Bundesgrenzschutz patrol

[bluewillow]

After a fabulous holiday in Chinon last week I came home with new inspiration to complete some projects.

 Additions to my West Germans this week, a mix of Esci NATO troops and some Airfix miniatures. The Bundesgrenzschutz patrol will be useful for manning the border, protecting assets or airfields. The dog teams for border control

Enjoyed painting the camo as it is similar to ww2 luftwaffe /heer colours.






Quite happy with the mustache

Cheers
Matt

[carlos marighela]

Lovely work Matt! That's a clever adaptation of those old Airfix NATO ground crew. Haven't see those in donkey's years.

By the by I don't think the sumpfmuster  camo and the yellow and green Oestergaard uniforms would be a common mix. The BGS started phasing out military styles and adopted the Oestergaard uniforms in 1976 although it was a phase out so there's wriggle room available.

[juergen c. olk]

Great work.

[bluewillow]

Thank you Carlos, I am enjoying adding bits to them as they were an important link in the defence of strategic sites and airfields. I exercised (played enemy) with the SF gsg9 in 1987, good guys.

Lovely work Matt! That's a clever adaptation of those old Airfix NATO ground crew. Haven't see those in donkey's years.

By the by I don't think the sumpfmuster  camo and the yellow and green Oestergaard uniforms would be a common mix. The BGS started phasing out military styles and adopted the Oestergaard uniforms in 1976 although it was a phase out so there's wriggle room available.

The book I have has photos from an exercise in 83 with them in camo still, so it hung around for some time at least until the mid eighties (I suspect disappearing when female recruitment commenced. Here is the photo



Cheers
Matt

[carlos marighela]

The German Wiki entry suggests it hung around as a training uniform until the late 1980s and bits of the whole ensemble until possibly later, shelter halves, bits of equipment. IIRC GSG 9 used it for helmet covers.

You should think about doing some BZV* customs officers as they also patrolled the border and had specific TAORs that, curiously enough, were not always aligned with border crossings. Apparently there was quite a bit of rivalry between the BGS and BZV.



*Bundeszollverwaltung

[bluewillow]

Great idea Carlos, I will add a platoon of them too!

Cheers
Matt

[CapnJim]

Those guys look good.  Well done!

[Daeothar]

Nice work

I recognized those dog handlers immediately; I only ever bought a single set of Airfix troops when I was a little lad, and they were the NATO ground crew as mentioned. I still have most of them in my 1/72 bits box though, for use as Gaslands scenery/bystanders. Loads of gasmasks and NBC gear...

[bluewillow]

Cheers guys

I do enjoy painting random Cold War bits

Nice work

I recognized those dog handlers immediately; I only ever bought a single set of Airfix troops when I was a little lad, and they were the NATO ground crew as mentioned. I still have most of them in my 1/72 bits box though, for use as Gaslands scenery/bystanders. Loads of gasmasks and NBC gear...

I must have about three sets as I have at least another 3 dog handlers, I use some as drivers etc for Gaslands also !

Cheers
Matt

[AKULA]

Nice job - good to see the old Airfix ground crew getting a new lease of life