Zeltbahn 31 – Waffen SS – Plane tree 5/5 – fjm44 13/07/2021 12(55

Zeltbahn 31 – Waffen SS – Plane

tree 5/5
The Zeltbahn 31 was the issue shelter quarter of the German army. It was
patterned on 3.9.1926 by Walter Reichert. The zeltbahn is a triangular piece
of camouflaged cloth usable as a rain poncho or as a shelter. The material
used in the construction is so called Makostoff with a roller or screen printed
camouflage pattern on it. Throughout the war the Zeltbahn 31 went through
a bunch of simplifications but the basic design remained basicly
unchanged.

The Zeltbahn is featured with a set of 62 buttons to close it or combine it

with others to form a tent. These buttons where initially made of aluminium
but later where executed in zinc, steel or bakelite(Italian capture).
The Zeltbahn is featured with 9 grommets; one big grommet at every
corner to feature the tent pole, three sets of 2 small grommets on the
bottom which held 3 28cm sections of rope. These ropes are used to stake
down the Zeltbahn when it is used as a tent. Later in the war the number of
grommets used was brought down to 6 to save raw materials.

Initially it was executed in a field gray fabric but in 1930 the

Reichswehr copied the Italian idea of printing camouflage on the Zeltbahn.
The Reichswehr then designed the Buntfarbenaufdruck camouflage
pattern which was later renamed to Heeres-Splittermuster
31 (Splittertarnmuster). It was printed on the used by all arms in the
Reichswehr and later Wehrmacht. In 1935 the SS-VT first started
experimenting with other camouflage patterns. In 1936 the first Zeltbahnen
in SS camouflage where fielded and tested. By the end of the war the SS
had designed and fielded many different camouflage patterns.

After the capitulation of the Italian army in 1943 their camouflage printing
rollers and uniform/equipment stocks where captured and brought back to

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Zeltbahn 31 – Waffen SS – Plane tree 5/5 – fjm44 13/07/2021 12(55

Germany. It was then that the first Zeltbahnen of captured Italian

camouflage material (Telo Mimetico) where produced. Also some
experiments where done combining Telo
Mimetico with Splittertarnmuster. This is known to collectors as carbon
overprint and consists of a base of the brown base colour Telo
Mimetico printed in carbon ink overprinted with Splittertarnmuster. This is a
rare variation initially intended to camouflage against infrared light.

Four Zeltbahnen buttoned together made up a small pyramidal tent which

served as a shelter for four soldiers. Next to 4 zeltbahnen 4 poles and 8
stakes where needed. It was nearly endlessly combinable by adding
more Zeltbahnen constructing bigger tents. In theory every Zeltbahn was
issued with the following equipment;

– 1 Zeltleine 92 (tent rope), a 2 meter long, 4 mm thick cord with two loops
on each end. Usually in Dark blue or natural colour.
– 1 Zeltstock 01 (tent pole), a 38 cm long pole with blued steel fittings.
– 2 Zeltpflöcke 29 (tent stakes), Aluminium, steel or bakelite tent stakes
with a small piece of 4mm cord at the end.

These where meant to be carried in the Zeltzubehörtasche (tent accessory

bag) but they where usually kept wrapped in the rolled up zeltbahn.

Camouflage Pattern: Plane tree 5/5 or Platanenmuster

Markings: “Warei” Zeltbahn D.R.P. 1943 – Warei patentzelte, Walter
Reichert, Berlin NW40
Maker: Walter Reichert, Berlin NW40 “Warei”
Year: 1943
Number of grommets: 9
Button/grommet material: Zinc
Notes: –

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