History

In 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and his staff decided to replace the earth-grey uniform of the SS-VT with a practical field-grey version.

The SS VT M37 uniform was produced in two versions, a herringbone twill (HBT) version for training, and a wool version for field service and combat.

The front of the tunic was cut in the traditional SS style and was reminiscent of the standard black service tunic that was introduced in 1932. Similar to the M36 army tunic, the M37 tunic was only partially lined, but had other additions to prevent cold air and mud from getting through the tunic.

Although the design of the tunic was good in concept, certain features, such as the waistband and sleeve ends, proved impractical and were frequently removed by the wearer.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, SS-VT troops were issued new M37 field-grey uniforms. In December 1939, it was decided that the SS would wear the army-pattern tunic with dark green collar. Many members of the SS-VT disregarded this order and continued to wear the M-37 well into the war.

The front of the tunic features two upper pleated pockets with buttoned flaps and two lower slash pockets with buttoned flaps. The tunic closes with four pebbled, buttons and has two silver belt suspension hooks on each side of the waist. On the front and back of the tunic, three vertical eyelets are positioned on each side of the waist.

The SS-VT tunic in the pre-war years featured early SS insignia, but once the war began, letters and numbers were removed from collar tabs, and piping was removed from the shoulder boards, tab, and collar.

The tunic collar features a small strap and fifth button under the right lapel to fully close the neck. The strap and button were often removed and replaced with a fifth button at the collar top to create a more conventional closure. The collar is made from two pieces of wool that are joined with a zigzag stitch and reinforced with lengthwise stitching.

Early M37 uniforms have silver-gold coloured buttons and later versions have field-grey painted buttons.

The back of the tunic was not cut in the classic military “Uniformrock” style and was instead designed with a single panel.

The interior of the tunic is partially lined with brown cotton-rayon fabric, and has additional features such as an anti-wind waist-to-hip liner and elasticized inner cuffs. The type and thickness of the lining varies based on the year of production.

The lining is generally stamped on the chest with the size and the maker’s name.

The colour of thread used to manufacture the tunics may vary.