Rucksack, Combat

History

The Rucksack is a large, stone-grey, heavy-weight canvas pack loosely based on a rucksack design issued to German Army mountain troops (Gebirgsjäger) in the late years of World War II.

One notable feature of this rucksack is its integration of the German military-issue fold-up sleeping mat as a frame. Originally issued by the West German Army (Bundeswehr) in the early 1960s, this sleeping mat remained in use until the late 1980s. The rucksack could be attached to the web suspenders of the webbing set and was also compatible with a “packboard”-type frame used by the Bundeswehr.

As with all Bundeswehr field gear, the rucksack had a prescribed packing list for essential equipment:

• Lid Pocket: a thermal field shirt, a thermal shirt, a spare pair of underpants.
• Main Pocket: Field jacket and liner, 1 pair of field trousers, 1 pair of lace-up shoes, 1 pair of thermal trousers, a woolen sweater, a sewing kit, and a winter camouflage over-jacket, if required.
• Front Pouch: Boot cleaning kit, towel.
• Side Pouches: Woolen hat, woolen neck warmer, 1 pair of finger gloves.
• Additional Storage: Any remaining space was used for personal items needed in the field. A sleeping bag was strapped to the top of the rucksack.

Description

The rucksack has a large flat lid that closes with two webbing straps and aluminum buckles. When closed, the lid covers the main opening, which has five webbing channels on the top for strapping a sleeping bag or other gear. The underside of the lid features a large internal pocket made from lightweight cotton canvas. This pocket closes with aluminum buttons and is spacious enough to hold a folded-up poncho or similar items.

The main compartment of the Rucksack closes with a cotton draw cord. It is a large compartment with a flat pocket that holds the fold-up ground mat. This pocket is made of the same canvas as the lid pocket and runs the length of the back. It closes with two sets of aluminum buttons placed at different levels.

At the front of the Rucksack, there is a large square canvas pouch that closes with two webbing straps and aluminum buckles. Additionally, the base of this pouch has two short webbing straps that allow attachment to the pack frame at the bottom of the Rucksack. The sides of the Rucksack feature medium-sized pouches that can hold a German army canteen and case. These pouches close with a webbing strap and aluminum buckle. Adjacent to these pouches on the outer edge of the Rucksack are single webbing loops for gear attachment.

On the back of the Rucksack, there is a webbing carrying handle at the top, along with a large metal D-ring on each side. These D-rings enable the Rucksack to be attached to either the German army web suspenders or the top of the pack frame. The bottom of the Rucksack has angled aluminum buckles on each side, through which the internal strap of the German army web suspenders can be threaded, allowing for adjustments while the Rucksack is being worn.
To reinforce the base of the Rucksack, a second layer of heavyweight canvas is added.

Examples

Example One

The example had one lid’s closure strap replaced with a black nylon webbing strap and a more conventional-style metal buckle. This modification would have been added to the rucksack sometime after it was sold off by the Bundeswehr.

Related Objects