Luftwaffe Vet acquired Pow Tunic

**timothy** · 11-24-2013, 03:13 AM

Some may consider this tunic not very collectible but it has a personnel story to tell I obtained it in the late 70's from a 3rd army MP vet I worked with. He stayed in Germany after the war until about the time of the Nuremburg trials and was sent home. He told me that a lot of the POW;S were processing out right before he left and some of them were bartering with the civilians for suits etc to wear home. This one he picked up from a discarded pile it looks to be originally a four pocket model that a POW modified by removing the top pockets Mike always told me that all the flaps had to be cut off so when the POW were returning from work release it was easy to look in their pockets. He had some insignia left in his cigar box and he gave me some of it he had a infantry assault and this flak badge left. I put the badge on the tunic early 80's and resewed some insignia on it myself just to make it for display. Shoulder boards I got at a gun show about that time period so I have no idea about them. The buttons were not original to the tunic. Collectible or not it will always remind me of a great man that served his country during the war and after he was a retired police officer in civilian life. timothy

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 11-24-2013 03:13 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**don_kihotis7** · 11-25-2013, 09:40 PM

Nice item with history for sure. Thanks for sharing

**Jerry B** · 11-25-2013, 09:49 PM

Cool tunic Timothy and an interesting history. I have a luft tropical tunic which has had just its upper pocket flaps removed leaving the lower flaps still in place, also it has been tailored a little bit and I have always wondered if it was perhaps a POW used example or possibly post war converted by an ex soldier to use. I like you have replaced the missing insignia, the SB loops and also made some temporary pocket flaps just for display purposes, but all are just tacked on for easy removal.