History

The German Wehrmacht was composed of three main branches, the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe. The Heer and Kriegsmarine uniforms were based upon the designs utilized by their predecessor organizations, the Deutsches Heer and the Kaiserliche Marine. Conversely, the Luftwaffe uniforms were based upon the uniforms worn in the sports and para-military organizations that were the forerunners of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe uniforms were specifically designed to deviate from the designs of the other Wehrmacht service branches. It was also necessary that the uniforms differentiate between military and civilian pilots.

There were two main organizational precursors of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Sports Association (DLV or Deutscher Luftsportverband), and the National Air Raid Protection League (RLB or Reichs Luftschutzbund). The DLV included both a civilian group and a secret military sub-group called the DLV-Fliegerschaft (Pilot Base).

The DLV and the RLB were officially founded in 1933, and they were used to secretly train members for future roles in the Luftwaffe. The DLV became obsolete after Hitler’s official introduction of the Luftwaffe in 1935, and it was disbanded.

The Tropical trousers were worn by Luftwaffe personnel while serving in sub-tropical and tropical theatres, such as Italy, Greece, and North Africa.

These trousers are composed of tan/khaki coloured cotton, twill, or linen cloth, and they feature five pockets. There are two front pockets, one on either hip, two back pockets with flap covers, and a single patch pocket on the front left thigh with a scalloped flap cover.

The front fly closure features approximately six plastic buttons.

The trouser waistband features a built-in belt tab and buckles on the front, with belt loops along the entire circumference of the waistband. The internal waistband features buttons for the attachment of suspenders.

The bottom trouser cuffs also have a built-in belt tab and buckle to gather the cuff around the wearer’s ankles.