To follow up on the last post, today I'll be showcasing the second style of Bundesgrenzschutz dress hat. This is the service hat worn by the BGS officers serving in the Grenzschutzeinzeldienst, or Border Service. These are the officers that patrol the airports, train stations and man the border crossings.
This hat is virtually identical to the moss green hat in the previous post, with the exception of the cover. The cover on this hat is made of a synthetic "leather" material, white in color. As with the green version, it was adopted in 1976, however it is still used by the officers in this area of service. This hat is dated 1995.
Here are some close up photos of this hat:
Here are a few historical photos of BGS "Border Service" officers wearing this hat:
Today I have pulled out another recent addition to my Bundesgrenzschutz collection, a Schirmmütze, or dress hat, in the standard BGS moosgrün color.
This style of uniform dress hat was worn by all ranks in the BGS. The lower ranks wore a silver trimmed chinstrap and the upper ranks wore a gold trimmed chin strap, but other than that, the same dress hat was worn by all. This style hat, in the BGS moss green color, or moosgrün, was adopted in 1976 and was in service until the BGS was renamed the Bundespolizei in 2008, and a blue uniform was adopted.
My uniform hat is dated 1992. And now for some more detailed photos of this hat:
Here is a BGS magazine cover shot showing this style of hat in use. This photo is from 1976, when the new moosgrün uniform was adopted:
For today's posting, we'll be looking at another bit of the Bundesgrenzschutz uniform. This item is a Bundesgrenzschutz Schiffchen, or garrison cap, in the late BGS moosgrün color (moss green).
These garrison caps were worn by all branches of the service, from the beginning of the BGS, until the beret was introduced in the 1980's. The garrison cap was primarily worn around the barracks and for training. After the beret came into general use, the garrison cap continued to be used by the air crews in the Bundesgrenzschutz flight divisions.
The hat that I have is dated 1979 and is in new condition. On first glance, one would think that they were the same as the Olive Green hats that were used by the Bundeswehr. The only thing shared by the two, is the front cockade. The BGS hat uses the same olive green cockade as the BW hats. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two hats:
Here are a few more detailed shots of this Bundesgrenzschutz hat:
To finish things up, here are two historic BGS photos showing the BGS Schiffchen in use. The first photo is from 1973 and the second is from 1972:
Here is an interesting bit of Cold War era history from Germany. A souvenir "Armed Forces Recreation Center" beer stein. This stein dates prior to 1995.
Immediately after WW2, while the US military moved in to occupy their zone in Southern Germany, they set up a number of Rest and Relaxation facilities for the US troops. These facilities were established in seized Nazi hotels and Nazi Headquarters buildings. They later became the "AFRC", or Armed Forces Recreation Centers. These hotels went on to serve the US Military members, their families, retirees, and other select government employees. These original hotels and resorts were returned to the German Government in 1995, after the reunification of East and West Germany. A new resort was built in Germany to replace the the closed ones, and others were established around the globe. They still serve our soldiers, airman, sailors and retirees today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_Recreation_Centers
The stein I have, lists the resorts and hotels that were open in Germany prior to 1995.
Here are some more shots of this piece of Cold War history:
Here are some shots of the old hotels:
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| AFRC Berchtesgaden 1955 |
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| AFRC Chiemsee |
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| AFRC Garmisch |
Yesterday I stopped by the local Goodwill Store while I was out running errands. My quick stop paid off......... I picked up a wonderful, vintage metal box. I couldn't argue with the price either: $2.00 !!
The box is from the 1930's era, but I can not be certain of the exact date. It is in fantastic condition, which is rare for a metal box of this vintage. I plan on using the box in my shop to store my military and police patches, pins, buttons, etc...........
The box is labeled "West Coast Paper Co. Seattle - Portland" and with the "Butler Brands" logos. In 1933, West Coast Paper Company combined with Butler Brands to market Butler's line of paper to printers. West Coast Paper Company has now grown into the modern company of West Coast Paper Solutions. Here is a link to the company's web page that tells the story of the their start up in 1930, their partnership with Butler Paper in 1933, and their growth through the years until today:
http://www.wcpc.com/company/history/
Here is the photo album of this great box:
