Gents,
I thought you may find this interesting - an original 1921-dated Reichswehr feldbluse and a 1926-dated Einheitsfeldmutze with cloth Prussian Kokard. I find the Reichswehr period quite fascinating - you had a nation traumatised by a long and devastating war that they had now lost at enormous cost; plus revolution and the collapse of other vast empires; the rise of the Freikorps, depression, influenza. And with all of this happening, Germany was trying to build a new army within the constraints of Versailles.
The bluse is similar to a M1915 bluse, but with some significant differences. The wool is quite coarse, similar to bluse made late in the war. The bluse still has a badge-cloth faced collar, though narrower than on the M15. The turn back cuffs are retained. The pocket flaps are now scalloped. The buttons are now pebbled and are exposed on the front of the tunic. The belt ramps are pebbled like the other buttons and the hooks are inserted through from the. The liner (unfortunately a piece has been cut out from the right shoulder) is green cotton. The stamp is:
47 96 41
86 57
H.B.A.B.
1921
HBAB = Heeres Bekleidungsamt Berlin
The kratzchen is basically the M1917 enheitsfeldmutze which saw continued use in the Reichswehr years. the only real difference is that it has the cloth Prussian state kokard. I suspect that the national kokard has been added later, so now I just need to decide whether to remove it. Nicely stamped inside:
H.B.A.B.
JR15
1926
2B
1926
11K
and with a very nice label marking as the property of:
Gefreiter
Madicke
11. Kp. 15 Inf-Regt
Mike
I thought you may find this interesting - an original 1921-dated Reichswehr feldbluse and a 1926-dated Einheitsfeldmutze with cloth Prussian Kokard. I find the Reichswehr period quite fascinating - you had a nation traumatised by a long and devastating war that they had now lost at enormous cost; plus revolution and the collapse of other vast empires; the rise of the Freikorps, depression, influenza. And with all of this happening, Germany was trying to build a new army within the constraints of Versailles.
The bluse is similar to a M1915 bluse, but with some significant differences. The wool is quite coarse, similar to bluse made late in the war. The bluse still has a badge-cloth faced collar, though narrower than on the M15. The turn back cuffs are retained. The pocket flaps are now scalloped. The buttons are now pebbled and are exposed on the front of the tunic. The belt ramps are pebbled like the other buttons and the hooks are inserted through from the. The liner (unfortunately a piece has been cut out from the right shoulder) is green cotton. The stamp is:
47 96 41
86 57
H.B.A.B.
1921
HBAB = Heeres Bekleidungsamt Berlin
The kratzchen is basically the M1917 enheitsfeldmutze which saw continued use in the Reichswehr years. the only real difference is that it has the cloth Prussian state kokard. I suspect that the national kokard has been added later, so now I just need to decide whether to remove it. Nicely stamped inside:
H.B.A.B.
JR15
1926
2B
1926
11K
and with a very nice label marking as the property of:
Gefreiter
Madicke
11. Kp. 15 Inf-Regt
Mike
