Why German BGS camo parkas and jacket have demili cut?

A question i have been ask time after time is why the German BGS parks, jackets and some zelbahns are cut up.The reason why most surviving original BGS Sumpftarn parkas, field jackets, and Zeltbahn you see today have been cut up (sleeves removed, patches cut out, or the garment deliberately destroyed) is very simple and well-documented:

German Demilitarization and Surplus Disposal Laws (1950s–1990s)

After the BGS began phasing out Sumpftarn out in the mid-1970s and especially after the large-scale replacement with olive-green and then Flecktarn in the 1980s, tens of thousands of perfectly good Sumpftarn items went into federal surplus stocks.

Under West German law at the time (and still today for certain items), complete military/police uniforms and distinctive insignia could not be sold intact to the public. The fear was:

• Terrorist extremist groups such as the red faction could use authentic BGS or Bundeswehr uniforms for propaganda or intimidation.
• Complete uniforms could be misused to impersonate police or border guards.

Therefore, when the Bundesvermögensamt (Federal Property Office) released BGS Sumpftarn items to the surplus market in the 1980s and early 1990s, the following was done by order:

1. Shoulder patches and collar Litzen (the green BGS eagle and the police-style Litzen) were cut out with a knife or razor. → You will almost always see a rectangular cuts or diamond-shaped hole on the left sleeve and both collar tabs.
2. Garments were deliberately damaged so they could no longer be worn as a complete uniform:
   • Parkas and jackets usually had the cuts on the back and or down the sleeve. THe pen pocket flap removed which contain the eagle patch and tab
   • Zeltbahnen had a large triangle or the centre cut out.
   • Trousers often had the seat or legs slashed.
3. Only after this mutilation were the items sold cheaply to surplus dealers, hunters, or airsoft players, etc.

This is exactly why, even today, an uncut, original BGS Sumpftarn parka with intact sleeves and patches is rare and prices can vary from $250-800, whereas a typical “cut” parka with missing sleeves and cut patches sells for $150-350.

Exceptions (why a few intact pieces survived)

• Items that were privately purchased by BGS members and taken home as souvenirs.
• Pieces that somehow left stocks before the official demili order (very early 1980s releases).
• Parkas that were sold to Austria or other countries that did not have  the same demilitarization rules.

So when you see a BGS Sumpftarn jacket with the sleeves hacked off and a square cut out of the shoulder, that’s not vandalism by a previous owner — it was mandatory destruction ordered by the German government to prevent misuse of a complete uniform.

Written by Joseph Teed Copyright ©2025