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 German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), national eagle by order on February 17^TH 1934, with instructions to have it applied to all steel helmets, visor caps, and tunics by May 1^ST 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 lemon yellow being chosen for Nachrichten, (Signals), personnel. On the field blouse and service tunic the waffenfarbe was generally displayed on the shoulder straps/boards and the collar tabs. Of Note: Besides the rank indicating shoulder straps NCO’s were further distinguished from enlisted ranks by the wear of NCO’s tress on the forward collar edge of the field blouse.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Issued, and personalized, 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, metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The field blouse has four, pleated, patch, front pockets with scalloped button down flaps. The right breast has an early, M39 pattern, machine woven national breast eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons, in pale grey rayon threads, with interwoven blue/green rayon accent threads, mounted on a woven dark, blue/green rayon base. The eagle is machine stitched to the field blouse in the typical zig-zag fashion. The left breast has four, small, vertical, thread loops positioned just above to breast pocket, designed for wear of a medal or ribbon bar. 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 the two sets of eyelets to the back panel have been professional machine stitched closed and patched internally. The belt support hooks are absent but the owner has added a small, unofficial, bent, magnetic wire belt support hook, inserted through a small cut-out and stitched in place at either side seam at the waistline. Both the obverse and reverse panels of the field blouse have two, short, vertical, tapering darts, positioned at the waistline and the reverse also has 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 field blouse has the early, second pattern, (November 1938-May 1940), blue/green badge cloth construction, slip on shoulder straps with bright, silver/aluminum, diamond patterned, NCO’s tress to all the outside edges, a single silver washed, stamped alloy, rank pip and lemon yellow wool waffenfarbe piping to each. The bottoms of the shoulder straps and the slip on, retaining tongues are constructed in field-grey wool and the slip on tongues have, light weight, greyish/tan cotton, reinforcement panels machine stitched to the reverse. 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 reed green backing with an HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), weave and the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The forward edge of the collar is trimmed with bright, silver/aluminum, diamond patterned, NCO’s tress and the collar features the September 1935 pattern, machine woven collar tabs with ribbed, light field-grey litzen and interwoven blue/green center stripe and lemon yellow branch of service stripes. The collar tabs are machine stitched to a dark blue/green badge cloth bases which is machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the field blouse is partially lined in mid-weight, 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 and a small, metal hook inserted to each forward side panel at the waistline. The lining has small, open, slashes at each shoulder panel which have been professionally, machined stitched closed, and additional small, opened slashes at the mid-back panel to accommodate the internal belt support hook retaining straps. The separate, internal, belt support hook retaining straps are absent. The interior upper, breast panel has the addition of a diagonally angled, slash pocket in reed green rayon with an HBT weave. All five of the collar liner attachment buttons are intact. The lining to the right front closure panel is well marked with faint, black, size inkstamps and, "H 40", indicating the field blouse passed through the army’s clothing depot in Hannover in 1940. The right front closure panel lining also has an additional, faint, almost illegible, black inkstamped manufacturer’s name and location that appears to be, "R. Busch & Co. Osnabrück". The interior of the field blouse also has additional, faint, white inkstamps that appear to include "310", to the sleeves and an illegible mark to the lower, left, front tail skirt. Presumably the additional marks indicate parts numbers and/or the fabric supplier/distributor or manufacturer. The field blouse is in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning, light to moderate chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges and small spots of moth grazing resulting in areas of lost nap and about a half dozen, pinhead sized moth nips. 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, field dressing pocket and collar liner buttons are a combination of the molded grey and black bakelite type and about half of the buttons appear to have their original stitching. The field blouse is roughly size 36", (91.4cm), chest.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $1,775.00