The Zeltbahn 31 was developed and issued first in 1931 and found its origin in the square Reichswehr tent.
The Zeltbahn was patented by Walter Reichert (Warei) in 1929.

It is made of a water repellent material called Makostoff and is imprinted with a camouflage
pattern (developed in 1929) which is also known as Army Splinter Pattern (Heeres Splitter Muster 31).Another phrase used was: Buntfarbenmuster ("Splittertarn")

Basically the shelter quarter was used for 2 purposes: to make a tent and as a rain poncho,
but the shelter quarter could be used for a variety of purposes as explained in the official manual H.Dv. 205/1.

Two shades of a 1941 dated shelter quarter are shown.

A lot of different colour variations can be found.

This of coursse all depends on the wear and exposure to sunlight.

Early patterns were in field grey, but by 1939 the German army camouflage pattern (called "splinter pattern" by collectors) was being used.  The material used was cotton gabardine, tightly woven so as to be water repellent. The splinter pattern camouflage was printed in two shades, light and dark, with each side being made from seperate pieces of these two types of camouflage cloth.  Late in the war, many tent quarters were manufactured from two pieces of the darker camouflage.  There were also reed green and light tan versions for troops in North Africa, though the camouflage zeltbahn used on the continent was also widely used in the tropics.

TENT EQUIPMENT

Each German soldier was also issued a set of tent equipment (Zeltausrüstung), including:

• Zeltleine: a black-coloured two metre tent rope
• Zeltstod: a four section wooden tent pole (each section was 37 cm long, with a metal ring on one end that allowed the wooden (male) end of another peg to fit inside it),
• Zeltpflöde: two tent stakes, of light alloy, steel or phenolic-resin treated wood.  These had an eyelet at one end through which a rope or cord could be looped, aiding in extracting the tent peg from the ground.
• This was all carried inside a tent accessories pouch (Zeltzubehörtasche).   These pouches, in gabardine or light canvas, were constructed from a variety of materials, including splinter pattern camouflage, grey, field grey, olive green, reed green (for tropical issue), brown or tan cloth.  They were closed by either one or two buttons, and some early examples had leather straps on one edge for attaching other equipment.  Other variants lacked these straps, while some had leather loops for securing equipment in their place.

When not in use the zeltbahn was usually rolled and fitted to the equipment by means of two leather equipment straps.  The zeltbahn was also sometimes seen attached to the D rings of the "Y" straps, or to the back of the belt.  While usually not carried when in direct contact, the other tent equipment was designed to be attached directly to the A-Frame of the combat pack.  Other (non-infantry) soldiers would have kept the tent equipment with their field packs.  At right can be seen a folded Zeltbahn with the standard equipment straps; they secured closed with metal buckles, and could be attached to equipment with press studs.

 

Below is a larger tent constructed from several tent quarters

At right, a typical four man tent - note the early field grey zeltbahn buttoned to the camouflaged zeltbahn

The troops above have constructed typical four man tents; a common touch was the addition of a steel helmet to the top of the pole, or as below, more than one helmet.

A manual printed for Zeltbahn users illustrated many different styles of tent; the Hauszelt could be constructed from 16 tent quarters and could house 16 men..

TENTS

There were standard designs for creating four, eight and sixteen man tents from the tent quarter.  Four men could combine their tent equipment to make a comfortable and rainproof shelter for themselves.  These tents were not constructed in the front lines, naturally, though the zeltbahns were used for camouflage and for such purposes as covering the doorways of bunkers.

OTHER TENTS

There were, of course, large purpose-built tents of varying designs and materials, used to house headquarters, medical units, etc.