Tunic opinions

[NTZ]

The size of the average German does suck. I like to rotate out my uniforms on mannequins so to even come remotely close to fitting I need size 38+. On the contrary I also collect some US uni’s and they seem to run much larger on average. To find a size 42 is no problem. So much for the superior race.

[DonC]

I think the effects of the First World War and the Depression were showing up in the average size of the German soldier in WWII - for every HJ or SS recruiting poster type there were dozens of underfed Landser in the Wehrmacht. I have two mannequins that I "cut down" so that smaller tunics can fit - I notice too on eBay when small mannequins go up for auction they almost always command a premium...

Don

[Johnny R]

Size

I work with Native Americans in Chiapas and you would be amazed at the difference in one generation with kids getting half decent meals in Government Schools since the revolution in 1994. I agree the depression and poor diet had a lot to do with this. Americans in general are overfed and tend to be bigger still today both horizontally and vertically. We also eat a lot more dairy and beef then most populations.

20 years ago there were a lot of larger tunics around. I think these are in collections now, small tunics show up on the market often, I think because of the problem with forms. The collection I bought from the guy last year was all large size tunics. He had passed over the smaller ones when there was an option 30 years ago.

[sturmbannfuhrer]

The size of the average German does suck. I like to rotate out my uniforms on mannequins so to even come remotely close to fitting I need size 38+. On the contrary I also collect some US uni’s and they seem to run much larger on average. To find a size 42 is no problem. So much for the superior race.

No disrespect to the "King - EP" IMHO the greatest living human ever!!! but the small German's were the product of the no "Fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches" policy during the Third Reich.

[Johnny R]

No disrespect to the "King - EP" IMHO the greatest living human ever!!! but the small German's were the product of the no "Fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches" policy during the Third Reich.

That "kind o' eatin'" tends to effect horizontal growth more than vertical.

[DonC]

"Tough as leather, fast as greyhounds, hard as Krupp steel, and smaller than a motherf*cking chipmunk" (no offense to our German friends).

Don

[knopf]

Nick, nice tunic you have,nice and long. 122 cm. .The Kompanietailer made it from a coat.

[Doug Kenwright]

Also remember that from youth to adult, in Hitlers Germany, sports and fitness was extoled as a virtue in the German people.The Wehrmacht did not have to spend valueable time fitness training their newer members, as the HJ,bdm, RAD, SA ETC. ETC., had done the job for them..

The Wehrmacht was the most fit army the modern battlefield has ever seen.

Look at older European males and females in their 60's and 70's..they are fitter than North American youths at 20, and that is very wrong!!!

[phild]

I have certainly noticed over the years that there are a higher % of extremely small uniform items and even monster large uniform items among the un-issued items that are around than those items that absolutly saw issue and use during the war.

Probably the most common chest size on issued German tunics that I have seen since the early-mid 1970s were about 98cm, I would say that 80+% that I have seen were between a 96 and 102 cm....so a U.S. 38-40 (medium) was very common.

[Johnny R]

I have certainly noticed over the years that there are a higher % of extremely small uniform items and even monster large uniform items among the un-issued items that are around than those items that absolutly saw issue and use during the war.

Probably the most common chest size on issued German tunics that I have seen since the early-mid 1970s were about 98cm, I would say that 80+% that I have seen were between a 96 and 102 cm....so a U.S. 38-40 (medium) was very common.

I agree, also 30 years ago no one wanted small or giant uniform items and they were very hard to sell. That said, a lot of the nice decent sized stuff is "locked up" in lifetime duration collections now and it does not show up often for sale. I bought a large uniform collection last year that had been put together in the late 60s and early 70s everything was good sized because there actually was a choice when he was buying the uniforms 40 years ago.

[DonC]

I have certainly noticed over the years that there are a higher % of extremely small uniform items and even monster large uniform items among the un-issued items that are around than those items that absolutly saw issue and use during the war.

Probably the most common chest size on issued German tunics that I have seen since the early-mid 1970s were about 98cm, I would say that 80+% that I have seen were between a 96 and 102 cm....so a U.S. 38-40 (medium) was very common.

Yes - that makes sense - I have seen more unissued visors in sizes 52 and 53 and 60 and 61 than say a 56 or 57.

Don