Luftwaffe Fliegerbluse for Hermann Göring Division Unteroffizier for opinions

**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 02:13 AM

Hi, looking at this HG NCO fliegerbluse at the moment. Grateful for any opinions.

The boards are wool piped and the cuff-titles are hand-sewn on.

Regards, Paul

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 07-09-2015 02:13 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 02:15 AM

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**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 02:18 AM

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**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 02:21 AM

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**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 02:23 AM

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**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 02:53 AM

Tried blowing the title up a little.

**Neil Hever** · 07-09-2015, 02:55 AM

Bluse looks good. It may be a transitional type with the white piping along the collar. Normally, I would associate that with an earlier Bluse with no LW breast eagle or lower pockets. It looks as if it was stitched on later. Veterans liked to retain older insignia and this may be the case here. Orders to change insignia overlapped the issue of clothing too so that may have happened. I am not that good with cuff titles and awards so others should chime in. NH

**PaulW** · 07-09-2015, 05:09 AM

Hi Neil, thanks for the feedback. I think I read somewhere that the artificial silk (rayon) linings started being used in fliegerbluses from about mid 1942 so the collar piping (dropped in 1940 I believe) could not have been factory applied. I think it can sometimes be found applied at the unit level by NCO's in particular, who wanted to look smarter etc. I have 2 other NCO fliegerbluses which are 1942 + made, both with collar piping (one is a Spiess, who's going to tell him...). The other, a Signals NCO fliegerbluse sat untouched in a US veterans locker since WW2 so I'm pretty sure it happened!

Like you, I'm not a cuff-title expert and look forward to any opinions! They are hand-sewn, and according to the WAF's cuff-band section (e.g there is a section dedicated just to the Afrika cuff-band) hand-sewn cuff-bands are more common than machine-sewn ones. I've heard that direct from veterans too. However it makes it very difficult to be sure they are wartime applied! A HG soldier with an Afrika cuff-band would be a rare bird indeed, as only a handful escaped Tunisia in May 1943. The other possibilities are those wounded and evacuated before the surrender, or soldiers with African service who transferred into the HG from other units. Even if I wasn't fully convinced (I don't have it in hand) it's the kind of thing I would leave alone as you never know....
I do like the collar tab application and the way the thread retaining them at the rear appears to match the thread used in the blouse's construction in terms of age.

Regards, Paul

**Adrian Stevenson** · 07-09-2015, 07:36 AM

Everything appears original.

As stated, the collar piping would have been applied at unit level by the NCO himself or unit tailor.

I would like it in hand to check "when" everything was applied. You just cannot tell from a photo in some cases.

An attractive item from one of my favourite units.

Cheers, Ade.

**John Brandon** · 07-09-2015, 08:53 AM

Considering who is selling it, and where it originally came from It's rock solid. Lovely tunic not messed with and VERY desirable, albeit on the topside price wise