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H002764 INFANTRY OBERGEFREITER’S M36 FIELD BLOUSE. (Feldbluse M36)

BACKGROUND: The development of the M36 field blouse can be traced back to April 1933 with the introduction of the first pattern field blouses which were a departure from the cut and style of tunics utilized in World War I. From its introduction until 1936 the field blouse underwent a couple of small modifications designed to enhance its performance, appearance and longevity. Modifications to the 1933 pattern field blouse began in December 1934 when the original field-grey basic cloth collar was altered to a field-grey badge cloth for a better appearance. In September 1935 the collar was altered again from the field-grey badge cloth to dark blue/green badge cloth. The final pre-war modification to the field blouse occurred in December 1936 with the addition of a partial lining to the interior breast and upper back panels to increase its wear-out time. Further uniform modifications and development lead to the introduction of the M40 field blouse in early 1940, the M42 field blouse in 1942 the M43 field blouse in 1943 and finally the M44 field blouse in September 1944 which was a complete departure from the earlier produced field blouses. The German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s, National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), national eagle by order on February 17TH 1934, with instructions to have it applied to all steel helmets, visor caps, and tunics by May 1ST 1934. Generally officer’s ranks utilized hand or machine embroidered breast eagles while EM/NCO’s ranks utilized machine embroidered or machine woven breast eagles. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), with white being chosen for Infanterie, (Infantry), personnel. On the field blouse and service tunic the waffenfarbe was generally displayed on the shoulder straps/boards and the collar tabs. Of Note: Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their uniforms from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase garments of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored uniforms although the price may have been restrictive.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Slightly mottled, issued, field-grey, wool/rayon blend construction M36 field blouse with a lay down, blue/green badge cloth collar, features a vertical, five button front closure with a single, metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The top, front closure button is absent. The field blouse has four, pleated, patch, front pockets with scalloped button down flaps. The right breast has a later production, M39 pattern, machine woven national breast eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons, in pale grey rayon threads on a woven field-grey rayon base. The eagle is machine stitched to the field blouse in the typical zig-zag fashion with the stitching running through the interior lining, possibly indicating a replacement. The left breast pocket has four, horizontal, thread loops for wear of awards. The field blouse has four sets of three, vertically aligned, stitched eyelets with one set situated at either side of the front closure and two to either side of the back panel, at the waistline. The eyelets were designed for the belt support hooks. The belt support hooks are absent. The reverse of the field blouse has two, short, vertical, tapering darts and a short, central, vertical tail skirt vent. The straight cut sleeve cuffs each have had the standard small, vertical slash to the outside seams stitched closed. Both the bottom tail skirt and the sleeves appear to have been period shortened. The upper left sleeve has a 1936-45 pattern, rank insignia for Obergefreiter’s with less than six years service. The insignia consists of a dual, machine woven, bright, silver/aluminum, diamond patterned, tress chevrons within an interwoven, blue/green rayon, separating stripe mounted on an inverted triangular, heavily mottled, blue/green badge cloth base. The insignia is neatly handstitched to the sleeve. The field blouse has the third and final pattern, (Circa September 1944-May 1945), slightly mottled, field-grey wool/rayon construction, slip on shoulder straps with white rayon waffenfarbe piping. The bottoms of the straps and the slip on retaining tongues are also in the same field-grey wool/rayon as the tops and have a narrow, central grey rayon reinforcement strip machine stitched in place. The waffenfarbe is visible on the bottoms of the straps Of Note: Enlisted Infantry personnel’s shoulder straps signify the ranks of Schütze, Oberschütze, Gefreiter, Obergefreiter and Stabsgefreiter inclusively with the ranks of Oberschütze and above utilizing specific sleeve rank insignia. The shoulder strap’s fabric retaining loops and alloy buttons are intact. The field blouse has a lay down, blue/green badge cloth construction collar with a grey cotton/rayon backing with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The collar features the second pattern, general issue, EM/NCO’s collar tabs as introduced on May 9TH 1940 for wear by all branches of service. The machine woven collar tabs feature ribbed, light grey/green litzen with interwoven mouse grey branch of service and center stripes and are mounted on blue/green badge cloth bases. The collar tabs are neatly machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the field blouse is partially lined in ribbed, greyish/tan cotton twill. The lining has a vertical, patch, field dressing pocket to the right, forward, tail skirt with a single button closure. The field dressing pocket button is absent. The lining does not have the usual small, opened slashes at each shoulder panel and at the mid-back panel to accommodate the internal belt support hook retaining straps. The field blouse has all five ersatz, pressed tan cardboard collar liner securing buttons intact. The right, front, closure panel lining is well marked with faint, black size inkstamps that appear to have been over-stamped with additional size numerals, possibly indicating a reissue after the tail skirt and sleeves were shortened. The right front closure panel lining also has an additional black inkstamped depot marking, "E38", indicating the field blouse passed through the army’s clothing depot in Erfurt in 1938. The field blouse is in overall fairly good condition with light age and usage toning and areas of light to moderate nap wear through-out. The front closure, exterior pocket and the shoulder strap buttons are the bright silver washed, pebbled, alloy type and all retain the vast majority of their finishes. The exterior buttons all appear to have been re-stitched although the collar liner buttons appear to have their original stitching. The field blouse is roughly size 40", (101.6cm), chest.

GRADE ***                             PRICE $1,548.00

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