History

Although the Waffen-SS never served in North Africa, a few units served in the Balkans, southern Russia, and Italy, and required a tropical uniform to deal with the sweltering summer heat. The SS was slow in developing an official SS tropical uniform and troops were required to deal with the heat the best they could.

Following the invasion of Greece in 1941, members of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division ‘Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler’ resorted to wearing SS sport kits when not in combat. Some members of the SS would also wear army-issue tropical pith helmets, although these proved unpopular.

The first SS pattern tropical uniform introduced was the SS M42. The design is very similar in appearance to the Italian tropical Sahariana.

The M42 tunic is composed of a light-weight tan cotton and features four pleated front pockets. The interior of the tunic is lined with a minimal layer of tan cotton. Originally, the tunics were manufactured with removable tan or olive-coloured glass pebbled buttons.

Unlike other tunics, the tropical M42 features two fabric tunnels, rather than loops, to fit removable shoulder boards to the uniform.

The waistline of the tunic features inverted metal hooks to hold the wearer’s belt in place, as well as a drawstring to adjust the fit of the tunic. To increase ventilation, the tunic features a front and back panel, as well as ventilation eyelets under the armpit.

In 1943, the SS introduced a second pattern Tropical uniform. The M43 varied little from the first pattern and the most significant alteration was the removal of the pocket pleats.

Overall, relatively few members of the Waffen-SS wore the SS Tropical Uniform, and it was primarily issued to the 1. SS-Panzer-Division ‘Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,’ the SS-Polizei Division, and the 16. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division ‘Reichsführer-SS,’ who served in Italy in 1943.

A large number of these uniforms were found at the Dachau clothing depot following German capitulation.