First Model Army Tunic

The first tropical tunic developed for the German army is what is known as the M40. The tunic was made of a high quality ribbed cotton twill material of a medium weight. It was single breasted with five front buttons, two patch style breast and two lower pleated bellows type side pockets. These were referred to as the bellows type as they grew out from the sides as they became full. All buttons seen were pebbled and were of an olive (dark green), grey or tan color, tan being the exception.

The original tunic color was an olive drab, which litterly means the green color of an olive. However, as with all dying runs, even today, there was consistency with the color on the original run, but could differ slightly, up or down, on later runs. Add to this the different manufactures. Also as with any cloth that is constantly worn, washed and exposed to a searing sun, the tunic would fade to a lighter shade.

The tunic is the most frequently seen on photos with Afrika troops, though it was used in other theatres. It had an open collar and was flared from the waist down. This gave it a smarter appearance. The front buttons were removable as they were held in place by small "S" configuration spring steel clips.

On the inside, the tunic was reinforced around the armpits and behind the top corners of the pockets. The sleeves were cuffless and had two small composite fiber buttons inside a reinforced concealed flap. The belt was held up by the help of side belt hooks which were supported by cloth straps. They were sewn inside the tunic below the armpits.

The collar tabs consisted of elongated woven patches that flared at both ends and contained three golden tan colored stripes on a light blue-grey background. The breast eagle was woven in a blue thread on a tan background. It was sewn above the right breast eagle with the lower part of the swastika stitched over the top of the pocket flap.

The following uniform is that of an officer that was slightly changed. From indications it was an officer posted to the rear and who saw no need for belt hooks and wanted to present a smarter appearance with the addition of shoulder pads. Yet it is classically a 1 st model tunic.

Front view: A 1 st model tunic with officers insignia. This tunic does not differ from the enlisted mans tunic since period officer's tunics were altered government issued tunics. Issued insignia was removed and replaced with officer quality insignia. However, officers could and did obtain tunics where insignia had not been appiied and had their private purchase insignia added. Private tailor made tunics are not included in this reference.

Typical characteristics are pleated scalloped pockets. The tunic has officer quality eagle and tabs. The shoulder boards are the sewn or type and it has a five button front. The tunics were made to be worn with an open collar and therefore, no hook and eye were attached at the collar.

J.R. Figueroa: "Tropical Uniforms of the German Army and Airforce in W.W.II", 1983. J.R. Figueroa