BACKGROUND: The German army equipped their personnel with winter clothing items that were distributed to all EM/NCO’s for the winter season, (September 15^TH to April 15^TH), and were to be returned to the units clothing depot in April for storage, repair and cleaning to be reissued the following September. Just prior to the outbreak of WWII the German armed forces also introduced additional winter clothing items that included abdomen and ear warmers, knit toques and scarves. 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. Originally Officers and senior NCO’s responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear were required to purchase the new winter garments until regulations of December 1942 extended the issue of winter clothing items to all ranks in the colder theatres of operation. Also Of Note: After the devastating winter of 1941-1942 on the Russian front the German army found that it was drastically under equipped with cold weather garments to withstand the severe cold and a wide variety of improvised garments including a broad assortment of donated civilian garments were utilized as a temporary solution. To rectify the situation the OKW, Oberkommando des Wehrmacht, (High Command of the Armed Forces), began testing heavier winter clothing in the spring of 1942 to develop suitable garments for the Russian front. In April 1942 Hitler approved the chosen designs and the first models were issued in the autumn of that year, in the reversible blue/mouse grey/white colorations, which was modified to camouflage pattern/white combinations in 1943.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $119.00