Luftwaffe Herman Goring/Field Division Ground Combat Soldier

Here is a typical uniform grouping for a late war Herman Goring Division Soldier/ Field Division Soldier. This grouping is complete with Luftwaffe Ground Division Smock in Sumpfmuster 43 pattern.

The eagle is origianly applied to the uniform. (Most Ground Smocks have re-applied eagles).
Standard Luftwaffe blue wool trousers.



Typical Luftwaffe blue gators.

Luftwaffe M43 single button with original eagle and cockade.

Luftwaffe Flak Soldbuch

Soldbuch's contain a wealth of information about the individual soldiers that served in the German Wehrmacht and SS. This Soldbuch is an everyday item for a soldier that served in the Luftwaffe Flak/Artilierie service. One can learn much detail about a soldiers military career by analyzing their Soldbuch.


Each soldier has his own story of there time with the military. This is the story of Unteroffizier Erich Lachenwitz:

Born 21 July 1919 in Dusseldorf to a Catholic family, he was 176 Cm tall with black hair and gray eyes.

He entered service on 6 Nov 1939 at the rank of Kanonier. He was assigned to Flak Ersatz Abtielung 29 at Frankfurt am Main and arrived on station on 16 December 1939 and graduated Grund Ausbildung on 1 April 1940.

He arrived at his first duty station with the 3rd Reserve Flak Abtielung 322 at Berlin on 1 May 1940. Promoted to the rank of Gefrieter on 1 Dec 1940. From there he served with his Berlin unit until 7 April 1941 when he allowed Urlaub prior to his next assignment.

On 7 May 1941 he arrived at his next duty station with the 4th Reserve Flak Abtielung 496 at Idar-Oberstein. On 1 Nove 1941 he was promoted to Obergefrieter on 1 Nov 1941. He continued to servue with the 496th until 21 March 1942.

On 22 March 1942 he was reassigned to the 1st Leichte Flak Abtielung 997 in Paris. There he was promoted to Unteroffizier on 1 Jun 1943. His unit was decimated at Amiens during the retreat through France.

On 30 Oct 1944 he was briefly reassigned to the 3/831 Leicht Flak Abtielung at Mitterhein.

On 28 Nov 1944 he was reassigned to 6/Gem Flak Abtielung 591(v) at Rotterdam.

Unteroffizier Erich Lachenwitz trained on 20 cm and 37 Cm light flak guns. He was issued a K98 #5189 on October 30 1944 at the 3/831 Leicht Flak Abtailung and a Steyer 7..65mm on 1 Nov 1944. (Most likely due to the need for more infantry soldiers sourced from the Luftwaffe)

Lachenwitz, like many Luftwaffe personnel, was probably pressed into service as infantry (or in his case his unit being light flak), in support of infrantry. He sent to Field medical unit SankKp361 on April 9, 1945, fro there he was sent to Kriegslzarratt 4/686 in Apeldoor Holland on 12 Apr 1945, with grenade splinters to his right side.

Unteroffizer Erich Lachanwitz died on 20 Apr 1945 at 3:15 pm.

During his service to the Reich he was awarded the Flak Badge, Wound Bade, and the Iron Cross Second Class.

Luftwaffe Afrikakorp Pilot's Dress Uniform - Private Purchase

While not considered "ground combat", here is my set up for a Luftwaffe Tropical (Afrika) Pilot's Uniform. I have reused the pants and the boots from the Tropical EM set up below. The Tunic and Officers Schiffchen, shirt and tie are new additions.
The tunic in this display is a private purchase tunic - most likely made in Italy. It features an open collar and pointed pocket flaps. An original photo of one of these tunics appears in Dal McGuirk's Book, Romme'ls Army in Africa. The photo in question is of an Italian officer serving in the German army as a translator.

The eagle is of the pin-on type that is usually featured on Luftwaffe white summer dress tunics. Photographic study shows that pin on eagles of this type were popular amongst pilots serving in the Afrikan campaign.
Here is a front on photo of the tunic. Note the pocket flaps. While the standard issue Luftwaffe tropical tunic hat strait pockets, this private purchase variation is closer to the Heer pattern 1st model tropical tunic. The shoulder boards are the sew in type.


Underneath the collar you can see the zig zap pattern that is common among uniforms of the period. There is an extra button hole, however there was never a corresponding button sewn to the other side of the tunic. The hole was primarily for looks.



This shot shows the significant amount of sun fading. The area under the pocket flap has retained the original hue of the tunic.

An interior shot of the button flap. The original "S Hooks" are still present.

A close up of the Luftwaffe Tropical Officers Schiffchen. This is a factory made officers cap (not an EM upgrade as many are). This was made in 1941 by the Berolina firm.

Luftwaffe Afrika (Tropical) Flak Ensamble

One of my favorite genre's of collecting is the Afrikakorps. In fact, I think everyone likes Afrikakorps. Here is a Luftwaffe Tropical uniform for a soldier in the Flakwaffe in Afrika. This set is complete with tunic, second model Luftwaffe pants, hat, boots, and belt. Many collectors call the pants "Fallshirmjager pants", however, though the Fallshirmjager did wear these pants, they were not exclusive to those troops. Luftwaffe soldiers from all branches wore these pants. The reason I call these "second model" is due to the exposed button on the thigh pocket flap. This uniform group also has a field made Luftwaffe tropical ball cap, web belt and standard Luftwaffe continental buckle. The tunic features a set of light weight shoulder boards piped in red for Flak/Artilerie troops. The light weight boards are commonly referred to as "shirt" boards, however, supply shortages caused many troops to use whatever boards were available. There was a one set of award loops on this tunic when I purchased it. Perfect for the Luftwaffe Flak badge.

This photo features the reverse of the uniform grouping with tropical web belt and matching number bayonet with tropical web frog.
The eagle is original to the uniform. (Many tunics have reapplied eagles....)

A close up shot of the Luftwaffe Tropical M43 Ball Cap. Most Luftwaffe tropical ball caps are field made as the most commonly issued piece of head gear for the Luftwaffe in the tropics was the overseas cap. However, the soldiers preferred the M43 style cap of the Heer. Though the Luftwaffe did produce a factory issued hat, many ball caps are field made. This features an overseas hat eagle and roundel on tropical material.
A close up of the Flak piped shirt boards.

Here is a shot of my Luftwaffe tropical boots. These boots were the Tall boots with wraparound canvas that have been cut down to make low quarters out of. Many Luftwaffe troops abhorred the tall boots as they were quite cumbersome to put on and take off. I have replaced the laces in them.

A shot of the underside of the boots detailing the hobnails that have been put on by the unit cobbler.

Lufwaffe M42 Camouflage Helmet

Here is a nice Luftwaffe M42 Single Decal Camouflage Helmet. This helmet marked "ckl 66" shell. The paint scheme is a three color scheme of tans, browns and greens and is what many collectors would call the "Normandy" camo. However, I believe that camouflage paint jobs would be found in the southern and eastern fronts as well. Here are some additional photos.

The liner is in decent condition, complete with tie string and chin strap. Many Luftwaffe Ground Combat personel painted their helmets in a camouflauge paint scheme and this one is a very nice example of such a helmet.

Hermann Göring Division Fliegerbluse for a Stabsgefreiter of Artiliarie

Here is another one of my favorites, a Hermann Göring Fallschirmpanzer Division Fliegerbluse with the rank of Stabsgefreiter. This Flieger is in very good condition, dated 1944. I beleive this was the gentleman's "A Wool" uniform. (Every German soldier had his A Wool and his B Wool. The B Wool was for combat and the A Wool is for dress purposes.) - with that, I have it set up with the combat gear for a Flak/Artillerie soldier for photographic purposes. The ammo pouch and bread bag are different than the ones in the photo series of the Winter combat set up. All other equipment and the overseas cap is the same. However, I do have a Luftwaffe M43 Single button on the way. I will most like feature that with the field division jacket. At either rate, here is a photo of the reverse of the set up as well as some detail shots of the tunic itself. I do have a nice set of Luftwaffe strait leg pants for this guy. Again, I do not have a full mannequin to set it up. Once I do, I will set this guy up head to toe.

Flak and Artillerie soldiers did not wear Y straps for the most part, thus I have omitted them from this display. This photo features the gas mask canister with Luftwaffe gas cape bag and the LBA marked equipment strap, as well as a Luftwaffe bread bag, matching number bayonet and continental canteen. The eagle is originally applied and is sewn to the uniform via the zig zag stitching method.
An up close shot of the collar tab, the tabs appear to have had three gulls at one time. Perhaps upon promotion the soldier realigned the gulls and added the fourth.
The underside of the collar shows that the gulls have been pushed through the lining. Personally, I like to see this. The soldiers, in my opinion, rarely purchased new collar tabs every time they were promoted. Thus having the gulls go through the lining is a good sign. Especially for such a rare rank.
A close up shot of the Stabsgefreiter rank chevron with pip. This was hand applied to the tunic.

Here is a shot of the Luftwaffe Flak/Artillerie sleeve rating. Again, hand applied to the tunic. I personally think that this is one of the better looking sleeve ratings.

Closeup of the Hermann Göring Cuff title. Again the thread used to sew the cuff title to the tunic nicely lays across the wool, and does is not so tight that it cinches the wool of the cuff title or the uniform.

Luftwaffe Afrika / Southern Front M40 Single Decal Combat Helmet

This is a Luftwaffe M40 Single Decal Combat Helmet that was over sprayed with a desert camouflage paint scheme. The paint has worn of quite a bit to reveal much of the original Luftwaffe blue paint. While this is not the most sexy desert camo helmet I have ever seen, it is one of my favorites as it fits into my Luftwaffe ground combat collection quite well. This helmet is marked Q62 so it is a bit on the small side, however, the Luftwaffe Field Division Jacket that I display it with is a bit on the small side as well so it is a good size match for the over all display. I received this on a trade from a collector friend of mine several years ago. As time goes on, I am less and less likely to ever cut loose with this one.

Here is a photo of the revers side of helmet. Much of the desert camo paint is still present. I would say this helmet has about 30% of its desert paint still left. Perfect for an Italian campaing display.











Here is a close up of the eagle. I do believe that when the desert paint was originally applied, that the eagle was left untouched. Notice the slight pink hue to the camo paint - a color that I have seen on several other Afrika helmets.









Below is a quick photo of the forward of the helmet showing more desert camo paint.


And lastly here, is a photo of the interior of the helmet. There are some remnants of the desert camo paint on the inside rim. I do not see any evidence of the dome stamp, though I am fine with the helmet over all. The liner is in decent condition as well as the chin strap. I have had a Heer M42 camo helmet where the helmet was in good condition, but the liner was experiencing some sort of dry rotting.... got rid of that one.

Luftwaffe Field Divison (Hermann Göring) winter combat setup.

This is a photo of my Luftwaffe Field Division winter combat set up. (This set up could possibly be attributed to the Hermann Göring Division though nothing on this set up is specifically indicative of HG other than the fact that it comprises Luftwaffe field combat items)I have the entire parka set which is Sumpfmuster (tan water) 44 pattern reversible to white. The set includes jacket, pants, gloves, boots and the hood. The gloves and hood are in Sumpfmuster 43 pattern. I do not have a full mannequin as of yet, but I do plan on obtain some in the future. For now, I would rather spend my hard earned money on original items that seem to go up in value every time I turn around.

In this photo I have a Luftwaffe overseas cap, Luftwaffe Y-straps, belt and buckle, with riveted ammo pouches.


In this photo, I am showing the reverse with the gas mask canister complete with Luftwaffe gas cape bag and LBA marked equipment strap. Also present is a Luftwaffe blue bread bag and a standard matching number bayonet and standard 1943 dated continental canteen.

I will post detailed photos of the parka set in a later posting.

I thought I would start by showing a photo series of one of my prize pieces. This is a Hermann Göring Panzer Division NCO Panzer wrap and overseas hat. I obtained this from a collector friend ten years ago. I found the hat five years ago. Though this uniform is not of the standard cut of the traditional Heer panzer uniform, everything about this piece appears good to me. The eagle looks good, zig zag stitching is not too tight or sloppy, the sewing throughout this uniform is what I like to see - that where the thread is not too tight where in cinches up the cloth, rather the thread lays across the cloth without pulling the nap (see photos). There was once a cuff title on this uniform, but at some point it has disappeared. I would love to find a set of panzer pants and boots for this uniform. In fact, it is my goal to complete all of my uniforms to where each one can be displayed on a mannequin with boots, pants, tunic, hat, and all appropriate equipment head to toe original. Personally, I do not use any filler in my collection. I see so many collections out there that have reproduction filler items. If you do not have it, don't spend your money on a reproduction that "will do for now", instead save your money for an original. Of course, I realize that sometimes that policy is much easier said than done when dealing with extremely rare items. To each their own. Here are some detail shots of the uniform. Breast eagle is on black, zig zag stitching that does not go through the lining. Below is a close up of the collar tab. This is a shot that shows how the thread lays across the wool, instead of being so tight that it cinches the wool up. (Common among recently made re-enactor uniforms and other reproduction uniform items. The lining is of the silk/rayon style with the buckram lining underneath.