raised edge type used in the 1950s and 1960s. The primary feature differences are an overall shorter hemline, no reinforced elbows, and simplified armpits. The 1st Model has two pieces and metal grommets making up the armpit vent area while the 2nd Model has no special pieces and stitched vent holes.
Next is the 3rd Model, introduced in 1988 or perhaps 1986. The particular example I have is dated 1988. It consists of an outer shell and a completely separate inner liner which can be worn separately. The liner has a wide cloth collar and cuffs. The shell is made of thin artificial fiber. It is a further simplification of the parka design with zippered hand pockets instead of buttoned flapped, snap cuffs instead of button strapped cuffs, and snap front instead of button front. This model was the basis of the Flecktarn parka system that came into service around 1990.
OK, here are some mystery items. The first is heavy, VERY HEAVY, cotton trousers in the came design as the Filzlaus. They appear to be overtrousers, but I suppose they could be worn on their own. The example I have is dated 1959. I have no idea how long these were produced, however TJ was kind enough to post a picture of them being worn in 1960.
My hunch is these were not issued for very long, though that is just a guess.
Lastly is a mystery parka. The best guess I can come up with for this one is that it was a sort of extreme cold parka or a type specific to say LW or Marine. The combo I have is a 1976 shell with a snap in (not button!) 1961 liner. Perfect fit too. It is significantly longer than even the 1st Model and has a different pocket configuration, more similar to the service Mantel. It has two high up vertical hand pockets and two lower horizontal pockets with flaps but no buttons or snaps. Strange. Any pictures or info on this one would be greatly appreciated!
That about does it, I think!
Oh headgear. I don't have the time or energy to dig this stuff out. Suffice to say there are at least 3 models of lined flap caps (2x OD, 1x Flecktarn).
Steve
First up is a 1st Model Field Jacket, dated 1959 (shell) and 1958 (liner). This replaced the Splittertarnjacke with Teddyfutter liner. As far as I can tell the original liner, produced in 1958 and 1959, was a quilted nylon type. From 1959 on the liner was the familiar Teddyfutter.
The example pictured below is pretty beat up. The epaulettes have been cut off and the BRD flags removed from the shoulders. I have a much better condition one waiting for me in Germany.
Next is what is a set of winter over trousers, dated 1959. At least I assume these are for winter use, but I suppose the could also be for wet weather despite apparently not being specially treated to repel water. In any case, at this point the standard uniform trousers were wool, so cotton overtrousers would be a big benefit in terms of both cold and wet.
The features of this one are reverse snaps (i.e. the male side on the flaps), pass through hand pockets, sewn in elastic suspenders, strap gathers at ankles, and pocket on the right leg only. It is interesting to note that in 1958 the Austrian Bundesheer experimented with reverse position snaps as well.
Here is a 1962 example of the overtrousers. It is nearly identical to the 1959 type except the snaps are in the normal configuration and with a more pointed leg pocket flap. The integrated belt buckle is also different, being rather plain compared to a deeply pocked type found on the above version.
Rounding out the above two types is this one dated 1975. It is very similar, however it is simplified in several ways. First, the leg cuffs have snaps to gather at the ankles instead of straps. The fly of the above two is a V shape overlapping flap with a button on the inside, while this one now has a snap. There is no longer a belt, nor are there belt loops. However, the design is similar in other ways.
Sometime around 1986 or 1988 the OD Gortex type overtrousers came into use. They are very similar in design to the above type and, as far as I can tell, replaced them. The Flecktarn type (1990) is nearly the same as the OD Gortex type. This would suggest that all 5 types are wet weather gear, but again I can not be certain of this.
OK, back to jackets. Here is the type we are familiar with most, which I call 2nd Model Winter Parka. It was likely introduced in 1970 along with other new garments. My example is dated 1984. It is a simplified 1st Model with rounded surface buttons in place of the flat raised edge type used in the 1950s and 1960s. The primary feature differences are an overall shorter hemline, no reinforced elbows, and simplified armpits. The 1st Model has two pieces and metal grommets making up the armpit vent area while the 2nd Model has no special pieces and stitched vent holes.
Next is the 3rd Model, introduced in 1988 or perhaps 1986. The particular example I have is dated 1988. It consists of an outer shell and a completely separate inner liner which can be worn separately. The liner has a wide cloth collar and cuffs. The shell is made of thin artificial fiber. It is a further simplification of the parka design with zippered hand pockets instead of buttoned flapped, snap cuffs instead of button strapped cuffs, and snap front instead of button front. This model was the basis of the Flecktarn parka system that came into service around 1990.
OK, here are some mystery items. The first is heavy, VERY HEAVY, cotton trousers in the came design as the Filzlaus. They appear to be overtrousers, but I suppose they could be worn on their own. The example I have is dated 1959. I have no idea how long these were produced, however TJ was kind enough to post a picture of them being worn in 1960.
My hunch is these were not issued for very long, though that is just a guess.
Lastly is a mystery parka. The best guess I can come up with for this one is that it was a sort of extreme cold parka or a type specific to say LW or Marine. The combo I have is a 1976 shell with a snap in (not button!) 1961 liner. Perfect fit too. It is significantly longer than even the 1st Model and has a different pocket configuration, more similar to the service Mantel. It has two high up vertical hand pockets and two lower horizontal pockets with flaps but no buttons or snaps. Strange. Any pictures or info on this one would be greatly appreciated!
That about does it, I think!
Oh headgear. I don't have the time or energy to dig this stuff out. Suffice to say there are at least 3 models of lined flap caps (2x OD, 1x Flecktarn).
Steve
At the very least it does seem to be very rare. I have seen only one on eBay in many years. The bidding was quite low on it, probably because people mistook it for Filzlaus (bad photos) or perhaps even US M-1951 (which this is based on). I was very happy to win.
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