Wolverine's Austrian Equipment

After several years of searching, I have finally assembled each of the basic components to complete a set of 1950s-60s Bundesheer equipment (helmet and shelter quarter not shown here). Thanks to Mylle, I have some of the hard-to-find pieces now, such as the leather belt and the D-ring hanger for the canteen carrier.

Glad that I could help, looks very good all together!

I missed this thread until now! In my view the rarest thing you have is the leather D-Ring loop! Man, I so want to have one of those

The three strap backpack is, IIRC, specific to mountain troops. Mylle can remind me if I have that wrong.

Good job on the belt. Difficult to find in decent condition.

Steve

My 1958 FN built (Steyr barrelled) Stg58, Austrian Army

Nice Austrian ensemble display Wolverine!!!
and super looking STG 58 Mike!!!!Question.... is that a British FAL weapon sling???


Paul

Yes sling is for L1A1

CollectinSteve wrote:I missed this thread until now!  In my view the rarest thing you have is the leather D-Ring loop!  Man, I so want to have one of those

The three strap backpack is, IIRC, specific to mountain troops.  Mylle can remind me if I have that wrong.

Good job on the belt.  Difficult to find in decent condition.

Steve

If the pack has a special mountain application, I would like to know more about it. I also have the rather larger field grey rucksack, which is much more common than the medium one shown here.

I personally haven't heard that this backpack was for mountaintroops only.

I think im right in saying.. this medium size grey twin pocket backpack is the Mountain troop one.. albeit this ones a medic issue...

Wolverine wrote:If the pack has a special mountain application, I would like to know more about it. I also have the rather larger field grey rucksack, which is much more common than the medium one shown here.

According to Bernhard, who knows his stuff for sure, the pack was designated "Alpin -Rucksack, Rüstung 57", which indicates it is for mountain troops.

I also found that the roll on the shoulder is called "Achselrolle" (officially) "Achselwurst" (soldiers).

This information, and a *LOT* more, can be found in this excellent thread over on WAF:

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7393305&postcount=229

austromunga wrote:I think im right in saying.. this medium size grey twin pocket backpack is the Mountain troop one.. albeit this ones a medic issue...

Could be a later issue or a more limited run. Is there a date stamp in yours?

I have an extremely large rucksack (1958 or 1959) and a nearly identical gray version from the 1960s. I have another gray one from the 1960s as well. I don't know what the purpose was of having non-camo rucksacks.

Steve

Like you say Bernhard certainly knows his Austrian gear!!! ..just recently I saw a Grey rucksack like mine without the medic patch...and it was described a mountain issue...typical can't remember which forum I saw it on now ....
My medic one is HBA dated 1975..

I somewhere had a pic showing mountain troop  guys on exercise in the alps
wearing the large grey backpack...There also was a camo backpack with a carrying frame that is also pretty rare, that is the
backpack I personally knew as alpine rucksack.
Guess they mixed the gear up the same way they did it with the camo uniforms because I also  saw pics of
non-mountain troops wearing the camo backpack.

Oh, I'm sure the gear was mixed up. The Bundesheer loves to mess with our minds

From what I can tell the huge backpack, with camouflage, was only made in 1958 or 1959. It has a ridged frame.

Now that I look at pictures of the 3 strap pack again, I see there are two versions. One has a ridged frame that cannot be removed, the other has no frame as instead intended to be used with the standard Y-straps. I suspect the ridged frame type is Geibirgsjäger, the soft type is for everybody else. That also explains why the ridged frame type is so rare (Bernhard's might be the only one I've seen).

Steve

And here are the two variants of the medium camo backpack.
If you remember- you also got one early variant one from me some time ago.
The backpack with the ridged frame is also larger than the standard infantry type.





And this one is like Andrews:

BAAAAHHHHH something else to look for!!!!!

Heh... that's the fun of Austrian stuff... just when you thought you had it all, something else pops up! I just got the camouflage sleeping bag system this year in fact. Didn't even know it existed before then.

OK, I have looked through many pictures and my own samples and have concluded there are only two basic types (Infantry and Gebirgs) and at least one variant of Infantry:

Infantry 1st Model - rounded black painted metal clips with two of the straps under the cover. 1959 date noted.

Infantry 2nd Model - flat non-painted metal clips with all three straps over the cover. 1963 date noted.

Gebirgs Model - three straps as above, but two buckled pockets under the flap, ridged frame, and significantly larger than the Infantry model. 1959 and 1971 date noted.

When I saw Bernhard's I thought it looks smaller/similar to the Infantry types so I thought it was not the same as the large one I have. But it is in fact the same one that I have, though made 12 years later.

Steve

Antarmike wrote:

My 1958 FN built (Steyr barrelled) Stg58, Austrian Army

Mike....... if you were looking to replace the L1A1 sling....... the TR K98 sling is a good replacement for the original Bundesheer sling for the STG!! I used to have a re-pop one fitted to my example.. (now resides on my real wooden stock, gas airsoft 8MM K98 ) and they are almost identical even down to the crosshatching on the leather and the metal slider...(often I have seen STG slings being sold as Genuine unissued WW II TR k98 slings with the Stolla Wein markings clearly visable!!! and a ridiculus price to match!!! )...the K98 is maybe a little longer IIRC...... and leather is uaually dark brown as opposed to the tan leather of the original...

austromunga wrote:

Antarmike wrote:

My 1958 FN built (Steyr barrelled) Stg58, Austrian Army

Mike....... if you were looking to replace the L1A1 sling....... the TR K98 sling is a good replacement for the original Bundesheer sling for the STG!! I used to have a re-pop one fitted to my example.. (now resides on my real wooden stock, gas airsoft 8MM K98 ) and they are almost identical even down to the crosshatching on the leather and the metal slider...(often I have seen STG slings being sold as Genuine unissued WW II TR k98 slings with the Stolla Wein markings clearly visable!!! and a ridiculus price to match!!! )...the K98 is maybe a little longer IIRC...... and leather is uaually dark brown as opposed to the tan leather of the original...

Thanks for info but I am not now presenting FAL as STG58.   Photo is the day I bought it, and it was bought as a stand in for ABL FAL, (until I can find/ afford a genuine ABL FAl.)   The gun now sports Belgian Foregrip, Pistol Grip and Butt, and if anything I am looking for an ABL sling.  (I still have all the Stg58 parts I have taken off, and should I ever find an ABL FAL, those parts will be refitted and the gun  sold on.  I don't have any real interest in Austrian equipment.

Ok Mike
no problem.. I wish you well in your hunt for a Belgian made example..

Here is the nicest BH rucksack I have ever found - it is virtually un-used - made by Stolla, 1967.