Swiss M/83 Alpenflage Leibermuster, Pants, Shirt, Hat, and Helmet Cover

For today's posting I'll be presenting my full set of M/83 Swiss Alpenflage camo's.  This last week I picked up two pairs of new, and unissued, M/83 pants....... one pair for me and one pair for Sweet Pea.  This finished up my M/83 Alpenflage set up.

I'll be showing off the pants and helmet cover in this posting.  Here's a link to one of my previous postings that show off the shirt and hat:   M/83 Swiss Alpenflage Shirt & Hat

The pants are designed to fit a range of sizes due to an elastic strip sewn in the rear of the waistband.  There are two D-rings sewn to each side of the waistband that are used to attach the shirt to.  The mystery of the two side straps on the shirt are now solved!  Here are some shots of the pants and the D-rings and how the D-rings are used to attach the shirt.

There is a loop of ribbon sewn to each of the pants cuffs.  I'm not sure how these loops are used, but they must secure to the combat boots somehow.  Another item to research!

Here are a couple of shots of the pants labels.  The first one is the size label in the waistband and the other is care and contract label inside the pants.  On the size label, the top number is the waist size and bottom number is the leg length.

Here's a few shots of the helmet cover for the M/72 steel helmet.  The covers attach with metal hooks to the helmet rim and the cover is tightened with a drawstring in the back.  I have 3 of these covers, but no helmet to with them......... yet!

Here's the full set up.  Hat, shirt and pants.

Swiss M/70 Alpenflage Leibermuster, Back Pack Strap Modification / Set-Up

After trying out my Swiss M/70 Alpenflage jacket and backpack, with a full load, I noticed that there was a crucial support component missing.............. With the pack loaded, it tended to slide down the back and drag the front of the jacket up and over with it! 

Inside the M/70 jacket there are two straps that hang loose iniside. These two straps are an internal extension of the external D-ring attachment points for the pack.  These two straps are meant to attach to two buckles on the M/70 pants.  This gives the loaded pack the support it needs to be comfortable and to keep the pack from sliding down.  You can see the two straps on either side in the pictures below........ look close.

I do not have a pair of the original M/70 pants, so I needed to come up with a more useable solution....... especially if I wanted to wear the jacket and pack without the M/70 pants.  Here's what I came up with.  I attached a brass clip-hook and adjuster to the end of the internal M/70 jacket straps.  I then added a set of Czechoslovakian belt loop D-rings to my pants belt.  This allows me to attach the jacket straps to my pants belt for support.  It works amazingly well!  

I also have recently acquired a pair of M/83 pants.  These pants have a set of D-rings sewn to the waistband, one on each side.  These D-rings are used to attach the M/83 shirt hold down straps to, but they also provide an attachment point for the M/70 jacket and pack  straps.  This just as well as the belt and D-ring set up I described above.  Now I have a full camo set up that works with all of my Alpenflage components.

Here's a few shots of the M/70 jacket and pack worn with the M/83 shirt and pants.  These shots also show how well this camo pattern works up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Bundesgrenzschutz Mehrzweckanzug, BGS BDU's

Today I'll be showcasing an original set of Bundesgrenzschutz Mehrzweckanzug, also known as BGS BDU's (battle dress uniform).  I received this from a friend in Berlin who served with the BGS back in the mid to late 1990's.


These field uniforms were used as a multi-purpose service uniform.......... for work, training and field operations.  The shirt and pants were designed to be buttoned together by means of two straps in the pants waist band and a corresponding "belt loop" on the shirt (The long vertical fabric strip sewn to the front of the shirt).  There are leg ties in the pants leg hems so that the pants can be bloused with boots.  In usual German fashion, all of the pockets have zippers and snaps.  The shoulder board buttons on this shirt are not correct and will be replaced when I can locate a proper set of old BGS buttons, but until then, they look pretty good!

Without further delay, let's take a look at this great set of Bundesgrenzschutz Mehrzweckanzug.
First the shirt:

Tailored darts on shirt back.

Shirt loops in front strip for securing the shirt to the pants straps.

And now here are the pants:

Pant leg tie for blousing the pants over boots.  In the "not-used" position.

Schweizer Armee, Swiss Army Movie-Video, Official Swiss Army Video on K-9, Cavalry-Horses

Today I have another video that was produced and filmed by the Swiss Army.  This video is dated 2010.

The video covers the Swiss K-9 Training Center, Horse Patrol Unit, Horse Transportation Unit, and the Horse Training and Veterinary Center .  The footage of Horses in use in the modern Swiss Army is truly fantastic!  I had no idea that the Swiss Army still uses horses......... the video is about 12 minutes long, and is in narrated in English.

Here is one more short video that covers the Swiss Army pack horse units. The video was filmed and produced by the Swiss Military and is about 1 1/2 minutes long...... and in English.  It's extremely good!

Schweizer Armee, Swiss Army Movie-Video 1976, M/70 Alpenflage Leibermuster

For your viewing pleasure,  today I have a fantastic film that was produced back in 1976 by the "Schweizer Armee", or Swiss Army.  It shows a dramatic, but fictional, invasion by Eastern Block forces.  The best part about the film is that it shows the old style Alpenflage field camo in use (the old M/57 and its variations, up through M/57/70).  One thing that I found particularly interesting is the occasional use of the old WW2 Sumpfmuster camo on many of the helmet covers!  You may have to look close to pick out the various uniform details, but it I have not found a better visual source for "real" information on Swiss field uniforms and equipment form the Cold War era.

The film basically is a showcase of all of the Swiss military weapons that were in use at the time.  Great shots of all types of Swiss infantry  machine guns, mortars, bazookas, rockets, tanks, firing away at the "enemy".


Here is the film in its entirety........... filmed in 1976, about 26 minutes long.

Liberty Cuffs

For a change of pace from all of the previous "Tera Firma" military gear and clothing posts, I thought I'd pull out a set of vintage Liberty Cuffs to show off today.

Liberty cuffs are a strictly unofficial bit of US naval uniform tradition that once was quite popular with shipboard sailors from WW2 through the 1980's.  During this time, enlisted sailors were required to wear their issue naval jumpers to and from the ship and while on board.  No civilian clothes were allowed on the ship.  This gave birth to the "Liberty Cuff" tradition.  Sailors being the rebellious bunch that they are, could not pass up the opportunity to sneak a bit of flagrant individualism under the noses of the officers and the ever present Shore Patrol.  The Liberty Cuff was born.  It was traditional for a sailor to have his jumper tailored and additionally embroidered with art inside.......... against all US Navy regulations, of course.  Once the sailor was off the ship and on liberty, he could turn up the cuffs of his jumper and sport his Liberty Cuffs.  But, while he was on liberty, and looking so salty, he had to keep the ever vigilant eye open for the dreaded, and ever present, Shore Patrol.  These tough Navy cops would bust a sailor in a minute if he was caught "out of uniform" with his Liberty Cuffs turned up.....................................

Here are my cuffs.  They date somewhere in the WW2 to 1980's time period and are new and unissued.  For a great write up on the history of this naval tradition, take a look at this wonderful web page:  Liberty Cuffs

To finish things up, lets take a look at a few period photos of these cuffs in the fleet.  The first two photos are of Steve McQueen in the movie "The Sand Pebbles"...............

Middle sailor, back row.......