WHY!: Is German Surplus SO common?

[Jabroni]

I know German Military surplus is good and hard wearing but apart from that, Why is it so common in Surplus Stores and popular amongst Bikers and Punks etc?, It seems to take over the place in Surplus Stores more than any other gear.

Its more common than Canadian, Aus/NZ Gear, South american, asia, Japanese, Libyan, Korean etc. Why dont they start importing them instead for a change?

[martinexsquaddie]

cause they got a big conscript army hence loads of kit avail every year
the homeess at the local centre used to look like the budeswher had fallen on really hard times :)

[bluffcove]

In about 1990 several German soldiers became unemployed.

[Weasel]

One word: quality. p-)

[stottman]

The Germans use the same basic supply system as the US. It is cheaper to actually sell off items that are unwanted in one area for pennies on the dollar,, and buy new ones for another then actually ship them (and everything that goes with that) to another area.

Also, the German army has gone through quite a transformation since reunification. They have had to integrate former NVA units, update equipment, etc.

[bluffcove]

NVA?

Can you clarify that?

[Hydro]

National Volksarmee or something, the East German Army.

[bluffcove]

ok was getting all east asian in my head which confused me?

DOH!

[Guy Cramer]

Canadian Forces now destroy all old CADPAT uniforms. Lots of other non-milspec CADPAT is available but these are made for Surplus stores.

[Limeyfellow]

Lots of British surplus on the market too. Ungodly amounts of US surplus from three colour, woodland camo and alice equipment abouts.

The gear is just in the end cheaper to sell off than to put into storage or mass ship it elsewhere. You can get enough stuff to supply a small personal army for pittance. That and it keeps companies employed in marking gear for the military and wheres there money their business leaders and politicans making a hefty profit of it.

[RS_Leo1A5]

ok was getting all east asian in my head which confused me?
Actually, for me it's the other way round!
Every time I see "NVA" in a topic here I think it means Nationale Volksarmee ("National People's Army"), indeed the military of the former "German Democratic Republic".
It has taken me a while to recognize that Americans use that acronym for "North Vietnam Army" - what we here in Germany simply call "Vietcong"...

[FROGFOOT-MKDN]

RS_Leo1A5,
Vietcong was the name of the guerilla-partisan movement in South Vietnam, while NVA was the regular North Vietnam Army.

[akmarksman]

how about the IBS sufferers in the NVA..could we call them them the irregular army?

[RS_Leo1A5]

RS_Leo1A5,
Vietcong was the name of the guerilla-partisan movement in South Vietnam, while NVA was the regular North Vietnam Army.
I'm aware of that.
But out there are millions of people who have their only knowledge of that conflict from movies - hence "Vietcong" vs. USA.
They don't know about a North Vietnamese army or that other countries than USA (e.g. Australia) were involved...

[tifosi]

put it this way guys a friend of mine in kuwait sends me stuff here in the philippines like an/peq2 for $170, aimpoint m2 $180, gen 4 NVG gogles for under $500 hehehehe he even told me dat bareta's are just being given to them for free :) its chepaer to sell the stuffs than transporting them back

[stottman]

put it this way guys a friend of mine in kuwait sends me stuff here in the philippines like an/peq2 for $170, aimpoint m2 $180, gen 4 NVG gogles for under $500 hehehehe he even told me dat bareta's are just being given to them for free :) its chepaer to sell the stuffs than transporting them back


Actually, that stuff sounds stolen, or worse, captured/stripped off dead.

Those items are all sensitive items, and regardless of what the movie "Lord of wars" tells you, weapons and related sensitive items are brought back. It costs nothing additional, as the normally a guy will handcarry his own stuff...

In the American Military, only items that are surplused/sold off are either non usable, base closings, etc.