By comparison with colonial powers, Germany had had only limited experience of such uniform before the war. In 1940 well-established foreign designs provided the starting point for the Hanover Institute’s Tropical Studies Department, and the resulting uniforms were among the best in the Wehrmacht’s inventory – practical, comfortable, versatile, and dashingly modern in appearance.
While those of the Army tended toward an olive green hue (see Plate D1), Luftwaffe Tropenanzug was of more traditional orange-sand colour – at least when new. The combined ravages of African sun, dust storms, heavy sweating and frequent washing (often in petrol, marginally less scarce than water) all took their toll, and some items became bleached almost white. Resupply problems kept heavily worn and repaired items in use longer than was normally acceptable. Shirts and footwear suffered most, although these could occasionally be supplemented from captured Allied stocks. Apart from insignia, the items constituting Tropenanzug 41, issued to all ranks and branches, were identical from Flieger to General.
The cloth-covered Tropenhelm (sun helmet) had a noticeably deep curve to the wide brim, providing efficient protection, and a tan leather chinstrap. It was usually lined with light green, a combination of tan and green, or occasionally orange cotton cloth; these colours, like the red of the Army version, were believed to provide the best defence from solar radiation while allowing body heat to dissipate. Stamped metal insignia, following those worn on the steel helmet, were fixed to each side of the Tropenhelm in the form of a Wappen (shield) of national colours to the right, and the Luftwaffe’s flying eagle Hoheitsabzeichen to the left.
Far more popular was the Tropenfliegermütze (tropical flyer’s cap), a lightweight cotton version of the wool Fliegermütze, usually lined with fine tan linen. The cap bore a dull white eagle woven onto tan cotton backing, but retained the continental Reichskokarde. Period photographs and surviving examples regularly show a vertical crease to the centre of the body, having been folded and carried in a pocket when not required.
All ranks were also entitled to the Tropenschirmmütze mit Neckenschutze (tropical peaked cap with neck protector). These heavy tan cotton caps had a broad crown, a distinctly large peak and a button-on neck curtain which gave good protection, but were costly to produce and difficult to store and carry. They were supplied with BeVo2 woven versions of standard Schirmmütze insignia; but some officers chose to embellish them with wire or metal equivalents, added crown-seam piping, or bullion wire chin cords substituted for the original ½in. brown leather chinstrap (see Plate D2).
Pilot and wireless operator/air gunner of a Ju87B-2 congratulate each other on a successful mission, providing a good view of the Sitzfallschirm seat parachute harness and flight helmet communications cable. A standard three-colour Diamon field torch is attached to the WOp/AG’s belt, just visible below the parachute release handle. Both wear high-laced boots remarkably similar to the paratroopers’ Fallschirmschützenstiefel 41. The ‘E87’ on a yellow triangle, next to each of the aircraft’s filler points, refers to the octane rating of the dark blue-coloured B4 grade aviation fuel. (Martin J.Brayley)
Strangely, the Luftwaffe did not issue its own official version of the famous ‘Afrikamütze’, although some factory-made examples were available, and some personnel had approximations made up by unit or local tailors. These caps are often slightly less shapely than the official Army pattern (e.g. without the small bulge to the crown front), and generally lack ventilation eyelets to the sides. Another expedient was simply to add Luftwaffe insignia to a traded or ‘liberated’ Army issue cap.
The Tropenrock (tropical tunic) was a four-pocket design with convertible collar, echoing the failed Waffenrock 38, but with six-button closure and made of hard-wearing cotton canvas. The collar fastened with a single hook-&-eye and a concealed tab and button, although this was rarely used. A tropical Hoheitsabzeichen, heavily woven in dull white on a tan backing, was machined above the right breast with tight zigzag stitching during manufacture. Only the breast pockets were pleated, while skirt pockets were of ‘bellows’ construction; some of the more frugal manufacturers cut the main panel in two sections and joined them with a central vertical seam. The shallow cuffs had buttoned vents allowing some adjustment. Only the armpits and pockets were lined, with a combination of heavy canvas and absorbent open-weave hessian, although belt hook support straps and field dressing pocket were retained.
Both the Tropenhemd ‘mit lang’ and ‘mit kurz’ Ärmel (tropical shirts with long and short sleeves) were of robust cotton and featured fashionably long, pointed collars which could accept plastic stiffeners. Large pleated breast pockets had deeply scalloped flaps. A special version of the breast eagle, woven in white onto a triangular cotton backing ranging in hue from tan to light chocolate, was provided, as were cloth stirrups and brown-painted pebbled alloy buttons for the Schulterklappen 40. The front and pocket buttons were of either brown or grey ceramic, composition fibre or dished steel, and most were removable by means of a smaller plastic button sewn to the rear. Both types of shirt featured very long tails enabling them to double as nightwear, and spare cloth was often cut from these to repair worn collar and cuffs. For walking-out and parade dress the broad cotton khakibraun Tropenbinder (tropical necktie) was worn.
A group of bomber crewmen, wearing a mixture of kapok-filled and inflatable life vests, undergo gruelling survival training aboard a two- to four-man dinghy. Their instructor (left) wears the original brown-coloured version of the SWp 734, displaying its problematic back section. Note immediately behind him the large compressed air cylinder for rapid inflation of the dinghy, lashed at the bow. Extra equipment stowed in the craft included three-section alloy oars, top-up bellows (visible here), and a yellow-green flourescine dye Farbbeutel.
Spring 1941: Unteroffizier Schubert poses with his Bf109E-4 of 3./JG 1 at De Koj, Holland. Before issue of the two-piece flight suit items like this flare pistol had to be secured wherever possible – usually tucked into a boot or, as here, tied to the life vest. Despite its awkward bulk the kapok SW 10-76 B1 was favoured by some fighter pilots for its warmth, superior float-duration, and ability to sustain even a sizeable tear with little effect upon buoyancy. The flat cap worn by the central ground crewman distinguishes him as a civilian technician; the mechanic at right wears non-standard, perhaps foreign-made overalls with two breast pockets. (Hans Obert)
The long Tropenhose were of conventional straight cut. They featured a matching cloth waist belt with an alloy friction buckle, contained within a tunnel, two rear pockets with gently scalloped concealed-button flaps, and two angled slash hip pockets. They saw only limited service, production being halted during 1942 in favour of the more comfortable and practical Tropenüberfallhose (lit. ‘assault trousers’). These had very loosely cut legs, with a large map pocket to the front of the left thigh, and were gathered and bloused at the ankle by means of a strap and buckle arrangement like that of the waist belt. This could be fastened in two ways: either through the buckle, or (more quickly) drawn across the front of the ankle and engaged with a small button at the outer seam. One manufacturing variant used narrow square-ended straps fastening to machine-stamped, open-frame steel buckles like those found on Gebirgsjäger Rucksacke and Gelkenbinden (puttees) (see Plate E2).
Kurz Tropenhose (tropical shorts) followed exactly the line of the trousers, terminating just above the knee. In the Wehrmacht the wearing of shorts was officially restricted to off-duty periods, other than walking-out, in rear areas only. In North Africa their use on front line bases was permitted, and shorts were even occasionally worn as flight clothing.
Some officers and senior NCOs chose to wear tropical versions of the riding breeches produced in tan whipcord fabric (also occasionally used in the manufacture of the Tropenrock, Tropenhose and Überfallhose), but these were unpopular due to the discomfort of tightly fitted calves.
Throughout the first half of the desert campaign most personnel had to wear the standard issue long or ankle boots; unless regularly oiled the leather was prone to severe cracking from the harsh, dry heat, particularly at the toe-bend and ankle. During 1942 the specially developed ankle-high Tropen-Schnürschuhe and higher Tropen-Schnürstiefel mit Segeltuchschaft khakibraun (‘with khaki-brown canvas shaft’) began to arrive in quantity (see Plates E1 & E3).
Unlike the Heer, the Luftwaffe did not adopt a tropical version of the overcoat, and the grey-blue Übermantel remained standard despite the extreme cold of the desert nights (see Plate El).
2 Acronym from Beteiligung-Vorstehre, the developing manufacturer of this finely machine-woven style of insignia.