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an observation
Biggles2
Joined: January 01, 2004
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Posted: Monday, February 08, 2016 - 08:14 PM UTC
This is just an observation and speculation, but in the last few months of the war you see (in photos) fewer and fewer helmets being worn (certainly not as many as in 1939). Looks like the Feldmutze was taking over. I'm just wondering if helmets were no longer being issued, or even recalled for other uses. More metal for munitions and armor, for instance.
retiredyank
Joined: June 29, 2009
KitMaker: 11,610 posts
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Posted: Monday, February 08, 2016 - 08:22 PM UTC
Men are an army's most valuable asset. I don't see them losing protective equipment.
jvazquez
Joined: September 26, 2006
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Posted: Monday, February 08, 2016 - 08:30 PM UTC
If this is true, my guess would be that by 1944 and 1945 since Germany was being crippled by the ongoing Allied air bombing campaign and the allied encirclement that all raw materials, especially metals had to be rationed and used strictly for munitions and vehicles etc. Helmets while very important would have been a little less on the list of priorities at that point. This is just my guess though
Biggles2
Joined: January 01, 2004
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Posted: Monday, February 08, 2016 - 08:55 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Men are an army's most valuable asset. I don't see them losing protective equipment.
In dictatorships, men are expendable.
Namabiiru
Associate Editor
#399
Joined: March 05, 2014
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Posted: Monday, February 08, 2016 - 10:40 PM UTC
If you are speaking specifically about the German side then my speculation would be thus: By the end of the war Germany was so short on men they were cobbling together units from whatever manpower was left--old men and children--and pressing them into service as quickly as they could. Similarly, I would guess units were being sent to the line with whatever bits of uniform and kit were at hand. Not to mention helmets designed and sized for the flower of Aryan youth were probably ill-sized for old men and young boys, and may have proved more a hindrance than a help in their case.
That's my speculation anyway...
That's my speculation anyway...
Vicious
Joined: September 04, 2015
KitMaker: 1,517 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 - 04:03 AM UTC
I think is a mix of causes,Allied raid on factory, infrastructure and troops and supplies on retreat ,priority to ammo,guns and veicles production,rationed metal and other raw materials,on the retreat went loss ton and ton of supplies,everyday born and die new unit some with old's and Kid's,probably the best supplies was for the best troops and also Adof madness was moving troops and supplies from a place to anothers some time even to "ghost" troops
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 - 07:55 PM UTC
My reading gives me the impression that the combat troops had the helmets pretty much always. The rear echelon guys received them less and less. In Africa,for instance,there was always a shortage of helmets and only the combat troops were getting them for the most part. Another factor was by the wars' end the discipline was not always as good. Thus being "out of uniform" was more common. I can tell from experience the thing troops hate wearing the most is the helmet and they will remove it at every chance.
J
J
Biggles2
Joined: January 01, 2004
KitMaker: 7,600 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 - 08:56 PM UTC
My observation was (is) based solely on Kriegsberichter photos taken from BoB to the end of the war. Feldmutzes appear to be more in evidence than helmets. Maybe there were no helmets available for the cannon fodder...uh, I mean, new units.
dhines
Joined: November 17, 2015
KitMaker: 407 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 - 10:46 PM UTC
Helmets were produced and issued up to the end of the war. I have a couple of late war issued helmets in my collection. The motley collection of equiptment evident in late war units was mostly due to supply problems. The stuff was being made but no way to get it to the troops. At the end everything that could be utilised was, including stores of captured equiptment from early in the war including rifles, light machine guns,etc. They even issued ww1 helmets, weapons, etc. Just look at late war pics showing the Volksturm. Hitler also equipted new formations at the expense of older veteran units. The only exception being the SS who had their own equiptment factories and supply systems. They also got 1st pick of new weapons and other armament because of Hitlers belief in their being able to stave off defeat because of their fanaticism. Reards.....Dale
obg153
Joined: April 07, 2009
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Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 08:13 AM UTC
What's been mentioned so far seems to revolve mostly around Wermacht troops during the last 6 months or so of the war. And while a number of the causes for not seeing helmets are noted here & had some influence on the matter, I'd suggest taking a wider view. Look at early years of the war, from both Europe & the Far East. In many early war photos from the Pacific, Japanese troops are often wearing only field caps. After Barbarossa began, you can find lots of examples where Russian troops are only wearing caps. Many photos of Stalingrad show them in caps or fur hats. Photos of Kursk often show combat troops in field positions without helmets. So I'm not so sure that the absence of helmets was primarily related to the end of the war.
Sean50
Joined: March 20, 2007
KitMaker: 340 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 04:54 PM UTC
Hello there,
My two penn'orth....
I think Jerry hit the nail on the head (sorry)... the caps were/are a much more comfortable thing to wear.
I remember reading somewhere an Allied soldier discussing German soldiers' attire and (I'm paraphrasing) talking about "the soft caps they would wear in any possible situation". As far as I know, they were a popular item of headwear. Unless someone was actually chucking stuff at me, I'd rather wear one of those than a helmet.
The circumstances in which the photos were taken could also be borne in mind.
With regards the SS getting preference, I'm not sure that's totally correct. Many years ago, when it was still the PRO, a friend of mine and I went to Kew to look at the newly released Enigma decryps. There was one which referrenced allocation of equipment to the 116.PzDiv. there was a note attached (from the time) stating that this would appear cointrary to the belief that the SS got prerential treatment with regards new weapons/equipment.
There was also a note from Himmler to Sepp Dietrich complaining of reports that members of 12.SS had been taking Sturmgewehr from fallen Volksgrenadier. This apparently really upset Himmler....
Cheers
Sean
My two penn'orth....
I think Jerry hit the nail on the head (sorry)... the caps were/are a much more comfortable thing to wear.
I remember reading somewhere an Allied soldier discussing German soldiers' attire and (I'm paraphrasing) talking about "the soft caps they would wear in any possible situation". As far as I know, they were a popular item of headwear. Unless someone was actually chucking stuff at me, I'd rather wear one of those than a helmet.
The circumstances in which the photos were taken could also be borne in mind.
With regards the SS getting preference, I'm not sure that's totally correct. Many years ago, when it was still the PRO, a friend of mine and I went to Kew to look at the newly released Enigma decryps. There was one which referrenced allocation of equipment to the 116.PzDiv. there was a note attached (from the time) stating that this would appear cointrary to the belief that the SS got prerential treatment with regards new weapons/equipment.
There was also a note from Himmler to Sepp Dietrich complaining of reports that members of 12.SS had been taking Sturmgewehr from fallen Volksgrenadier. This apparently really upset Himmler....
Cheers
Sean
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 07:33 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hello there,
My two penn'orth....
I think Jerry hit the nail on the head (sorry)... the caps were/are a much more comfortable thing to wear.
I remember reading somewhere an Allied soldier discussing German soldiers' attire and (I'm paraphrasing) talking about "the soft caps they would wear in any possible situation". As far as I know, they were a popular item of headwear. Unless someone was actually chucking stuff at me, I'd rather wear one of those than a helmet.
The circumstances in which the photos were taken could also be borne in mind.
With regards the SS getting preference, I'm not sure that's totally correct. Many years ago, when it was still the PRO, a friend of mine and I went to Kew to look at the newly released Enigma decryps. There was one which referrenced allocation of equipment to the 116.PzDiv. there was a note attached (from the time) stating that this would appear cointrary to the belief that the SS got prerential treatment with regards new weapons/equipment.
There was also a note from Himmler to Sepp Dietrich complaining of reports that members of 12.SS had been taking Sturmgewehr from fallen Volksgrenadier. This apparently really upset Himmler....
Cheers
Sean
You are correct Sean,about the WSS getting the first pick on gear. Not true. Maybe at certain points in the middle of the war but not at the end. This mistaken view comes from a few authors writing near the wars' aftermath and have been disproven many times. The Luftwaffe Panzer Divs,for instance,got tanks at the depot ahead of the LSSAH,supposedly the premier WSS Div. These Div,s of Goering also had many more tanks and apcs than the normal Army or WSS Pz Div. The Fuehrer Belgeit Brigade and other units gor equipped before WSS Divs along with several of the Army Pz Brigades in late 1944. I am always amazed this preferential treatment myth still survives. The WSS also relied on the draft for new troops!!
And,back to the headgear thing,who wouldn't rather wear a softcap than a brain bucket?
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