Hygene at the Front

[Willhelm Gruber II]

this question is directed at everyone/anyone that might know

Hygene at the Front, i was just woundering about it, like how often did you get to bath and when you did was it in portible showers or in a river or creek or somthing... did you get soap, was there Toothpaste at the front

prettymuch anything about hygene that would help


p.s if a Veteren could imput about what it was like etc that would also be apprieciated grately



-Willie

[Doktor Krollspell]

Hello Willie!

I don't know hos accessible, or in which quantities personal hygiene items reached the soldiers at the frontlines, but here's a link to personal items like razor blades, soaps, powders etc with original wrappings and brand names/logos...

http://www.ostfront.com/Merchant2/merch ... Toiletries


Regards,

Krollspell

[phylo_roadking]

Also delousing wagons for boiling/baking uniforms etc when possible, to keep down infestation. I've heard of delousing powder, that was available pre-DDT, and of course carbolic soap/powder/acid spray was available in quantity, not just for medical facilities but latrine spraying etc.

[maschinengewehr42]

Ostfront.com is an interesting site with an honest proprietor.

Also good, if a little expensive:

http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer/28Personal.html

[Willhelm Gruber II]

thanks fellas very helpful indeed



-Willie

[Terje]

Razor blades and soap was available from the depot. An interesting fact is that such items were then deducted from the soldier's paycheck. I can't answer with certainty for tooth paste.

[mightythor99]

was reading another thread, and someone was questioning payment towards the end of the war, and why anyone would "need" money.......
in order to find out questions like this one, you either have to ask a veteran, which is getting more and more difficult to do, or, you have to read....read,........read. and not just books. you have to read diaries, and feldpost letters. many letters..............
what you will find out, is that guys talk about all the stuff we take as trivial. most of the feldpost letter groupings i've got, end up getting around to answering this question.
1. people write about shortages of winter clothing, needing socks repaired, or getting new ones shipped out to them, hankerchiefs (that's just plain hankies to us "common" folk, and, upon very rare occasions, you can find something like i've got in one grouping. the guy was an officer, in an artillery unit, and shipped out to the russian front. he talks in detail, exactly what kind of boots he wants his wife to have made, and an extra pair of riding breeches. the boots, he wants "durable", not high polished fine ones......when possible, his wife would put in a bar of soap, some smokes, etc. he talks about buying things from the commisary, which would come around the front every week or two, and buying tooth paste, soap, or even a comb. sometimes there was a shortage of something, due to russian bombings, or simply not having something in stock. depending on your rank, you were allowed to send home postage stamps good for up to a kilo (2.2 pounds) of something that could be sent back to you. the feldpost system worked pretty well throughout the war, they were right up on the fronts as well, delivering the mail. mail is very important for moral in war time...........ya want to keep the troops connected with their families.
hope that helps ya!

[Brian38]

It depended very much on the situation. In pocket of Demjansk e.g. the Hygene-situation was very bad, but in time without fights at the front it was much better.

[Commissar D, the Evil]

Hmm. Check out:

http://www.stalingrad-info.com/

Particularly the "Battlefields Relics" sections which contain a number of (to me) odd personal German hygienic relics. Really interesting stuff.

Best,
~D, the EviL