Camouflage Items
 
 

The splinter pattern Splittermuster zeltbahn was the first item of camouflage ever introduced into the Wehrmacht in 1931 and was intended as a multi-purpose watherproof item to make tent shelters in the field when 4,6,8,10 or more were buttoned together. The zeltbahn  (or "Zelt" for short)  was also a reversible camouflage poncho that would be pulled over the head and was originally designed to cover the wearers field equipemnt, this proved inpractical for the wearer and it was soon worn under the field equipment which made everything more accessible. Earlier pre-1931 examples of the zeltbahn came in plain field grey on both sides.The new 1931 splinter camouflage pattern was reversible with dominating autumn browns on one side and summer greens on the other.

 
 
                                                                                                Above : Summer side out
 
                                                                        Below : Autumn side out
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Following the disastrous winter campaign of Russia in 1941-42 thick winter parkas with matching trousers & mittens were later issued to frontline troops serving in cold climates. First issued in field grey and non reversible they later became available in splittermuster to white & sumpftarn to white.

                                                                                   Reversible Splittermuster winter parka                              

 

 

 

                                                                                    Non reversible fur lined mittens

 

 

 

The Wehrmacht’s next line of camouflage consisted of helmet covers & smocks, though not widely issued like zeltbahns they did become available in smaller quantities to frontline personal within elite units. These were initially manufactured from zeltbahn material in Splittermuster camouflage and begining in 1943 appeared in a new sumpftarn camouflage pattern which moved away from the sharp blunt edges of the Splittermuster to produce a pattern with softer edges that blended the various colours together.

 
                                Splittermuster camouflage smock reversible  from Summer to Autumn shades
                               
 
 
 
 
                              Sumpftarn camouflage smock reversible from foliage shades to plain winter white
                            
 
 
 
 
                                                                    Opposite side of  sumpftarn smock
                                                                
 
 

As well as reversible helmet covers & smocks by mid war some items of camouflage clothing were issued to frontline Grenadiers such as M43 caps & trousers in Splittermuster. The trousers were manufactured in the same style of the M43 woollen trousers and also worn with ankle boots & gaitors. Camouflage tunics and M38 caps also in Splittermuster were sometimes worn exclusively by high ranking officers and very senior non commissioned officers in the field. The tunics came in various styles such as that of M36 tunics with dark green collars as well as M40 & M43 styles and combinations of all three existed but all were most certainly non issued and privately purchased.

An M43 field cap and insignia in Splittermuster camouflage,  by 1943-44 these caps were also being  manufactured in Sumpftarn camouflage and both types were issued to specialist troops in very limited quantities.
 
 
 
 
                                                    
                                                      M43 style Splittermuster camouflage trousers 
 
 
 

 

 

A five piece constructed camouflage helmet cover in the Splittermuster 31 pattern with foliage loops & pull string closure manufactured from zeltbhan material. Often reversible but not always, they were available in Summer to Autumn shades and from Splittermuster to plain winter white.

 
 
By 1943-44 helmet covers began to appear in the new sumpftarn camouflage though there is still debate in some quarters whether these were offically issued or field made. It's my belief from an amateur historians view that they were officially issued but in very low quantities. 
 
                                                                *Picture Under Construction*
 
It's obvious that Wehrmacht suppliers who manufactured Splittermuster zeltbahns & smocks etc for the Wehrmacht saved reasonably sized off cuts from production lines to make helmet covers and this is something they had been practicing since 1942. So if by 1943-44 when the sumpftarn pattern was officially introduced, and when Germany’s war effort resources were in an extremely depleted state and getting less by the year, there is no way that manufactures of sumpftarn smocks would have simply binned reasonably sized off cuts from the production line and stopped what they'd been practicing for the previous couple of years.
 
 
 
 
When camouflage helmet covers were in very short supply or not available at all, frontline troops very often improvised other ways to conceal themselves.  
 
                      A simple rubber band cut from the inner tube of bicycles was widely used to attach foliage
                      
 
 
 
 A double purpose item was a mosquito net often issued to troops serving in the wooded & marshy areas of eastern Poland and western Soviet Union that were notorious breeding grounds for mosquitos.
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                                                 Hessian sandbags also served a double purpose
                                                 
 
 
 
 Chicken wire fencing became very popular as a means of attaching foliage especially in the later stages of the war and these came in full or half basket types.
 

                                                                                                            Full basket                                                   

 

 
 Half basket  
 
 
 
A combination of both hessian & chicken wire
 
 
 
 
 

Steel wire from fencing was also used to attach foliage and various styles existed above is a Gladiator style 

 

 

  
  Plain white cotton fabric was another improvisation especially in the Russian campaign of 1941-42 when helmet covers and whitewash weren't readily available.
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Helmets nets were an issued item

 

 

 

A breadbag strap was another commonly used item for attaching foliage and in the latter stages of the war especially around the time of the Normandy invasion paint that was destined for camouflaging armoured vehicles was very often used on helmets.

                                                                    *Picture Under Construction*

 

 
 
 
                                                           
 
A  fully reversible Sniper's face mask with foliage loops, these were not an officially issued item and would've been hand made in the field by the Kompanie tailor.
           
 
 
 
 
Another improvised item was a field made  M43 cap cover in plain winter camouflage