M-44 tunics in wear

[veloce]

Oh no, M44 with Knobelbecher!
Mai 1945





M44 with Schiffchen in the background

[OSS]

Great image of a late war Landser wearing M-44 tunic and trousers veloce!

[veloce]

https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...76337711_o.jpg

1945

[Maxoumilitaria]

I recently received a small lot from this guy who got married in February 1945. Interesting the see the silver NCO collar tresse used on a M44 tunic.

[veloce]

Two Ex-Wehrmacht Soldiers

[Zauberflöte]

....

[Tom B]

Great pic of the 9mm Browning hi-power !!!!

[Steve Turner]

Very rare to see a photo of a non-SS soldier with a hi-power. Not to say they aren't out there, just never been able to find one before. Great M44 tunic also! -Steve

[veloce]

https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...28&oe=57D07454

M44 in front, battle wear

[PaulW]

Hi, found another picture of an M44 tunic in wear whilst looking at Manfred Dorr's German language book "Die Trager der Nahkampfspange in Gold" (Wearers of the Gold Close Combat badge). I obviously want to give full credit to the book (and recommend it, it's excellent) before showing the picture. The picture itself is not great, but it's identified to an individual wearer, the unit he is in, and the date he is wearing it, so I think that is quite interesting!

I'll post pictures of the book and then the picture itself.

Regards, Paul

[PaulW]

The figure on the right wearing an M44 is I believe from the text Oberfeldwebel Ludwig Steiner of the 7th Company, Grenadier Regt 438 of the 132nd Infanterie Division (attached Army Group North, Eastern Front) and he had his Gold Close Combat clasp (qualified for on 11th Dec 1944), and awarded (ausgehändigt - "handed out") as seen in the photograph on 10th March 1945 (by General Guderian).

It is just possible that the M44 wearer is Oberleutnant August Hof (I can't make out any rank, though it looks like an EM M43?), but the Oberfeldwebel to his right seems to be a Gebirgsjager, not an Infantryman, hence I thought the M44 wearer might be Steiner. Any German speakers that can translate the nuances of the text and clarify please do so, and I'll look up August Hof instead!

In either case, as Steiner is clearly one of those present we do see an M44 being worn on 10th March 1945!

[PaulW]

Ludwig Steiner's details in the above book, one of around only 600 soldiers awarded the Close Combat clasp in Gold. The initial awards were made by Hitler himself, such was the high regard for the award.

[PaulW]

From the same book it's just possible that Eberhard Junkermann is also wearing an M44 tunic. I can't make out a hook and eye in the picture, but I don't think it's possible to be 100% sure. It looks like he has replaced his eagle with an early war type, the boards might be early war too. As we've already seen on this thread it wasn't that unusual to have 'non-textbook' insignia on an M44. For instance, on only the second post of this thread we see an NCO wearing an Officer's bullion eagle!

[PaulW]

From the information here, it seems that he qualified for the Gold Close Combat clasp on 10th Oct 1944 (no award date given). He seems to have qualified for the German Cross in Gold on 18th Dec 1944 and he is referred to as an Unteroffizier. His rank is higher in the photograph, so it seems to have been taken later, perhaps before the German Cross in Gold had been received?

Interested in any thoughts as to whether this might also be an M44 tunic?

Regards, Paul

[Lionel H.]

My last ones