collar tresse question?

[RodneyO]

Aloha,
Is there any possibility of NCOs wearing NCO shoulder boards but not having collar tresse around their collars on field tunics? Would a newly promoted NCO just slip on their boards if it they had a field promotion? Are there any period photos of soldiers wearing non-tresse collars with NCO shoulder boards?
Reason for, I would like to put on NCO Pionier shoulder boards on my HBT tunic but wouldn’t want to display it that way if it’s against German regulation.
Mahalo,
Rodney

[Bond]

I dont know about HBT tunics, but for DAK/trop tunics, they often did not have collar tress, and for all tunics, in the circumstances you described-field promotion etc-I'm sure they would wear the boards without collar tress.

Jerry

[Glenn McInnes]

Sure was!





Glenn

[Mainemilitaria]

I'm pretty sure that NCO tresse was discontinued on HBT field uniforms and M44 tunics late in the war.....(except on the shoulder straps). Of course, some
indiviguals undoubtedly still applied the tresse to thier collars.....

I'll try to find which referance I read this in.....
John G.
Mainemilitaria

[RodneyO]

Big Mahalo Jerry, Glenn and John!!
I can always count on you folks here!. I had these boards for a while and the rank is for a Pioneer Oberfeldwebel (if not mistaken, with two pips). Seems someone had enhanced the treese with white paint as the thread is also painted (now just hope these boards are original). Could this have been period done or post-war a more plausible answer?

Glenn, the picture shows evidence that NCOs indeed wore them without the collar tresse. You can see both being worn, tresse and non-tresse collared NCOs, that’s a great picture.
Aloha,
Rodney

[NickG]

The wounded NCO in the center appears to have been given a field promotion to officer status, having (sew-in) lieutenant boards temporarily tucked under his shoulder strap loops!

[Kreager]

They look like a pretty beat up "hardened" group of young guys. Great photo.

[frank savage]

Hallo!

It could be legit... An NCO could have had need to changed his jacket due it was ripped or destroy in battle, take a new blouse with its litzen on (as they leaved the factory), and put his approrpiate shoulder boards without having time to sewn the tresse from his company tailor... No problem for your HBT, that not ever mounted the tresse on.

Cheers.

[RodneyO]

Hey NickG, hadn't notice the NCO with the officer's boards but you can see he has officers boards and still with his tresse around the collar. I was mainly looking at the 3rd soldier from the left, (in the front row) as he has no collar tresse but can definitely see the feldwebel boards.
NCO (tresse collar) to officer and the EM to NCO (non-tresse collar)... all in one photo, positive proof of field promotions.
Frank, a newly issued tunic (for a damaged tunic) sounds possible for a NCO to not have tresse around the collar.