Officers wearing Wool M35/M36 officer Feldbluse?

[goonch7471]

Hi, I'm currently looking around for an officer tunic. Most of the pictures I've seen show officers wearing gabardine M36 officer tunics with the cuffs and rise/fall collars. Was it very common for officers to wear that tunic, but in wool? I'm a reenactor, and do an oberstleutnant impression for various branches and I wear a gabardine tunic. Would the wool be more accurate?

thanks

[Hans Kristian]

Not an easy question, I think many different types of tunics were worn, here are 2: One wool for an oberleutnant and another summer type for a major.
I have photographic evidence of both being worn in the field.
I am sure that sometimes the wool tunics was following the soldier as he was promoted. I have a LW officers tunic with that feature.
But for an Oberstleutnant, I would probably use the Garbadine...

Regards,
Hans Kristian

[phild]

Gabardine is wool! Wool is a fiber not a fabric weave. Wool fiber can generally be woven as either a worsted weave (of which gabardine is one of maybe a dozen major variations) or as a "Woolen" which generally has a nap ("fuzz") as do some types of worsted weaves.

Sorry to get down into the weeds, but for those wanting to understand this subject it helps to figure out where it all starts.

I will also add that often a worsted fabric is warmer with better insulation properties and always with better wind blocking properties oz per oz than any woolen.....although 99% of collectors looking at it think the opposite. Worsted is generally more expensive as well. A lot of worsted cloth that looks rather thin is in fact heavier per sq yd than most woolens that appear thick.

To answer the other part of your question, front line (and other) officers wore private purchase tunics in various worsted fabrics as well as woolen fabrics at the front in maybe similar ratios...they also wore upgraded issue tunics (woolen) in large number and local made or otherwise private obtained summer weight tunics from a lot of fabrics including lightweight wool (on occasion) and various cotton/linen materials.

[JasonA]

Phild - thanks for typing out this response and clarifying. It's nice when you read an initial thread and before you get to the top to clarify/answer, someone else has already done so.



J-

[Hans Kristian]

Well, this is indeed the right answer...

Gabardine is wool! Wool is a fiber not a fabric weave. Wool fiber can generally be woven as either a worsted weave (of which gabardine is one of maybe a dozen major variations) or as a "Woolen" which generally has a nap ("fuzz") as do some types of worsted weaves.

Sorry to get down into the weeds, but for those wanting to understand this subject it helps to figure out where it all starts.

I will also add that often a worsted fabric is warmer with better insulation properties and always with better wind blocking properties oz per oz than any woolen.....although 99% of collectors looking at it think the opposite. Worsted is generally more expensive as well. A lot of worsted cloth that looks rather thin is in fact heavier per sq yd than most woolens that appear thick.

To answer the other part of your question, front line (and other) officers wore private purchase tunics in various worsted fabrics as well as woolen fabrics at the front in maybe similar ratios...they also wore upgraded issue tunics (woolen) in large number and local made or otherwise private obtained summer weight tunics from a lot of fabrics including lightweight wool (on occasion) and various cotton/linen materials.

[naxos]

Officers often wore issue tunics at the front (with and without upgraded breast eagle).


Portrait of a Panzergrenadier Hauptmann (Fall 1944)

[brooksbz]

This is an early officers tunic. I was never sure about the weave. it is very tight. The insignia is original to the tunic.

[Lostwith]

This is an early officers tunic. I was never sure about the weave. it is very tight. The insignia is original to the tunic.

This one here is one looker.. Beautiful tunic in a very good, lightly worn condition.