BACKGROUND: The Luftwaffe utilized a wide variety of pants including the evening dress pants, the standard, straight legged, long pants, drill and field pants, tapered "keilhose" pants, assorted specialized pants designed for specific branch of service personnel and both mounted on unmounted personnel’s breeches. Unmounted Officers were permitted to wear breeches similar in style to the riding breeches worn by mounted personnel but not including the dual-ply, reinforcement panel to the seat, crotch and inner thighs as found on the mounted breeches. Unmounted Officers breeches were the prescribed or optional type of pants for wear with the Service Dress, the Undress Uniform, the Reporting and the Parade dress uniforms. Of Note: Officer 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 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: Very nice quality, private purchase, Luftwaffe blue/grey, wool/rayon blend, construction breeches with a subtle whipcord weave feature a vertical, four button French fly with an additional metal hook and eye positioned on the waistband. The horizontal waistband rides slightly higher at the reverse and has the typical, small, "V" slash to the reverse center. The breeches have two, slightly, diagonally angled, slash front pockets and a small, horizontal, slash watch pocket positioned beneath the bottom edge of the right waistband. The forward, right waistband has a small, metal ring stitched in place, designed to secure a watch chain. The metal, watch chain securing ring appears to be restitched. The reverse of breeches have two, horizontal, slash pockets with single button closures, two short, vertical, tapering darts and dual, horizontal, fit adjustment straps with corresponding, nickel/silver plated, magnetic, sheet metal gripper buckles to each. The breeches feature very exaggerated, outward, ballooning at the thighs, as was fashionable at the time, and taper inwards down to the cuffs with a short, vertical tapering dart to the reverse center of each. The cuffs each have a long, vertical, outside seam slash which extends upwards to the knee with twenty-two pair of, blue/grey painted, magnetic sheet metal lace-up closure grommets and an interior wind flap to each. The original blue/grey cotton grommet laces are included. The bottom edge of each cuff have a horizontal, greyish/tan cuff band. The interior waistband is lined in grey and white striped rayon while the internal pocket bags are in a white cotton/rayon blend material. The waistband lining has all six, evenly spaced, suspender attachment buttons intact. The interior crotch has a small, greyish/tan rayon reinforcement panel. The breeches have no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The breeches are in overall very good condition with minimal age and usage toning and a small, machine stitched, repair to the mid left leg. The buttons are the molded tan bakelite type and all appear to have their original stitching. The breeches are roughly size 36" waist.

GRADE ****                             PRICE  SOLD