Heer Feldbluse - Lightweight "Summer" Tunic?

[DerFunker]

Howdy, gents. Have a look at this feldbluse, if you'd be so kind. Any ideas of the origin of the materials? It's an olive-colored, lightweight material - possibly something like a thin cotton canvas. Would this have been captured material (Russian or otherwise) that was tailored into a summer garment? Lots of patching and reinforcements on this one (see pic of the interior), so I assume this would be something that was field made at the request of the NCO.

The bottle-green collar has silver-colored, diamond patterned tress. The pointed shoulder boards have the same tress material. Would these have been taken from an older uniform to make this, I wonder? AFAIK, this tress is an earlier pattern and color. I can't say that the shoulder boards were always with this field blouse, but they do seem to be matching both front and back, and compliment the collar well.

The ribbons look, to me, to be correctly sewn into the button-hole and look original to the garment. The adler also appears to be original to the tunic.

Anyone see any issues? The blouse is finished a little rough on the inside - not sure if this was normal for this type of "summer" garment.

Thanks for any insight!









Thanks for having a look!

[JPhilip]

Hello,
This private purchase or locally made tunic is rather interesting. The base material could be anything from cheap cloth meant for the civilian market to waterproof canvas used for shelter quarter. You own the tunic, only you can say what it's like...One thing is sure, the cloth used to built the tunic was not straight from factory in roll and new, it has been used to make something that was taken apart to make the tunic, as remains of previous sewing machine line of stitchings can be seen.

The shoulderboard are pointed without piping but are they genuine pre-1938 shoulderstraps re-used with this tunic or were they made at the same time than the tunic, as they're quite weird. The black lining is usually unseen on these pointed shoulderstraps. They show a non existing rank configuration as the bottom "bar" of the tresse is missing, they're for an Unteroffizier, but with a rank pip for a Feldwebel, without any possibility for the wearer to have been Unterfeldwebel at some point...perhaps they're pimped Unteroffizier, with the numeral added. To me, the number 4 does not sit on the wool like it should be, but maybe it's only me...The buttonholes are ok, IMO those shoulderstraps are genuine, but perhaps they have been touched a bit. I have strange feelings when looking at both fronts and backs, i think i see remains of previous stitchings or unusual things here and there, one again, maybe it's me only (perhaps my eyes lie to me or i'm too suspicious)

The six buttons indicate a post-1941 production. It would be tempting to say that 6 buttons + pleats on the pockets scream summer 1941, but as german soldiers, especially NCOs liked very much prewar stuff, this tunic could have been made anytime between 1941 and 1944.

The lack of field dressings pocket could be a sign of a tunic worn for walking out, leaves etc....rather than for combat.
The problem of Einheitslitzen worn with pointed shoulderstraps is that only the wearer knows their branch of arms...

The rough construction/finish is not a problem with this kind of tunics. I do own two and was lucky enough to find the ones i have like i would have wanted them if i wanted to get any.

Always odd to see subdued insignia applied to a private purchase tunic. Usually they managed at least to get a pre or early war breast eagle, as Litzen with branch of arms became less common during the war.
I think i forgot something i wanted to say, perhaps i remember later...
Thanks

[DerFunker]

Wow! Incredible amount of knowledge, JP! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to educate me (and others that may be viewing) on the tunic, as well as on other militaria I've posted as of late.

As to the type of fabric, I suppose it may just remain a mystery. Interesting that someone would want a possibly privately tailored garment, but fabric that appears to be from a disassembled item was used. Maybe good material was scarce at the time and location it was made?

As for the shoulder straps, I also think they're original, but its certainly possible the 4 (a regimental cypher?) and the pips were added post-war.

The garment is definitely sparse on the interior with no kind of lining at all, so it certainly could have been a non-combat blouse - complete with (what looks like to me) period-sewn EKII and Ostfront medal ribbons. Middle-left-pocket and below-the-pocket badge loops as well.

Thanks again for having a look - you're making us all better collectors!

[JPhilip]

Wow! Incredible amount of knowledge, JP! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to educate me (and others that may be viewing) on the tunic, as well as on other militaria I've posted as of late.

As to the type of fabric, I suppose it may just remain a mystery. Interesting that someone would want a possibly privately tailored garment, but fabric that appears to be from a disassembled item was used. Maybe good material was scarce at the time and location it was made?

As for the shoulder straps, I also think they're original, but its certainly possible the 4 (a regimental cypher?) and the pips were added post-war.

The garment is definitely sparse on the interior with no kind of lining at all, so it certainly could have been a non-combat blouse - complete with (what looks like to me) period-sewn EKII and Ostfront medal ribbons. Middle-left-pocket and below-the-pocket badge loops as well.

Thanks again for having a look - you're making us all better collectors!

Hello,
Thank you for the compliments. I try my best, like the all team here, to help our members the best i can.
Rome was not built in one day and what i am as a collector was not built on my own. I've been educated, i would say, i've been raised in collection by people who had the only spirit that should exist in our hobby, the willing and desire to share what they knew.
This is what i do here on the forum.
To me, the number 4 should be for Infanterieregiment 4. I do own a pair of shoulderstraps from this regiment, for a Feldwebel with the double tress of Officer candidate.
You're the only one who can handle this tunic, so it's impossible for me to tell you something helpful about the base material. Is it soft, rough, thin, thick ?
Good photos are sometimes enough to determine this or that, but handling the item is the best way to have a global view.
Thanks

[DerFunker]

Thanks for following up, JP.

I had my wife (a seamstress) look at the material - she could only describe it as a "medium weight woven cotton fabric", and basically olive drab in color. Lighter than a canvas material, but heavier than say, T-shirt material. Something else I noticed are what looks like stamps or roll marks on the outside of the blouse... these occur in a couple of places, and you can make out something like letters or numbers in them:




So whatever was disassembled to make the garment had some sort of markings. Nothing, I think, that I could ever identify, but it's always fun to discover small things like this. The tunic also has an Ostfront medaille ribbon in the button-hole, so I don't know if that makes it any more likely that this was made from captured material from the eastern front or not - but interesting to think about!

Thanks!

[DerFunker]

If I wasn't so thick-headed, I would have thought to look on the inside of the pockets to see if the markings I pictured were there and just bleeding through... and there they were! Have a look!


"C.W. LEUX"... 4?



and part of a word? "össe" 2



Now I've really got some searching to do! C.W. Leux is bound to turn up something...

[JPhilip]

Hello,
You will thanks for wife on behalf of forum members for her expertise in this matter.
The close views allow to have a better idea of what we deal with. i've seen this fabric before but can't put a name on it.
I'm going to have a look to my personal photo archives of german WWII stuff to see if one of my friends or someone i'm in touch with, showed me something made of this specific fabric before.

Concerning the markings, i can't help you out, they do not ring any bell right now.
Why did they use the two marked pieces of cloth to make the breast pockets ?
I mean it's obvious that the ink can be seen through the cloth...
Thanks

[DerFunker]

Hello,
You will thanks for wife on behalf of forum members for her expertise in this matter.
The close views allow to have a better idea of what we deal with. i've seen this fabric before but can't put a name on it.
I'm going to have a look to my personal photo archives of german WWII stuff to see if one of my friends or someone i'm in touch with, showed me something made of this specific fabric before.

Concerning the markings, i can't help you out, they do not ring any bell right now.
Why did they use the two marked pieces of cloth to make the breast pockets ?
I mean it's obvious that the ink can be seen through the cloth...
Thanks

It is odd, isn't it? To put so much work into a field blouse only to put ink stamped material as the breast pockets.

I did a little internet searching on C.W. Leux, and did manage to find some old archived sales and auctions from various sites with an RAD tunic, a pair of panzer trousers and a Luftwaffe tunic that had this name stamped in them. Not much to go on, but it's a start.