[sergemaster]

Interesting pic I came across on a book about German Gebirgsjager written in 1942 and their experience in the Ostfront. Check out this soldato, what do you notice is odd...or maybe the norm at that time?


A NOI!!

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[Arditi]

Cool pic. Stars...no mostrine? I always wondered if this was due to shortages, unit/personal choice or some other issue. Great pic. Arditi

[Veltro]

Security reasons?

Eddy

[sergemaster]

BINGO!! You both win a fun filled weekend in the HOTEST spot this end summer, the New Orleans Superdome!!

I have NO clue what the deal is with only the starand no mostrine, I do remember that another Italian reenactor told me the stars were used ILO if the soldato was a new recent replacment to a field unit and were standard before the supply Sgt. could issue mostrine out IF he had any.

A great question regardless. Personally, I think it looks better without and also logisitically easier than all these cheap different colored unit patches that fall apart in one downpour.

A NOI!!

[Don_Giovanni]

Looks like his helmet is also void of any stencil.

And no cigarette! This is the 40's, everyone has to be thoroughly addicted, no?

Don Giovanni

[Jeff Leser]

The helmet fregi were stopped in 1940. Given the lack of mostrine and the fregio, it is quite possible this soldato enlisted/was conscripted after 1940.

What I like is the clear veiw of the portapluma. Solid evidence that this style was used in WWII.

Pista!

Jeff

[Gian]

Quote

The helmet fregi were stopped in 1940. Given the lack of mostrine and the fregio, it is quite possible this soldato enlisted/was conscripted after 1940.

Jeff, I have seen footage of Primo Raggruppamento Motorizzato (1943) which members still wore helmets with stencils on. My hypotesis is that stencils were made "at home" before troops were sent to the front lines, and then were overpainted for camouflage or other reasons (secrecy of Corps and units involved).
That is the case of "censorship" you can observe in this photo.

[Jeff Leser]

Quite possibly true, and there are many photos post-1940 with soldati with fregi on the helmets. We know the regulation was issued in 1940 to remove the fregi. No doubt that some individuals/units might have kept them. We know this particular photo is in Russia, and the helmet doesn’t have a fregi, and the individual lacks mostrine. Could also be a soldier transferred to a new unit. Whiule early photoshopping can remove th efregio, doing the same for the mostrine and leaving th esatrs is verydoubful.

>My hypothesis is that stencils were made "at home" before troops were sent to the front lines.

I feel this is unlikely. The fregi were depot painted. It is a lot of trouble to paint fregi on helmets that lack the stencils, a practiced that was against the regs. It is most likely that some units didn’t follow the regulation and remove the fregi. As equipment was passed on or jealously guarded by older soldiers that took pride in their unit, helmets with the stencils continued to be used until the end of the war.

In the case of the 1° raggruppamento, the fregi could have been painted for identification and pride. As the first combat unit to fight alongside of the Allies, they might have done this. However, there are no fregi in the picture of these soldiers in the picture on page 34 of the Osprey book. So it is unlikely this was a unit-wide decision/action. I feel the put-together nature of the unit, using available equipment, saw the use of helmets that had not been repainted ICW the regulations.

Pista!

Jeff