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L000760 FLIGHT EM'S HBT COMBAT FIELD BLOUSE. (Feldbluse)
BACKGROUND: The Reichsluftwaffe was official established on February 26TH 1935 as the third branch of service of the Armed Forces. On March 9TH 1935 the formation of the new Reichsluftwaffe was announced to the foreign press and on March 16TH conscription was reintroduced for all three branches of service. On May 21ST 1935 the Reichsluftwaffe designation was altered to Luftwaffe. The standard pattern service uniform was adopted by the Luftwaffe in March 1935, and was based on the uniform worn by personnel in the Deutscher Luftsport Verband, (German Air Sports League), the clandestine, civilian forerunner of the Luftwaffe, as early as 1933, with minor modifications. The first HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), garments introduced for use by Luftwaffe EM/NCO personnel were the blue/grey drill and black work uniforms introduced in April 1936 and July 1937 respectively in order to conserve wear and tear on the wool and wool blend uniforms. Although the drill and work uniforms were designed for different functions both garments were almost identical in cut and construction. The HBT garments were favored by the troops and began to be worn in the field as a summer uniform. Generally the HBT garments utilized as the summer combat blouse followed the basic modifications of the standard issue wool garments. Regulations of September 27TH 1943 abolished the blue/grey and black HBT uniforms replacing them with a reed green HBT uniform as utilized by army personnel. The alteration to the reed green HBT uniforms was a time and cost saving measure eliminating the need for different colored uniforms for Luftwaffe and Army personnel. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the Luftwaffe’s Verkaufsabteilung, (Air-Force Sales Department), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their uniforms from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase uniform items 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 Luftwaffe were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), with golden yellow being chosen for personnel serving with Flieger, (Flight), units which was generally displayed as piping on the shoulder strap/boards of the field blouse. Of Note: Regulations dictated that collar tabs were not to be worn on the drill and work tunics and later on the reed green field blouses.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Circa 1936-1943, Luftwaffe blue/grey cotton/rayon blend construction field blouse with an HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), weave features a vertical, six button, front closure with a single, magnetic, metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline and a lay down collar. The field blouse has four, front pockets with straight edged, button down flaps. All four pockets are the basic patch type and the breast pockets are pleated while the hip pockets are non-pleated. The right breast has a machine embroidered, second pattern, (Circa 1936/1937-1945), Luftwaffe eagle, clutching a canted swastika in one talon, in silvery/grey rayon threads, mounted on a cut-out blue/grey wool base. The eagle is machine stitched to the field blouse in the typical zig-zag fashion. The side panels of the field blouse each have three, vertically aligned, stitched eyelets to either side at the waistline for the belt support hooks. The belt support hooks are absent. The reverse of the field blouse has a short, central, vertical, tail skirt vent. The straight cut sleeve have dual-ply, hemmed, cuffs and a small, vertical, slash to the outside seams. The tail skirt and the sleeves appear to have been period, shortened. The field blouse has Luftwaffe blue/grey wool construction, slip on shoulder straps with bright golden yellow rayon waffenfarbe piping. The bottom of the straps and the slip on retaining tongues are also in Luftwaffe blue/grey wool and the bottoms of the slip on tongues have a ribbed, grey cotton reinforcement panel machine stitched in place to each. The thread shoulder strap retaining loops and buttons are intact. Of Note: Enlisted flight personnel’s shoulder straps indicate the ranks of, Flieger, Gefreiter, Obergefreiter and Hauptgefreiter/Stabsgefreiter inclusively with the specific rank generally displayed on the collar tabs and as sleeve insignia. The lay down collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The field blouse has no collar tabs as per regulations. The interior of the field blouse is partially lined in ribbed, grey cotton, at the shoulder seams, around the arm openings and down the side panels. The interior side panels at the waistline each have a vertical, ribbed, grey cotton twill strap with six stitched eyelets to each to secure the belt support hooks. The lower, forward, right, tail skirt has a shortened, field dressing pocket with a single button closure. The interior lining around the left sleeve opening is well marked with faint, black size inkstamps and the illegible, black inkstamped manufacturer’s name. The field blouse is in overall good condition with a few small picks and pulls, light age and usage toning and light to moderate color fading. The front closure, exterior pocket, and shoulder strap buttons are a combination of the Luftwaffe blue/grey painted, pebbled alloy and magnetic sheet metal types and are secured to the field blouse by opened "S" rings. Although intended to be removable the shoulder strap buttons are stitched to the field blouse. The buttons retain various amounts of their original blue/grey paint. The field dressing pocket button is the molded, grey glass type and appears to have its original stitching. The field blouse is roughly size 40" chest.
GRADE ***1/2 PRICE $1,785.00
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