Flächentarn (patterned camouflage) uniform & equipment.

[Jack59]

Hello, a nice set.
could you introduce the bayonet and the helmet cover in more detail.
I also have an unofficial cover made from uniform fabric.
A tip about the display: no separate helmet covers were issued for jackets with firmly sewn hoods. This only happened with the jackets without a firmly sewn hood... the jackets of the "collar series".

Hi Sleepwalker, thanks for your comments. I've added an update about the helmet cover not being issued with hooded jackets. I'll be happy to present my helmet cover in more detail. I've beef up the info for the Modell 47 bayonet.

[Jack59]

The gas mask pouch & the AK cleaning kit.

The sun was great this morning for photographing.
Let's start with the gas mask pouch. I don't have the gas equipment, yet.
Note the piece of wood to secure the cover.


The smaller strap goes around the the body preventing the pouch from bouncing up & down when running.


This is interesting, the compartiments are made of Strichtarn material.


The AK cleaning kit pouch.


The accessories, oil container, smaller metal can, gas cylinder & barrel brushes, a larger brush,
a pull-trough, a multiple tool, rag & the orange sleeve is to hold the small brushes.


Coming up, more photos of the Modell 47 bayonet, focusing on the helmet cover & more.

[Jack59]

More photos of the Modell 47 Bayonet.

As you may already know the the Modell 47 bayonet is a copy of the Russian 6X2 AK 47 bayonet. Manufactured in DDR from 1959 to 1965. The reason for the unusual grip and second partial muzzle ring was that the bayonet was an afterthought. The AK 47 not being initially designed to accept a bayonet.





Barrel catch is located at the bottom of the guard.



Catch left grip.


Note the punched grip screws.


Top view of both catchs & barrel ring.


Barrel ring.


Note the partial barrel ring on the left.


View from the back.


This silver-grey "Dederon" (nylon) strap disqualifies this bayonet as an authentic early one. Those kind of straps were used in the 70s & 80s as replacement parts.



More excellent info: Flächentarn (patterned camouflage) uniform & equipment.

[Jack59]

Let's have a closer view on my Flächentarn reproduction helmet cover. It is not an original, those are getting harder to find. Nevertheless it was nicely tailored from original Zeltbahn material that was exposed to the elements, the fading speaking by itself.









The Flächentarn helmet covers started to be issued with the apparition of jackets without the hood in 1964. Prior to that the jacket's hood was used as the helmet cover as well.
Example of I/65 collar jacket & trousers.


The cut of my helmet cover is a bit larger.


It cannot be attached to the jacket.


There is no face veil.


No string to tighten the hood either.


There is an elastic to keep the cover on the helmet.

[James C]

Very nice period equipment and display Jack ,this was my attempt a few years ago if you don't mind me sharing to you post

[Sleepwalker]

Hello,

Magazine pouches for the Simonov SKS-45 self-loading rifle / "Karabiner S" were often worn with the "Flächentarn" field service uniform.
The AK / "Maschinenpistole K" was not immediately introduced everywhere.






















Overall, in the years 1960 to 1967 quite a lot was experimented with, products changed, etc. It's a science in itself.

After the Fächentarn pouch for the AK, the same model was available in "Strichtarn 1" from 1965. They were just as well made as their predecessors in "Flächentarn" They were for 2 and 3 magazines.
These pouch were often worn with the "Flächentarn" field uniform. Uniforms in line camouflage and surface camouflage were produced in parallel for at least 7 years. The magazine pouches, however, no longer. Therefore, mixed equipment was normal.














A short time later, magazine pouches for 4 magazines came to the troops with flaps for closure. These flaps were made of material in Strichtarn 1.
These bags still had a lot of rivets to reinforce the seams.




























A short time later, a new magazine model appears. It was the simplest predecessor. The straps were now webbing and the most reinforcing rivets were gone.

[Sleepwalker]

Let's have a closer view on my Flächentarn helmet cover. It is not an original, those are getting harder to find.
Nevertheless it was nicely tailored from original material that was exposed to the elements, the fading speaking by itself.









The Flächentarn helmet covers started to be issued with the apparition of jackets without the hood in 1964.
Prior to that modification the jacket's hood was used as the helmet cover as well.
Example of I/65 jacket & trousers.


The cut of my helmet cover is a bit larger.


It cannot be attached to the jacket.


There is no face veil.


No string to tighten the hood either.


There is an elastic to keep the cover on the helmet.


Original & not so original, happy with it.
Attachment 1664112

For the curious while we are talking about it.
There was a Flächentarn helmet cover prototype/experimental.
East German 1962 pattern M56 Blumentarn/Flächentarn helmet cover.
The 1962 pattern was the first produced by the NVA and feature foliage straps.
Unlike the the later 1964 pattern it doesn’t feature the ability to be used as a hood as well. Made in limited numbers few exist.
Attachment 1664124

Attachment 1664125

More info: Flachentarn Krauss under Stahlhelmtarnbezüge.

Hello, yes these reproductions are made from canvas fabric printed on both sides. But that is fundamentally incorrect and you can see that. Therefore, the material is not correct even if it is original tent canvas. The colors and the fabric are wrong.
Original hoods/overcoats were always made from uniform fabric and were only printed on one side.

[Sleepwalker]

East German bayonets are also a science in themselves.
In the last few years I was able to collect some information and find pieces of evidence.

You definitely have an AK 47 bayonet from GDR production. They have acceptance stamps, which can only be found on the tang under the handle scales. From the outside it looks like they don't have any.

A little explanation first.

The AK was not immediately and not everywhere exchanged for the AKM. They were still in use for a very long time by the "Deutsche Volkspolizei" (German People's Police) and the "Betriebskampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse" (factory combat groups of the working class). The bayonets too, of course.

The AK 47 bayonets were regularly repaired and serviced. Also in the "Mobilisierungsreserve" (mobilization reserve), where unused material was collected, repaired and stored, many AK 47s were overhauled.
Today it is not very common to find early original AK47 bayonets that have not been overhauled.


Yours is also such a reconditioned AK 47 bayonet. You can see by the silver-grey "Dederon" (Nylon) strap. As a comparison you can always use the loops of the magazine pouches. The material used at the time and the webbing were also installed there. The good thing is: there you can find information on the year. This silver-grey "Dederon" material should therefore come from the 1970s and 1980s. It's quite late. The AK47 bayonets were often re-blued and old numbers were ground away.

These straps / hangers were replacement parts. Today you can find exactly these unused and not installed.







For an early uniform you need a different bayonet.

The AK 47 were not built in the GDR until 1959 at the earliest, rather later. The plans for production were only presented in 1959.
Previously, AK 47 bajoennte were imported via USSR. They were identical to those that were also exported to Finland.
Such would be a good fit. The leather safety strap was also brown in color, like the leather of early NVA spade bags.













The first GDR AK 47 was still very similar to that of the USSR model. Only black leather was used for the carrying parts. The button, the rivet and webbing were the same as the early mag pouches in "Flächentarn" and "Strichtarn 1".
The early bayonets themselves do not have a number, very early ones have a number based on the USSR model and then numbers were scratched on them with electronic pens. All other numbers, overwritten, removed/abraded, crossed out or xed came later.





















These hangers did not prove themselves and a short time later the hangers were made entirely of webbing with snaps. These can be found on the scabbard of the 1st and 2nd models.


























This is where the original production ends. All other carrying parts/hangers are replacement parts/spare parts that came later. There is a multitude of patterns and attachment variants. I've counted over 15 patterns and 5 mounting options so far and I'm sure I'll find more. If I have taken good pictures there is a separate topic.

Regards

[Sleepwalker]

The production of "Flächentarn" uniforms did not stop until 1971/1972.

NVA Tarnuniformen - NVA-Tarnuniformen

Regards

[James C]

You really do know your onions Sleepwalker so thank you for your posts and informative comments as i have learnt a great deal ,your close up pictures are just as good if not better than having the items in hand ,you are an asset to the forum