Kriegsmarine Bordjacken

[SprogCollector]

Gents,

After looking through the excellent thread on U-boat uniforms, I just wanted to point out that the references to P37 and P40 battledress denims aren't entirely correct. The original P37 denims were brown, not green. The green denims with pleated pockets actually didn't come out until 1940 and the final version without pleats didn't come out until mid-1942.

[storage133]

Hello SprogCollector,

is this your ?brown??

Best regards

Sto

[storage133]

?and that your ?green?(M40)

Best regards

Sto

[SprogCollector]

Hi Sto,

Thanks for posting your images! No. I literally mean brown. The jackets shown are the green versions. Denims were introduced in 1939 and were nearly the same colour as the woolen blouse. The familiar green color appeared a year or so later but maintained the same pattern as the original version.

I only have one brown example which I'll try and take photos of next week. They're quite scarce and I'd venture that most were worn out long before the war ended. I've yet to find a definitive document specifying the change from brown to green.

Here's a decent photo showing a brown denim worn with a pair of green denim trousers. This image is from "The British Soldier".

Edited June 27, 2009 by SprogCollector

[Paul R]

Sorry for the ZAV post, but this is a very interesting topic! I look forward to seeing further contributions! Was it typical to have no chest eagle added? Were they marked once captured?

[Guest Rick Research]

Here are a couple in wear in a photos thread:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=37845

[storage133]

Hello gents,

thank you for your answers.

I think the light on my first two photos is not good.

In sunlight it looks like "a washed brown". Sorry for that.

Looking forward for your photos.

Best regards and a nice weekend

Sto.

[SprogCollector]

Hi Sto,

Yes. Upon closer look, it's possible your jacket is indeed a very well worn brown jacket. Its also possible it has spent some time in the laundry with green examples and some color may have washed out and mixed, resulting in a hybrid color. These garments were normally collected for washing (British Army) and then re-issued. It was very rare for someone to get back the same items they turned in.

Your example appears to have had its shoulderboards removed.

I've enquired to other collector friends to get images of their brown examples, as well. As I mentioned, I have one but have never tried to compare it to other examples. Mine is worn but the color is still very much like the image I posted.

[SprogCollector]

Here's a nice example of the second pattern denim blouse. It shares the pattern of the original brown jacket and the color of the later green jackets without pocket pleats. A large number of these came onto the market about 6 or 7 years ago.

[storage133]

Hello SprogCollector,

thank you for showing the jacket.

Best regards

Sto

[SprogCollector]

Sto,

Fellow collector, Ed Storey, has this unissued condition brown denim jacket in his collection.

On the green jacket posted above, the March 1940 date is the earliest I've ever seen on the green, pleated pocket examples.

I've handled a handful of brown denims through the years and all the worn examples have faded to a brownish-tan color that is still readily identifiable as brown. Sto's first post shows a jacket that appears a mix of the two colors and I suspect that it was likely washed with jackets of the opposite color, resulting in the muddy olive tone it now appears to have. The other option is that the flash has skewed the colors and it's brown??

Edited July 1, 2009 by SprogCollector

[cvin]

early denim 37 olive green is situabably. there is one prodused in 1940