Unknown camoflage

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Fusek
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Unknown camoflage

#1

Post by Fusek » 22 May 2013, 14:36

First of, let me thank you guys for this amazing forum. I've spend weeks digging through it all and I'm very impressed with the knowledge that the members of this forum have!

I found two photographs recently of International Brigadists wearing what looks like a sort of Zehltbahn with a camoflage pattern, but I don't recognise the print. It looks a lot like the German Splinter pattern, but it has no hard angles on the pattern. Does anybody know what kind of camoflage this is, or where can I ask this question if you people don't know?

Image

Image

Thanks in advance! :milsmile:

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Dwight Pruitt
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#2

Post by Dwight Pruitt » 22 May 2013, 16:13

They look like Italian shelter halves/ponchos to me.


ROLAND1369
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#3

Post by ROLAND1369 » 23 May 2013, 15:44

In addition the uniforms of the soldiers in the second picture show the typical short pants and knee length puttees and rolled socks typical of the Italian army of the period. This and the rifles would seem to indicate that these ar italian not spanish troops.

Fusek
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#4

Post by Fusek » 23 May 2013, 17:08

Thanks for the answers!

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Ironmachine
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#5

Post by Ironmachine » 23 May 2013, 17:17

The first photo is relatively well known and shows republican troops with camouflaged clothes captured from the Italian troops during the Battle of Guadalajara.

Fusek
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#6

Post by Fusek » 24 May 2013, 16:02

That is very interesting Ironmachine. Do you know if they capture a lot of Italian equipment during this battle? And do you know off-hand of other cases where a lot of equipment was captured? I do have one picture of Republican soldiers with a captured cache of German Stielhandgranaten at Quinto (sp?).

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Ironmachine
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#7

Post by Ironmachine » 24 May 2013, 18:32

Yes, the Republican forces captured a significant quantity of Italian equipment during this battle. The documents of the Ufficio Spagna gave the following numbers for the equipment lost by the Italian units during the battle: 25 guns, 10 mortars, 85 machine-guns, 140 light machine-guns, 822 rifles and 67 trucks. There were also 9 tanks lost (not cited), and ammunition was also captured in quantity.
Equipment was also captured by the Republicans in other battles, certainly. I don't have exact numbers, but given the conditions of the battle it is probable that Guadalajara was the most important battle in this sense.
Regards.

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Hauptmann Holston
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#8

Post by Hauptmann Holston » 05 Oct 2013, 17:43

Fusek,
I'm not an expert on the Spanish Civil War, but I can tell you without a doubt that these are Italian camouflage ponchos. Some German panzer officers and SS troopers in Normandy were known to have worn clothing, pants especially, made out of them. (12ss Pz DIv, 116 Pz Div, and maybe the 21 Pz Div).
Ironmachine wrote:There were also 9 tanks lost (not cited


Are there any pictures of these? and
Does anybody know if the condor legion had any German tanks and crew? Pictures?
"Tanks"
Herr Heer Holston

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Ironmachine
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#9

Post by Ironmachine » 05 Oct 2013, 20:57

Hauptmann Holston wrote:Are there any pictures of these?
Yes. For example:
ans1.JPG
ans1.JPG (21.35 KiB) Viewed 1264 times
(from http://www.sbhac.net/Republica/Imagenes ... rmas03.htm)
ans2.jpg
ans2.jpg (42.01 KiB) Viewed 1264 times
(from http://tanquesyblindados.blogspot.com.e ... -l335.html)
Hauptmann Holston wrote:Does anybody know if the condor legion had any German tanks and crew? Pictures?
Yes, the Legión Cóndor had a ground contingent that included tanks, all of them Panzer I. Initially part of the crews were German, but as more Spanish crews were trained the German crews were used in training roles and the tanks with their Spanish crews were under Spanish operational control.
Obtaining pictures of German tanks in the SCW in very easy. Just google "Panzer I Spanish Civil War".

Regards.

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Hauptmann Holston
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Re: Unknown camoflage

#10

Post by Hauptmann Holston » 06 Oct 2013, 17:21

"Tanks" Iornmachine
"Tanks"
Herr Heer Holston

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