Sewn-up pockets on jump smocks

[SMP]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me whether it was comon practice among veteran FJs to sew-up the two, upper ,zip pockets on jump smocks. I have seen several smocks over the years where the upper zipps were missing (completely removed) , and have now seen a smock were the upper pockets are sewn-up. I was wondering if this was a war-time or a post-war phenomenom ?Also how common was the war-time removal of the flare holster.
Anyone ?

Regards

Steve

[John Hodgin]

Hi Steve,

I have some thoughts on your thread, but haven't had the time to write them here. Will try to do so when work permits.

I imagine Willi has quite a few opinions as well but doesn't want to go into too much detail prior to the release of his book.

More asap,
John

[Prosper Keating]

The upper pockets on a German jump smock are ideally placed to be hard to access when wearing Y-straps and other webbing equipment. I have never seen a German smock with sewn-up pockets but perhaps some paras did this as most paras simply stuffed things down the front of their smocks, their belts forming the 'bottom' of this impromptu 'pocket'. I know that we did this in the British army. We also used to sew our upper smock pockets, which were bellowed but of thin, easily torn material, flat although this was very much against regulations. That way, they could be used for very thin items, like paperwork, but could not be stuffed with magazines, spare rounds, cans of baked beans and all sorts of rubbish that was (a) likely to rip and fall through the pocket, (b) would interfere with and render uncomfortable the wearing of heavy webbing and (c) could bruise or even crack a man's ribs if he threw himself down flat or slipped and fell while scrambling over rocks or through windows and so on.

PK

[John Hodgin]

Hi Steve,

As I mentioned in my PM, IMO most soldiers were always needing more, not less, cargo space. Therefore, I view sewn up pockets suspiciously, and at best would consider this alteration, if period, to be perhaps a field repair for "blown" zippers. Another factor is that I agree with Prosper, this would have been against regulations.

Still, a smock with sewn up pockets would be a worth while addition, especially if it is of a style, date, etc. that one did not have in their collection, until a better replacement could be found.

More on this later.
Best,
John

[Willi Z.]

Hi Guys,

I can't imagine why anyone during the war would sew the top pockets shut.

On the zippers, that is different. I have encountered several step-in smocks with the lower side access zippers missing. I always wondered about this and asked a few veterans. They told me that they sometimes removed those zippers as the metal zippers were sharp and could cut the wrist as you tried to get your hand in there. The same could apply to the top pockets. Hate to use a reenacting analogy, but it does give you an idea why some things were done. Having something in those top pockets with a metal zipper on those pockets is rather uncomfortable when you try to dig down to find something in your pocket, while wearing the smock. Can't say this is an issue with the plastic RiRi zippers, but is with the metal ones, which tend to have sharp teeth.

Willi

[SMP]

Mystery solved ?

OK,
Well the smock I was asking about is now mine ; I bought it off a guy on e-bay who had found it in a loft in Austria along with a gravity knife and book about Kreta.
It is a mid-war heavy-weight 3rd pattern splinter with the upper two pockets sewn shut. Inside the left chest pocket I found the original "splinter over olive" camo eagle which had been removed from the smock. I guess the original owner couldn't bear to part with his smock and removed the offending eagle either out of disgust, or more likely for political reasons, and sewed it away in the upper pocket for posterity. Therefore post-war ( or POW ) sewn.
Willi , I agree with your veteran's account of removing metal zipps from difficult to access pockets. This ties in with several smocks that I have seen.
Perhaps I can ask John to post a picture of the eagle sometime. It was a happy day when I found it !
Regards
Steve

[Willi Z.]

Very nice find Steve! I am kinda glad that smock supported my theory that it didn't make sense to have sewn the pockets shut during wartime.

Here is the eagle.

Willi