94. German Army: Oberintendanturrat. 1938, Full Dress Uniform.
The German Army Full Dress Uniform, the 'Grosser Gesellschaftanszug', consisted of the uniform tunic worn without the officers silver and green brocade parade belt (see Nos. 89 & 90) but with officers silver parade aiguillettes, long piped trousers, black half shoes, gloves, uniform peaked cap, medals or ribbons, decorations and dagger. The Oberintendanturrat or Commissariat Lieutenant-Colonel illustrated here wears gold coloured 'Kurbelstickerei' embroidered on to the dark green of his collar patches and cuff-facing patches and which are piped bright red as his second or 'Nebenwaffenfarbe'.

95. German Army: Feldbischof, 1937, Frock Coat.
The frock coat was an item of dress peculiar to the German Army Clergy. Chaplains (Heerespfarrer), Senior Chaplains (Heeresoberpfarrer) and Field Bishops (Feldbisch�fe) were all permitted to wear this over garment as an alternative to their violet lapelled greatcoat and the Army officers cloak. The Army clergy were unique in that they wore no shoulder straps on any of their military dress and on the frock coat collar patches were also not worn. It was only by the use of gold coloured buttons, cap cords, cap piping and the national emblem in gold was it possible to distinguish Field Bishops from Chaplains and Senior Chaplains. They wore white metal buttons and silver aluminium cap cords and national emblem.

96. German Army: Hauptwachtmeister -13. Kavallerie Regiment, 1939, Walking-out Uniform.
The walking-out uniform worn by non-commissioned officers and men of the German Army consisted of the Service Tunic worn with long trousers, black half shoes, peaked cap and with or without waist belt. Medals or ribbon bars and decorations together with marksmanship lanyards were worn as was a side arm, either a bayonet and scabbard for men and NCO's or a sabre for Cavalry NCO's. The plain grey coloured trousers were a feature of German Army uniform dress that was abolished at the beginning of the war and thereafter only trousers or breeches of a field-grey colouring that matched the wearer's tunic were worn. The small white metal skull and cross bones badge worn on the front of the cap between the national emblem and the oak leaf wreath was known as a 'Tradition Badge'. Three types of tradition badges existed in the German Army of this period, all of a differing design. All were worn on the peaked cap in this manner as well as other forms of soft headdress by members of certain selected Army units that were considered to be the inheritors of historical military traditions of former Army regiments.

97. German Army: Obergefreiter, 1943 Model Service Dress, 1943.
99. German Army: Kraftfahrer, M44 Uniform, 1944.
By the year 1943 conditions had become so difficult within Germany that economies were being made in every direction where it was felt that both materials and labour could be conserved. One aspect of this conservation drive was the production first of the Model 1943 Service Tunic and then the Model 1944 Uniform. The M43 tunic did away with the familiar blue-green collar as well as the backing cloth used for both the national emblem and the shoulder straps. The patch pockets were usually without pleats and the pocket flaps were cut straight (No. 97). On 25th September 1944 the Model 1944 or M44 uniform was introduced (No. 99). This was a complete departure in style from anything that the Army had produced up to this time. The blouse to the uniform was in appearance somewhat similar to the battle dress blouse worn by the British Army. The most obvious feature of this new style of blouse was the absence of a jacket 'skirt'. This had been done away with and in its place was a waist band 12cm. deep. Without the normal skirt to the jacket the external pockets on the M44 blouse were reduced to just two. Both these were without pleats and had straight cut pocket flaps. An economy style national emblem was manufactured for use with this blouse. Triangular in shape it required less time to sew to the blouse than did the former emblem. The whole uniform was manufactured in low quality slate-grey cloth, yet another departure from the traditional field-grey of the Army uniforms. The Trousers worn with the M44 Blouse were introduced during 1943 and were worn with both the M43 tunic and M44 blouse. They too were an economy measure. They had a belted waist band at the back, which did away with the need for braces (suspenders). The legs of the trousers were tapered so as to fit into gaiters or tops of ankle boots. Gaiters made from canvas and reinforced with leather were copied directly from the gaiters worn by the British forces. Their introduction helped to conserve the dwindling stock of leather used in the manufacture of footwear. Matching boots (No. 97) were phased out and new recruits were issued with or unserviceable boots were replaced by leather ankle boots worn with gaiters or putters (Nos. 98 & 99).

98. German Army: Grenadier, 1944. Combat clothing and equipment.
The appearance of the average German infantryman during the last two years of the war compared to what he looked like in 1939 had greatly changed. Although the basic weaponry had changed little with only a number of new introductions in the field of small arms taking place and the equipment he wore bring much the same as that that had been in use five years previously, it was more the manner in which it was worn and the soldier's general bearing that marked him as a battle-hardened veteran. Helmet netting was used to break up the hard outline of the steel helmet and at the same time afford a means of camouflaging the soldier's head and shoulders. This idea was copied from the Allies, to supplement the German Army's own steel helmet cloth covers. A suit of lightweight combat clothing consisting of a four pocket jacket and plain, standard pattern trousers manufactured in a reed-green 'herringbone' pattern drill proved a popular form of issue clothing for those troops fighting during the summer months in temperate climate zones. Both items were worn separately just as often as a complete outfit. Illustrated here (No. 98) the soldier wears reed-green trousers combined with the standard pattern field-grey tunic.

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