East Germany

East Germany

Officially the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) the country came into existence in 1949 from the Soviet portion of the postwar division of Germany. Issues such as the status of Berlin and construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 contributed to deepening the tensions of the Cold War. Both East and West Germany claimed they were the only legitimate government of the German state, although the claims were ultimately relinquished by a series of treaties signed in the early 1970s. The DDR had its own armed forces, but nevertheless Soviet troops occupied the country for its entire existence.

In 1989, public outcry over contentious election results brought about a mass exodus of East German citizens crossing the borders into Czechoslovakia and then into the west. Following this, a series of demonstrations against the government resulted in the opening of several sections of the Berlin Wall, new elections in 1990 and, eventually, reunification with West Germany. Although the full process took a number of years, East Germany officially ceased to exist on 3 October 1990.

The National People’s Army, or Nationale Volksarmee (NVA), was the armed forces of the DDR from 1956 to 1990. It consisted of the Land Forces (Landstreitkräfte), Naval Forces (Volksmarine), Air Forces (Luftstreitkräfte) and the Border Troops (Grenztruppen). Additionally, state security was supplemented by the Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften (VPB) of the Ministry of the Interior, the Staatssicherheitsdienst (State Security Service) or Stasi, and the auxiliary Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse (Workers Party Combat Groups). In addition to its membership in the Warsaw Pact, East Germany deployed military advisors to a number of sympathetic regimes, particularly in Africa, and also provided war materiel to Marxist-Leninist insurgent movements in places like Southwest Africa. Early East German camouflage was heavily influenced by Soviet war-era designs, but later followed in the footsteps of other East Bloc nations and became quite drab.

Like many nations of the Warsaw Pact, the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Democratishe Republik - DDR) or East Germany was heavily influenced by Soviet models in their development of military uniforms and equipment. The earliest camouflage patterns used by the DDR were essentially Soviet in design, whilst later "rain" patterns were more likely influenced by WW2 German models. A popular uprising in 1989 led to the downfall of the Communist regime and reunification of East and West Germany. This led to the integration of East Germany's military forces into those of West Germany, and the dissolution of the Nationale Volks Armee (NVA), or East German Army.

East German Camouflage Patterns

• The earliest camouflage uniform produced specifically for the DDR was based on the WW2 Soviet two-color MKK (maskirovochnyi kamuflirovannyi kostium) and was produced locally. The lightweight fabric and distinctively Soviet style were discarded in later East German designs. Known colloquially as M49 sowjetische tarnbekleidung or Russisches tarnmuster (Russian camouflage), it was a tricolor pattern with large brown and russet amoebic blotches on a khaki background, and saw issue until approximately 1957. In addition to the two-piece pullover uniform, this pattern was also printed on heavier-weight canvas material used for a zeltbahn (shelter half/poncho). Although most surviving examples are in used condition, it is apparent that the dyes used to print these patterns were not thoroughly consistent, producing several minor color variations over time.

• The M58 Flächentarnmuster ("area pattern") was issued between 1956 and 1967 to units in the East German Army (NVA) and Ministry of Interior (MDI). Also nicknamed Kartoffelmuster (potato camouflage) or Blumentarn (flower camouflage), the pattern generally consists of blue-green, olive green & brown ragged blotches on a field grey background. Several mild color variations have been documented, some of which may appear darker due to their having been coated in anti-gas chemicals (which also gave the fabric a waxy texture). Several types of jacket, trousers, field equipment, shelter half and hood/helmet cover were produced in this pattern.

• An interesting variant of the Flachtarnenmuster was produced in limited numbers as a shelter half. Instead of gray, the pattern employs a yellowish-tan field. It is unknown whether these shelters were simply production errors, or if this was, in fact, an experiment in producing a pattern more useful in an arid or desert environment. We are unaware of any examples of officially-produced clothing in this variant pattern.

• Produced between 1965 and 1968 for use on the Kampfanzug 64 combat uniform, and in use for several years thereafter, the first type Strichmuster (line pattern) or strichtarn (line camouflage) was a very simple pattern incorporating long, slender brown rain straits on a light greyish-green background. The "rain" theme was common with many Warsaw Pact nations (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria) and was probably influenced by WW2 German designs such as Splittermuster and Sumpftarn.

• A second type Strichmuster design was introduced in 1968. This version differed from the original in having thicker brown rain straits on a greyish-green background. In production until the collapse of the DDR in 1990, numerous types of uniform, shelter half, helmet cover, field cap, field equipment and even a special airborne trooper fighting vest were produced in this pattern. This camouflage was also worn in Africa by Communist-inspired guerilla groups, particularly in Angola and South West Africa, where the pattern was referred to as "rice fleck" in common parlance.

• A general purpose all-white camouflage smock was also issued to East German military personnel for wear over their normal combat clothing in snow conditions. Although documented in use with NVA personnel operating in the mountains and snow-covered regions of Germany in Winter, the snow camouflage was much more commonly used by the Grenztruppen der DDR, or East German Border Troops.

Experimental East German Camouflage

Circa 2010, it came to light that the East German Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung (MFnV), or Ministry for National Defense, had at one time developed several alternative camouflage designs for consideration, either for use by the NVA or perhaps for distribution to friendly Marxist "liberation movements" around the third world. Official documents and surviving examples of the test fabrics suggest that the trial itself was conducted around 1975, and the fabric samples produced by the Research Institute for Textile Technology in Karl-Marx Stadt, under the direction of the MFnV. A detailed explaination of the test project, including examples of the camouflage designs, has been published by author Michael Krauß and can be found it its entirety here: [1]. Although there is no surviving evidence to suggest any of these experimental designs were adopted by the East German government, we know that the last of the designs (identified as " "Example No. 6" Versuchstarnmuster 1975 "Fläche" mit amöbentarnähnlicher Musterung auf Ripp-Uniformstoff") was worn by military personnel of the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, and probably supplied to them by the East German government.