A thread about the Kampfgruppen

[Guardian 5]

Here they are going at it. If we ever tried this at the plant I work at, half the work force would be put off the job permanently....

Another Kar 98k bayonet is in evidence on the fighter on the right.

[Guardian 5]

And now a look at the softer side of the KdA....

Images of hot little Frauleins like this get Genosse Viktor hot and bothered in no time

Just think of it; a stunning beauty and a heavily indoctrinated communist....Katarina Witt has some heavy competition here and I do mean heavy!

[Guardian 5]

Can anyone figure out what kind of belts these c. 1956 fighters are wearing? They seem very light with a shiny buckle.

[Guardian 5]

Here is a fine study of a fighter in a hasty fighting position with a Kar 98k and a wooly Feldmutze.

This individual could also be taken for a c.1945 Volkssturm volunteer or an early BGS border guard.

[Guardian 5]

These guys actually look half way squared away.

Note the STG-44 pouch worn by the fighter closest to the camera. He looks like the same NCO in the grenade picture.

[Guardian 5]

I'll close with these "Bobbies" on parade. Surprisingly, very few of these vehicles survived into preservation. I think there are only one or two in the UK.

I hoped you enjoyed the photos and look forward to your comments.

All the best,
TJ

[comune1aclasse]

Hello TJ,

thank you very much for showing these very nice and detailed pictures of early KdA!! Wow!!

Very interesting to see how the accoutrements were worn!

I know about the use of K98 bayonets...as far as I know these had been slightly modified in the grip part.

Cheers,

Alex

[Gordon Craig]

Here we see KdA at target practice with .22 caliber rifles. Does anyone have the nomenclature of this rifle? Was it Wehrmacht vintage?

The fighter lying prone furthest from the camera appears to have a Kar 98K bayonet on his belt. Has anyone seen this before?

TJ,

A question often asked is "Did the DDR issue Kar98k bayonets with the Kar98k rifles. And this picture answers that question. At least for the guys in this picture. As for the 22 cal. rifles, probably of post war vintage. The ones used during the TR era were made to look just like the KKar98k. The slings on the rifles shown in your picture are not attached in the same manner as a Kar98k sling would have been. Just an educated guess on my part.

Regards,

Gordon

[Guardian 5]

Alex and Gordon,

I'm delighted to read that these subjects require more research. It's always fun to break new ground!

I'm wondering if the East German Mauser bayonet was adapted from the Czech VZ24, hence the odd looking handle? We have seen the KdA using this rifle in other posts.

I've also seen .22 caliber rifles used by the FDJ in later years and was informed that they were of Romanian origin. It's time to dust off the old references and do some more digging.

Thanks for the feedback Gentlemen.

All the best,
TJ

[Gordon Craig]

Alex and TJ,

I don't understand why the hilt of a Kar98k bayonet would have been modified in anyway. They were designed to fit the 98k and what would the DDR need to modify the hilt for?
I've taken a closer look at the two bayonets pictured and can make some comments. The one in wear by the guy lying on the ground appears to be of the early style with a wooden handle. The frog has a strap at the top that goes around the hilt. This type of scabbard was issued to the cavalry early in the war so the wooden handle would fit well with it. This frog strap came back into use late in the war but not on every frog. The second 89k bayonet looks like the later issue one with the bakelite grips. The hilts don't look odd to me. Just what I would expect to see issued with a German 98k.

Regards,

Gordon

[KevinH]

I agree with Gordon. I have seen both TR era style 98K bayonets first hand, and have the wooden handle one in my possession. Nothing jumps out at me from these pictures to suggest that they have been modified. For those that have heard these rumors of modification, what reason would there be to do so?

[uscob]

Genossen,

Please see below for some interesting KdA pictures.

In these pictures we will see the following images which were somewhat exciting for me:
- KdA usage of the practice Wehrmacht style "potato masher" grenades
- Fighters wearing Kar 98k bayonets
- KdA using .22 caliber practice rifles

We will start off with the potato masher pic. The grenades look newly manufactured. Even though the grenadier is jumping into a trench, I don't think the grenades are live for his compatriots remain unprotected.

The Potato Mashers are the so called "Wurfkeule".
Just a piece of Hard Wood like Beech and a Metal Ring with a Metal Disk crimped under the Top.
Everybody could buy them freely in Sport's Shops as I did in early 1990 in Potsdam, where I had to "smuggle" them out of the GDR.
there they also had a Buy and Sell Corner, where they had VoPo E-Tools, Decon Kits for Vehicles, Shelter Pieces and lot's of other Stuff for sale.
Was Stupid as they just sold them in small quantities from 1 to 5 ea. so I was there with my Dad and a Friend from our Divers Club, so we took the hole morning to buy Stuff, cary it to the Car, buy-carry, buy carry and so on, every time they had to write a receipt, so by noon they used a complete block of about 100 sheets. Gladly they didn't checked the Car when we went back to West-Berlin.

[uscob]

Thanks Alex.

Torsten told me earlier (via FB) that Strausberg was the HQ for the DDR's Ministry of Defence.

Which I guess explains the KdA unit, because when I look at the town of about 24,000 people it doesn't seem to have much industry.

I've been after one of these banners for well over a decade, so to have one now makes me very happy

I doubt that the Militia was in Strausberg to protect the Armed Forces Command, now housing the Army Command of the Bundeswehr.
They had enough Military to protect themselves.

[comune1aclasse]

I agree with Gordon. I have seen both TR era style 98K bayonets first hand, and have the wooden handle one in my possession. Nothing jumps out at me from these pictures to suggest that they have been modified. For those that have heard these rumors of modification, what reason would there be to do so?

Apparently they replaced a part called "Feuerschutzblech" ... I'm not able to translate this word....
This "new" part has a waffel-pattern surface while wartime pieces had this part flat.
So what I read on german speaking fora concerning this matter is that to do so they had to remove the grips and when they had to reassemble it they used aluminium rivets.

...This is the info that I collected on other fora. I never had one of these in my hands and I am not an expert on WW2 K98 bayonets.

Alex

[Gordon Craig]

Alex,

Thanks for the update. The part that was replaced, or perhaps added, was a muzzle flash/heat protector. This piece was not always present on bayonets made during WWII. As you say, it was a piece of metal that was flat on the surface but extended down into the grips and was held in place by the nuts and bolts that held the grip plates into place. The part that slide down into the handle of the bayonet slipped over the tang on both sides.
I've posted some pictures of the bayonet below showing the construction and one on a rifle to indicate why the protective metal was used. The flat plate visible on the top of the grip plates is #6.
I remember seeing 98k bayonets with aluminum rivets holding the grip plates on but never knew before now who replace the screws and nuts with aluminum rivets.

Regards,

Gordon