The Zeltbahn was a very flexible use device. Each soldier was issued one Zelt pannel, 1 zelt rope, two zelt stakes, and one section of the pole. The Zelt could be worn as a poncho, made into a stretcher, used as a flotation device, and many other things. One soldier's Zelt could be combined with one or more other soldiers to create tents and other shelters.  

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An uncommon configuration for the Zelt is the 12-man walled setup. This provided much more headroom at the cost of a smaller footprint. This is typically seen with officers or headquarters type setups inside. It would be exceedingly difficult to fit 12 men into a space that has the exact same footprint as a standard 4 man pyramid. It stands to reason that this was constructed from zelt quarters that were not in use by soldiers on a daily basis. Perhaps command had access to a supply of these or they were collected from soldiers who were out of action for one reason or another. Another 12-panel configuration is essentially an elongated 8-man zelt. This has all of the benefits of the 8 man with even more useable floor space.

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These photographs were taken from a number of books,  online sources, and auction sites.  They are presented here for educational purposes.