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L011658 TROPICAL SHORT SLEEVE SHIRT. (Tropenhemd)
BACKGROUND: Generally all Luftwaffe personnel wore light blue/grey or blue flecked shirts for most forms of dress with a white shirt for the formal dress uniforms for Officer’s ranks and a grey shirt for the Hermann Göring Panzer units. Originally the issue shirts were the collarless style until regulations of September 1943 introduced a shirt with an integral collar to replace the earlier collarless shirts. In late 1940, with the impending German entrance into the North African campaign, the army quickly developed and issued tropical uniforms and equipment in time for DAK, Deutsches Afrika Korps, (German Africa Corps), personnel’s arrival in Tripoli in February 1941. At the same time the Luftwaffe also developed and introduced their own version of the tropical uniform and equipment independently from the other branches of service. Originally the tropical uniforms were only intended for wear in North Africa but that was later expanded to include personnel serving in southern areas of continental Europe during the summer months, (May 1ST to September 30TH). The design of the tropical uniform items were based on the standard continental uniform items but in a different color and material and included both long and short sleeve shirts with integral collars. Originally the tropical shirts were the pullover style with a four button front plaquet but later issue shirts were altered to include a full button up front closure. As with the continental shirts the tropical shirts were worn by all ranks and usually included the shoulder straps/boards as an indicator of rank and the national breast eagle. Regulations dictated that collar tabs were not to be worn on the shirts. 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 Verkaufabteilung, (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: Early pattern, light weight, tan cotton construction, pullover pattern, short sleeve shirt with an integral lay down collar and machine stitched seams. The shirt features a vertical, four button, front closure plaquet and a lay down collar. The shirt has two, pleated patch breast pockets with scalloped edged, button down flaps. The right breast has a second pattern, (Circa 1936/1937-1945), machine embroidered, Luftwaffe eagle clutching a canted swastika in it’s talons, in silvery/grey cotton threads mounted on an inverted, tan cotton, triangular base. The eagle’s base is machine stitched to the shirt. The reverse of the shirt has a horizontal shoulder seam with two, small, vertical, tapering darts to each side. The short sleeves have dual-ply, hemmed cuffs with ornate scalloped stitching to the top edges. The shirt has shoulder strap/board fabric retaining loops and brown painted, pebbled, alloy buttons intact but the slip on shoulder strap/boards are absent. The shoulder strap/board buttons are the removable type with molded tan bakelite button retainers and corresponding stitched button eyelets. The lay down collar has exaggerated pointed tips with small compartments to the reverse of each designed to insert stiffeners to retain the collar’s shape. The small, molded, white celluloid stiffeners are intact. The collar has no collar tabs as per regulations. The shirt has a long tail skirt with a dual-ply hem and vertical, slashes at the bottom of each side seam. The unlined interior of the shirt is well marked at the nape of the neck with the black size inkstamp, "1", indicating size small, the neck size in centimeters, "37", (14 1/2"), and an RB number. Of Note: The RB numbers, Reichsbetriebnummer, (National factory code numbers), were introduced in late 1942 and were intended to replace the manufacturers marks on garments and equipment to conceal the manufactures name and location from the allies, to prevent bombing raids on German industrial factories. The shirt is in overall excellent, unissued condition with minimal age toning and a few small picks. The front plaquet and exterior pocket buttons are the field-grey painted, alloy dish type while the shoulder strap buttons are the removable, brown painted, pebbled, alloy type and all retain the vast majority of their respective finishes. The front plaquet and exterior pocket buttons all appear to have their original stitching. The shirt is roughly size, 14 1/2" neck, 42" chest.
GRADE ****1/2 PRICE $476.00
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