Three NVA helmets made in 1960.(mit Nieten)

[Gerd Wiesler]

All in good condition. This earlier version is more suitable for black collar uniform.

[Fritz]

Uniforms of this category never had a black collar, if anything, dark green.
Here, an early example, as worn till around 1972.

[Gerd Wiesler]

14 hours ago, Fritz said:

Uniforms of this category never had a black collar, if anything, dark green.
Here, an early example, as worn till around 1972.

I believe it is black or grey collar. Dark green collar only appeared on BGS of  West Germany in post-war uniforms.

Here's a closer look at the collar. (Picture from another Chinese collector.)

 

[Fritz]

I have owned several of these uniforms, and I saw them every time I was in Berlin in the years between 1972 and 1975. The collar and the cap band are a subdued dark green. The caps remained unchanged till 3. October 1990. In NVA jargon the colour was officially "steingrau", but in fact a toned down green.
Black was never a traditional colour on field grey uniforms. The uniforms of the NVA were based on the previous Wehrmacht uniforms, and a new uniform in 1956 was recommended by leading Soviet generals of the occupation forces, when the NVA was raised in that year.

Comparison, caps of the Wehrmacht

 

[Kenny Andrew]

I always thought NVA had dark grey collars, mind you it's been a while since I have had one so I could be wrong.  

[Fritz]

They are dark green, but a much more subdued green, could be mistaken for mid charcoal, but this was based on the original Wehrmacht uniform, in the DDR there was no quality, hardly any wool, and the colour dyes were not as good as in the old days. The DDR had no access to raw materials outside of the East Block, so they had to either get from the big brother further east, and the DDR was last in the line, or to syntheticly manufacture for their own needs.
Official term was "steingrau" for the collars, cap bands and edgings of collar patches etc.

[Gerd Wiesler]

I agree that under some yellow light source the colour might turn out to be a little bit of green.  

But the Wehrmacht kind of green was only exhibited by BGS， like this one:

 

I even saw fake Wehrmacht Uniform transformed from this kind of early BGS uniform. One way to tell if it's fake or not is to measure the length between each buttons.

I always think West Germany actually learnt more from the DR uniform, partly because most of the original manufacturers survived, such as Assmann and Junker. I compared Kriegsmarine and Bundesmarine uniforms, and found out that the buttons and other decorations are amazingly similar. While at the same time, DDR abolished embroidered insignias and collar boards in the 1970s, instead they used stamped metal parts. 

DDR uniforms looked similar to the old days but the details or all redesigned and Russian-like. Take Volksmarine for example, the colour is exactly the same with Russian Navy, and on the sleeves you can see Russians style ranks：

DDR rank on the sleeves.

 

Russian version

you can see they are almost the same.

 

------------

Dark green collar is very common on German traditional cloths. I can usually see it on unofficial parades or traditional festivals. But I don't think  the "black collar"is green. Maybe I will check my uniform and overcoat again later and see if I made a mistake.

I have some Wehrmacht uniforms too, not original but good replica. 

Can't see green in it lol

 

[Fritz]

Various shades of dark green were used on Wehrmacht uniforms. The earlier uniforms had a collar, shoulder pieces and cap band of a much lighter greygreen, "resedagrün", which was just a few shades more than the surrounding fieldgrey background, this had been originally introduced in September 1915, and continued through the Weimar Republik after 1919 till after 1930. A new uniform for the Wehrmacht was introduced in 1935/36 with a dark green collar etc., the dark green varied from moosgrün to tannengrün. After 1940 the green collar was replaced by all fieldgrey untill the end of the war.
I also owned a Bundesgrenzschutz uniform, this also only had an outward resemblance to the Wehrmacht uniform and the difference is absolutely apparent, an entirely different quality whatsoever, entirely different cloth and materials, entirely different style and cut, different insignia.

BGS Uniforms

Wehrmacht uniforms, these collars, etc. are not black!

 

[Gerd Wiesler]

Some very early BGS uniforms were made of War time cloth, but it's very rare.

 

[Kenny Andrew]

Here are rare helmets being worn, the M54  the forerunner of the M56 which look very similar to wartime helmets they are also armed with StG44 assault rifles.  

[Fritz]

These units are most likely Kasernierte Volkspolizei, these helmets were later worn by the DDR fire brigades, not by the NVA.

[Kenny Andrew]

Yes these are Kasernierte Volkspolizei the forerunners of the Nationale Volksarmee, the helmets were also later worn by the Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse or Combat Groups of the Working Class a paramilitary organization to be deployed locally to fight civil unrest or invasion.

[Fritz]

That's correct. The 13. August (1961) was the day the wall went up... Ulbricht:  "Niemand hat die Absicht eine Mauer zu errichten..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzItcv0akA0

[Fritz]

Beriebskampfgruppen, Plebejer, Proletarier and bandits of the Partei

The Kampfgruppen were actively involved in building the wall