The DDR reenacted

[Viktor]

Genossen,



About my Historic Mission last Sunday.....

[iannima]

Beautifully done and according to the scale of norms Genosse . Might one inquire about the string that hangs from your belt? Is it the Makarov lanyard? I am aware of a Russian lanyard but have repeatedly come across Lanyards that are described as East German and in East German reddish brown rather than the darker Soviet one.

[Viktor]

Beautifully done and according to the scale of norms Genosse . Might one inquire about the string that hangs from your belt? Is it the Makarov lanyard? I am aware of a Russian lanyard but have repeatedly come across Lanyards that are described as East German and in East German reddish brown rather than the darker Soviet one.

Genosse iannima,
It is a DDR Black Boot lace lanyard, top quality as you can guess...

[iannima]

It is a DDR Black Boot lace lanyard, top quality as you can guess...

The production quality of our socialist fatherland is ALWAYS the top... unless the senseless imperialist, fascist western aggression forces it to be otherwise...
However... might one inquire for what purpose an officer of the GT would have looped the loose lace of a Falli (perhaps?) boot around his belt ? Is it that Moscow Centre, in its ineffable wisdom, is yet to release such classified information? Or was it the action of western saboteurs ...?
Seriously though ... are you aware of NVA Makarov lanyards? I have seen them but I don't quite know what to think of them, as I have never seen any sign of them in the 'historical documents'.

[Mike G.]

Matteo and Victor,

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I have seen pics of the DDR Makarov being worn with a lanyard, but they were very early 50s era pics and of the Grenz Polizei; and I think regular Polizei wearing the Schako.
Don't know about Grenztruppen.
Very innovative stuff though.

[RedBaran11]

If you have access (and time) to visit some of the military surplus stores, I think you can find a complete US Army camo system, inclusive of the poles and storage bag, for dirt cheap. The poles can be either of aluminum or a type of carbon/fiberglass construction, dependent on when produced. At the top, they have a unique folding wing system that can be spread in a 90 degree pattern (always inward toward the center of the configuration). The netting is comrised of a intertwined rope system from which thousands of individual ribbons of varying size and color shades (mostly browns and greens) are attached. The system is easy to transport, set up and take down, and would work remarkably well for protecting your investment from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Not only that, but in mid-summer, it will also bring down the temperature to a manageable comfort zone.

Another source would be the company US Cavalry. A search on line under that name should pull them up. They should have the system.

Is this what you are talking about?


The ones I have found run for about $90 or so. This is the description:
THIS SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A SET OF (12) 4'
INTERLOCKING POLES, WHICH CAN BE COMBINED TO CREATE VARIOUS LENGTH POLES, 12 STAKES, AND 3 SETS OF 3 "SPEADERS" WITH COUPLING WHICH ATTACH TO THE TOP OF THE POLES AND UNFOLD TO CREATE 4' DIAMETER "PETAL" SPREADER SUPPORT FOR CAMO NETTING OR CANVAS

How sturdy would they be? These airshows tend to get a bit windy with the aircraft. Also about how far apart should they be spaced? I am looking to slightly enlarge my display next time to about 40 feet by 40 feet, and I think a height of aaorund 10 feet or so for the netting should be adequate. I would want to cover the entire display area.

[Mike G.]

Roger,

There should be a camo net also.

To further secure the setup, simply tie some cord to the pole tops, run it out a bit, and stake the cord to the ground. It won't go anywhere. Tent pegs work just fine for that sort of thing.

[RedBaran11]

about how far apart should they be spaced?

[Mike G.]

The dispersion width for the poles is determined by the Net you employ.

The dimension of the Net you attain and use will determine that. The Nets come in different sizes.

[RedBaran11]

I'll have to use several nets, I have a large display area. I do have one, and its 8 by 10 i thinK?

[Mike G.]

If you are going to attempt to accomplish the set-up yourself, I strongly suggest using cord and tent pegs as earlier referenced, and recommend the following:

After determining the desired height and configuring the poles accordingly .....

Lay the net out on the ground in the desired location for where you want the display to be;

Take the end of one pole with the three pronged spreader and with the spreader facing "Inward", place the spreader inside/underneath one corner of the net, and raise it upward, being careful to walk inward a bit as you do so, to relieve tension.

Stake the pole to the ground. The cord I recommended attaching to the top of the pole should be attached in such a way that there are two long extensions. You want to go 45 degrees to either side of the pole and then stake it the cords with the tent pegs.

Next station yourself at the "Caddy-corner" end of the net. And repeat the steps referenced above. You will probably need to return to the first pole raised and readjust a bit after doing the second pole.

Then it is simply a matter of setting up the other two poles and the order is no longer of importance. You will need to tweek each a bit making adjustments here and there, but you should be able to accomplish the setup on your own.

If you can get just one other person to assist you, setup is a breeze using the system described above, and will only take a few minutes, and virtually no adjustment or tweeking is necessary, since the other person can set the tension on the pole by pulling a bit backward on it as you are setting up the "Caddy-corner" pole.

Using the actual camo nets intended for these poles is important. The cord netting they are constructed from insures they will easily "Fix" themselves to the three pronged spreader at the top of the pole.

[RedBaran11]

If you are going to attempt to accomplish the set-up yourself, I strongly suggest using cord and tent pegs as earlier referenced, and recommend the following:

After determining the desired height and configuring the poles accordingly .....

Lay the net out on the ground in the desired location for where you want the display to be;

Take the end of one pole with the three pronged spreader and with the spreader facing "Inward", place the spreader inside/underneath one corner of the net, and raise it upward, being careful to walk inward a bit as you do so, to relieve tension.

Stake the pole to the ground. The cord I recommended attaching to the top of the pole should be attached in such a way that there are two long extensions. You want to go 45 degrees to either side of the pole and then stake it the cords with the tent pegs.

Next station yourself at the "Caddy-corner" end of the net. And repeat the steps referenced above. You will probably need to return to the first pole raised and readjust a bit after doing the second pole.

Then it is simply a matter of setting up the other two poles and the order is no longer of importance. You will need to tweek each a bit making adjustments here and there, but you should be able to accomplish the setup on your own.

If you can get just one other person to assist you, setup is a breeze using the system described above, and will only take a few minutes, and virtually no adjustment or tweeking is necessary, since the other person can set the tension on the pole by pulling a bit backward on it as you are setting up the "Caddy-corner" pole.

Using the actual camo nets intended for these poles is important. The cord netting they are constructed from insures they will easily "Fix" themselves to the three pronged spreader at the top of the pole.

I was thinking one every 10 feet, with a height of 10 or 15 feet. I would also put a couple in the center to reduce "Bending". I think that should be adequet?

[Mike G.]

I would think so. Again, it is going to depend on the size of the nets or tarps, whichever you opt to use.

[uscob]

Matteo and Victor,

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I have seen pics of the DDR Makarov being worn with a lanyard, but they were very early 50s era pics and of the Grenz Polizei; and I think regular Polizei wearing the Schako.
Don't know about Grenztruppen.
Very innovative stuff though.

The DDR made Makarow allway's had a hole to the grip Caps and the Lanyard you can see on the Pic is the Standard one for all Forces using the DDR Model. It was attached with an ordinary knot. You have to remove one Cap, put the Lanyard in the hole and fix the Cap. Then it's secured.
The Leather Lanyards are only for the Soviet Model with the Ring on the sice. The DDR Hole was located at the Bottom of the grip, right behind the Magazine. Also the DDR Model had black grips w/o Star and the soviet, brown ones with Star.

[uscob]

What's the history behind the curved Rain Pattern ammunition pouch? Am I correct in thinking it pre-dates the straight version? I've also seen some curved pouches that have both a pair of gray straps on the back to attach it to a belt AND a ring for attachment to the Y-straps. However, I've seen some curved ones that only have the belt straps. Can anyone enlighten me on which was issued first and possible time frames of issue?

Much appreciation in advance!

curved, AK 47
straight, AK 74