"Pink" smock or not?

[nutmeg]

I bought this a long time ago and there were 4 that came from a stash in CA , same place all the mint DAK overseas caps came from. Apparently in storage since the 60s (that's what I was told ) . If I recall correctly the other three also had film marks as well , but don't hold me to that , it was a long time ago and I didn't see them.

[NickG]

same place all the mint DAK overseas caps came from. Apparently in storage since the 60s (that's what I was told ) .

That's Floch! so that's positive! It all comes together perfectly!

[nutmeg]

They belonged to a guy named Tony Gordon in California. Now I'm sad about ten years ago I bought some stuff from an older collector including a Pink Smock, then I found out those were considered post war and sold it for what I paid for it (I think) , probably on estand.

[pete]

Well done, i always thought there was some missing info somebody had.

Pete

[90th Light]

I bought this a long time ago and there were 4 that came from a stash in CA , same place all the mint DAK overseas caps came from. Apparently in storage since the 60s (that's what I was told ) . If I recall correctly the other three also had film marks as well , but don't hold me to that , it was a long time ago and I didn't see them.

Very interesting,

so it looks like they came from the same source as the "Pinks"(Silver Birch ?) and probably found at the same time in amongst the same tied up rodent eaten bales.

This makes sense because when Floch got all the tropical sidecaps from "Beehive" find, there were also some tropical billed M40's with soutache. He sold the common caps that he had in large numbers first. He held back the rarer examples to sell later at a higher price. If you knew him like a collector like Bob Hritz did, then may you might have been lucky enough to get one of the billed M40's. However, a lot of collectors never realised that the more desirable tropical caps were ever found.

Might have been the same situation with the SS camo smocks found,

Chris

[NickG]

Studying the pink smock with oatmeal HBT pocket liner...(or faded green?) now that we have a better understanding of these stamps.
Look at the date...ALSO May 1947 !!! so also stamped 24 months after the war ended! = War time garment!

2 days apart....stamping hundreds of garments can take time!

[phild]

Really fantastic post by Nutmeg. I have read Pete's posts for several years addressing his evidence for the a 1947 inventory date or something related and could never connect the dots that he had found. I never doubted him however because I know him as a very cautious and analytical person/collector.

Honestly this is the fist time that I can recall the 1947 date being readable in a photo, but perhaps Pete has seen it and even posted it before. He also knows more about this date and has posted on it years ago.

[pete]

Its really exciting Phil and guys, now there are 1947 dates READABLE and the info from the statement made by the film studio about recieving these in 1947. Really exciting that i believe now we are seeing a rare SS pattern and smock emerging. Its very exciting for me just to try and help figure it all out.

P

[kammo man]

Nutmeg,
Thats a nice real jacket.
owen

[Tim O'Keefe]

They belonged to a guy named Tony Gordon in California. Now I'm sad about ten years ago I bought some stuff from an older collector including a Pink Smock, then I found out those were considered post war and sold it for what I paid for it (I think) , probably on estand.

Great job Nutmeg

Floch is not all bad. In fact tropical collectors will always remember him fondly for the original beehive cache Can also confirm TG was one of the key player's in the beehive's saga locally in So Cal.

[90th Light]

I now realise that some of the problem with the HBT in the pockets of the "Pinks"(Silver Birch ?) not being recognised as period/ good is partly because of the late war, ersatz, blended nature of the cloth and the other part being the heavy industrial washing of them.

When you look at nutmeg's HBT pockets on his smock and even Mike Beavers book volume 3, you can see this thicker later war HBT before heavy washing.

The poor quality/ ersatz nature of the yarn from which the HBT is woven has exploded, imploded & distorted a bit on many of the "Pinks" (Silver Birch ?).

If you look at the Beaver book, volume 3, page 850. You can see that same thick gauge of HBT used on the collar and pocket of the M44 dot camo jacket.

See images,

Chris

[HAF]

what mean Silver Birch?

[90th Light]

what mean Silver Birch?

Hello HAF,

"Some say the brown brick is a variant of similar tone found in the fabric of Italian camouflage used by the WSS in some type of parka and wearing combat. There is no doubt that the color and the design is excellent for confused with birch leaves in autumn and summer in northern Europe. Anyone who resides in Poland and Russia confirm that there is insurance in the northern areas countless birch forests.",

Chris

[NickG]

Nutmeg,
Thats a nice real jacket.
owen

So you are obviously still in denial Owen...is it still a "pinky dog" in your view? even after all this evidence?

[phild]

Hello HAF,

"Some say the brown brick is a variant of similar tone found in the fabric of Italian camouflage used by the WSS in some type of parka and wearing combat. There is no doubt that the color and the design is excellent for confused with birch leaves in autumn and summer in northern Europe. Anyone who resides in Poland and Russia confirm that there is insurance in the northern areas countless birch forests.",

Chris

Also supporting a re-name is the fact there is really no true pink color in them! There is pink in some other SS other accepted SS camo...actually several patterns and some is mostly pink IMO like the Olona cloth dot 4 pocket version.....but someone named the smocks 'pinkies" and I doubt it was for flattery. Since the myths about these are being busted apart by factual evidence now, we may as will correct the old designation as well.