BACKGROUND: The development of SS camouflage items was initiated by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler in 1935 when he tasked the Reichsführung-SS, (National Leadership of the SS), to begin research of new camouflage patterns and garments for use by the fledgling SS-VT, SS-Verfugüngstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops). In late 1936 and early 1937 the first SS camouflage garments were issued to personnel of the SS-VT Standarte Deutschland for field testing and evaluation. The first items evaluated were the Quarter shelters/ponchos, followed by steel helmet covers, face masks and smocks. As the war continued various other clothing items were produced in the assorted camouflage patterns. Originally the camouflage patterns were all produced in the time consuming manual screen printing until the development of the machine roller printing in 1940. By the end of the war no fewer then ten assorted camouflage patterns had been developed and used by the SS. After the devastating winter of 1941 on the Russian front the high command saw the need for heavier winter clothing and testing began in the spring of 1942 to develop suitable garments. In April 1942 Hitler approved the chosen design, and the first models were issued in the autumn of that year, in the reversible blue/grey/white colorations, which was modified to camouflage pattern/white combinations in 1943. Included with these new garments were heavy, padded, reversible winter pants. The SS followed the army’s lead and new winter camouflage items were issued in October 1943. The Dot pattern camouflage was first introduced on March 1ST 1944 for use with the new two piece camouflage uniform and was intended to replace all other SS camouflage patterns, resulting in widespread usage on a variety of garments. Of Note: The winter garments were a standard issue item and were distributed to all EM/NCO’s for the winter season, (September 15TH to April 15TH), and were to be returned to the units storage depot at the end of the season for reissue the following year.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Cotton/rayon blend construction reversible winter pants with the machine roller printed M44 dot pattern camouflage to one side in shades of tans and greens, reversible to white with an internal ersatz padding. The pants feature an open fly with an overlapping, trapezoidal wind flap with a three button closure and an additional button positioned on the waistband. The camouflage side waistband has four evenly spaced suspender attachment buttons with one positioned on either side of the fly and the additional two to the reverse center. The pants have two diagonally angled slash front pockets with straight edge button down flaps. The reverse of the pants have dual, horizontal, fit adjustment tie straps intact. The reverse of the pants also have small vertical slashes at either side of the central seam allowing the fit adjustment tie straps to be utilized on either the camouflage or the white side. The knees of the pants both have large, dual-ply rectangular reinforcement panels machine stitched in place. The straight cut cuffs have a small vertical slash to the outside seams and a horizontal, tunnel looped, grey cotton/rayon blend, fit adjustment, drawstring with an HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), weave to the bottom edge of each. The pants are fully reversible to white. The pants have a heavy, internal, heat retaining padding through-out. There is a single "3" size marking to the interior. The pants are in overall very good, unissued condition with minimal age toning. The fly button and suspender buttons are the molded black bakelite type while the pocket and white side buttons are the pebbled alloy and magnetic sheet metal types and all appear to have their original stitching. The camouflage side pocket buttons are the field-grey painted while the white side buttons are all white painted and they all retain the vast majority of their respective paints. The pants have no visible manufacturers markings. The pants were cut large enough to fit over the standard issue pants and this example is roughly size 42" waist. Scarce M44 dot pattern camouflaged reversible winter pants.

Note, these exact pants are photographed on page 211 of Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-SS by Mike Beaver.