I have recently watched a 10 minutes little thing made by DDR TV on the Wachregiment in 1988. Now half a minute at the beginning has answered a few questions that have always troubled my sleep 
...
The opening scene (more or less) is at 6:45 am (if I remember rightly) when a detachment of guards leaves the barracks in Geschwister Scholl Straße to reach the Neue Wache on foot. The interesting thing is that the barrier is opened and closed, by another member of the Wachregiment in a different order of dress. Now I have not got an original photograph to show, but being the buffoon that I am
, I have recreated that order of dress at home 
...
As you can see the FIVE buttoned tunic is worn as Dienstuniform, with the collar open (it is obvious from the rest of the video that it is the depths of summer), with the brown belt and ammunition pouch. The weapon I cannot replicate correctly because I do not own one, but it was what I believe is technically known as an AKS 74N, that is a version of the Kalashnikov firing the smaller round, characterised by the bigger and longer flash excluder at the muzzle, and by a folding stock. Here I am carrying my normal AKM.
Now this to me answers several questions: firstly it corroborates the usage of that five buttons tunic for Dienstuniform, but this is something on which we pretty much knew what was what.
What is new is the usage of a Kalashnikov weapon by a member of the Wachregiment. I had often wondered whether they were actually trained to fight with the SKS that they carried at the Neue Wache. It seemed rather odd that they would, but it is also rather difficult to imagine that a regiment housed so centrally in Berlin, would not be trained to fight, just in case the balloon did go up. We would obviously need a veteran to help us with this, but I strongly suspect that the SKS was only used for ceremonial purposes and the actual fighting training that they are likely to have done, must have been done with Kalashnikov type weapons. This video was done in 1988, so an AK74 makes sense, but earlier than that, an AKM is more likely.
Incidentally I have also seen earlier DDR TV footage of -probably- Wachregiment soldiers, standing guard next to memorials (not the Neue Wache) and again carrying MPiK. Now I cannot be certain that they were indeed Wachregiment because the cuff title was not visible, and they were only to be seen for very few seconds but that was enough to see that they were of the rank of Soldat, wearing dark collar officer uniforms (piping was visible and obviously the Stiefelhose), and the white belt with cross strap. As I said, holding the AKM across their chest. The uniforms to me point towards their being Wachregiment and the scene was obviously in Berlin, as stated in the commentary.
So here we have some evidence that the Wachregiment was also using Kalashnikov type weapons, obviously not for its principal ceremonial role but... and if that was true of Wachregiment N.1 (the one that later became the Engels), I have little doubt that the elusive Wachregiment N. 2 used Kalashnikovs very extensively...
I have not worked out how to save a still from the video
I don't know if I can...
...The opening scene (more or less) is at 6:45 am (if I remember rightly) when a detachment of guards leaves the barracks in Geschwister Scholl Straße to reach the Neue Wache on foot. The interesting thing is that the barrier is opened and closed, by another member of the Wachregiment in a different order of dress. Now I have not got an original photograph to show, but being the buffoon that I am
, I have recreated that order of dress at home ...As you can see the FIVE buttoned tunic is worn as Dienstuniform, with the collar open (it is obvious from the rest of the video that it is the depths of summer), with the brown belt and ammunition pouch. The weapon I cannot replicate correctly because I do not own one, but it was what I believe is technically known as an AKS 74N, that is a version of the Kalashnikov firing the smaller round, characterised by the bigger and longer flash excluder at the muzzle, and by a folding stock. Here I am carrying my normal AKM.
Now this to me answers several questions: firstly it corroborates the usage of that five buttons tunic for Dienstuniform, but this is something on which we pretty much knew what was what.
What is new is the usage of a Kalashnikov weapon by a member of the Wachregiment. I had often wondered whether they were actually trained to fight with the SKS that they carried at the Neue Wache. It seemed rather odd that they would, but it is also rather difficult to imagine that a regiment housed so centrally in Berlin, would not be trained to fight, just in case the balloon did go up. We would obviously need a veteran to help us with this, but I strongly suspect that the SKS was only used for ceremonial purposes and the actual fighting training that they are likely to have done, must have been done with Kalashnikov type weapons. This video was done in 1988, so an AK74 makes sense, but earlier than that, an AKM is more likely.
Incidentally I have also seen earlier DDR TV footage of -probably- Wachregiment soldiers, standing guard next to memorials (not the Neue Wache) and again carrying MPiK. Now I cannot be certain that they were indeed Wachregiment because the cuff title was not visible, and they were only to be seen for very few seconds but that was enough to see that they were of the rank of Soldat, wearing dark collar officer uniforms (piping was visible and obviously the Stiefelhose), and the white belt with cross strap. As I said, holding the AKM across their chest. The uniforms to me point towards their being Wachregiment and the scene was obviously in Berlin, as stated in the commentary.
So here we have some evidence that the Wachregiment was also using Kalashnikov type weapons, obviously not for its principal ceremonial role but... and if that was true of Wachregiment N.1 (the one that later became the Engels), I have little doubt that the elusive Wachregiment N. 2 used Kalashnikovs very extensively...
I have not worked out how to save a still from the video
I don't know if I can...
Where else can one get away with wearing the dienstuniform with bayonet and mpi-km pouch on the brown belt? 
on the brown belt. 
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