Hand-sewn NCO Collar Tress

[Tim Curley]

From the recently published, excellent book An Artilleryman in Stalingrad, Appendix 4: Eyewitness Accounts - From the diary of Han-Georg Kolb, 3./Art. Rgt. 171

Page 218
14 August, 1942: ......"There was a 'feast' in the evening whose purpose only became clear to me when the Oberleutnant casually buttoned two NCO shoulder straps on me."

15 August, 1942: "Very early, about 0500 hours, I sewed some braid - which I'd begged - around my collar. At midday I reported to the commander and the new Abteilungsfuhrer."

One has to wonder how often this hand sewing took place in the field.

[JPhilip]

Hello,
i was just wondering : what makes you think that this job has not been made with a sewing machine. I have seen a period pictures report made with some GJ troops who got a "SINGER" sewing machine with them in order to sew insignia when promotions occured. It could be the case also...this said, i didn't read this book yet...

[Soldat de Fer]

Hello,
i was just wondering : what makes you think that this job has not been made with a sewing machine. I have seen a period pictures report made with some GJ troops who got a "SINGER" sewing machine with them in order to sew insignia when promotions occured. It could be the case also...this said, i didn't read this book yet...

Hello
I have seen this one as well and those guys were at the rear , or at least in a nice comfit house , great pictures none the less !!!.
It could be possible to sew it by hand , if no machines were available , which might have been the case in Stalingrad and other places. I have seen such tunic once , were the tresse were sewn by hand and it was done with great care , as I remember , the thread were almost invisible , obviously done by a professional tailor .
Regards
P-Y

[Bob Hritz]

Many years ago, I had a tunic with hand sewn tresse. The tunic was an officer quality and I believe the NCO was a candidate for promotion to officer. The sewing was exceptionally well done and the stitching was almost invisible.

Bob Hritz

[Will Brown]

Correct me if I am wrong, but was not each company alloted a tailor and a cobbler who travelled with the respective tools of their trade and attended to such duties in the field for the members of their company?

[Raven26]

Here is my M36 that has hand applied tress and litzen. Thank, Frank

[Robert P.]

I just sent back a worn, but nice 1st sergeant arti Waffenrock that had hand-sewn tresse above the cuff, very precisely sewn...by a modern-day German tailor (ess). It and the cyphers and pips were 'immacute' (mint). He was promoted about one or two years ago.

As far as hand-sewn tress, why not? On a field piece? - Absolutely. How many of us hand-sewed our own stripes on in the warmth of the barracks because we couldn't wait 'til the tailor did it for us? I did - 1967. Why not these guys in the field in '43? On the collar and cuff tresse of a parade Waffenrock, maybe not. But on a field tunic, sure, I believe it.

Robert

[pzrwest]

I know this is about a post war and Canadian at but when I was in the army my company commander asked me why I was improperly dressed I said sir? He said corporal you are improperly dressed and I replied sir i'm only a private at which he said where are you stripes corporal and I replied in my pocket at which he said to me you have 15 minutes to have those stripes on and on parade. Well with no needle and thread available at the moment another corporal and I ducked into the corporals room and quickly stapled them on with a stapler. Later on that day I hand sewed them on properly with a needle and thread. The point is you do what you have to when you have to do it! So I can see a newly promoted nco hand sewing the tresse on.