Why did Dirlewanger division soldiers wear masks?

[Napalm]

This thread is rubbish...

[Dr. Strangelove]

Hmmm

Who do the ATF and DEA wear Masks?

[Patrick W]

This is a well known photo- not dirlewanger but heer troops!

[kammo man]

OMG ............LOL ....for sure ............those bad men ARE wearing masks ...they are losers !!!!
And ugly ............

see ye later /..........



BFFs ≥......

[KM-NZ]

me too, I like to see such masks in collections

[Jaegermeister]

I think they are from 7.SS Gbj Div. and kroats. They had reason for hiding their face.

[JamesUS]

Maybe they were allergic to sunflower pollen, and used the masks so they didn't have sneezing fits in combat ??

[wolfcastle]

Cmon James, we all know Dirlewanger troops were issued Benedryl tablets in August '44. I have numerous original examples w/ ss runes stamped into them.

[Gernika81]

This thread is rubbish...

Thanks for your kind comments. Your contribution to the thread has been invaluable.

[Gernika81]

When I created this thread it was simply because I came across a web site with an article about the Dirlewanger division whose link I posted above, in which that pic with soldiers wearing those camo masks appeared. I was curious about that and I asked on the WAF. I know that I shouldn't believe all what it's written on the Internet, but it was the first time I saw those masks. Some people seem to feel uncomfortable when threads on Dirlewanger division pop-up. Curious...

[Jens]

We were issued masks very similar in the early nineties during the conflict in Croatia, simply because of the cold.

They were never popular. It seems there a quite a few, here who have never enjoyed an eastern cold weather

Apart from that, I never seen any photo evince that this well known photo ever was from Dirlewanger Regiment/Brigade or Division.

[JamesUS]

Unfortunately, seems there is no way to verify which unit the troops belong to.

As has been pointed out, its not safe to assume that there was some dark purpose behind them.
All military forces from around the globe from all time periods has issued various forms of face protection from cold weather.
Many paramilitary and police forces around the globe do so also, and not just for cold weather.
Some are light and relatively crude, some heavy and well constructed.

Masks by their very nature can easily strike up sinister connotations in the mind, particularly if one associates them with German troops fighting on the eastern front ,,, But there is no reason to assume these guys were human hunters, looking to protect their identity.
On the other hand, they don't appear to be cold weather issue, as the construction makes no effort to protect the ears.
The hat and mask appear to be integral, so the need for a strap to go around the neck is eliminated.
Looks like a cammo pattern, and probably military issued [ie: not a field expedient]