Uniforms of the Luftwaffe by John Angolia

[Paul Walmsley]

Think putting in errors and omissions section is a great idea!!
Maybe each point could be endorsed by several senior board members/moderstors to be included.
Should allow author to respond?
Should also do it for Wehrmacht Heer!

[PaulR]

I tend to use all of my references together. Often times, what cannot be found in one resource can be found in another.

It would be great to not only address the missing elements from a book, but to also list an alternative reference that "fills the gap", if possible.

[LHR1]

I think from the volume of material that Mr. Angolia was putting out, some errors were inevitable. Remember also, he relied heavily on contributions from the collecting community. I have been acknowledged as a contributor on several volumes of his work and have had items from my collection pictured in them. At no time did John actually see or hold the items in his hand -- only the pictures I furnished to him. All-in-all, Mr. Angolia should be commended for his efforts. For many years, he was about the only game in town for in-depth detailed reference books on TR collecting.
Can someone point out a serious, glaring error in regards to uniforms?

John,
I agree with some of what you say - Bender has been a tremendous asset to the collectors' community since his first publications (I think his DAK book has stood the test of time very well) and the Angolia/Schlicht Heer series was unprecedented at the time it appeared. However, once I finally got to many of the primary sources in Freiburg over the past three years, I've found numerous errors in the introduction dates and wear regulations of various insignia, in this case just for the cavalry branch (which is what I mainly collect). It may be assumed that there're more throughout the three volumes. As for the Luftwaffe series, I'd like to draw your attention to the supposed issue tan and water pattern armored force uniform pictured in the second volume. It's a fantasy ensemble that had been discredited before it was ever included in the book (Kai Winkler currently has it in his catalog). I'm sure that collectors specializing in the various Luftwaffe components can supply you with more errata. The same primary source citation problems are likely also present in this series.

Carsten Fries

[John Huff]

Thank you for the example. Once again, I think Angolia relied on the expertise of the submitter of that example (whose name is pictured next to the photos) and perhaps he should have done a more thorough job of research. As I recall, after each volume he concluded, he beseeched the collector community for help on upcoming projects. Garbage in -- garbage out. In the days before the internet and instant opinions and answers, he did as well as could be expected considering the range of topics he covered. Don't forget Adolf Schlicht (his co-author) who was probably more responsible for research on introductory dates, regulation changes, etc.

[John Huff]

and another thought... would any of us buy such an outfit based on that single black and white picture? Or would you pass on an item that wasn't pictured in the books?

[John Hodgin]

. All-in-all, Mr. Angolia should be commended for his efforts.

Can someone point out a serious, glaring error in regards to uniforms?

Hello John,

Carsten cited an excellent example, the photo of the fantasy tan-water armored uniform. There are other photos of inauthentic uniform in the volumes. But my main concern is more with the inaccurate text and facts.

My mistake, it is a three volume set. Sorry, forgot because I never bought the third volume.

The reason I began this thread was not to discredit Mr. Angolia or his books, nor to fault him in any way. Publishing any reference is a difficult and weighty task, so again, I commend his work and books. I have the greatest respect for Mr. Bender, his books have been a source of collecting information since I was young.

However, I am concerned that many newer collectors are learning and repeating false information. I sometimes hear and read errors from Mr. Angolia's books repeated as if they are accurate and factual. It happens here. So I wondered how many accept the informantion within the books as gospel?

....... and John, there are many errors.

Therefore, as Ray suggested, I believe a section here on WA to discuss and amend reference knowledge is a great asset.

Regards,
John

[John Huff]

I am behind you 100%

[Diane]

Die Deutsche Wehrmacht . . .

Schlicht / Angolia, Uniformeirung und Ausrüstung 1933-19 45, Band 3: Die Luftwaffe (Motorbuch Verlag)

The German edition is superior. I use it all the time.


Cheers,

Diane

[PaulR]

Hi Diane,

Great to see ya!

So there is an actual content difference between the german and english editions?

[Dave Suter]

I think from the volume of material that Mr. Angolia was putting out, some errors were inevitable. Remember also, he relied heavily on contributions from the collecting community. I have been acknowledged as a contributor on several volumes of his work and have had items from my collection pictured in them. At no time did John actually see or hold the items in his hand -- only the pictures I furnished to him. All-in-all, Mr. Angolia should be commended for his efforts. For many years, he was about the only game in town for in-depth detailed reference books on TR collecting.
Can someone point out a serious, glaring error in regards to uniforms?

Same here. Jack's books aren't perfect (none are, of course), but the amount of reference material he has done far exceeds anyone else. And, Volume 3 of each series contains a 'correction' section.

[Paul Walmsley]

Regarding the LW tanwater wrap: This item appears in color in Palinckx's new "Camo unifroms of the German Wehrmacht" and is attributed to Borsarello.
This is different to the items appearing on german dealers websites?
It is has WSS style collars (small and round) and no large chest pocket. Are they all fantasy? Is this also a repetition of errors?

[Bob Hritz]

The one book I can't find, for a reasonable price is Volume 2 of UNIFORMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE.

Bob Hritz

[Paul Walmsley]

Here is photo of the Palinckx/Borsarello "HG" tanwater Wrap, for thoise who don't have Werners book

[PaulR]

The one book I can't find, for a reasonable price is Volume 2 of UNIFORMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE.

Bob Hritz

They average at about 300 dollars by the end of a bidding cycle on Ebay. They are MUCH more expensive from the book sellers... if you can even find one.

Regards
Paul