Interlinings and Reinforcements We do not skimp on these, even on our stock Feldblusen. All the hidden interlinings are there, such as the fabric reinforcement at the chest dart and chest pockets, the belthook eyelet reinforcement patch, and the taping down the front edges of the tunic, which gives the edge stiffness and body. The interlining between the front panel and the front panel facing is also there--this is important because it keeps the button area from stretching out of shape.
I've examined some of the competitions' tunics, and they leave these important features out. The old adage is true: You get what you pay for.
And, we do NOT line our acetate with fusible interfacing. This is incorrect, as fusible interfacing was not yet invented in 1943.
Linings Speaking of acetate, the heavyweight satin weave rayon that the Germans used for tunic linings is no longer made. That's why all the makers today use acetate. Acetate is just a more processed form of rayon. When selecting an appropriate lining fabric, color has higher priority than weight. If we can find the right color in a heavy weight, we're estatic! Otherwise, we'll use a lighter weight fabric but in a reasonably correct color.
Sleeve Bindings We have elected to use tan cotton twill for the sleeve bindings on all of our stock Feldblusen. It will wear better than acetate or plain weave cotton, and it's easier to apply.
For our high-end line, the sleeve bindings will match the lining fabric.
The On-going Debate About Tunic Length
German WWII tunics were not short. Read on if you don't believe this.
Look at the size markings found in an original tunic:
43 44 100 73 62
The 100 is the chest size in centimeters. (100 cm is about 39.4 inches--it's simple math, guys, just divide the cm by 2.54 and like magic you have inches!) The numbers on the left prove that the tunics weren't short.
The upper lefthand number 43 is the back waist length, which is measured from the base of the collar to the natural waist. The lower lefthand number 73 is the total back length, which is measured from the base of the collar to the bottom of the tunic. Let's see now, 73/2.54 = 28.74 inches. The "43" says that this particular tunic is for a guy who is about 172 cm tall (5'8").
A tunic that is almost 29" long on a 5'8" Landser is not going to be short. It will nearly cover his backside, just like it is supposed to.
SS Contract Tunics Judging by the size markings on originals, most SS contract tunics made in the M42/M43 style appear to have been shorter than their Heer counterparts. Where a Heer tunic with a back waist length of 43 (so it would fit a guy about 5'8") was usually between 71 and 72 cm in overall length, an SS tunic with a back waist length of 43 seems to have about 68 cm in overall length.
So, the tunics were not "short". The Germans believed that colds were caused by "catching a chill" and insisted that the small of the back be covered to prevent catching a cold. As such, the regulations stated that the tunic skirt must mostly cover the buttocks.
Why Are There So Many Short Tunics in Original Photos? The answer is simple: Officers and NCOs often had a tailor shorten the tunic skirt because that was considered fashionable. This is why you see so many "short" tunics in original photos. Look carefully at these photos and you'll see that all the short tunics are either Officers' or NCOs' tunics. But when the tunic was issued, it was not "short". End of debate, guys!
More About That "Back Waist Length Thing" Back waist length is related to overall height and is measured from the base of the neck down the spine to the natural waistline (not where you wear your jeans, guys, but about 1" above that). The modern US system of short, regular, and long does not exactly mesh with the older European tailoring system. I won't go into the gory details, so just trust me on this. I have modified the old German back waist length vs height chart to better match our modern system.
Additionally, the Germans did not have a "short" or a "regular." Their system had a lot more lengths than ours; in essence, it had more resolution. It would be equivalent to having a super short, quite short, short, short regular, regular, tall regular, etc.
Sleeve Length vs. Hemline Contrary to what most guys seem to think, sleeve lengths are NOT dependent upon tunic hem length. Nor is the hem length determined by the sleeve length. A man's arm length and his overall height are only loosely related. Another factor that determines where the sleeve cuffs fall compared to the hemline is the man's shoulder slope. On The March tunics are made for a guy with what's considered to be a normal shoulder slope (as compared to "square" and "sloping" shoulders) and average arm length for the tunic length (i.e., short, regular, or tall/long).
Placement of Belthook Eyelets On The March has the magic formula for the correct placement of the belthook eyelets. Your waist belt should rest comfortably centered on your natural waist, which is the narrowest part of your torso, not up by your shoulder blades or down below your hips. It should not bind, pinch, or rub against your ribs, but should rest around them and just above your hipbones. This is all common sense stuff
Pocket Sizes and Placement Yep, we also have the magic numbers for these, straight from original sources. This includes the field dressing pocket.
The Germans specified chest and skirt pocket dimensions for each chest size. Chest size determined the pocket width, whereas back waist length determined the pocket height. Many of our competitors' pockets are just plain wrong: Most have skirt pockets that are too small, and chest pockets that are too short or too long.
Once you compare our tunics side-by-side with originals, you'll see that ours are correct.
Thread For all the primary stitching on our high-end line, we use original feldgrau cotton thread, and for our stock Feldblusen, a 100% polyester thread that is the same shade as Feldgrau. While the original thread will fade, the polyester stuff most likely will not. The buttonholes and eyelets are still made using a darker grey-green cotton thread that will fade with laundering and exposure to sunlight.
Once the stock of polyester thread for the stock tunics is gone, we plan to switch to a grey cotton thread that will fade. This thread will initially appear bluish against the feldgrau wool, but once it fades, it will look more correct.
