Ways to use the German raincoat tent. Why the uniform of the Red Army was better than the uniform of German soldiers

Cloak-tent pattern 31 years old (Zeltbahn 31) was originally known as a type
"Warei" also replaced the previous model - a square gray raincoat-tent of 11-year-old. The new raincoat tent had a triangular shape, was made of
tightly woven gabardine, and thus was waterproof. There were three
ways to wear a raincoat tent as a raincoat: an option for the infantryman, rider and cyclist.

Initially, the 31-year-old raincoat-tent was painted in the color feldgrau (field gray), but by 1939, most military units used raincoat-tents with "comminuted" camouflage. One side of the raincoat was covered with dark camouflage (dunklerer Buntfarbenaufdruck), on the other side with light camouflage (hellerer Buntfarbenaufdruck). Towards the end of the war, raincoats appeared with dark camouflage on both sides. V North Africa they mainly used the continental version of the raincoat, there was also a special tropical version, which was painted greenish-yellow or light beige on both sides, but it was produced in limited quantities.

The two sides of the new-style raincoat were 203 cm long, and the third side was 240 or 250 cm long. There were 12 buttons and loops along the short sides. Along the wide
the sides had six steel-edged holes through which a tension rope passed, and six buttons were sewn over the holes. Buttons and loops on the short sides served to connect several raincoats into one large tent, and the size of the tent depended on the number of combined panels.
When the raincoat was used as a cape, the holes and buttons in
the base of the panel made it possible to fasten a raincoat around the legs of a serviceman. In the center of the panel there was a slot for the head, closed by two overlapping
valves. At first, a clip-on hood was issued with a raincoat, but soon
they stopped using it. There was a large hole in each corner of the panel,
edged with metal, using these holes, the tent was fixed with pegs or
passed a rope through them - depending on the type of installed
tents.

One or two raincoats could serve as a simple blanket,
four panels, connected together, made it possible to put a pyramidal standard four-person tent... In addition, in a special illustrated
The 31-year-old raincoat tent guide contained standard designs for eight- and sixteen-person tents. A standard set for setting up a tent (Zeltausrustung) included: a black two-meter rope (Zeltleine), a demountable wooden pole (Zeltstock) with metal tips (consisting of four connecting pieces, each piece is 37 cm long), and two pegs (Zeltpflocke). For wearing these items
a special bag (Zeltzubehortasche) was intended. The bag was sewn from
gabardine or "comminuted" camouflage tarpaulin, field gray (feldgrau), gray, olive green, greenish yellow (tropical version), brown or
beige colors. The top of the bag was closed with a flap, which was fastened with one or two buttons. Initially, the bag had two leather straps, with which the bag was attached to other items of equipment, and then the straps gave way to leather loops. Tent pegs could be of various shapes, and light metal alloys, steel, or impregnated wood were used to make them. In the upper part of each peg there was a hole through which a rope was threaded, if necessary, to facilitate the extraction of the peg from the ground.
The raincoat-tent could be worn by attaching it with the help of additional belts to the waist
belt, harness, to a knapsack or combat backpack in the form of a roll (with or without a blanket). Due to an acute shortage of materials, in 1944, raincoats were issued only to selected field units. In a limited number, other raincoats were used, including captured Italian camouflage patterns of 1929 and square Soviet dirty olive colors.

In addition to its main functions as a raincoat and tent cloth, the sample of 31 could be used in a number of other cases: as an individual camouflage
a cape for military personnel and military equipment; as a blanket or
pillows; as a floating craft for overcoming water obstacles (one or two folded raincoats, stuffed with branches or hay); as an improvised means for
carrying the wounded or items of ammunition in combat conditions; for carrying garbage during construction work; as the simplest field table.
In addition to the above-described cloak-tent of the 31-year-old model, the German army used a number of other army tents of various designs, including special staff and medical tents.

Wehrmacht camouflage colors

Camouflage colors SS

Related materials:

The basic personal field equipment of German infantrymen and military personnel of other foot units consisted of an interconnected system of items, designed to complement each other during operation. Despite the fact that many soldiers wore some kind of special equipment, the basic equipment was the same for all.

At the beginning of the war, the equipment consisted of a leather waist belt, to which it was hung from the front right and left by a cartridge bag. Shop bags for small arms of other types, except for the rifle (submachine guns, assault rifles), were included in the set of these weapons. The harness belts (adopted for equipping with the new knapsack in 1939) were attached to the belt from the back and front at the level of the cartridge bags. Thus, an integral set was obtained, consisting of a waist belt, a harness and two cartridge bags. The dry bag was attached to the waist belt on the back right, while the flask was worn over the “crackers”. The sapper's shoulder blade was also located on the belt behind the back, but on the left, on top of the shoulder blade, a scabbard for a bayonet-knife was attached. The gas mask, placed inside a cylindrical tin box, was hung on a separate strap over the left shoulder and fixed on the strap above the cracker bag. Several ways of wearing a gas mask have been proposed, depending on the specific characteristics of the service. The gas protection cape was stored in a bag attached to the belt of the gas mask box at chest levels. If a soldier did not carry a knapsack, then he attached the bowler hat to the "cracker", next to the flask, or hung it on a belt. A cape-tent (which combined a cape, overalls, and a tent) was usually attached to the harness above the flask.

Such equipment allowed the soldier to operate on the battlefield for 24 hours, since it contained ammunition, auxiliary weapons (bayonet), rations, water, a kettle and various useful little things. In addition, the equipment included items that facilitate the survival of a soldier on the battlefield: a gas mask, a gas protective cape, a sapper shovel and a raincoat.

Additional items of equipment were carried by soldiers in a combat backpack introduced shortly before the war. A small bag for additional items was suspended from the machine of the backpack, attached to the harness. A raincoat-tent with accessories was also hung from the machine, and a bowler hat crowned the entire structure on top. Heavier items were kept in a knapsack in which soldiers usually carried spare underwear, warm clothing, rations and personal hygiene items.

The satchel was fixed with shoulder straps to the waist belt. Before the war itself, a model of a knapsack appeared, attached directly to the harness. Such a soldier's equipment was called marching equipment. In addition, the soldiers were given small linen sacks where the change of linen was kept. In combat conditions, the soldiers handed over their satchels and linen bags to the train.

The equipment system was organized in such a way that the unit commander had a lot of room to maneuver - each soldier went on a mission carrying any special equipment. Already during the war, additional elements of equipment were introduced and various ways of wearing it were envisaged - statutory and non-statutory ones, facilitating the use of equipment in battle.

German infantry in battles near Kharkov, autumn 1941. In the center of the picture, with his back to us, is the 3rd machine gun crew of the infantry squad. His outfit consists of a rusks bag worn clearly at the back, a flask and a bowler hat fastened to the “rusks”, a raincoat-tent and a shovel with a bayonet on his left side. In addition to the standard equipment, the soldier also carries a cover with two spare barrels and a cartridge box for the MG-34 machine gun. The photograph shows that in combat conditions, the soldiers wore their equipment as it was more convenient for them, and not as required by the regulations.

The field equipment of the Wehrmacht soldiers was comfortable and contained all the items needed in battle. The photo shows an example of wearing equipment; the tent cloak and bowler hat are attached to the rig of the combat backpack.

Traditionally, this element of the uniform of the Russian military arose in the 19th century - already in 1882 a raincoat-tent was included in the outfit as a mandatory attribute. But the unit of that time was not much like modern light pieces of tarpaulin: wooden stakes and stands were attached to it, which the soldier had to carry under his greatcoat along with a heavy and bulky tent rolled into a roller. And nevertheless, the military were ready for this - finally, in field conditions, their heads could not get wet in the rain. The idea of preserving the uniform in a dry state so pleased the authorities that already in 1910 the tarpaulin triangle officially received the status of a "soldier's raincoat-tent" and was used during inspections.

From the earliest years, the raincoat-tent was produced in khaki colors, disguising the location of the soldier at a halt. German soldiers of the Second World War era had two-sided coloring of the raincoat - under "our" dirt and under "native". It was possible to fasten four tents together and get one large, full-fledged one for several people. Here's just the only "but": from those very first years - that is, since 1910, no one bothered to change the design of the tent - this is how our brave guys wrap themselves in a short frail cape.

Modern raincoat tent and its alternatives

Today the raincoat tent has a canvas size of 180cm and cords for tightening the hood and the raincoat itself. It can be worn both behind the back and in the form of a cape, but the buttons have been replaced with the same wooden pegs. If the rationers had allocated at least another 20cm for the length of the side of the tent, perhaps the Russian soldiers would not have had to curl their legs while resting.

With the help of a raincoat, the military cleanses weapons, using it as a bedding, and for shooting, as well. Foliage is transferred on it during the cleaning of the territory, it is covered with bunks in marching shelters, etc. Due to its bright fame and versatility, the raincoat-tent has gained popularity among imitators of the military style - there are those who prefer to hide only with it on campaigns.

We will not argue how convenient it is, but for more conservative people, an ordinary two-person tent is better suited. They are now made in a huge variety, from super-light structures and materials - up to aluminum and fiberglass, they are rolled up in such a tube that you can put it in a backpack. As for the shapes, there is where to roam: domed ones are popular, but elongated rectangular ones are also suitable for tall people.

How to make a tent with your own hands?

A section for those who are especially devoted to tourism. It is possible to make housing from six cameras from a road bike, ordinary polyethylene and tarpaulin. These inflatable tents are not mounted on heavy metal, but on heavy-duty rubber tubes.

Cutting 4 chambers about a decimeter from the nipple, we get tubes of 120 cm each, in order to lengthen them, we take another 60 cm from the remaining chambers. It is necessary to glue the chambers and seal the ends. Now we sheathe it with a tarpaulin, attaching to the ends on a loop with a diameter of up to 5 cm. the nipples are left outside to pump air into the chambers.

We cut a circle out of a piece of tarpaulin and sew it to the covers - this will be the bottom of the tent and at the same time fastening the racks. That's it, now we are preparing an awning made of polyethylene, glue it with "Moment" to the racks and additionally stitch it with nylon thread. Such a tent weighs no more than 2 kg, and the installation process will not take more than 10 minutes.

You need two lengths of fabric. Then you can sew two such raincoats.

The Zeltbahn 31 raincoat was a waterproof raincoat made of thick, water-repellent cotton fabric and was used everywhere.

The Zeltbahn 31 raincoat was shaped like a triangle 203x203x240 cm It had a broken glass camouflage pattern on both sides, darker on one side and lighter on the other.It had 62 metal buttons sewn to it, 31 on each side, and it had 30 loops. In the middle, it had a slot with a double flap.

Simplified, modern version Zeltbahn 31:

With the help of loops and buttons, it could be fastened in several ways, thereby creating maximum protection in various conditions.

Four tents could be combined into one large four-person tent.

Central Material Service of the Army all the time he invents some kind of backpack bags, suitcase bags, field portable kitchens for 5-10-20 people (who will wear them and how?). And the soldier, as he dragged his things in the orphan sidor, and drags, like a mok in an outdated raincoat-tent, and gets wet.

Zeltbahn and Zeltausrüstung (Tent Quarter and Tent Equipment)

During the First World War, the Zeltbahn was invented by the Austrians, then the Zeltbahn 31 went into service with the Germans and remained with the Swedes as the Zeltbahn M39.

The Zeltbahn 31 (Zeltbahn 31) was originally known as the "Warei" type and replaced the old 11 year gray square raincoat.

The new raincoat-tent had a triangular shape, was made of densely woven gabardine, and thanks to this it was not wet.

There were three ways to wear a raincoat as a raincoat: an option for an infantryman, a horseman, and a cyclist.

Initially, the cloak-sample of 31 years old was painted in the color feldgrau (field gray), but by 1939 in most military units, raincoats with "comminuted" camouflage were used.

One side of the raincoat was covered with dark camouflage (dunklerer Buntfarbenaufdruck), on the other side with light camouflage (hellerer Buntfarbenaufdruck).

Towards the end of the war, raincoats appeared with dark camouflage on both sides. In North Africa, the continental version of the raincoat was mainly used, there was also a special tropical version, which was painted greenish-yellow or light beige on both sides, but it was produced in limited quantities.

The two sides of the new-style raincoat were 203 cm long, and the third side was 240 or 250 cm long. There were 12 buttons and loops along the short sides. Along the wide side were six steel-edged holes through which a tension rope passed, and six buttons were sewn over the holes.

Buttons and loops on the short sides served to connect several raincoats into one large tent, and the size of the tent depended on the number of combined panels.

When the raincoat was used as a cape, the holes and buttons at the base of the cloth allowed the cloak to be fastened around the soldier's legs. In the center of the panel there was a slot for the head, closed by two overlapping flaps.

At first, a clip-on hood was issued with a raincoat, but soon it was no longer used.

In each corner of the panel there was a large hole, edged with metal, with the help of these holes, the tent was fixed with pegs or a rope was passed through them, depending on the type of tent being erected.

One or two raincoats could serve as a simple blanket, four panels tied together made it possible to set up a pyramidal standard four-person tent. In addition, a special illustrated guide to the use of the 31 year old raincoat contained standard designs for eight- and sixteen-person tents.

Standard installation kit tents (Zeltausrustung) included:

black two-meter rope (Zeltleine)
dismountable wooden post (Zeltstock)
with metal lugs (consisting of four connecting parts, each part is 37 cm long)
two pegs (Zeltpflocke)

A special bag was intended to carry these items. The sack was sewn from gabardine or thin "comminuted" camouflage canvas, field gray (feldgrau), gray, olive green, greenish yellow (tropical version), brown or beige. The top of the bag was closed with a flap, which was fastened with one or two buttons.

Originally on the bagthere were two leather straps with which the bag was attached to other items of equipment, and then the straps gave way to leather loops.

Tent pegs could be of various shapes, and light metal alloys, steel, or impregnated wood were used to make them. In the upper part of each peg there was a hole through which a rope was threaded, if necessary, to facilitate the extraction of the peg from the ground.

Cloak - could be worn by attaching with the help of additional. belts to a waist belt, harness, to a knapsack or combat backpack in the form of a roll (with or without a blanket).

Due to an acute shortage of materials, in 1944, raincoats were issued only to selected field units. In a limited number, other raincoats were used, including captured Italian camouflage patterns of 1929 and square Soviet dirty olive colors.

In addition to its main functions as a raincoat and a tent panel, a sample of 31 years old could be used in a number of other cases:

as an individual camouflage cape for military personnel and military equipment; as a blanket or pillow;
as a floating craft for overcoming water obstacles (one or two folded raincoats, stuffed with branches or hay);
as an improvised means for carrying the wounded or items of ammunition in combat conditions;
for carrying garbage in construction time;
as the simplest field table.

In addition to the above-described cloak-tent of the 31-year-old model, the German army used a number of other army tents of various designs, including special staff and medical tents.

Heinrich Hofmann made zelt of 1941 vintage.

The raincoat-tent appeared in the outfit of the Russian soldier a long time ago.

The raincoat-tent appeared in the outfit of the Russian soldier a long time ago. The author was unable to trace the moment of appearance of this very interesting piece of equipment. However, it is known for sure that since April 1882, a raincoat-tent has already been an indispensable element of soldier's camping equipment.

True, at that time it was intended only for the role of an individual soldier's tent. The figure shows the equipment of an army infantry soldier of the 1882 model. Among other elements, a light gray bundle of a tent is clearly visible, tied with a belt to an overcoat roll worn by a soldier over his left shoulder. The tent in the kit had wooden pegs and a stand that was pushed between the tent and the roll-up.

For that time, this was a truly revolutionary decision. For the first time, a soldier received a means of weather protection both during rest and on the march. This was very important, because the soldier's camp tents were transported in a second-class wagon train, which, according to the regulations, followed the regiment at a distance of half a day's march, i.e. 20-30 versts Consequently, earlier, after a day's march, a soldier could get a place to rest and shelter from the rain at best by the middle of the night, and if we take into account the time required for setting up tents, then by morning. Those. by the time the next day's march was to begin. Thus, it turned out that on all days of the march, the soldier was always under open air and could count on some sort of normal conditions for rest only when the regiment stopped for a daily rest.

The individual tent changed its position radically. A soldier, having come to his place of lodging, could put up a kind of tent for himself and hide from the night dampness, rain, coolness, dew. Having united, three or four people could already make up something more similar to a real tent from their tents.

Initially, the tent was simply a panel with holes in the corners for installation and was intended to be used only as a tent. The soldiers instantly adapted to shelter themselves from the rain with a tent during the march. They themselves began to adapt the tent so that it was convenient to use it and like a raincoat. The soldiers' notions were noticed and appreciated by the authorities, and in 1910 the tent was modernized. From that time on, she received official name\ "Soldier's raincoat-tent \". In the drawing of a soldier in a 1912 uniform, a bundle of a cloak-tent with pegs thrust into it is seen tied to a greatcoat roll (behind his right hand).

However, since 1910, the soldier's raincoat-tent has hardly changed anymore (with the exception of minor changes) and remained in this form by the beginning of the XXI century.

Today it is hopelessly outdated. We can say that today it is neither a raincoat nor a tent.

If you put it on like a cape, it immediately turns out that the front of the panel does not even reach the knees. The water flowing down from the cloth quickly makes the knees wet, even if the soldier is standing. The corner tucked up at the back ensures that when walking, water flows alternately into the left, then into the right boot. If the corner is turned away, then he drags with a loud rustle through the mud behind his back, clinging to all the blades of grass, twigs, etc., and pulling off the cloak from his shoulders. In addition, the cloth itself is made of ordinary thin tent fabric without any serious water-repellent impregnation, after two or three hours the raincoat gets wet and no longer provides protection from the rain. The figure shows a submachine gunner (looks like a much shorter than average height) in a modern raincoat with a submachine gun in a standing position.

A modern soldier's raincoat-tent looks like this: A square cloth with a side of 180cm. Holes are made in the corners of the cloth, trimmed with a strong cord or leather overlays. The edges of the panel are double with a row of small holes-slits and wooden sticks sewn on, used as buttons. A curly arcuate detail is sewn onto the cloth, which, when wearing a raincoat-tent in the form of a raincoat, forms a second layer of protection for the shoulders from water. Closer to one of the edges, there is a rectangular slot. covered with a bar. This slit allows the soldier to protrude one hand from under the cloak. when all buttons are fastened. In two places, cords are passed through the panel, allowing, when pulled together, to form the neck of the cloak and the hood.

The set of a raincoat tent includes: 1-panel, 2-two half-racks, 3-stitching cords, 4-four wooden or metal pegs.

As a rule, pins, half-racks and stitching cords are instantly lost or frankly thrown away, because at present no one is trying to use a raincoat-tent as a tent. Agree that the structure depicted in the figure, made of a cloth, a rack, four jokes, is hardly acceptable for a modern soldier.

With minimal amenities, such a tent can only accommodate a small child. And the open side allows the wind to blow into the tent, and rain can also get inside. A soldier of modern dimensions, trying to lie down in such a tent, necessarily leaves either his legs or his head outside.

True, the design of the raincoat-tent allows several panels to be connected with the help of cords. In this case, it turns out to be something like a tourist summer tent. However, the instruction for the raincoat is overly optimistic. For example, she claims that two raincoats make a tent for two people. But this is not a tent, but just a canopy. At least four sets are required to create a more or less acceptable tent for one person, and six sets for two or three people. The picture shows a tent of six sets. The instruction states that this is a six-person tent. However my personal experience allows me to assert that it accommodates two or three people. If you put six people in there, then it will be torture, not rest.

However, despite the fact that the raincoat-tent is currently incapable of performing the tasks assigned to it according to its intended purpose, no one objects to it and does not demand its replacement for something more appropriate. The raincoat is used as a bedding for cleaning weapons in the field; a bedding when firing from a machine gun in bad weather conditions, so as not to stain the uniform; like an impromptu tablecloth when eating in the field. It is used to carry bread and other products, dry rations. A raincoat tent is indispensable when taking out swept dry foliage and other debris. The bunks in the marching soldiers' tents are covered with cloak-tents. They also replace doors in houses dilapidated by the war. They are used to close the windows in occupied broken houses (and instead of glass, blackouts and a grenade thrown into the window will be delayed). Yes, you never know when a piece of strong dense fabric is required.

And for protection from rain, the well-known set of chemical protection (OZK), consisting of rubber stockings-shoe covers, worn over any shoes and a rubber raincoat with a hood and sleeves, which, with the help of simple manipulations, turns into a jumpsuit, is much more effective. And modern soldiers sleep more and more in cars, of which there are almost more in the army than the soldiers themselves. So the usual camping tent is less and less common in soldier's life.

But it would not be bad to work on the creation of a raincoat that meets modern requirements and is more versatile. For example, in Afghanistan, soldiers wrapped two edges and sewed them with thread. Such a raincoat-tent, having passed two sticks into the resulting fabric tubes, was used as an improvised stretcher for carrying the wounded. Yes, even it is necessary to increase the size of the cloth itself. The average height of a soldier in comparison with 1909 increased by at least 20-30 cm.

However, it seems that since 1910, no one has been engaged in the modernization of the soldier's raincoat and does not want to do it. But already during the Second World War, the Wehrmacht had much more comfortable, practical raincoat-tents made of waterproof canvas fabric. In addition, the German raincoat-tent had a double-sided camouflage color and could be used as a camouflage cover. There are excellent examples of the American poncho-type raincoat.

In general, it is rather strange - our army took over the German bowler (the Red Army entered the war with a soldier's copper bowler from the First World War, which was just a saucepan with a bow). A modern Russian army bowler hat is an exact copy of a German bowler hat (by the way, a Czech-style bowler hat is more convenient than a German one). But the German water bottle is not. And it is more convenient than ours, tk. closed on top with a mug. You don't need to have a mug separately. The German flat three-light flashlight under the KSF brand was adopted, but the raincoat was not adopted. The Central Military Service is constantly inventing some kind of backpack bags, suitcases, field portable kitchens for 5-10-20 people (who will carry them and how?). And the soldier, as he dragged his things in the orphan sidor, and drags, like a mok in an outdated raincoat-tent, and gets wet.

In the picture, a German submachine gunner from the Second World War in a 1931 model raincoat (it was forbidden to have the German army, and the authorities were already thinking how best to dress a soldier of the future Wehrmacht!).

Literature

1. Manual on military engineering for the Soviet Army. Military publishing house. Moscow. 1984

2.I. Ulyanov, O. Leonov. History of Russian troops. Regular infantry. 1698-1801. Moscow. AST. 1995.

3. I. Ulyanov. History of Russian troops. Regular infantry. 1801-1855. Moscow. AST. 1996.

4. I. Ulyanov, O. Leonov. History of Russian troops. Regular infantry. 1855-1918. Moscow. AST. 1998.

5.S. Drobyazko, A Karashchuk. The second World War 1939-1945. Russian Liberation Army. Moscow. AST. 1998.

6.S. Drobyazko, I. Savchenkov. World War II 1939-1945. Infantry of the Wehrmacht. Moscow. AST. 1999.