The Imperial German Navy was in place until 1918 when the organisation changed to the Reichmarine by 1919. That organisation in turn changed to become the Kriegsmarine in 1939 and the translation of that word literally means “war navy”. It was clearly a taste of things to come as within only a few short years the Kriegsmarine were in action around the world.
Despite assurances made within the 1919 Treaty of Versailles to limit the size of the German Navy – that treaty expressly forbid the construction of submarines and any military expansion. However by 1935 the new Kriegsmarine was completely ignoring this and it had secretly forged ahead with a vast expansion programme to build up their navy and U-boat fleets.
No matter which area of speciality within the Kriegsmarine a man served during WW2 from 1935 onwards uniforms had the addition of the gold eagle and swastika. It was an addition that continued right up until the end of hostilities in 1945 and it is one of the quickest ways to spot a WW1 or WW2 uniform in a photograph or in combat footage.
Without the addition of the gold eagle and swastika the basic uniform stayed very much the same throughout as it had proven itself to be practical over many years.
Below we take a look at some of the standard items of uniform that would have been worn by a member of the WW2 German Kriegsmarine that are currently for sale from our partner sites.
Kriegsmarine parade tunic
Up first is probably the most recognisable item of Kriegsmarine uniform – the parade or dress tunic. The design continued from the WW1 uniform with the addition of the eagle on the breast.
It is made from navy wool with a short cut front and long arms. The jacket has gilt washed buttons down both left and the right front and also along the cuffs to create a visually interesting look. Most of the buttons are not actually usable and were added purely for decoration.
This example comes with a couple of shirts and a regulation pair of white trousers as well as the distinctive blue and white dickie which fastens at the front and goes over the shoulders. The jacket also has trade badges applied to the sleeves which would indicate the qualifications or specialisms of the wearer.
This grouping is in great condition and named to a man called LEIN. It is available for sale from Antiquities of the Reich priced at £995.00.
Kriegsmarine Shirt
The most often worn item onboard ship for the enlisted men was the long shirt. Again it displayed the eagle on the right breast and the trade badges and rank on the sleeve – plus blue cuffs. it is a no frills piece of uniform. It was designed to be washed and changed regularly and it would have been worn by all sailors when onboard ship.
This example has the eagle as well as rank and trade insignia. It is priced at €130 from Danzig Militaria.
Enlisted man’s Kriegsmarine tunic
Another enlisted man’s shirt. This one has no rank insignia on it at all indicating that it would have been worn by the lowliest of sailors.
It is for sale from Marvin’s Militaria priced at €65.
Kriegsmarine Tropical Service Tunic
In warmer climates the Kriegsmarine soldier could wear a tropical tan tunic. These could be privately purchased by enlisted men, but more often than not the standard Government issue tunic was worn.
Good quality tan tunics are still available and this 4 pocket khaki example is dated 15th of January 1943 and it is fitted with dished removable buttons which feature a fouled anchor and a pebbled background. They are fastened to the tunic using s-shaped clips enabling them to be removed for cleaning which was a real advantage to having to re-sew them regularly. The internal stamps indicate that the jacket was first issued by the clothing depot in Wilhemshaven.
It has slip on epaulettes which fasten to a small canvas loop on each shoulder, it shows a rank of Feldwebel and indicated the trade of a Radio Operator.
This tunic is offered for sale from The Collector’s Guild priced at $995.
Another tropical tunic, this time in jade-green
This example has the rank of petty officer and produced in a darker jade-green material to the one above. This one also has removable gilt buttons for cleaning as well as gilt edged rank epaulettes.
It is priced at £575 from Battleflag Militaria.
Kriegsmarine leather uniform
Another variation of the kriegsmarine uniform is this double breasted leather wrap-over tunic and trousers. Although these sets were issued to the Kriegsmarine they were famously worn by panzer troops during the Normandy campaign. The idea was that the buttons on the jacket would be hidden behind a layer of cloth or they would not catch on the hatches of vehicles or equipment when worn.
This set has a herringbone twill lining which is RB numbered, size stamped on the pocket. The “RB” number – or Reichsbetriebsnummer to give it its full name was instigated in 1943 as a system that meant the German Government could put production details onto a piece of equipment or clothing. But at the same time a factory name and address could remain secret via the numerical code and only be known to a small number of people. It was a simple way of maintaining the security and secrecy of factories producing products for the military.
This great condition set appears to have never had insignia and it is priced at £895. It is for sale from Regimentals.
And finally… if you are starting a collection and do not have a large budget why not look at Kriegsmarine insignia. It is readily available from trusted dealers and it gives you a starting point for a collection.
In a future article we will discuss the many different Kriegsmarine eagles available to collectors, but for now this Kriegsmarine breast eagle is a flat bevo weave and in great condition. It is priced at £30 from KriegsmarinePlus.
Interested in German Paratrooper Smocks? CLICK HERE
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