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L010656 FLIGHT MUSIKMEISTER'S SERVICE TUNIC, DRESS AIGUILLETTE & BREECHES. (Dienstbluse, Achselband und Stiefelhose für Offiziere)
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 DLV, Deutscher Luftsport Verband, (German Air Sports League), a civilian forerunner of the Luftwaffe, as early as 1933, with minor modifications. The 1935 pattern uniform tunic was designated Tuchrock, (Cloth tunic), and was worn open at the neck. On November 11TH 1938 a new pattern tunic was introduced that had allowances for it to be worn closed at the neck. The 1938 pattern tunic was designated Anzugrock, (Uniform tunic), and was intended to replace the 1935 pattern Tuchrock and the Fliegerbluse, (Flight Blouse). The 1938 pattern tunic eventually did replace the Tuchrock, but not the Fliegerbluse. 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 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 specific identifying waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Colors), with golden yellow being chosen for personnel serving with the Flieger, (Flight), units which was generally displayed as collar piping for EM/NCO’s, (discontinued in March 1940), on the collar tabs and as piping on the shoulder strap/boards of the service tunic. On its inception the Luftwaffe also adopted the DLV’s, Officer’s dress aiguillette. The dress aiguillette was worn by all Officer ranks with the Parade, Formal Day and Formal Evening Dress uniforms. Originally the DLV style aiguillette was constructed in matte silver/aluminum braiding for Company and Field grade Officers and in gilt braid for General rank Officers. Regulations of April 1935 altered the early matte silver/aluminum braid aiguillette to a bright silver/aluminum braid aiguillette for the Company and Field grade Officers with the ranks of Leutnant to Oberst inclusively. The dress aiguillette was worn suspended from under the right shoulder board, underneath the wearers arm across the right breast and secured to the top front closure button on the tunic. Unmounted Officers were permitted to wear breeches similar in style to the riding breeches worn by mounted EM/NCO’s. 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. Germany has a long history of producing some of the best master musicians in the world including the renown composers Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms and Hitler’s personal favorite Richard Wagner. The German government and the armed forces recognized the beneficial morale effect of music and along with larger units and Headquarters bands, Luftwaffe regiments and independent battalion sized units, excluding medical units, each had band and a fife and drum corps of various sizes. Depending on the size of the band it would be led by an individual holding the ranks of Musikmeister, (Leutnant), to Stabsmusikmeister, (Hauptmann). Band members wore the standard uniform and insignia of their unit with the distinctive "swallows nest", when performing. Originally band inspectors and leaders also wore the standard uniform and insignia of their unit until regulations of March 24TH 1935 introduced distinctive new insignia for band inspectors and leaders. Originally the band inspectors with the ranks of Musikinspizient, (Major), and Obermusikinspizient, (Oberstleutnant), were classed as Officials until regulations of April 12TH 1938 transferred them to the status of soldiers and new insignia was introduced for all band inspectors and leaders. The 1938 band inspectors/leaders insignia was worn for the duration of the war.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Very nice quality, private purchase, 1935 pattern, heavy, blue/grey, wool/rayon blend construction tunic with a pronounced whipcord weave. The tunic features a vertical, four button, front closure with small, fold back, peak lapels and a lay down collar. The top front closure button eyelet has an inserted War Merit Cross 2ND class ribbon and a Russian Front Medal ribbon neatly handstitched in place. The tunic has four, pleated, patch, front pockets with straight edged button down flaps. The right breast has a hand embroidered Luftwaffe eagle in bright silver/aluminum wire and silver/aluminum bullion threads with tan accent threads on a cut-out, Luftwaffe blue/grey wool base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the tunic. The right breast and shoulder also have an April 1935 pattern, Company and Field grade Officers dress aiguillette in bright silver/aluminum braiding. The dress aiguillette consists of a section of bright, heavy, dual interwoven silver/aluminum braid and two, bright, heavy, single silver/aluminum braids with attachment loops to each end and a central, small, button holed tab designed to be secured to a button positioned beneath the right shoulder board. The small, molded black bakelite aiguillette securing button is intact. The aiguillette is in overall very good, clean condition and is still quite bright and appears to be tied and positioned correctly. The left breast has two horizontal and two vertical thread loops for wear of awards and comes with a two place ribbon bar. The ribbon bar consists of a horizontally ribbed, rayon, Long Service Decoration ribbon with a gilt washed, stamped alloy Luftwaffe eagle cypher and a horizontally ribbed, rayon War Merit Cross 2ND class ribbon mounted on a sheet metal backing plate with a horizontal pin back device to the reverse. The straight cut sleeves have deep, fold back, French cuffs. The reverse of the tunic has a central, vertical, tail skirt vent. The tunic has the unique, 1938 Musician’s pattern, sewn on shoulder boards consisting of ten, narrow, alternating matte silver/aluminum and red rayon Russian braiding with a gilt washed, stamped alloy, Lyre cypher to each mounted on golden yellow wool waffenfarbe bases. The shoulder board retaining buttons are intact. The shoulder boards indicate the rank of Musikmeister, which is the equivalent of the standard army rank of Leutnant. The lay down collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The forward edge of the collar is trimmed in bright, twisted, silver/aluminum cording. The collar has the unique, 1938 Musician’s pattern, golden yellow wool collar tabs with a hand embroidered Lyre positioned above a single rank "gull" and an opened top, half, oak-leaf wreath all in bright silver/aluminum wire threads. The collar tabs are also trimmed with bright, twisted, silver/aluminum cording and are neatly handstitched to the collar. The interior of the tunic is fully lined in ribbed, charcoal grey rayon with off-white, blue striped sleeves. The lining has a horizontal slash pocket to both the left and right breast panels and a small, blue/grey wool reinforced, horizontal slash to the reverse of the left exterior pocket for the sword/dagger hangers. The left breast lining has a black rayon tailor’s label with the silver, machine woven tailor’s name and location, "Philemon Van Kerckvoorde tel. 15200 5 Kornmarkt 5 Gent", and a large building logo. The label is machine stitched to the lining. The tunic is in overall very good condition with minimal chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges and minor age toning. The buttons, excluding the bakelite aiguillette button, are a combination of the bright, silver washed, pebbled alloy and magnetic sheet metal types and are all still quite clean and bright. All the buttons appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 34" chest. The tunic comes with complete with a pair of very nice quality, private purchase breeches constructed in the same heavy, blue/grey, wool/rayon blend material with a pronounced whipcord weave as the tunic. The breeches feature a vertical, four button French fly with an additional two buttons positioned on the waistband. The left side of the waistband has a horizontally extended, button holed fabric tab with a corresponding button positioned on the right side of the waistband. The breeches have two, diagonally angled, slash front pockets and a small horizontal slash watch pocket positioned beneath the bottom edge of the right waistband. The reverse of breeches have two short, vertical tapering darts and a horizontal slash pocket with a single button closure to the right seat. The reverse of the breeches also have two, short, horizontal fit adjustment straps with corresponding, blued, sheet metal, gripper buckles. The breeches feature very exaggerated, outward, ballooning at the thighs and taper downwards to cuffs. The cuffs each have dual, short, vertical tapering darts to the reverse and a vertical outside seam slash which extends upwards to the knee with thirteen pair of blue/grey painted, sheet metal lace-up closure grommets to each and an interior wind flap. The woven, blue/grey cotton closure laces are included. The bottom edges of the cuffs have a narrow reinforcing strip of black rayon machine stitched in place. The interior waistband is lined in ribbed black rayon and has four evenly spaced suspender attachment buttons and dual, vertically extended, wool/rayon tabs with a single button to each at the reverse center. The internal pocket bags are white cotton/rayon blend material. The breeches are in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning, a few small picks and pulls and two small handstitched repairs. The buttons are a combination of the molded tan and brown bakelite and molded blue/grey glass types and most appear to have been restitched. The breeches are roughly size 30" waist. Seldom encounter musician’s uniform in overall very good condition.
GRADE **** PRICE $2,810.00
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-E-Mail Address pawmac@nbnet.nb.ca Or guild@nb.aibn.com
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