Original German Early Cold War Era West German Circa 1956 Bundeswehr Splinter Camouflage Pattern Field Uniform Set Original Items

Original Item: Only One Set Available. This is a wonderful example of a rare early Cold War era (1956) West German Bundeswehr Splinter Camouflage Pattern Field Uniform Set. There are a few small field repairs, but this is without a doubt one of the best surviving examples we have come across, making this an excellent offering!

The newly-formed West German bundeswehr briefly used this WW2-derived splinter camouflage smock shortly after West German reearmament in 1955 under Konrad Adenauer in response to escalating Cold War tensions. This camouflage pattern was only produced between February 1956 – February 1957 and was withdrawn from service in 1960, likely due to cost and its excessively Wehrmacht-like appearance. The remaining items were used up in training during the 1960’s.

This jacket is known as the standard “infantry” version. Any unit in the Bundeswehr authorized to wear camouflage could have used it.

The jacket is made of heavyweight cotton poplin material, similar to the most common versions of the heavy Belgian Moon and Balls and Brushstroke paratrooper jackets. The same material was also used for some Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) jackets and the some French TAP smocks like these 47/54 and 47/56 examples. The cut is also similar to other western European countries’ paratrooper smocks from the same era. All these similarities could be due to the fact West Germany ratified the 1952 treaty to establish the European Defense Community (EDC), an early attempt at European integration that led to the modern (as of 2020) European Union, and a precursor to NATO. Although the EDC was not formed, the experience gained from designing uniforms for it would have been useful for all those nations in the 1950’s.

The waist area has elastic on the inside to prevent it from riding up as well as to help retain heat, something other countries used a beaver tail/crotch flap for. The cut is very complicated and it used a lot of high quality metal hardware which would have made it very expensive to manufacture.

Metal D-rings on the chest were for a Swiss style backpack. meant for the EDC uniform, to be attached. The jacket itself was meant to be load bearing gear for supplies and ammunition in magazines.

The set is in fantastic condition and would be a welcome addition to any Cold War era collections. Comes more than ready for further research and display

Approximate Measurements:

Collar to shoulder: 12″
Shoulder to sleeve: 22.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 20.5”
Chest width: 28″
Waist width: 25″
Hip width: 24″
Front length: 32″

Pants:
Waist: 15″
Inseam: 26″