May 11, 20233 yr #1 Read about the "construction soldiers" (Bausoldaten). The DDR's pseudo - military "alternative service". Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction_soldier
July 22, 20251 yr Author #2 These are great websites... Warning: They are in the German lanuage. https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/chronologie/Bausoldaten-Mit-dem-Spaten-bei-der-Nationalen-Volksarmee,bausoldaten100.html https://www.saechsische.de/hoyerswerda/lokales/wie-es-einem-bausoldaten-der-ddr-erging-hoyerswerda-5297607-plus.html https://www.wagner-b.de/Spati/spati.html https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/politik-gesellschaft/nva/bausoldat-dienst-an-der-waffe-kriegsdienstverweigerung100~amp.html
July 28, 2025Jul 28 #4 After the reunification when I collected NVA insignia I had several pairs of these shoulder boards with embroidered and metal spades. But I never found a pair of these rare collar insignia with OD center. Great grouping!
July 28, 2025Jul 28 Author #5 Post #4... I purchased everything in the image shown in Post #4. I heard rumors that the "Spati" collar patches were scarce/borderline rare, and subsequently expensive. I got mine from a militaria dealer, long since out of business and now deceased, who specialized in "Warsaw Pact militaria". Very inexpensive. The "90" on the reverse indicates a 1990 manufacture date, and that may be why. They're out there. Loads of unused DDR stock made its way west once the "Wall" fell. I myself was able to get some much ~ desired DDR material for little, and sometimes nothing.
July 29, 2025Jul 29 Author #6 Post #4: I found a potential source. During my search, I was stunned to discover how scarce a lot of DDR militaria is becoming, especially Bausoldat related material. https://www.germandotmilitaria.com/sbbs104-12-bausoldat-bautruppen-service-without-weapon-pair-of-colour-coded-collar-tabs/ Post #3: This comes to mind... Another image of the shoulderboards, from cyberspace:
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