German "Pocket Litter" of WWII
By
Jeff Johannes, edited and additional
information provided by Doug Nash
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Introduction
Pocket litter (as defined in the Interrogation
Encyclopedia), is a military intelligence term of
art that covers the range of materials and
paraphernalia found on or near the prisoner at the
time of capture. What a soldier carries on his person,
including the contents of his pockets, has always
provided valuable military intelligence that might
spell the difference between survival and destruction.
In general, whatever storage space integral to a
soldier’s uniform is usually filled to capacity with
the tools a soldier needed to fight with, including
the clothes that he wears into combat. For the average
German Landser of WWII, this truth was no
different than for any other soldier engaged in modern
battle.
Pocket Availability on German Uniforms
During WWII, German soldiers wore a woolen tunic
(either models M36, M40, or M43) that contained four
external pockets, two on the upper chest area of the
tunic and two on lower portion of the tunic uniform
(Note: late in 1944 Germany developed a shorten tunic,
commonly referred to as the M44 Tunic, which contained
only two external pockets). Other tunics were
developed during the war, such as cotton tunics for
wear in tropical climates and Herringbone Twill (HBT)
tunics for use in training and in warm climates.
However, they were all patterned after the standard
woolen tunic and contained the same type of external
pockets. All of them shared the same features, in that
their pockets were closed by a single metallic pebbled
button that held the pocket flap securely in place.
Inside the tunic there was a small, thin interior
pocket located in the lower right corner that was
designed to hold two first aid dressings.

Trousers, either the woolen or Tropical/HBT versions,
usually had two slash pockets located along the side
as well as a rear back pocket. There was also a small
“fob” pocket located in the front right just below the
waistline. This was designed for a pocket watch
secured by a metal cord. However, this pocket was
rapidly becoming unnecessary, since wrist watches were
becoming more prevalent but experienced Landser
soon found other uses for this storage space, such as
for carrying condoms. During winter, overcoats proved
handy for carrying personal items, since they had
rather cavernous pockets, as did the late-war
reversible combat suit, which had two pockets in both
the jacket and field pants.
German soldiers would also place some of their larger
personal and field items in the bread bag or
Brotbeutel that they were issued. However, the
bread bag would often be left behind during combat
operations or during reconnaissance missions, where
speed and mobility were required and field gear proved
cumbersome. Therefore, many Soldaten left the
bread bag, along with their other non-essential gear,
back in their fighting positions and donned it once
again after the mission was completed. Once separated
from his field equipment, a Landser would then
have but one recourse to carry the various items he
needed to survive, and that was in his tunic, trouser
and overcoat pockets.
Veteran Accounts
Obergrenadier Martin Eichenseer, assigned to the
Headquarters (Stabskompanie) of Grenadier
Regiment 916, 352nd Infantry Division,
fought against elements of the U.S. Army on June 6th,
1944 at Omaha Beach in Normandy. After the war, he
recalled the following: “I was loaded down like pack
mule with about seven belts of MG ammunition around my
neck, twenty ‘egg’ grenades stuffed in my pockets and
twenty stick grenades which I tucked into my belt,
boot tops, and pack. With my rifle slung on my back
and 500 round ammunition can in each hand, I headed
off to the fighting.”
Waffen-SS Sturmann Konrad (Refer to the
complete interview of Konrad at the following link:
http://www.dererstezug.com/VetKonrad.htm),
who was assigned as a combat engineer (Pioneer) and
later as a panzer grenadier in the 2nd SS
Panzer Division “Das Reich” simply stated: “Our
pockets were always stuffed with what we needed to
survive on the front. We often did not go into combat
with full gear so we usually stuffed our tunic pockets
with ammunition and food.”
Karl
Wegner (Refer to the complete interview of Wegner at
the following link:
http://www.dererstezug.com/VetWegner.htm), was a
former member of Grenadier Regiment 914 of the 352nd
Infantry Division. When asked during an
interview what common things he kept in his pockets,
he replied, "wallet, pocketknife, crust of bread,
little books like the bible and my French dictionary.
All this sort of useful stuff."
Analysis of German personal items by the U.S. Army
During WWII,
the U.S. Army made an effort to examine the contents
of what German Prisoners of War (POW) had on them at
their time of capture. This analysis was conducted
initially by the GI’s of the capturing unit, who
usually did this on second thought only after first
searching for personal trophies such as medals, food,
any items that contained Nazi symbols, etc. Their goal
was to hastily determine the POW’s unit information,
locate any maps, documents indicating troop movements
or strengths, etc. A second, more thorough analysis
would be conducted by members of the capturing unit’s
S-2 or G-2 (Intelligence) section, analyzing whatever
items the POW still had on his person by the time he
was brought back to a command post area. The bodies of
the dead were also frequently searched in hopes of
gleaning useful information. U.S. military
intelligence personnel quickly dubbed items found in
German pockets as “pocket litter.”
One
US Intelligence report from the fall of 1944 stated
that some of the items carried by captured German
soldiers included salves & ointments (anti-frostbite,
anti-gas, etc.), foot powder, money, pieces of bread
or crackers, bits of cheese, letters from home, pipes,
tobacco, cigarettes, lighters, pencils, can openers,
pocketknives, matches, odd bits of paper or string,
ammo, condoms, etc. This report also indicated that
everything a German soldier carried in his pockets
were usually basic items that he would require for his
immediate use or convenience in the forward combat
areas.
During the Normandy campaign in 1944, the U.S. Army
Signal Corps photographed some of the items found on
German POW’s. An examination of the photograph reveals
the following items:

1. A
long pair of scissors in a leather holder
2. Several small scissors & hemostats in small carrying case.
3. Flashlight
4. Two folding pocket knifes
5. Matches
6. Possible first aid bandage dated 1942
7. Eating utensil knife, also known as a butter knife
8. Can opener
9. Unknown dark colored small bottles
10. Folding Shaving razor
11. Possible small mirror
12. Compass with lanyard
13. Metallic box labeled “Asprin”
14. Thin file
15. Shaving brush or shoe polish brush/applicator
16. Pen
17. Package for extra razor blades
18. Razor
19. Rifle cleaning kit
20. Fork and Spoon combination |
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21. Loose razor blades
22. Wooden “egg” used for sewing/repairing socks
23. Safety pin
24. Lighter
25. Folding pocket/utility knife with metallic lanyard
26. Pocket map
27. Candle
28. Pencil
29. Buttons
30. Unknown item with label
31. L-shaped or tow hook shaped metallic tool; use
unknown
32. Awe
33. Sewing needles
34. Leather bound pocket book
35. Pieces of women’s garter belt
36. Keys
37. Unknown block type item
38. Cigar
39. Whistle with Lanyard
40. Pipe |
An
analysis of these items indicates the same as
previously stated, most were basic items needed on an
everyday basis by Soldaten who were operating
in the forward combat areas, such as in fighting
positions, bunkers, observation posts and so forth. It
should be noted that these items listed above were
believed to have been taken from German POW’s, but
whether they carried them in their pockets on in their
field equipment is not known. For example, some of the
items, such as the rifle cleaning kit and the large
can opener were more than likely discovered in a
Grenadier’s bread bag. Other items were simply too
large to have been carried comfortably in the pocket
of a tunic.
A
further examination of these items indicates a high
number of personal tools used for uniform and clothing
repair, to include a wooden “egg” used for sock
repair. Another large number of items include personal
hygiene or grooming items. One odd item in the group
above is a type of medical case
containing small pairs of scissors and hemostats. One
can only assume that this case was carried by a
soldier in the medical profession.
The
one item in this photograph that does not have an
immediate explanation is the pieces of a female garter
belt. The first thing that comes to mind concerning
the later is that they might have been souvenirs from
a memorable occasion with a female acquaintance.
However, they could have had a practical military
purpose as well, such as holding a piece of equipment
together or binding a Zeltbahn to blanket, or
it could have possibly been a type of shirt stay.
Unfortunately, so much time has passed that we may
never know how these items were used by their original
owners.
One
item that is not shown nor was it referenced in the
previously mentioned Intelligence Report was a
soldier’s Soldbuch. This key document was
supposed to be carried by a German soldier at all
times. The only exception was that it could be left
behind with his unit when a Landser went on
combat patrol or deep reconnaissance mission. If a
Soldbuch was lost or captured, it would indicate
to Allied intelligence which German unit was operating
in their area. If a German soldier was either captured
or killed, the Soldbuch was one of the primary
items that an Allied soldier looked for in the POW’s
clothing. The Soldbuch would immediately tell
the Allied unit’s intelligence section which unit they
were up against in combat. Upon discovery of a
Soldbuch, it would be sent through the chain of
command to the Allied intelligence section for
detailed analysis.
Pocket Items of German Soldiers
Based on the
information described previously in this article, plus
using some military common sense, a synopsis of what
German soldiers might have carried in their in pockets
during WWII can be summarized into two categories:
Combat Items:
a. Ammunition: Any and all types of small arms
ammunition that would fit in the tunic pockets,
specifically the 8mm Rifle rounds and 9mm Pistol and
Machine Pistol rounds. Later on in the war, the 8mm
Kurz round used in the Sturmgewehr/Machine
Pistole 44 assault rifle. The tunic pockets would
be able to hold a large number of loose rounds.
b.
Grenades: The only grenade that would fit conveniently
in a tunic pocket would the “egg” shaped hand grenade.
While a Landser might be able to stick one or two
stick grenades in the lower pocket of the uniform
tunic, they were bulky and easily fell out.
c.
Small knives: Although not a major combat item, a
small pocketknife, usually with a fold over blade,
would have been carried by many a Landser. If
all other weapons failed, a pocketknife would be the
ultimate last resort for hand-to-hand combat.
However, more than likely they would have used for
more non common duties such as cutting rope, opening
letters, picking fingernails clean, an extra eating
utensil, etc.
Non-Combat Items:
a. Food: Besides ammunition, the second most
important item a German soldier would need to carry
would be food. Again, the tunic pockets were able to
hold a small amount of the rations that a Landser
might need during a patrol or while occupying an
observation post. If a Soldat was going into
immediate combat, as much gear as possible, including
the bread bag and other unnecessary items such as the
gas mask container, would be left behind in his
fighting position or vehicle. The tunic pockets could
hold enough food to last him for a few hours.
However, the type of ration carried depended on what
he might have been issued at the time. Bread could be
sliced and wrapped in a paper or a small ration bag or
simply just stuffed in the pocket. However, a more
common sense approach saw Soldaten carrying the
kinds of compact rations that could not be easily
crushed or smashed while engaged in combat operations.
Examples of these rations included canned food, such
as sardines, other canned meat products, chocolate
(like Scho-Ka-Kola), candies, or packages of crackers.
An Esbit folding field stove would also easily
fit in a tunic pocket if the Landser wanted a
quick warm meal.
b.
Personal items: Based on the information presented,
sewing kits appear to have been an item that would
have been easily stuffed in tunic pockets. Another
important item would be tobacco related products. Both
cigarettes and pipes were extremely popular items in
German culture during the 1930’s and 1940’s and it is
reasonable to assume that the average Landser
would have tobacco and smoking paraphernalia stashed
in his pockets. On the front lines, tobacco was a much
needed morale booster, as well as a stress reliever
after continuous combat. Cigarettes and pipes easily
fit in the tunic pockets, as well as the tobacco
pouches or packages need to create cigarettes or stuff
pipes. There would also be room for the mandatory
Soldbuch and other necessary individual soldier
paperwork, such as passes, train tickets, etc. The
Soldbuch could fit inside a wallet and would have
held money, personal letters and pictures of loved
ones or family members. It should also be noted that
the two large lower tunic pockets could also hold an
extra pair of socks, which would be just as valuable
as bullets and food in a cold, wet environment. Woolen
gloves or a woolen toque head cover would also fit
into the lower tunic pockets for use in cold weather
conditions. The M38, M42 or M43 Feldmütze can
also be folded in half and stuffed in a lower tunic
pocket whenever the Stalhelm was worn on the
front lines.
c.
Combat Environment Items: Other items that would have
been seen in tunic pockets might include an extra
first aid bandage or two which would augment the
bandages in the previously mentioned interior tunic
pocket. Items that were used to treat frostbite and
cold weather sores, such as salves and creams, would
have been seen in the pockets of Soldaten
operating in cold weather areas. Most of these would
have been in commercial containers and tins. Another
common item that would have been seen would foot
powder, which also came in the form of small tin
container.
Sources:
- Feldbluse:
The German Soldiers Field Tunic 1933 - 45
by Laurent Huart and Jean-Philippe Borg. Histoire and
Collections, 2007.
- Normandiefront: D-Day to St. Lo
Through German Eyes Volume 1: Invasion
by Vince Milano. 1994.
- Deutsche Soldaten: Uniforms,
Equipment and Personal Items of the German Soldier
1939 - 45 by Agustin Saiz.
Casemate Publishing. 2008.
- Personal Effects of the German
Soldier of WWII by Chris
Mason. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 2006.
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