'In the years after World War I, the defeated and much-reduced German Army developed new clothing and personal equipment that drew upon the lessons learned in the trenches. In place of the wide variety of uniforms and insignia that had been worn by the Imperial German Army, a standardized approach was followed, culminating in the uniform items introduced in the 1930s as the Nazi Party came to shape every aspect of German national life.
The outbreak of war in 1939 prompted further adaptations and simplifications of uniforms and insignia, while the increasing use of camouflaged items and the accelerated pace of weapons development led to the appearance of new clothing and personal equipment. Medals and awards increased in number as the war went on, with grades being added for existing awards and new decorations introduced to reflect battlefield feats.
Specialists such as mountain troops, tank crews and combat engineers were issued distinctive uniform items and kit, while the ever-expanding variety of fronts on which the German Army fought - from the North African desert to the Russian steppe - prompted the rapid development of clothing and equipment for different climates and conditions. In addition, severe shortages of raw materials and the demands of clothing and equipping an army that numbered in the millions forced the simplification of many items and the increasing use of substitute materials in their manufacture.'
Joining me is Dr Stephen Bull.
Stephen is the author of Ospreys publishings sumptuous German Army Uniforms of World War II.
127 - The Longest Campaign
126 - The River Battles: Canada's Final Campaign in Italy
125 - Mechanisation of British Cavalry Units and Tank Doctrine
124 - Kais: Downed airmen in New Guinea
123 - Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay
122 - Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up
121 - To Defeat The Few: The Luftwaffe's Battle of Britain
120 - The People's Army in the Spanish Civil War
119 - The British Army and the Anti-Locust Campaign
118 - The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park
117 - Information Hunters
116 - Clementine Churchill
115 - To VE Day Through German Eyes
114 - Airborne Chaplains in the Second World War
113 - Sighted Sub, Sank Same
112 - Four Hours of Fury: Operation Varsity
111 - An Impeccable Spy: Richard Sorge
110 - The P-47 Thunderbolt and 362nd Fighter Group
109 - The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
108 - The Battle for Hong Kong, 1941
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