My East German field equipment collection

First up are my collection of ammunition pouches, I hope others find these photos useful. The first two on the top seem to differ only in the material used to make the rivets, brass vs aluminum or zamak? The pouch on the bottom row with the small accessory pouch on the side, also features a small internal strap on one of the magazine pockets. I'm not sure why.

Nice batch, I still miss the early ones on the left, top, in my collection.

Very nice to see them all side by side like that! Which makes me curious to see which types I have. I never really paid much attention to them.

Is this the full set of models (less the 2 cell Blumentarn type)? How about RPK variants?

Steve

mylle wrote:Nice batch, I still miss the early ones on the left, top,  in my collection.

I got them from Numrich Arms, I think they were $5.14, they have a lot of East German pouches all were a bit grimy.

CollectinSteve wrote:Very nice to see them all side by side like that!  Which makes me curious to see which types I have.  I never really paid much attention to them.

Is this the full set of models (less the 2 cell Blumentarn type)?  How about RPK variants?

Steve

I think there may be another type of Strichtarn magazine pouch, I have heard there are curved pouches with diagonal belt loops but without the brace attachment ring, I cannot say for certain though. I'm still working on the Blumentarn two cell.

I think this may be an East German RPK drum pouch.






I also have these grenade pouches, I'm not sure if the wooden toggle triple grenade pouch is East German, it came as part of a lot with other DDR items.

I have one of those vinyl RPD pouches myself and I think of it as DDR too.  The grenade pouch with the wooden toggles is not likely DDR.  They were used by the Soviets and a couple other Warsaw Pact countries, such as Czechoslovakia.  But I've not seen that particular style before so I can not identify it further, but I don't think it is Czech.  The reinforcement around the edge isn't their style.

I had forgotten about Numrich being a good source for stuff like this.  Funny enough, they are selling a pouch which appears to be the same as your mystery one. Sadly, no indication of country (could be an export item):

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1136240

As for exotic DDR ammo pouches there are the very rare double RPD backpacks in both Blumentarn and Strichtarn.  For a very short period of time a few places, IIRC Numrich!, had them fairly inexpensively.  Now they go for pretty significant money.

Steve

CollectinSteve wrote:I The grenade pouch with the wooden toggles is not likely DDR.  They were used by the Soviets and a couple other Warsaw Pact countries, such as Czechoslovakia.  But I've not seen that particular style before so I can not identify it further, but I don't think it is Czech.  The reinforcement around the edge isn't their style.

I had forgotten about Numrich being a good source for stuff like this.  Funny enough, they are selling a pouch which appears to be the same as your mystery one.  Sadly, no indication of country (could be an export item):

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1136240

I wasn't entirely convinced myself, another guess is Polish, I know they made PPS magazine pouches with similar toggles.

I've found a lot of Danish gear on Numrich.

I found a reenactment image of an airborne equipped uniform from the Communist period. It has a grenade pouch kinda similar to the one you have. I forgot that the airborne equipment has the edge reinforcements, while normal kit doesn't. The toggles aren't visible, but I'm sure they are the wooden type (or if later, plastic). So maybe your pouch is an earlier airborne grenade pouch.

Yes, Polish do have some use of the same toggles. However, they used a very rough gray-green (polyester?) woven cloth for their kit. They never used the brown-green tight weave of the Czechoslovakian equipment as far as I know. As long as the picture is good, then it's pretty easy to differentiate between the two.

Steve

CollectinSteve wrote:I found a reenactment image of an airborne equipped uniform from the Communist period.  It has a grenade pouch kinda similar to the one you have.  I forgot that the airborne equipment has the edge reinforcements, while normal kit doesn't.  The toggles aren't visible, but I'm sure they are the wooden type (or if later, plastic).  So maybe your pouch is an earlier airborne grenade pouch.

Yes, Polish do have some use of the same toggles.  However, they used a very rough gray-green (polyester?) woven cloth for their kit.  They never used the brown-green tight weave of the Czechoslovakian equipment as far as I know.  As long as the picture is good, then it's pretty easy to differentiate between the two.

Steve

Would you mind sharing the picture? I don´t think the Czechoslovak para kit had the edge reinforcements or wooden toggles. Here you can find the para webbing based on the Russian RD-54 and you see, that the para grenade pouch has much more sophisticated back than one Jackson´s pictures.

Btw: non-para Czechoslovak soldiers carried pair of grenades in the back pocket of the vz. 60 jacket.

Since you asked nicely, here is the picture



This is a different angle than I saw before, and this one shows there is no reinforced edges. Looks to be the same as the one you pictured above.

So we're back to the mystery pouch not being Czech

Steve

CollectinSteve wrote:Very nice to see them all side by side like that!  Which makes me curious to see which types I have.  I never really paid much attention to them.

Is this the full set of models (less the 2 cell Blumentarn type)?  How about RPK variants?

Steve

I have found one more variant here: https://www.militarybasics.de/taschen/888-nva-magazintasche-strichtarn-4046872314643.html


3 latches on the back, but no rivets used on the front.

Here is my first set together, its not 100% complete but I'm pleased with it. Still missing a mess kit and other odds and ends. The shovel is an older pattern and the gas mask is a Czech M10, I'm not sure the other models used in the DDR. The pack is filled with a few different styles of cleaning kit and my other magazine pouches, I still to to get the proper items to put in the pack. I'm hoping to get more pieces for my UTV set and also do an older Blumentarn with black leather set. Thanks to everyone for the help and encouragement.

I've seen canteens positioned on the right and left sides and the bayonet worn on either side of the brace, I'm not sure if there was a by the book configuration.

- Chris

here are the models used in the NVA

http://www.atemschutzddr.de/025ea998a80cdaf01/025ea998a80d97204/index.html

Thank you HEB, now I can expand my mask collection.

the grey web carrier with hook is not for grenades, but actually a spare rechargeable battery carrier like for the ZW59 signal lamp.

There not seem to be clear answer for the wood toggle grenade pouches, but grenade pouches in grey canvas with buttons and green rubberised material exist. They were supposedly stored in racks in vehicles like Soviet Army. Most with visible stamps are stamped MdI.

M10M was introduced 1983, but straight spades were replaced in 70s. Helmet net with hooks and bayonet are also later types. So setup would be more correct with folding spade in grey vinyl carrier. Canteen left and spade right like you have was the standard setup.