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 Generals' Special Tunic is also known as the little coat (kleiner Rock), and it was worn by all Luftwaffe Generals as part of the Walking Out Dress, Undress Service Dress, and Informal Evening Full Dress. The design of this tunic is based on its Imperial predecessor, with the addition of Luftwaffe insignia.

This tunic is double-breasted and composed of several main elements, including the cloth, the lapels, the pockets, the buttons, the piping, and the additional insignia.

The tunic is made of very high-quality blue-grey cloth, and the lapels are composed of white cloth.

It should feature two exterior pockets with rectangular flaps and three internal pockets.

This tunic features two rows of three gold-coloured metal (gilt) buttons. The button on the exterior pocket follows the same colour pattern.

The piping on this tunic is white along the top of the sleeve cuffs and the front seam, while the piping along the collar is composed of twisted gold-coloured (gilt) cord.

There are several types of insignia worn on these tunics, including the hand embroidered gold-coloured Luftwaffe pattern national emblem breast eagle on the right breast, the collar tabs, and the shoulder boards.