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Child Item

Show me your DDR

MedalFuhrer

After visiting East Germany/ East Berlin and talking with some of the locals an interest in one of the most repressive societies in history was formed. So from East Berlin the following small collection was formed over a few months.

I bought a small display case last week:

DDR hat emblem/ badge

Paperwork:

If anyone has an interest in the DDR then post up your behind the Iron Curtain collection.

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HerrScheisse

Never mind - I found it.

Its the Brotherhood in Arms medal in bronze, awarded for participation in Warsaw pact exercises.

Fuinseog

Do you have this book?

Militärische Orden der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik
by Klaus Feder

its available at:

http://www.amazon.de/Milit%C3%A4rische-Orden-Deutschen-Demokratischen-Republik/dp/3980469522/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327483077&sr=1-1

Little Alex

So, does it fit, HerrScheisse? :pac:

HerrScheisse

Thanks Fuinseog - I do not have that book. Is it full colour? I find that important for such subjects as an inordinate amount of these type of books are B&W.

Yes Alex - it fits like a glove. Very snappy set of threads indeed :pac:

I also got Lederstiefeln, and was surprised why the heels were much more worn out as compared to the soles. And then it dawned on me - ah yes, it is from the goose stepping!

Fuinseog

HerrScheisse wrote: »

Thanks Fuinseog - I do not have that book. Is it full colour? I find that important for such subjects as an inordinate amount of these type of books are B&W.

Yes Alex - it fits like a glove. Very snappy set of threads indeed :pac:

I also got Lederstiefeln, and was surprised why the heels were much more worn out as compared to the soles. And then it dawned on me - ah yes, it is from the goose stepping!

I believe the book is in colour. It has been a while since I have seen it.

I just came across a dealer called www.militaria-agent.com. Has anyone ever bought from them? Prices seem fair enough. They have this on offer

https://www.militaria-agent.com/catalog/DDR_EAST_GERMAN_NATIONAL_PEOPLES_ARMY_VOLKSARMEE_PARATROOPER_BADGE_FOR_150_JUMPS.html

Is it a restrike? It does not say.

HerrScheisse

I have never used them before so cannot give you an opinion on that.

I was thinking - is it illegal to wear a DDR uniform in a public place in Germany? Did they create any legislation after the re-unification?

Fuinseog

HerrScheisse wrote: »

I have never used them before so cannot give you an opinion on that.

I was thinking - is it illegal to wear a DDR uniform in a public place in Germany? Did they create any legislation after the re-unification?

I wouldn't, unless you happen to be at an Ostalgie party on 7 October. Different people experienced the DDR different ways. What do you do when you encounter someone who harbours resentment towards the system? to wear it in the west could involve a discussion with the police.

The FDJ for example was outlawed after 1990 and the uniform is forbidden. I used to wear the shirt in Ireland as it was a nice shade of blue and nobody knew what it was. I recall as a teenager when I bought a Bundeswehr jacket in an army shop in Germany and got a lot of grief from punks and dirty looks in general.

Little Alex

I just noticed there, HerrScheisse, that your gold Treue Dienste medal is actually Grenztruppen issue and is worth more than the more common NVA ones. Good find.

I just bought myself something very nice and it should arrive in a week or so.

MedalFuhrer

Nice medals, especially the gold Treue Dienste medal.
I just got myself a pair of Lederstiefeln in the post today. And the fit like the proverbial foot glove! Lovely quality and in fantasic condition. They just need some dubbing and a polish to do the leather some good. I wonder who owned these before me, what kind of man was he, what amount of grey concrete did these march across?

Little Alex

Unn schon widdr sinn mor im Lande dor tanzedn'n Schweene. Du Scheisse! Gibb's doch gor nee!*

And so we are once again in the realm of the dancing pigs!

MedalFuhrer, I must have one of these mugs! I demand to have one of these mugs!

Those boots look pretty old, looking at the sole detail. At first glance I would say 1960s. Are there any remaining stamps visible on the inside? Due to the fine, smooth leather they are parade boots, BTW.

Did you get them somewhere other than eBay? There's a guy on German eBay that I've bought from a couple of times who has brand new DDR boots and shoes for very reasonable prices.

* The Sachsen accent is the finest of all German dialects, hands down!

Little Alex

A bottle of Absinthe! But is that Absinthe in the mug? Looks more like Blue WKD.

Anyway! Dreiznn, vierznn, hinnrstierzn!

Bottoms up!

HerrScheisse

"My uniform blew away in a storm." :pac:

That sight will cause me nightmares tonight. Dancing pigs, jackboots and absinthe is more than I can handle in one image. It is but for the grace of God, that you did not polish that fine leather into a glistening sheen, otherwise we might have been treated to an even more damaging, searing image in the reflection of the boots.

But....Hau Weg die Scheisse :pac:

HerrScheisse

Little Alex wrote: »

I just noticed there, HerrScheisse, that your gold Treue Dienste medal is actually Grenztruppen issue and is worth more than the more common NVA ones. Good find.

I just bought myself something very nice and it should arrive in a week or so.

Looking forward to seeing that! And thanks for spotting that on the medals! Very good to know!

HerrScheisse

I am posting this to cancel out the highly disturbing image of the sickly looking pair of pins directly above.

Make mine a Makarov :pac:

Can anyone tell me anything about the markings on the leather?

Little Alex

Looks like first quarter of 1967. For whatever reason holsters that you find on offer all seem to be from the 60s or 70s. They're usually marked NVA (army) or MdI (police), although identical.

Brown is for officers. The brown officer's belt and holster is the ugliest part of DDR equipment, in my opinion...

... whereby it draws directly on the same thing having existed in the Wehrmacht.

Still looks ****e, though.

There's also an over-the-shoulder bag to finish the ensemble off, worn by both police and army. I have such a bag in both black and brown and I'll post photos of them soon. Along with the sexy things that I just bought and should arrive next week.

When I opened up the bags as I got them first I was transported back to my first day in school and the smell of my school satchel!

It really was like a memory from 30 years ago!

HerrScheisse, I am thankful you are not a forensic investigator like in CSI. Jaysus!

MedalFuhrer

Thanks Little Alex and Mr. Sheisse, you made me smile!

Little Alex I took more photos that night so I would appreciate anything else that you can tell me about them.
What do these numbers mean? Are any of them a date?
The boots have been re-soled and re-healed at some stage.

Also can you give me the details of your ebay guy as I would like to get a pair for actually wearing as they are nice boots. Does he sell remakes or actual new old stock?

Danke! The Dancing Pigs will dance for us all! ;-)

Little Alex

MedalFuhrer, they are definitely old boots from the 60s, what with the leather soles and all. I cannot decipher the code numbers, but I can tell that they are of the old style that were phased out in the late 1960s.

Long may you stomp around with the Dancing Pigs!

HerrScheisse

Little Alex wrote: »

Brown is for officers. The brown officer's belt and holster is the ugliest part of DDR equipment, in my opinion...

... whereby it draws directly on the same thing having existed in the Wehrmacht.

Still looks ****e, though.
Jaysus!

There are so many ugly DDR things and with funkier colours than the belt. I actually like the holster, and it looks even better when on the uniform.

HerrScheisse

My boots are different to yours!

Mine have:

- different soles, not hard brown leather like the ones above.
- the sole does not extend as much around the edge of the shoe.
- the shape of the foot is slightly different.

There are some official markings on the inside, and some handwriting, if I am not mistaken, possibly the name of the original owner.

Any opinions on these parade ground stompers?

HerrScheisse

You made your way through that absinthe pretty quick, two pictures ago it was half full :pac:

HerrScheisse

Here are a pair of officer epaulettes that were stuffed into my pocket as a gift when I bought my boots.

MedalFuhrer

Nice bonus to get. Were they gruffly stuffed into your front trouser pocket, a pocket where only you or a brazen pick pocket would dare stuff their hand into? Like a dirty payment.

HerrScheisse

Says the man who posts a picture of himself wearing thigh high boots and a mini skirt :pac:

HerrScheisse

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

Were they gruffly stuffed into your front trouser pocket, a pocket where only you or a brazen pick pocket would dare stuff their hand into?

The Pipes of Others ;-)

Little Alex

The Volkspolizei picked up MedalFuhrer a couple of nights ago. He was parading around, proclaiming himself to be the Lord and Master of the Dancing Pigs.

The results of the night's festivities:

MedalFuhrer

Ha ha ha! I am just out of the Big House and sober now! ;-) But the dancing pigs are another story!

Very interesting kit Little Alex! Are those glass viles disposible or can they be re-used? What era is it from? Nice thing to have.

Little Alex

It's a DDR breathalyser kit from the 1970s. The date of manufacture of the vial things is 1976.

Can you take a photo of the base of your mug so that we can try to work out its origin? :pac:

I finally got myself a parade dagger. Jaysus, about time!

Little Alex

The gala uniform was always worn with straight, piped trousers and shoes, never with breeches (DDR breeches are always unpiped) and boots.

It was also worn with a special ribbon bar which was only one row in size and consisted of the most senior awards only, up to a maximum of four.

My ribbon bar is unusual in that the original owner seems to have served time in the army before joining the police. He also was awarded the Ausgezeichnete Leistungen twice, also unusual. Still, though, I don't think it's a random "put-together" since they are usually bombastic things with five or six rows, not modest little single row ones.

This single row bar was also worn in summer time with the "service blouse", which is the shirt with fittings for shoulder boards, chest pockets and aluminium buttons. It was worn open-necked.

Not happy with the standard one, I used a fancy double-cuff shirt which allowed cufflinks to be worn. I'm sure this was commonly done. As there do not seem to be any standard issue service cufflinks I made my own out of shoulder board buttons held together by a split ring.

Dapper, eh? :pac:

And here are some other recently acquired goodies...

A fabulous piped, dark collar Grenztruppen tunic, a parade dagger and a couple of 1970s medal ribbons.

HerrScheisse

Nice sets!

Might I ask if the dagger was expensive? Did it come off EBay?

Fuinseog

a pity you did not get the ceremonial belt and hanger that accompany the dagger. it was originally presented in a grey and white cardboard box with purple velvet lining.
300 euro will get you one issued to a general. I think I posted a link here before.