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Originally Posted by Basicload
Sringfield M-1903 and WWII German reversable Para Smock/ poncho thingy.
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Close enough. It's an original WWII-era German zeltbahn, or shelter quarter, in ‘Splinter A’ camouflage. They were most commonly used as ponchos. It was given to me when I was a child by my next-door neighbor, Mr. Schneider, who was the nicest guy (and whose daughter I was twice madly in love with; age 8-ish and again age 15). All the kids in the neighborhood loved Hans Schneider -- he was a "cool" Dad.
Total cognitive dissonance: Mr Schneider was a ME-109 pilot in WWII and had a leg shattered by .50 cal fire from a B-17 waist gun. As a child I couldn't believe this, as all Germans who fought in WWII were bad guys and Mr Schneider was one of the nicest guys I knew. You couldn't walk past their house without Mrs Schneider hauling you in for a cookie. WTF?
True story: Hans was a member-without-papers of the local VFW post. Apparently there was quite a stink made by a bunch of REMFs, but the combat vets -- including two 8th Air Force guys -- pulled rank. Ray told me one guy said "I have more in common with
him than
you, you Lucky-stealing quartermaster so-and-so." Hans gimped down our Main Street proudly carrying an American Flag every Memorial Day.