Sniper Blind, Opiniions Please

[tankdriver]

There in not a Equipment forum so this is a starting place. I have seen these in German Sniper Training films, but none in real life. I asked my buddy in Austria who deals in sniper stuff big time if he has seen these being reproduced, and he has not. He also made the comment he has never seen a real one either. The wood appears old and dried out, the cord is all cotton, the screws and hinge appears correct. There is light coat of fine rust on screws hinge and wire support. Any opinions?
Thanks

[tankdriver]

Close ups

Here are some close ups of the blind. There are no marks on it but, it looks feels, and smells right. The strings are kinda dry rotted and all cotton. Wood cracked. The way the handle goes from squared shouldered to rounded. How would anyone know to do that? Any post your thoughs good or bad. That's the way we learn.
Thanks

[tankdriver]

close ups

[Frank Heukemes]

Hi tankdriver,

I know nill about these but can offer you a common sense opinion if you want to hear it.

Two things seem strange to me:

-why use RED stained wood for camouflage reasons when your life depends on it?

-the affixiation method of the thin leather strap seems too sloppy and most of all I think this leather string does not look aged enough. It also looks like it is too "smooth" for that age.

Frankly, who says this is not something somebody made quite recently for hunting? Deer wouldn´t mind too much about this faint red colour but keep in mind it would have been quite bright some 60 years ago and a human eye would spot it straight away.

Cheers, Frank H.

[Gene]

It just looks like a pain in the ass to lug this thing around. Snipers wore camoflage affixed to themselves so they could be mobile, not hunker down and await the fusillade of gunfire from the enemy. German snipers were prone to wanting to live, not like Japanese snipers who knew a hidden position in a tree was a death sentence.

[Brian M]

Hi Frank,
good to see you here!
I can't give you any help on this item, I've never seen one before. pretty interesting though... where'd you happen to pick it up?
Bri

[tankdriver]

Originally posted by Gene
It just looks like a pain in the ass to lug this thing around. Snipers wore camoflage affixed to themselves so they could be mobile, not hunker down and await the fusillade of gunfire from the enemy. German snipers were prone to wanting to live, not like Japanese snipers who knew a hidden position in a tree was a death sentence.

A couple of things. If you'll watch the WW2 German training films "The Unseen Weapon", and "Sharpshooter" shows blinds just like this one being used. It may not be for a German sniper, but it is very old. The wood is cracking all over, the string is 100% cotton, and is dry rotted. Leather is much stiffer than it looks. There is a light layer of fine rust on all metal parts. It is not new made for sure.

[tankdriver]

Where it came from

Originally posted by Brian M
Hi Frank,
good to see you here!
I can't give you any help on this item, I've never seen one before. pretty interesting though... where'd you happen to pick it up?
Bri

A lady was selling a scope can on eBay here is the rest of her add.

We got this about 20 years ago in a lot of Herman Goering division snipers items purchased from a New York dealer. The lot came from a 3rd army vet that served in Africa and Italy during the war the case is not numbered to the gun and the gun is a high turret with factory set triggers also in the lot were a snipers fold out blind, a luftwaffe m42 helmet with unit numbered splinter camo cover and knotted cord sniper veil and a periscope type of scope with a range table in it items sold as is e-mail us if interested in other items.

So I contacted her. Just told her to set a price and paid it.

[Willi Z.]

Have most certainly watched the 2 German sniper tapes many times. And these items are pictured. Very easy to construct one of these from wtahcing that tape. Sorry, but I do not believe this item to be era made. It just doesn't have the look and an item such as this would be seldom if ever found during the war and brought back. The story is very unbelievable too. Though the HG division fought in Sicily and Italy, it mainly fought in Russia and ended the war there. Would love to see the scope can...somehow I do no think it will be real. For what kind of scope is it?

I kept quiet on this matter...but, when I saw that bogus face veil for the M43, I knew there is some nonsense going on here.

Willi

[Willi Z.]

Now that I reread the earlier posts, it would appear that the can should be for a high turret. That will be easy to spot as original or one of these repros put of France........the ones that dominate ebay and sell for a fraction of the $2000 a real one costs. A high turret with dual triggers?? Pure nonsense!!! No knowledgable sniper collector will believe that. And, no one likes those in Senich's book. A Luft M42 with a Heer splinter to white camo cover is also rather unique......add a Waffen SS face veil (not designed for sniping, but recon work and also used by SS MG gunners) and the story gets rather silly. Both the cover and veil will be easy to tell......then the story truly falls apart.

I know I seldom comment on sniper items, but that is all I used to collect before I switched to FJ items. The most advanced sniper collectors are here in the US and I know many of them. You will note my name in the Richard Law book on 98 snipers.

Only trying to help......the more I hear about this stuff, the less I like.

Willi

[Chris Boonzaier]

What was the name of the women selling stuff? There are some female crooks in this hobby as well.

Gene, I dont go with your theory.
A blind is fine. Imagine you have to do a runner. Leave your blind and sprint away.

Now, if you have have half a tree tied to yourself, branches in every direction...how are you going to move discretely?
The more gunk you have tied and attached to your body, the more movement is made when you move a part of your body.

I saw this in Basic training, one guy had his helmet made up with reeds and branches, every time he turned his head there was a huge movement.

All the best
Chrois

[Willi Z.]

Hi Chris,

Yes, there are several well known female crooks in the hobby. One lives not far from me here on the East Coast. Lots of bad sniper items over the last 25 years have originated from her. Enough said........

This "blind" is featured in those Luftwaffe sniper tapes. There are of a sniper school environment.....many unique methods of camouflage are featured. It doen't mean any were used in the field.

As far as field use, you mostly see German snipers wearing helmet nets, those insect nets, and the pull over water pattern smock. I had a sniper Soldbuch which showed everything a sniper was issued from the sniper school. That information was listed in the Law 98 sniper book.

For me the issue is not whether they could have used the blind. The matter is that the blind looks newly made.......

Willi

[Chris Boonzaier]

Are there even such things as Issue Blinds ?
If every sniper had a homemade one, i dont see anything above a curiosity value.

I have seen rubber knee pads used by floor and tile layers sold as Paratrooper knee pads, I am sure there is quite a bit of Hunting stuff sold as sniper stuff.

The problem with this kind of stuff, even if it was 57 years old.... was it really from a Military sniper? Why not an imagnitive bird watcher or resourcful deer hunter ?