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Welcome aboard! Please feel free to share some of your collection.

Hello & welcome to the WMF!

Good day! for my first topic post I would like to show my Original TAP 47/52 jump smocks. One has been modified with shortened sleeves.

Hello. I am very excited to be part of this forum! I collect uniforms, field gear, and headgear of the ROKMC during the Vietnam war. Also on the side I collect French Indochina camouflage and equipment. I am located in the US and can’t wait to be more active on this forum!

I have been seeing a lot about this museum lately. Would love to go some time. For now I will realistically be content with the Cold War Museum in VA.

I stumbled across this while looking at book ads... https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/company/blog/208.life_behind_the_iron_curtain.htm While the video was made some time ago, the museum appears to still be up and running. Home page: https://www.wendemuseum.org/about-us And they have some military related items in their online exhibits... I will have to add this to my list of places to go in LA.

Can anyone help with the writing inside the helmet

Hello Tom & welcome to the WMF!

I am writing this intro post while grieving the loss of my hero and friend, Clarence Smoyer. He passed away today at the age of 99 years. Clarence was a humble, soft spoken man and a WWII hero. Be at peace, old soldier. I will never forget you. I am a veteran who has an interest in researching the service of WWI and WWII veterans. I also enjoy genealogical research. I am joining this forum in order to get some information about an item which someone I know found several years ago. I look forward to meet and interact with the members of this forum. Regards, Tom

Speaking of Maschinenpistolen, a formation of Volkspolizei armed with them in 1957, the StG 44 that is.

Nice pictures Sarge! I´m adding some pictures of a General´s Achselschnur with original box. Stamp on the back of the box says "Größe 2" (size 2).

I believe there is a difference in the parade cords and Adjutant cords so there are some slight variations in the monkey swings. Grenzers, and Army, have silver metal finale drops while the Navy versions have gold colored finales. Some cords are aluminum wire while some are cellulose which turn color with age. Here are three interesting photos showing the Gala jackets in wear. The male bandsmen in the small ensemble below are NCOs but they are wearing the Officer Gala uniform while the females wear the single breasted female version of this uniform. None are wearing shoulder cords Bandsmen could wear this uniform it seems from photos like the one showing the large Volkspolizei band below. The other photo shows two female Air Force Officers wearing this Parade Uniform along with their male counterparts wearing the cords. This photo was taken at Officer School graduation when the top ten graduates were awarded daggers. Late in the time of the DDR the restriction on female officers wearing daggers was lifted and they could wear them for the first time. Notice the shoulder cords worn by each Air Force graduate. The males are wearing the cords with the single breasted Parade Uniform instead of the double breasted Gala uniform. All very confusing since each service had their own version of this double breasted Soviet style uniform and their own set of regulations.

Yes, Some times it takes an experienced eye to help..

Yep sure is, check out the above post, shows a mint condition cover before being dyed as well as the 3rd Div one. helmet covers being used late 1950s in NewZealand, these and the green dyed version would be used upto the late 70s on the NewZealand issue M1 helmet.

Thanks for that. Now is this a genuine cover from WWII, a NZ one?

You know what, I think these are GIs dressed like Germans, in the movie they jump Germans capture them and put on their uniforms to save the town folks .

Sure is, hopefully someone with a keen eye for these things will chime in : )

Thank you. Boy this is hard to tell...

Good question, but I'm leaning toward Heer backing, at least based on your last image. Here are (3) Heer examples I found online of each grade that may help. I've seen some gold and bronze version look pretty similar and other times, very different like the image below.

And Thompsons

Thank you for the help.. Could this be a Gold Badge? Here is another picture. Is the felt backing for Heer?

Hello, I like this piece but have never owned or seen one and would like more opinions on its authenticity Thanks John

I have read somewhere that different sizes of the parade shoulder cords do exist. These cords were called "Affenschaukel" (monkey swing) by the troops. Nice uniform!

Great photo! Notice that Herr Leutnant ist still wearing the metal 21 mm silver stars instead of the OD woven rank shoulder loops.