Südfront-summer uniform Cavalry-Rocon

[NickG]

From my collection: a Südfront-summer uniform made from groundsheet material with M36 collar.
I purchased it with collar damage and totally stripped and brought it back to life.
It does lack NCI tresse around the collar but such uniforms were worn like this also...so I'll leave it as is.
Note (rusty) stitched in belt support hooks!

[NickG]

It had a gefreiter winkel at one time...The Krim shield was stitched on way too low and over the chevron ghost so I did not know it was even there...
so that got put in the right spot now...

[NickG]

Back panel + detail (sorry for the photo quality...camera phone not zooming well ...
but I'm not showing it for authentification, it is the real deal!

[NickG]

Here is a close up of the breast eagle, an interesting variant in white...

An image of an NCO (same rank) without collar tresse... (on later M44 uniforms that actually became the norm)
Also noteworthy: (another anomaly)
The wounded bespectacled officer with LT boards is a recent field promotion having his boards slipped in place under the tunic loops, his tunic still showing NCO tresse...
(Photo credit; Glenn on period image)

[afrikasandman]

Nick,

I don't know man, I just don't agree with adding stuff to tunics that wasn't there.... If the Krim shield was there I would have just left it, maybe the guy just tacked it on over the spot where his chevron used to be. You do see in period photos that shields are not always on the upper arm, they do vary sometimes. The eagle is really bright as well compared to the rest of the tunic. Maybe I'm just a bit too critical but I have only ever had 1 tunic restored and it took time, but I found similar condition insignia to go with it. Just an opinion/observation. Otherwise nice jacket. Matt

[-Ray-]

Really nice, I always admire these examples with the bottle green collars.

-Ray-

[NickG]

Nick,

I don't know man, I just don't agree with adding stuff to tunics that wasn't there.... If the Krim shield was there I would have just left it, maybe the guy just tacked it on over the spot where his chevron used to be. You do see in period photos that shields are not always on the upper arm, they do vary sometimes. The eagle is really bright as well compared to the rest of the tunic. Maybe I'm just a bit too critical but I have only ever had 1 tunic restored and it took time, but I found similar condition insignia to go with it. Just an opinion/observation. Otherwise nice jacket. Matt

Hi Matt...it was denazified...eagle missing so replaced...Eagle ghost and stitching holes clearly there...It was not SS or anything like that...The replacement eagle is bright because of the flash...
it is a period embroidered one for sure...but added (part of the restoration). The Krim shield is controversial, agreed!
It was there but most likely added later (since the uniform was denazified, lacking an eagle) and in the wrong spot...(covering chevron rank ghost),
so I moved it up...I guess purists would have removed it all together...
Since it was for the most part a "blank canvas" fixer-upper uniform, (no collar litzen etc..) bringing it back to life like this still makes for an accurate representation...
It is unnamed so no way to restore it to its original configuration...branch,waffenfarbe will always remain a mystery...???The only thing that's for sure is that it had a chevron on it at one time...
Maybe I will demote him down the road...Never had NCO collar tresse...These NCO straps were the only spare-parts that I had laying around so I put those on! (for now).
Thanks for the comment. Same to Ray. Thanks for the feedback!
Such field summer light weight uniforms with M36 look are indeed neat!

[afrikasandman]

Nick,

I agree that if it was completly stripped then the Krim was likly added later. It does look very nice. I am in the process of finishing a restoration job on a tunic I picked up as well. My boards arrived last week and now I just need to locate an eagle. I thought I had brought several with me to Germany but turns out I sent them all home to my parents place. Matt

[NickG]

Nick,

I agree that if it was completly stripped then the Krim was likly added later. It does look very nice. I am in the process of finishing a restoration job on a tunic I picked up as well. My boards arrived last week and now I just need to locate an eagle. I thought I had brought several with me to Germany but turns out I sent them all home to my parents place. Matt

Thanks Matt! I am happy with the way it came out and might not even bother demoting him to Gefreiter...That chevron ghost does not bother me...= promotion! Krim is tacked on easy to remove!
Another one restored/rescued! I enjoy bringing these back to life and it often makes them more affordable too! Collecting German is just getting so expensive...so like yourself I don't mind fixer-uppers!
Easier on the wallet! Good luck chasing your insignia. You are posted at LRMC I assume? I spent some time in Germany during the cold war...(heating back up again!)

[46IR]

Very nice restoring I do think that restored jackets are still good collectable bits but I do think that restorers should make it always easy to id that it is restored so that if its ever sold theres no mistakes all in all good job