Hi guys, I'm new to the site. I used to own a Grenzflieger officer's tunic and visor, but one thing that's always bothered me about this stuff is the fact that I've never seen period photos of actual Grenzflieger personnel wearing these uniforms and hats. Sure, I've seen photos of Grenztruppen personnel in the field working with helicopters of various kinds, but they're always decked out in battle dress. It seems to me that it would be no problem at all to combine pieces of a Grenztruppen visor hat and an LSK visor hat and make a "Grenzflieger" hat. The only Grenzflieger tunics or hats I've ever seen were nice, brand-new, unissued specimens sold here in the States, which brings me to another reason why I'm suspicious-- has anybody seen any used Grenzflieger gear, or directly obtained any from actual former Grenzflieger personnel? I haven't. And if I recall correctly, there are no illustrations of Grenzflieger uniforms, hats, or insignia in Keubke's 'Uniformen der Nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986', nor has there been any depiction of Grenzflieger tunics or hats in any other uniform chart that I'm familiar with including those in the 'Handbuch der Milit?risches Grundwissen'. This seems very odd to me, unless the existence of the Grenzflieger was a state secret at the time, which I don't think it was. Can anybody explain why I've never seen photos or illustrations of this gear that are from the GDR era? The lack of period photos could be explained by the fact that it was a relatively small unit, and perhaps its members were cautioned to avoid being photographed, but there should still be relevant illustrations in in uniform books and/or charts no? Any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks guys.
