Quote:
Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b
You're going to at least want to give the East Germans the same helmet as the West Germans. Seeing a head pop up with an enemy-style helmet is likely to get you dead real quick, especially if it's dark.
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The old DDR steel helmet is unlike any other. It looks kind of like the helmets the rebel soldiers wear in the first Star Wars movie. There's really no mistaking it for a Soviet model steel helmet. So, if you could train your W. German troops not to shoot at the old E. German model, you could get by. On the other hand, steel helmets in general are not nearly as effective as newer Kevlar ballistic helmets so they'd probably be replaced fairly quickly anyway.
It seems like large scale replacement of DDR gear (including unis) would be tricky once the European war kicked off. There wouldn't be much time to pull former DDR units from the line for retraining and new (or old), West German equipment. Perhaps as units rotated out of the line, this would take place more systematically. So, by 2000, all German units would at least have similar uniforms, although many would continue to be equipped with a mix of NATO/WTO weapons and vehicles.
I know it's 50 years on, but the German army in the later stages of WWII excelled at creating and employing Kamfgruppen (Battle Groups) from the remains of various decimated units. This experience would probably help the Bundeswehr with the OTJ reorganization of units in the early stages of WWIII in Europe.
So, in order of priority, the following items would be replaced (from sooner to later):
Communications and electronics
Uniforms
Small Arms
I think we all agree that DDR/Soviet manufactured AFVs, artillery, and other "big-ticket" items would continue on in use indefinitely.
Thanks for all of the input, guys.