Small Zelts

The Zeltbahn was a very flexible use device. Each soldier was issued one Zelt pannel, 1 zelt rope, two zelt stakes, and one section of the pole. The Zelt could be worn as a poncho, made into a stretcher, used as a flotation device, and many other things. One soldier's Zelt could be combined with one or more other soldiers to create tents and other shelters.

Sometimes soldiers did not have enough zelt pannels to create a standard enclosed structure so the manuals provided infomraiton on how to make a lean-to, sunshade, windbreak, or other shelters. These images show some configurations of 1, 2, or 3 panels. These are uncommonly shown in photos and under most circumstances would have been less desirable than 4 or more zelts being used together. The uses of a small number of zelts were only limited by the imagination of the soldiers. In these images we see them being used as curtains, camouflage, tarpaulins, bar fronts, and more.