Officer wear of enlisted Feldbluse?

[Fultz]

Occasionally in photos one sees junior officers wearing enlisted-issue M36/40 etc. flat-collar tunics in the field. Query: under what circumstances, if any, was this authorized rather than simply tolerated?

[Dimas]

All the soldiers and officers must have the same issue tunics but due of army traditions the individual uniforms was allowed, officers get money for making the tunics, instead of official issued tunic (by wish ) and traditionally the officers uniforms was a private purchased. As widely seen, there a different quality tunics, beginning from the cloth- tricot cloth is more expensive as a high qulity officers wool, most cheaper is standard army type wool as can be seen in the mid war tunics, and the tailor work too, when the army was full of non professional promoted from NCO's officers. Early army has an professional officers and family traditions, when the father being officer is teached the son in army traditions from a younger age, and by that way the look of younger officer must be conform to his traditions. Most of the mid war foreign volunteers has a official issue of a tunic and at best the non high quality tailored example. Due of most part of them after the war will not be continued service and will be dismissed from army. The skills recieved in the war and in 6 month military school is nothing for a professional army service. And at least these peoples know nothing about the military traditions
( That was the same in the Soviet army when a couple of millions of officer who promoted to officers in war time was dismissed in 1950's)

[jimpy]

Occasionally in photos one sees junior officers wearing enlisted-issue M36/40 etc. flat-collar tunics in the field. Query: under what circumstances, if any, was this authorized rather than simply tolerated?

As I understand it, officers were allowed to "private purchase" junior ranks tunics, and other items, for field use and, I believe were given an allowance towards this and other purchases. However, I will stand corrected by other, more knowledgable people as appropriate.

[Fultz]

OK, I'm trying to sort out Heer officers' uniforms: both what they were supposed to wear, and what they really wore. As I understand it, officers were supposed to wear the tunic dubbed "M36" by collectors, which differed from the enlisted tunic in having the pointed rise-and-fall two-hook collar, no suspension or belt hooks, and (at least until midwar) turnback cuffs. Since these were private-purchase, they typically were made of better-quality fabric. Right so far? For walking-out dress this tunic was worn with the M22 stone-gray or M40 feldgrau trousers over shoes, or with M37 breeches and riding boots.

There was also the "M37" tunic mit vorstössen which was piped in Waffenfarbe and was supposed to fall in between the M35 and the full-dress Waffenrock; this was optional although I seem to recall there was an effort in about 1940 to make it mandatory.

Do I have all this essentially right?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Fultz, yes you are essentially correct but I think you are mistaken re the piped tunic trying to become mandatory.

Cheers, Ade.

[Fultz]

Whoa, not just junior officers. Here's a fellow you might recognize, with rank somewhat higher than Leutnant, plainly quite happy to be wearing his M36 EM tunic.