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H068459 "GROßDEUTSCHLAND" INFANTRY UNTEROFFIZIER'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. 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. 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: The origins of the elite Panzer Division Großdeutschland may be traced back to the formation of the Wachregiment Berlin, (Guard Regiment Berlin), in 1921. The Wachregiment was tasked with guarding all the military installations within greater Berlin as well as providing security for State visit and formal functions but was soon disbanded after its formation as it was considered unpredictable and was reformed as Kommando der Wachtruppe, (Commanding Guard Troops). In the autumn of 1934 the Kommando der Wachtruppe was re-designated Wachtruppe Berlin and in June 1937 the Wachtruppe Berlin, (Guard Troops Berlin), was enlarged and re-designated, Wachregiment Berlin. On June 12TH 1939 the Wachregiment, was given Infantry regiment status and renamed Großdeutschland Infantry Regiment with its personnel eventually going on to form the cadre of the elite Panzer Division Großdeutschland in May 1942. On June 20TH 1939 special uniforms and insignia were introduced for all Großdeutschland personnel including the distinctive cufftitle and shoulder board/strap cyphers. Although the unique "GD" uniforms were placed in storage until altered and reissued in 1944, personnel of the regiment did utilize the shoulder board/strap cyphers and the distinctive cufftitle through-out the war.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Issued, slightly mottled, 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 brass hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The second, top, front closure button eyelet has an inserted Iron Cross 2ND class ribbon and a Russian Front Medal ribbon handstitched in place. The field blouse has four, pleated, front pockets with scalloped button down flaps. The breast pockets are the basic patch type while the hip pockets are the saddlebag type with expanding side panels. The right breast has a NCO/Officer’s quality. machine woven, national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in its talons, in bright, silver/aluminum flat-wire threads, mounted on a cut-out, woven, dark blue/green rayon base, which is machine stitched to a cut-out, blue/green badge cloth base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the breast. 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 and two of the bent, magnetic wire belt support hooks are included. The back panel has two, short, vertical, tapering darts and a short, central, vertical tail skirt vent. The straight cut sleeve cuffs each have a small, vertical slash to the outside seam with dual fit adjustment buttons to each. The lower right sleeve has a fourth and final pattern Großdeutschland cufftitle as introduced in late 1944. The nice quality black wool construction cufftitle features machine embroidered, simulated, handwritten Copperplate style script, "Großdeutschland", in silver/grey rayon threads. The cufftitle is bordered at both the top and bottom edges in silver/grey Russian braid. The cufftitle shows a couple of fair sized tears to the reverse of the sleeve. The cufftitle is neatly handstitched to the sleeve. The field blouse has the early, (Circa November 1938-May 1940), second pattern, blue/green badge cloth construction sewn on shoulder straps with bright, silver/aluminum, NCO’s, diamond pattern tress to all but the slip on ends, white wool waffenfarbe and white cotton, machine embroidered, intertwined, stylized Latin letters, "GD". The shoulder strap retaining buttons are intact. The field blouse has a lay down, blue/green badge cloth construction collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The forward edge of the collar is trimmed with bright, silver/aluminum, NCO’s, diamond pattern tress and the collar features the September 1935 pattern, machine woven rayon, EM/NCO’s collar tabs with light field-grey litzen with an interwoven blue/green center stripe and white branch of service stripes. The collar tabs are machine stitched to dark, blue/green badge cloth bases which are in turn machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the field blouse is partially lined in light weight, greyish/tan cotton. The lining has a field dressing pocket to the right, forward, tail skirt with a single button closure and a small metal hook inserted to each forward side panel at the waistline. The lining has small opened slashes at each shoulder panel and at the mid-back panel to accommodate the internal belt support hook retaining straps. The separate internal belt support hook retaining straps are absent. All five collar liner attachment buttons are intact. The lining to the right front closure panel is well marked with the black inkstamped, manufacturer’s name, "Wilh. Bleyle K.G.", black size inkstamps and, "M 39", indicating the field blouse passed through the army’s clothing depot in Munich in 1939. The lining to the left front closure panel has an additional, black inkstamped marking "Lago Mü", indicating, Landes Lieferungs Genossenschaft München, (State Supply Cooperative/Association Munich). The field blouse is in overall good condition with light age and usage toning, areas of light to moderate chafe wear and spots of light to moderate moth grazing resulting in lost nap and about a half dozen small holes. The front closure, exterior pocket and shoulder strap buttons are all the field-grey painted, pebbled alloy type and retain various amounts of their field-grey paint. The cuff and field dressing pocket buttons are the molded grey bakelite type while the collar liner buttons are the ersatz, pressed tan cardboard type and most of the buttons appear to have their original stitching. The field blouse is roughly size 38" chest.
GRADE ***1/2 PRICE $6,845.00
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