Original Item: Only One Available. Just acquired from an old German WWII collection, this is a very interesting service worn Luftwaffe "Drillich" fabric Herring Bone Twill cotton tunic, as introduced later in the war. Originally intended to be for drill use, during WWII the utility of using "Drillich" fabric for service uniforms, instead of the more delicate wool, became readily apparent. The Heer Army had similar uniforms, which were deployed early in the war, and by 1943 the Luftwaffe followed suit.

This example is different than previous examples we have seen, and is made very much to resemble the Luftwaffe Fliegerbluse (Flight Blouse) style with hidden buttons on the front closure. This streamlined look was very popular among all rank levels, and this HBT tunic has a front closure featuring 5 bakelite buttons with hidden buttonholes, and a hook and loop fastener at the neck. The buttons are all sewn directly to the fabric, and there are no external pockets, just an internal breast pocket on the left interior chest. There we can see the remnants of an "LBA" marking, which indicates issue by the Luftwaffebekleidungsamt (Air Force Clothing Office), though the date is unfortunately not fully legible, but could be a "41".

There are no rank insignia attached to the tunic, though there are fabric loops on the shoulders for attachment of shoulder straps. There is a very old hand painted Luftwaffe eagle on the right breast, something we have not seen before. The tunic is definitely quite worn, and may have originally been the usual "reed green" that the Luftwaffe used on their late war HBT tunics. It must have been used and washed many times to have faded so much, but looking at the condition of the fabric, it may just have been used that much.

A very interesting Luftwaffe HBT "Drillich" tunic, ready to research and display!

Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 26”
Shoulder to shoulder: 16.5"
Chest width: 19.5”
Waist: 20"
Hip: 20"
Front length: 27"

Most recruits previous to 1940 were issued a fatigue uniform (Drillichanzug) for basic training which they kept for work details, weapons cleaning and other duties likely to soil clothes. This was an unlined, insignia-less uniform made of linen or cotton herringbone twill (HBT) that typically had two buttonless patch pockets on the skirt; enlisted versions had a standing collar while NCO and officer versions had rise-and-fall collars. The fatigue uniform originally was undyed and therefore a color that ranged from white to oatmeal to cement grey. On 12 February 1940 the color was ordered changed to a bluish green called "reed-green."

Since the heavy wool feldgrau uniform proved to be oppressively hot in summer weather, especially in southerly latitudes, soldiers took to wearing their lightweight green fatigue uniforms in the heat. In about 1942 the Army regularized the practice: depots began issuing an official hot-weather four-pocket field uniform of feldbluse cut but made of the same reed-green HBT material. For the enlisted Heer, these were usually worn with collar insignia and national eagle. NCOs would typically wear the summer uniform (Sommerfeldanzug) with appropriate rank on their shoulder boards, but the collar braid seen on the wool uniforms was typically absent. Two models were approved for use in the Army, the first that was designed after the M40 feldbluse and a later model that removed the front pocket pleats and pocket flap scallops similar to the M43. From 1943 a double-breasted version based on the Panzerjacke was made for vehicle and assault gun crews. SS units never had an official unique summer uniform, and while some used the Army versions, most used the earlier dyed work fatigues without insignia. While commissioned officers did have bespoke summer uniforms made, there was no regulation summer field uniform.

The Luftwaffe, the air force of the German military during the Third Reich, was established in 1935. Over the next 10 years, Luftwaffe troops wore a huge variety of uniforms. Enlisted men generally wore uniforms issued from military depots. Most enlisted soldiers had wool trousers and a short jacket with two internal lower pockets, called a Fliegerbluse, as well as a dressier 4-pocket tunic, the Tuchrock. Officers wore the same general uniform styles, but as officers had to supply their own uniforms, they usually wore tailor made versions. There were also myriad varieties of specialized uniforms worn by certain units or in specific situations, from the tuxedo-style “gala” formal wear uniform of the pre-war period, to the plain coveralls worn by crews of anti-aircraft cannons. There were work uniforms, tropical and summer uniforms, and camouflage clothing for airborne troops and other Luftwaffe soldiers in ground combat. Flight crews had their own specialized gear, including leather jackets and warm, electrically heated suits. Most but not all Luftwaffe uniform jackets bore the Luftwaffe emblem of a flying eagle holding a swas.