This saw dates to the 1950's or 1960's time period and saw service with one of the THW field units. The saw was a very generous gift from a good friend of mine in Germany, who acquired it directly from a THW field unit as surplus stock.
 |
| THW Rescue Team, 1952 |
This saw would have originally have been issued with a wooden box containing extra blades of various types. The saw handle is very unique. It can be placed in various angled settings to allow it to be used in odd or extreme angles that are often encountered in rescue operations.
The handle is painted in the old "THW Tan" color that was used back in the 1950's and 1960's. Since the 1990's, "THW Blue" is the standard color, for both equipment and uniforms.
 |
| THW Unit in Berlin, 1960's |
There is a stripe of THW Blue paint on the handle, which would indicate that it saw continued service into the 1990's or later.
Before we get to the photo album of this unique saw, I would like to present a vintage THW photo with some very interesting details. If you click on the photo, you can enlarge it for more detailed inspection.
 |
| THW Rescue Team and Truck, 1955 |
It is very interesting to note that the truck is equipped with two of the old WW2 style shovel types. The long handled shovels are the standard WW2 style Pioneer Spades, and the smaller, square bladed spades, (mounted on the door), are the old, early WW2 Trench Spade style. It would be very interesting to know if these were WW2 surplus or if they were post-war manufactured. The rescue saw would have been found on trucks of this type.
Here is the photo album. Enjoy!
1 comment:
Interesting find! The letters DBP and the ornament that looks like a stylized horn seem to imply that this saw was used in a disaster relief unit of the federal postal service (Deutsche Bundespost) before being handed over to the THW. Since the Bundespost also was responsible for telecommunication, they also operated disaster relief units to repair telephone lines in case of disaster (or war) or install temporary means of communication for other disaster relief units (radio or field telephone networks). Eventually, these units got merged into the THW and live on in the "Command and Communication Units" (Fachzug Führung/Kommunikation).
Post a Comment