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 in 1937.

The Field Division Camouflage Jacket was worn by all ranks of Luftwaffe personnel who served within the Field Divisions that were first introduced in 1942.

The jacket is composed of several main elements, including the cloth, the buttons, the pockets, and the insignia.

These jackets mirrored the Wehrmacht camouflage jackets by utilizing the same “splinter” green camouflage fabric.

The design of the jacket was kept simple to facilitate quick manufacture. The jacket is single-breasted with five grey-blue plastic buttons for closure, and two pockets, both at hip level on either front panel. The pockets have a rectangular flap that is closed by another plastic button. The sleeve cuffs are also closed by a single blue-grey plastic button.

The jacket’s insignia includes the national emblem and shoulder boards. The Luftwaffe personnel were permitted to wear cuff titles and additional badges, but most chose not to.

The Luftwaffe pattern national emblem eagle was worn on the jacket’s right breast, and it is generally machine-embroidered silver-coloured thread on a grey, green, or camouflage cloth backing.

The shoulder boards were originally made with camouflage materials, but Luftwaffe personnel were allowed to replace them with their own shoulder boards.