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.  

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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.

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These photographs were taken from a number of books,  online sources, and auction sites.  They are presented here for educational purposes.