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 Summer Tunic was introduced for wear by Generals and Officers during the official summer months, April 1st to September 30th. These Summer Tunics were only worn prior to the beginning of the Second World War.

This tunic mirrors the design of the Cloth Tunic, and it is single-breasted with an open collar and composed of several main elements, including the cloth, the pockets, the buttons, the belt hooks, and the additional insignia.

The tunic is made of white gabardine or white linen cloth, and should feature four patch pockets in total, each with a rectangular flap closure that is closed by a button.

This tunic features four pebbled buttons along the front, either composed of white metal for Officers, or gold-coloured metal (gilt) for Generals. The buttons on the pockets follow the same colour pattern.

There are two internal belt hooks included within the waistline of the tunic.

There are several types of insignia worn on these tunics, including the removable metal breast eagle above the top right pocket, the collar tabs, and the shoulder boards. All insignia on the Summer Tunic were made removable to aid in the ease of cleaning the tunic.