Late Winter field Uniforms

[iannima]

My constant vigil on Ebay has prompted me to observe the appearance of two items that I had never seen before.
The first is a "UTV" pattern Winter field uniform without shoulder boards but instead the rank shown on a patch at the sleeve:

http://cgi.ebay.de/NVA-Felddienstanz...QQcmdZViewItem


(Photograph "borrowed" from Bernhard's auction to show what I mean.)
Bernhard describes it better than I can do. We know that such a thing existed because it features in those photographs of proposed changes that thankfully never came to pass...

But I have also come across a Winter version of the "UTV" Strichtarn Panzer uniform with the distinctive Latzhose (this one not offered by Bernhard, and I cannot save images of it):

http://cgi.ebay.de/NVA-Winteruniform...QQcmdZViewItem

It is unclear whether the jacket has the recovery strap. I suspect yes because I can see the D rings on to which it would clip on the trousers. Now the question whether this uniform was worn or issued at all is neither here nor there: I suspect the answer to be "not at all" or "not much", like its summer counterpart.
We are all aware (indeed Bernhard mentions it) that Strichtarn winter suits are being reproduced, so this thing could also be a fantasy item. What militates towards its possibly being a genuine experimental design is the size: K44. Reproduction suits tend to be of bigger sizes, because those have run out and are in heavy demand. Winter suits in size 44 are still to be found, sometimes early ones with exposed buttons in mint conditions.

So if this a genuine item, it is certainly something I did not know it existed. What do you think? Did you know of such a uniform?

[RedBaran11]

I've got one of the normal ones as shown in the first picture. Didn't realize they were difficult to come by?

[iannima]

Didn't realize they were difficult to come by?

They might be very common. I have just never come across them. And Ebay listings being what they are, I might have passed by many without noticing. Not that I am interested. I quite like the shoulder boards and prefer them. Perhaps it is just another instance in which items need to be sold by Bernhard for me to notice, because he is one of the very few who will take the trouble of describing them accurately. Many are the things that I have learned from his listings, regardless of whether I bought the item or not.

[Viktor]

Genossen, I have one G48 It was from a small Charity Shop in Sevenoaks here in the Kent Military District of the UK SSR, a Genossen of mine gave it as a Grandfather Frost gift a few years back.. it cost him Five Soft Imperialistic Pounds Sterling..

Which was nice...

[DaveM]

green extraction strap

I have both the regular and panzer styles of the winter "late UTV" uniform. The regular I pcked up a long time back. Both are in size 52. As well, I did have an extra winter panzer "late UTV" that I sold. These panzer outfits do come with the standard UTV green extraction strap.

[iannima]

Testing field equipment... albeit 30 odd years too late... I have never been a model of timely efficiency...

What's that? An enemy of the people?



I believe it is... yes



Better investigate...

[iannima]

Oh dear... Where have they gone?



Vanished in thin air?



Perhaps it was just a pheasant...

[Dag]

Hm, the Hfw sends you back to get the right gloves and leave the neck-warmer were it belongs.

[iannima]

I can sort of understand why reproductions of these suits are being made. I was up there on the moors around 9 am and there was a chilly northern wind. Temperature cannot have been much higher than 1 or 2 degrees Celsius, and in the shade it was definitely below freezing.
I could not feel the cold at all with the Winter FDA Plenty of veterans in Germany when fishing or shooting etc. must be thinking back of their army days and wishing they had their old Winter FDA back...
There are two main issues with it: it is not as waterproof as it could be. I used a full can of spray from an outdoors shop yesterday evening because I knew this to be a problem. Secondly, it is unclear what ideally one should wear underneath. The NVA gear is prone to creating a perspiring nightmare . I briefly toyed with the idea of going the whole hog with a N.5 winter uniform (Steingrau underneath). I am glad I didn't...
But its ability to isolate and seal the body from the outside is truly impressive.
The boots performed admirably well despite the ice and snow all over the place... But then keeping them polished is not just for the looks... ( genosse Viktor, please take notice )

[DaveM]

Cold Weather Gear

The NVA cold weather gear is a bit on the bulky/heavy side ... OK if you are not moving or sweat is a problem.

I was just outside this AM in -20 celcius / -4 farenheit tromping up/down hills around the ravine in my neighbourhood with our dog .... for practicality US Army gortex does the job... lightweight-warm-waterproof.

[Viktor]

Genosse iannima,
What rank are you wearing!, if it is Career or Officer Grade you are in violation of your Probation Order handed down as of the Special sitting of the State Dress Regulations Troka of the People's Court, 9th July 2003..

Black "Leather" Gloves Indicate you have fallen back into your Traitorous ways, unless a reason is found, your normal ( over used) place in the Witness Box is being prepared!.

[iannima]

Genosse iannima,
What rank are you wearing!, if it is Career or Officer Grade you are in violation of your Probation Order handed down as of the Special sitting of the State Dress Regulations Troka of the People's Court, 9th July 2003..

Black "Leather" Gloves Indicate you have fallen back into your Traitorous ways, unless a reason is found, your normal ( over used) place in the Witness Box is being prepared!.

Ah Genosse you should know me better than this! The rank is Unterfeldwebel but... the Wintermütze, although with dark fake fur, is made of officer gabardine... and the gloves are officer leather gloves... because I was replicating a photograph I had seen of the Wachregiment Felixe in the Hagen Koch book of which we talked about a couple of months ago...
It was actually you who alerted me to the fact that Wachregiment Wintermütze were different and I have since managed to acquire not one but two such things (although one has been boiled by Sturm or other counter-revolutionaries and the fur is not so dark any more, but still recognisably different from an officer one). Thankfully I also managed to procure one such hat for Genosse Rob.
You might obviously question what a Wachregimenter is doing up on the moors of Nortumberland when he should be in Berlin securing the domiciles of the high and mighty!
But hey ho !

[Kozlov]

it is not as waterproof as it could be.

Ok, there are two possible reasons for this:

1) From the period this was conceived, no army had waterproof winter gear - the waterproof layer of the time was a poncho/raincape/zelt of somesort. Gortex was probably a little way off even for the Amerikans...

2) Soviet winter equipment (and even Russian Federation stuff) is not designed for slightly cool and wet Western European winters, it is designed for weather so cold there is zero chance of wet.

But yes, it doesn't work too well in the UK(SSR).... I think we should demand names!

[iannima]

your Probation Order handed down as of the Special sitting of the State Dress Regulations Troka of the People's Court, 9th July 2003...

On the other hand I am rather impressed that you can remember that we first met in July 2003 although that being at Beltring it must have been a bit later than the 9th

Genosse iannima,
Black "Leather" Gloves Indicate you have fallen back into your Traitorous ways,

As for the leather gloves, I would remind you that there is always the "escape route" of the Grenztruppen because they do ALL manners of things that are otherwise not in the regulationssmokinrather ironic don't you think that the GT should provide an escape route? )





(neck warmer on the extreme right)

At several stages I have tried to make some use of the four fingered gloves of which I own two pairs. They are sort of all right for gardening but awkward. They do come into their own when used to shield one's hands in the brutal combat involved in opening an oyster. I don't think they were ever intended to be put to such decadent uses...

[Kozlov]

Ooooh thats a good look! The one I've been looking for an excuse for - Grenzer's with cammo and full coloured hats!!

Very KGBPV 8)