Original Item: Only one pair available. The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf H. Under the direction of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe.

When WWII began in earnest, the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) (SS Dispositional Troops) became the Waffen-SS ("Armed SS"), an official military branch of the SS organization. Its formations included men from NSDAP ruled Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

This is a fantastic late war German Waffen SS HBT Uniform Set of M44 Tunic and Trousers, both in the lovely SS later war (1944-1945) Erbsenmuster (Pea Pattern) Camouflage Pattern. These were introduced in early-mid 1944, and the design of these is very similar to the HBT "Reed Green" uniforms issued later in the war, issued for use for both drill and in the field, and were much more utilitarian than many previous designs. The tunic features two slightly angled chest pockets with square flaps, and two larger waist pockets that are not mounted at an angle. It has a 5 button front closure with a hook and loop collar fastener, and all of the buttons are sewn directly to the fabric.

There are loops on the shoulders for insignia, but there are no buttons, and no insignia installed. The left sleeve has a correct Waffen SS Sleeve Eagle, which is completely correct, but does look to have been moved from another uniform to this one, possibly during wartime. There were some variations in the design, but in general only the early issued examples had the belt loop and sleeve eagle, which were discontinued as the war progressed.

The interior of the tunic is mostly unlined, except for some olive rayon reinforcements around the bottom of the sleeves as a reinforcement. There is also a small rayon pocket on the lower right interior, and both sides still have the belt clip supports present.

The right inside of the tunic is marked with a faded RBNr maker code, as well as The complete size markings, which read:

44      43
96
70      67

The size markings indicate the following:

Torso Length: 44cm = 17.32 in.
Neck: 43cm = 16.93 in.
Chest: 96cm = 37.80 in.
Total Length: 70cm = 26.56 in.
Sleeve Length: 67cm = 26.38 in.

These roughly correspond to the measurements that we took ourselves, so the tunic does not appear to have had any significant alterations. It is in very good condition, with some staining around the collar, and also some stitched on repairs on the rear of the tunic.

The included trousers are in very good condition and totally correct. They have the buttons and fittings for attachment to internal suspenders, and are made from the same HBT "Pea Dot" camouflage as the tunic. They feature a six button fly, and there are two button closed sideways slash pockets on either side of the front, wit a single horizontal slash pocket on the rear right, with all pockets having a button closure. There is also a small pocket on the front right.

The interior of the trousers also display original markings, including the National Business number RBNr. 0/1297/0079 and size markings:

86      84
102     /14

Unfortunately we are not able to tell which sizes these are in the pants, but we assume they are probably the standard inseam, waist and so forth. The condition is very good, definitely a bit better than the tunic, with no repairs that we can see. They definitely do show some wear and tear, but nothing out of line with usual service.

Waffen SS "Pea Dot" Camouflage material has becoming exceedingly hard to find, especially the M44 uniforms, and here we have a lovely honest used example with both the tunic AND trousers. These were checked thoroughly against known period examples, and are totally correct. We have never had a set like this before, and do not anticipate having another anytime soon. Ready to display!

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 23.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 16.5”
Chest width: 20"
Waist width: 19.5"
Hip width: 22.5"
Front length: 28"

Pants:
Waist: 16"
Inseam: 30.5"

More on the M44 "Pea Dot" Camouflage Waffen SS Uniform:
The development of SS camouflage items was initiated by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler in 1935 when he tasked the Reichsführung-SS, (National Leadership of the SS), to begin research of new camouflage patterns and garments for use by the fledgling SS-VT, SS-Verfugüngstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops). In late 1936 and early 1937 the first SS camouflage garments were issued to personnel of the SS-VT Standarte Deutschland for field testing and evaluation. The first items evaluated were the Quarter shelters/ponchos, followed by steel helmet covers, face masks and smocks.

As the war continued various other clothing items were produced in the assorted camouflage patterns. Originally the camouflage patterns were all produced in the time consuming manual screen printing until the development of the machine roller printing in 1940. By the end of the war no fewer then ten assorted camouflage patterns had been developed and used by the SS.

The M44 dot pattern camouflage uniform, consisting of a field blouse and pants was officially introduced on March 1st 1944 as a cost saving measure, and was designed to serve double duty by replacing both the drill tunic and camouflage smock. Originally the early models of the M44 dot pattern camouflage uniforms were manufactured from stockpiles of dual sided, camouflage material with an HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), weave and the field blouse came outfitted with shoulder strap retaining loops and buttons and a factory applied sleeve eagle. By July 1944 the inclusion of the shoulder strap retaining loops and buttons and the factory applied sleeve eagle were discontinued. The M44 dot pattern camouflage uniform was only suitable for warm climates and regulations dictated that the uniforms were to be returned to the units storage depots annually on November 1st although the lack of supplies negated this directive and the uniforms were worn through-out the year.