Original Item: One-of-a-kind. In early 1941, the German military began their conquest of southern Europe. Due to the warmer climates of these areas, the German Army needed to equip its troops with a more suitable form of dress, and replace the standard wool based feldgrau uniforms. The new "tropical" uniforms were lighter in weight, and dyed in colors ranging from light tan to dark olive.

This 100% authentic German World War Two Heer Tropenbluse Tropical Tunic is in very good service used condition, with a fantastic been there look. The tunic is made out of lightweight cotton twill weave denim-like material which has been dyed a nice olive/tan. It features four flat front pockets with scalloped pockets, so this is usually called the "second pattern", or sometimes the M42. The first model, the M41, had pleated pockets with scalloped flaps, the second model, the M42, had flat pockets with scalloped pocket flaps, and the third and final model, the M43, switched to square pocket flaps. There are also variations to this, but in general both the Luftwaffe and Heer tunics conform to this. The tunic features a machine applied BeVo tropical Heer Breast eagle, with the correct blue gray threads on an olive background, which is textbook.

This very nice uniform has the correct Afrikakorps EM/NCO litzen on each side of the collar opening, which BeVo embroidered gray blue with golden tan strips, each neatly machine stitched to the collar. This style was introduced for all branches in 1938, indicating service in North Africa. There also lovely 8mm golden diamond pattern NCO "tresse" around the collar, which is not always present on NCO tunic, making this a rare example. There are no Unteroffiziere Schulterklappen (NCO shoulder straps) installed, so there is no way to tell the actual rank of the soldier who wore this tunic. There are also thread loops on the left hand side, showing that the soldier originally had several awards attached there, now removed.

The front of the tunic has five original pebbled buttons for the main closure, and four pocket buttons, all of which were originally a nice green color, but now have lost most of their paint, showing oxidation to a varying degree. Most of the buttons are magnetic, but some look to have been replaced during service with non-magnetic types, and we cannot see any maker markings on the back. All of these buttons are held in place with steel circlip retainers, except for the shoulder buttons, which are sewn on directly.

As is correct for this type of tunic, it is mostly unlined on the interior except for specific areas, such as the sides under the sleeves, which require reinforcement. There are no internal pockets except for the usual bandage pocket on the lower right. There is a faded maker mark on the flap over the button circlips, which we are unable to read, and under this are the original size markings:

41        60
88
70        58

Overall condition is very good, showing the expected wear to the fabric from moderate service in the field. There is some staining and fading to the material, but no major tears or damage. The buttons have oxidized a bit, which has caused some staining to the material. There is also some wear and stretching to the main closure button holes, so the buttons do not stay in place as well as they did originally. The remaining insignia are in lovely condition, and completely correct.

A fantastic totally genuine Afrika Korps second pattern tunic in very nice service used condition. This is a uniform that was "really there", and managed to survive the intervening years with flying colors. Ready to add to your collection and display!

Approximate Measurements
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 23”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15”
Chest width: 18.5”
Waist width: 16"
Hip width: 17”
Front length: 18"

History of the German Africa Corps

The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (German: Deutsches Afrikakorps, DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of their African colonies, the formation fought on in Africa, under various appellations, from March 1941 until its surrender in May 1943. The unit's best known commander was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

The dry climate of Africa proved to be an issue with much of the standard leather field gear that the German Army usually used. It would dry out and crack quickly, and become unusable. To deal with this, the standard field gear such as belts, Y-straps, A-frames, bayonet frogs, and other items, were issued in special tropical web versions.