Feldbluse: The German Army Field Tunic 1933-45 [Hardcover]

Jean-Philippe Borg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2007

A detailed description of the German soldier's field tunic throughout the Second World War, in all its aspects: history, symbolism, manufacturing, evolution, insignia, etc., from the pre-war dress uniform to the shabby utilitarian garment of 1945.

Jean-Philippe Borg and Laurent Huart are experienced collectors and historians, who have managed to bring together a large quantity of authentic pieces for this book, all of which are illustrated in full color. Their descriptions are soundly supported by period documents sourced from the German Bundesarchiv.

This book will be an essential reference work for all collectors of Third Reich uniforms as well as World War II military history enthusiasts.

REVIEWS

"...thoroughly satisfying study and certain to become a key title in any reference collection on German Heer uniforms of WWII."Military Trader/ Military Vehicles March 2008

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Histoire and Collections (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2352500109
• ISBN-13: 978-2352500100
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #893,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ordnung Muss Sein (There Will be Order), February 13, 2008

By 

Rainer Remagen "film director/screenwriter" (Portland, ME) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Feldbluse: The German Army Field Tunic 1933-45 (Hardcover)

This book is exceptional for its size (128 pages). It has many excellent photographs of original tunics: exterior, front, back, interior showing lining, stitching patterns; ink stamps of tailors, garment firms, size and acceptance markings. There are photos of tunics lying flat with equipment, firearms, personal items, with extensive captions identifying all items. Other accurately exposed color photos have male models wearing the tunics with typical gear. The chapters are arranged in chronological order, 1933-1944, with B&W period fotos. Only drawback, only nine pages on officer's tunics. Otherwise, an exhaustive reference with attention to detail and vivid realism you will never tire of examining. A beautiful reference book with no fakes, war movie fantasies, or poor quality reproductions.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not as good as Pruett and Edwards, August 3, 2008

By 

Michael A Dorosh (Calgary, AB, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Feldbluse: The German Army Field Tunic 1933-45 (Hardcover)

Good photographs, but some concerns with the work. On page 41, the waffenfarbe for panzergrenadiere is misidentified as that worn by mountain troops - an error far too common in German Army collector's literature, suggesting that the research for this book was done by consulting the same secondary sources that have been circulating misinformation for the past few decades. But we wouldn't know, because there are no footnotes, and worse, no photo credits. However, there is a list of primary sources listed on the back page, and reference is made to this throughout the text.

There are a great many suppositions made and conclusions drawn from facts not in evidence. The cartoon on page 29, for example, shows a pattern of private purchase field blouse in use with turn back cuffs and buttons on the rear that the authors are unfamiliar with. Rather than accepting this contemporary evidence at face value, the authors have labeled it a "mistake". A check of other sources might have yielded better dividends. Private purchase field blouses with turnback cuffs in officers' quality cloth for NCOs were in fact permitted in the German Army, so this cartoon is not necessarily a "mistake". Try Angolia.

There are other examples of conclusions drawn from garments that have no provenance, but are being assumed to be wartime originals. There are also full page photos of such things as assault gun tunics and Waffenrocks, which seem to be mere filler.

Some nice colour photography up to the standards of MILITARIA magazine - though as one may guess, the models all look very clean and very French. Comes close to being as useful as Pruett and Edwards book on Panzer uniforms. A good overall effort and some useful details for collectors. Contemporary photos are clear and the large size format is welcome. Book is affordably priced, unlike others in the same genre.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Opinion! Not worth the money asked for it...., February 24, 2010

By 

Kegan Terry "Kegan Terry" (Big Spring, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Feldbluse: The German Army Field Tunic 1933-45 (Hardcover)

I did expect to enjoy this book! Although a fairly descent book for its size, I would not pay the 37$ or so asked for it.Simply put, the pictures are o.k. but the info is not. It is a book that reminds me of a child's "zoo" book or something along those lines. I have read several good books on German Headwear, and of other things that are excellent, but I would not include this on my top lists. Keep in mind, this only includes the field tunic for OTHER ranks, such as your regular foot soldiers, and an NCO or two. With all that being said, save the money for a better book that examines the German tunic better. Trust me.