Panzeruniform WW2 feat.

In this video the director of the German Panzermuseum Munster introduces you to the German Panzeruniform of the Second World War. He covers the general layout, cut, insignia, the skulls / death heads, differences to the SS-uniform and various other points. Finally, I will add some commentary on the awards.
Disclaimer: I was invited by the German Panzermuseum Munster in 2020.
German Panzermuseum KZbin Channel English: / germantankmuseum
German Panzermuseum KZbin Channel Deutsch: / daspanzermuseum
Cover Design by vonKickass.
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» SOURCES «
Schlicht, Adolf; Angolia, John R.: Die deutsche Wehrmacht. Uniformierung und Ausrüstung 1933-1945. Band 1: Das Heer. Motorbuch Verlag: Stuttgart, Germany, 2000.
Scherzer, Veit: Das Auszeichnungssystem der Wehrmacht. Verlag Veit Scherzer: Bayreuth, Germany, 2015.
#Panzeruniform #GermanTankUniform #WW2

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

German Panzermuseum KZbin Channel English: kzbin.info German Panzermuseum KZbin Channel Deutsch: kzbin.info

[@keanur6541]

Fantastic content. Hope to see more uniforms apparel videos.

[@billbolton]

Was this a Hugo Boss design?

[@comsubpac]

@@billbolton Nothing ever was.

[@billbolton]

@@comsubpac thanks.

[@siouneo152]

If in a defensive position, is it better to have two units firing arc crossed over each others?

[@DasPanzermuseum]

So YOU kidnapped Ralf - we were already wondering where had gone!

[@shiftyfitter]

I think you'll find it was designed like that so Lemmy would have a cool jacket to wear.

[@BronxBastard730]

Rock God or Lemmy as he's often called can make any jacket look cool ...

[@wm2922]

Either that or the German BDSM community

[@rainerwahnsinn5655]

@@wm2922 "Either that or the German BDSM community" lmao

[@catfish552]

@@wm2922 "Les boys got leather straps / Les boys got SS caps / But they got no gun now"

[@tusk70]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXfRmnyBZbaWfNk

[@ralphbernhard1757]

It was also open-necked because of the Kehlkopfmikrofon, a novel microphone.

[@catfish552]

Oh, that'd make sense. That thing's not going work with a tall, stiff collar.

[@ralphbernhard1757]

@@catfish552 Of course the microphones will work. But inside a tank, the crew will just end up breathing like Vader and sweating like crazy :-)

[@patton446]

@@ralphbernhard1757 I don't think they would seeing as the Kehlkopfmikrofon is a throat microphone... A stiff collar would severely interfere with it's operating principle, which requires solid contact with the larynx.

[@wbertie2604]

The uniform design predates the availability of the microphone by several years, so unlikely.

[@wbertie2604]

The microphone wasn't all that unusual, as during the war the USA issued a superior design to its airforce and tankers, and the RAF used it in aircraft, although the UK seems not to have done so very much or at all for tank crew. As far as I know it was first developed in the USA.

[@comsubpac]

My Grandfather was a member of the "Großdeutschland" division (not a tanker though) from late 1943 onwards and was wounded by a sniper through the arm and given an Luftwaffe uniform as replacement by another soldier at the field hospital. He did keep the cuff band and when he was arrested by british officers the mixture of having the left arm in a cast (where the SS blood group tattoo would have been), wearing a uniform of the wrong branch, having a cuff band in his pocket and spelling his name with an "SS" when questioned by an officer made him very suspicious. He was able to convince another officer that he was not a member of the SS and was even allowed to rejoin his unit. According to my grandfather it was illegal to remove the cuff title under penalty of death. The reason was that many soldiers tried to remove them prior to an attack because they feared being taken prisoner by the russians. He once ripped the band off his cuff on some barbed wire or something while laying telephone wire (he did end up behind enemy lines for a couple of hours during that task) and the first thing he had to do after rejoining the German lines was to find his superior officer and to explain what happened to the cuff band.

[@rainerwahnsinn5655]

Interessante Geschichte. Danke dafür!

[@firelordazula386]

what make the wehrmacht and waffen ss so difference? are in battlefield both of this branch join company? or serve under one or seperated general?

[@cb-hz6dm]

@@firelordazula386 the Waffen SS was under the leadership of the Wehrmacht, but they were also the party army of the nsdap, they were the armed forces of the party.

[@firelordazula386]

@@cb-hz6dm danke

[@MaxSluiman]

@@firelordazula386 the waffen ss units were operationally placed under wehrmacht command. But administratively placed under SS command. Depending on the task. When guarding Hitler, they would be under ss operational command.

[@whos-the-stiff]

As a reenactor I've had to explain the difference between the panzer and SS uniforms to people on many occasions. So I'm very familiar with the information provided. Great to hear it all again though.

[@etwas013]

Remove the insignia and you got yourself a splendid autumn jacket.

[@worldwarwill1278]

One of my friends actually wears a reproduction version of this (as you said, with insignia removed) lol

[@papasaruman]

I got one reporduced by Richard Underwood Militaria, it is made of heavy wool and works perfectly in autumn/not so cold winter/spring weather. Pairs perfectly with the M43 Field cap. With piping and insignia removed, nobody will tell, save for militaria geeks.

[@dickvansteijn4115]

Never remove the insignia if it,s an original. Not even when it,s a replica. The Waffen SS officers insignia up to Obersturmbannführer look cool because they have the Sigrunes.

[@Perktube1]

@@papasaruman That's awesome. They look so formal yet relaxed.

[@erwinrommel9294]

@@dickvansteijn4115 if you plan to wear the jacket outside of reenactments you have to remove the insignia off the reproduction to aboid being crub stomped.

[@moriganbecks4811]

Many years ago I rented an apartment while living in Germany. I was friends with the landlord who served in ww2. He still had his medals which included arm bands for 11 tank kills.

[@Ko.Wi.]

11?! Then his name has to be in archives, do you have it ?

[@GetUpTheMountains]

Two golds and a silver?

[@Ko.Wi.]

@@GetUpTheMountains would have been. But there were soldiers wearing more than 5 silver ones too.

[@terribleauthority]

Yes! This is great! Please, make more videos on uniforms.

[@ericmyrs]

"It's very very complicated" Well, it's the Germans, this is to be expected.

[@davidk6269]

The skulls on the lapels of the Panzer uniform can be confusing, as it may remind people of the SS uniform. However, one way to distinguish the SS from non-SS is the location of the eagle insignia. The SS have the eagle symbol on the left upper arm (similar to Hitler). The non-SS have the eagle on the breast pocket. I hope that this is helpful.

[@bama1usaf]

Yes until now I never knew the difference. So glad I saw this video.

[@davidk6269]

@@bama1usaf Now you can spot costume mistakes in movies and television shows. They often will get the uniforms wrong by having an "SS" uniform with the eagle on the breast pocket. If you watch carefully, you'll be able to tell which programs made the effort to be historically accurate, and which were lazy. ; )

[@robinderoos1166]

Nope, that came 74 years too late... Easiest way to recognize is the rank sign, since SS had different rank symbols

[@davidk6269]

@@robinderoos1166 Good point. But I still find it easiest to look for whether there is an eagle on the breast pocket.

[@Riceball01]

@@robinderoos1166 Considering their rank insignia at the time, not that easy. It was like the US with a distinct symbol for each rank of officer and varying numbers of stripes for enlisted. Both the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS had braided epaulets with pips for officers and less complicated braided epaulettes (and I think pips) for enlisted. While you may be able roughly tell how high a ranking a German soldier was by how fancy, or not, their epaulets were, but I'm not sure that the average Allied soldier could do much more than that without looking at some sort of chart to tell them the difference.

[@dbmail545]

The short jacket makes a lot of sense in a cramped space. I have a waxed cotton motorcycle of almost identical styling just lacking the epaulets and a different collar.

[@minimundus1712]

My grandfather wore this uniform still have the silver skulls at home :)

[@MyLateralThawts]

Met a former member of the Grossdeutschland division about 20 years ago. I can’t recall if Herr Ausschratt was a radio operator or driver for a Panther tank, but he earned his EK1 by volunteering to leave the tank during an extended artillery bombardment to reconnect the landline they had (as a former tanker in the Canadian Army, I can confirm using landlines is still common practice). At the end of the war he was surprised to be sent to a POW camp filled with Waffen SS. Eventually it got cleared up, probably by referring to his Soldbuch.

[@kurtschmidt5005]

Great content! The Germans defiantly had the coolest looking uniforms!!!!

[@wraithoftime4221]

If I remember correctly, the death's head of the panzer uniform are referred to as the "Prussian" pattern and design wise are direct descendants of the deaths heads worn by the Imperial 1st and 2nd Leib hussars. Probably this contributes to the assumed link to the Imperial cavalry as the skulls on the A7V that I've seen are closer to the "Braunschweig" pattern which has a lower jaw on the skull as opposed to the panzer and Prussian patterns which are missing the lower jaw.

[@Grnhrz]

Did we all watch the same video? Ralf specifically addressed this point and said there’s no historical evidence for this often supposed link. This guy studies this stuff professionally every day and runs a museum. Why would you not trust that he knows more about the subject?

[@wraithoftime4221]

@@Grnhrz Never said he was wrong. In fact in my comment I say that the skull design similarity of the Prussian and Panzer skulls contributes to the "assumed link". I agree with him that there is not definitive explanation for the origin of the skulls; but note that director Raths says that they "most likely" came from the A7V crews. The fact is that there were many totenkopf patterns; the Prussian pattern worn by the 1st and 2nd leib hussars/panzer skulls, the Braunschweig pattern worn by 17th (1. Braunschweig) hussars and Infantry Regiment 92, etc. I've seen pictures of the Braunschweig pattern being worn on the panzer wrap and the Prussian pattern was worn by the early SS before they designed their own. Maybe neither the cavalry hypothesis and the A7V hypothesis are correct or both are partially correct and the Germans just used an existing pattern for the cool factor because it was what they had. Maybe the A7V skulls inspired the Freikorps which in turn inspired the Panzer skulls. I'm sure Director Raths is correct that there was not a huge cavalry tradition in the Panzerwaffe; but that doesn't mean that there weren't influences. 24th Panzer Div. was converted from a cavalry division and kept their yellow cavalry piping and several panzer generals such as Manteuffel and Strachwitz were ex Imperial cavalrymen. At the end of the day its an interesting piece of military history we can speculate about; no need to demand conformity of thought from everyone. You can respect someone's expertise and have a discussion about a topic. And I'm not even saying he's wrong.

[@Apophis40K]

Aren't the skulls one the a7v only on the ones used by the freikorps, which they used to mark them as there's.

[@wraithoftime4221]

@@Apophis40K I'm not an expert on the Freikorps but it does seem likely that they took inspiration from the A7V crews for their totenkopfs. The Freikorps seem to have gone with similar patterns to the A7V crews. Interestingly though there are photos of Freikorps members wearing the Prussian hussar pattern skull on their caps. I don't know if these individuals previously served in a hussar regiment or if they picked up the insignia for the asthetics.

[@Apophis40K]

@@wraithoftime4221 I was saying that the A7v crews you where talking about (with a skull on them) where probably the ones used by the freikorps (between ww1 and ww2). They used a deathskull as there logo

[@sciflyernineteensixtynine6950]

The Germans had the best looking uniforms of WW2 , no contest.

[@prd6617]

cant agree more. ignoring the ideology of who are wearing it, black color uniform from SS and Panzer crew are my favorite of any ww2 uniform simply because it just look nice.

[@sciflyernineteensixtynine6950]

@@prd6617 Yes the colour and the cut is is very distinctive and appealing. Jacket does look like a lot of 1930's style ski jackets but it also resembles a hussar's pelisse, perhaps the inspiration is a hybrid of the two.

[@ulysses2921]

Overrated.

[@brianjimenez2749]

@@ulysses2921 tru

[@mamavswild]

Best of any war. Hands down.

[@astridvallati4762]

The Black colour for Tankers was a British development in WWI; initially the overalls were died black to hide oil stains common in early tanks. After WWI, the practice was extended to the dress uniform. This continued even in the Mounted Infantry in Australia ( APC M113A1) the dress uniform black with tanker's traditional Black Beret ( "basque style"). By the 1980s with changes back to "Light Horse" armoured units, the Black uniforn and beret was abandoned. I still have my blackberet from the 1970s ( 2/14 QMI) The German Black Panzer uniform derivedfrom BlackPrussian Hussars.

[@karthikvs9635]

Love the pink lining on black uniform,looks so cool

[@k0mp0cik]

I know it is a touchy subject, expecially for the modern Germans but as a Pole, I approve of this, as a historcial and informative material! We need to know the the historcial facts, and distingiush them from the propaganda of the time, Thank to you for this highly informative material!

[@iota515]

I don't think they need your approval

[@Marco-bf4uu]

@@iota515 We do, were Germans..

[@mamavswild]

They were tough and disciplined fighters, props to them for that. No regime deserved such a superior army LESS or MISUSED THEM MORE. My gramps fought against them and had the highest respect for them. The OTHER army though, he called ‘a bunch of wise guys’. (The one that starts with the letter S and ends with the letter S lol)

[@craigvogel2935]

That’s the problem it’s touchy to modern Germans the vast majority of Germans in ww two were coscripted and patriots fighting for their country modern Germans should get over eighty year old history and be proud of the veterans who fought valiantly for their country and who had nothing to do with the nazis they deserve their respect even the men who fought them respect them

[@Bernstein552]

Very interesting video. It reminded me of a story that my grandmother told me - her brother was a crew-member in a Panzer in the latter stages of WW2. Towards the end of the war, my great-uncle's unit surrendered to the Americans and were made POWs. I never got to the bottom of the specifics but my great-uncle ended up in a situation where his American captors believed he was in the "SS" (and - given the SS's reputation, it looks like he was in for a beating...). I think the video does a great job at showing where this confusion on the part of the Americans may have arisen. Somehow, everything got explained and he ended up being well treated as a "normal" (non-SS) soldier but I think it was a hairy situation for him at first!

[@mamavswild]

Whew...thank god for your great uncle! American and British anger at the WSS was red hot by 1944 and positively volcanic by 1945.

[@davidbrooks9707]

I was at that museum about 5 years ago. it was absolutely amazing

[@lukalackovic9059]

Thanks for clearing this up, I genuinely thought they belonged to SS units because of the deaths head

[@mamavswild]

The color black didn’t help either, but they were defiantly regular army guys. The deaths head came from ancient Prussian tradition....too bad the SS ruined it.

[@klausschreyer7062]

So what

[@PitFriend1]

The confusion about the uniforms being SS is shown in issue #4 of the comic book “World of Tanks: Roll Out!” from Dark Horse comics and written by Garth Ennis. A German panzer crew is taken prisoner in Normandy after their Panther is knocked out. The British troops assume from their uniforms that’s they’re SS and as some Canadian prisoners had been killed by some SS earlier they decided to get revenge. Ironically the panzer troops had been feuding with an SS unit the whole series. They were only saved when a French villager that spoke German could tell the British that they were just panzer crew and not SS. I have no doubt that sort of thing happened in reality but there wasn’t anyone to save the unfortunate crews.

[@mamavswild]

Yes; American, Canadian, British, Aussie and Kiwi anger at the SS was RED HOT by the time 1945 rolled around, I’m surprised any of them survived captivity, or at least the first hours of being taken captive.

[@thatguy4106]

My opa was a gunner and had that uniform and was conscripted into fighting on the eastern front he was only 17.

[@bama1usaf]

Did you get to talk to him much about it? If so what interesting stories. When I was stationed in Germany my landlords brother was in the Wermacht and would tell me stories with his granddaughter translating. He has his left arm blown off by an American hand grenade, and laughed, saying It was war and had no ill feelings. Very good people. Being a fan of WW2 I was in heaven being in Grrmany.

[@jupprheinland4805]

My grandpa also had this uniform, he was tank commander and wasn’t drafted. He joined the Army in 1940, few months before his 20th birthday and came to the Panzertruppe. He saw action on the balkans during the invasion of Yugoslavia and afterwards he, luckily, became part of the Panzertruppe West and was stationed in France. The tank, he commanded, was part of the first tanks which were sent towards the beaches on D-Day. They were active between Caen and the CW beachheads. His tank got shot on June 7th by AT fire during a suicide mission - they engaged British paratroopers and infantry coming from the beaches in a bocage like area, after a short tactical withdrawal they reorganized and saw that one tank was missing, my grandpa got the mission to break through the hedgerow and look for the missing tank... They took 2 hits. My grandpa and the gunner survived, the other three crewman died in the flames below. He became prisoner of war, first in the UK, then in Canada. He told most of these things, but the details (like the fact he was on a suicide mission) came from another source - when he died in 2008, my mother and I found letters. Letters from my grandpa and former comrades of him, these letters were some kind of an AAR - they talked about the battle and what happened. There is also a kind of copy of an report, written by his company commander. His tank was the first confirmed knocked out tank of his company.

[@thatguy4106]

@@bama1usaf yes he was my best friend growing up, he moved to the states and served in the Korean war. Then he was a maintenance director for a carbon plant in Fostoria Ohio and then he retired at the age of 70 and live to be 98 years old

[@truereaper4572]

@Justin 12O16E26 Frag grenades very much can and will do that.

[@truereaper4572]

@Justin 12O16E26 You have swayed my opinion with your moving words of wisdom. Good day sir.

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

I read a great interview of a panzer driver from early in the war when he describes being in a bar and having the girls hanging on them in their sharp-looking black uniforms, the regular Heer guys giving them bad looks. Then a bunch of SS guys came in and the women drifted over to them instead. He hated the SS after that lol.

[@comsubpac]

@Mialisus Hugo Boss did not design any uniforms... I find this story highly unlikely anyway since the SS did wear standard issue army uniforms once the war started (grey uniforms) and only the rank insignia were different.

[@nonamesplease6288]

The SS actually wore the black uniform throughout the war. True, the feldgrau uniform was worn for undress and combat and was much more common. The black uniform continued to be worn for ceremonial and formal duties, and some sentries and guards continued to wear it in certain locations where they needed to be showy.

[@comsubpac]

@@nonamesplease6288 yes, but even those tried to avoid it whenever possible. Even the members of the Allgemeine SS switched to grey uniforms once the war started to look more military.

[@timothyhouse1622]

@@comsubpac did not design uniforms? He designed the uniforms worn by the SS. His company also made the uniforms for the Hitler Youth. Where the fuck do you get your "information?"

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

@@comsubpac My impression this was about 1940, and it was out on the town so everyone wore their dress uniforms. It was a great read and he was a barber who drove a Panzer II in Afrika and once gave Rommel a haircut. They informally called Rommel "father" among themselves since they were mostly 19-22 years, and really respected EW. He was captured I think in 1942 and sat out the rest of the war.

[@gruppenfuhrer45]

They’re uniforms were so cool.

[@douglasherron7534]

Very interesting video! Had always assumed the deaths head emblem was a cavalry reference so surprised to learn it was not.

[@blubberwasser5105]

Sehr gut

[@topoleniemozebycpuste6733]

sehr fucking gut

[@surinfarmwest6645]

Very interesting especially the 1,000's of different setups possible on a uniform. The jacket reminds me of one I owned in my 1980's clubbing days.

[@faeembrugh]

The Royal Lancers regiment of the British Army still use their death's head badge today - with a black beret!

[@markasimmons]

The Lancers death's head badge dates back to 1759, when Hale's Light Horse adopted the the motto "Death or Glory" in honor of General John Wolfe. Became 17th Lancers, then amalgamated with the 21st Lancers in 1922 (hence the classic Deaths Head cap badge of the 17th/21st Lancers who campaigned in North Africa and Italy during WW2), and finally with the 16th/5th Lancers in 1993 to form the current Queens Royal Lancers.

[@JAY-ch6ee]

@@markasimmons it's just Royal Lancers now as they amalgamated with 9th/12th Lancers a few years ago.

[@rogerjones703]

In actual fact the only regiment in the regular British Army to wear a black beret is the Royal Tank Regiment. The Royal Lancers wear a blue beret, although it's such a dark blue that it could be mistaken for black !

[@xaquko9718]

There's quite a lot of cavalry units from different european armies which use or used those skulls.

[@Abensberg]

deaths head? so they must be SS!!

[@frankwhite3406]

Excellent Episode Indeed. With out a doubt the Smartest military uniform ever produced !!!

[@HistoryGameV]

I am always amused about people that are surprised by the Panzer branch color being pink. Every time I play Germany in HoI4 that's the colour of my tank armies.

[@comsubpac]

I made a mod for HOI4 where the counters are color coded with the branch color.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Pink was the colour for boys as red was a masculine colour and pink is just a weaker form of red. It wasn't until the 1950s that pink became a girl's colour.

[@MrNebelschatten]

@Dalle Smalhals weird flex but okay

[@Davey-Boyd]

@Dalle Smalhals So what. I am a Vet and I play wargames. And vets who boast are probably lying......

[@klausschreyer7062]

Douche

[@nipulkradmsinatagras8293]

It really looks dashing to be honest.

[@abc-oq7dt]

I love all the stuff you produce alongside thr Panzer Museum! I adore the place

[@HurrpyDurrDerp]

For educational *and style purposes

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

😁

[@SamSung-qy5hj]

Panzermuseum Munster, loved it, my visit their was amazing.

[@slartybartfarst55]

Thank you both for a great Video. Always a pleasure to hear Ralph talking about all things Tank. The English KZbin channel has been quiet for six months after an initial burst 10 months ago. Would be great to see more content there. (My German is OK, but not up to technical explanations!)

[@johnnym5564]

I can listen all day. Thank you!

[@Henry-dt9ht]

The best way I have found to tell the difference between SSI and the tank Corps is the shape of the eagle on the breast particularly the wings. The tips of the Wings on the SS we're different in that the wing came to a point in the middle of the wing at the tip. The tank course had the same eagle the rest of the Army, it's a small point to consider however I find it the most reliable.

[@dantreadwell7421]

Love the comment about the difference between the SS and the Wafffen-SS. Had the perfect amount of snark, and doing that in a language that you didn't literally grow up speaking isn't easy.

[@jamesharmer9293]

Interesting, I thought the black uniforms meant they were in a SS regiment. Now I know better, thank you.

[@Mugdorna]

Unfortunately for panzertrupoen lots of the Allis thought this back in 1942-45.

[@Rendell001]

@@Mugdorna I suspect this is why they changed the collar patches to standard Heer double 'I' patches later in the war. Death Heads can get you killed...

[@SNOUPS4]

Thank you for this video!!! Sehr interessant :)

[@fatlarry1184]

If I'm not mistaken, he forgot to mention that the panzer cuff band was on the right sleeve while the SS cuff band was on the left sleeve.

[@comsubpac]

yes.

[@kevinjredmond8873]

Excellent video in explaining these uniforms. Thank you.

[@cherimcdonald8671]

I have a picture of my great great uncle in this uniform. His arm band was Afrika Korps. Wish I could upload it here. We’re just now finding out information about his service as no one spoke about it much. My grandmother was born in Teltow raised in Friedberg (Hessen) married an American soldier at 16 stationed there until she came to US at 17.5. This picture was hanging in my grandmothers wall my entire life and no one really ever asked questions. He was killed in the war. I wish I had asked her more questions although she was very young during the war. Born in 1941

[@OchotaJack]

this episode is so much more interesting and kind of real look into soldiers life than manuals and regulations You with all due respect damn Austrian Prussian manace (pardon my French) do. Keep up good work and regards from Poland :)

[@MisterApol]

I have heard the claim that the totenkopf was meant to harken back to the death's head hussars. It certainly resembles the hussars' emblem (and not the full-jaw SS totenkopf).

[@motorrebell]

Yes thats what i heard too - it was worn to honor ( The last Hussar) Anton Ludwig Friedrich August Mackensen (6 December 1849 - 8 November 1945) , He was a German field marshal. commanded successfully during the First World War of 1914-1918 and became one of the German Empire's most prominent and competent military leaders.

[@motorrebell]

@Jim lastname Indeed - An Emblem worn by The Prussian & Brunswick "Black" Hussars 1809 during the war against Napoleon , Theres even similarity to the emblem of the British 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Motto : Death Or Glory !

[@motorrebell]

@Jim lastname Yes , that was Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Braunschweig ( pronounced " Brownshweig " :-D ) His wife ( Augusta Sophia von Hannover / Princess of England & Ireland ) was the daughter of King George the 3rd . Correct me if im wrong .

[@motorrebell]

@Jim lastname Yes - all that monarchy leading to WW1 , Insane .

[@DeltaEchoGolf]

@Jim lastname Brunschweig

[@henrymann8122]

Ralf was very entertaining and kept my interest during his tutorial. Thank you for this.

[@edi9892]

What's your favorite WWII uniform? IMHO the officer coats from the Soviets and Wehrmacht look really badass.

[@TheIfifi]

USMC dress uniform. But yeah. Wehrmacht and ussr officers were badass looking.

[@bloodydavid]

Nice shout out to the german tank museum,

[@pzkpfw2310]

I believe that WSS has their cufftitles on the left sleeve whereas Heer has them on the right. Correct me if I’m wrong

[@comsubpac]

you are right. Today Germany wears them on both sleeves.

[@bama1usaf]

Very informative. I've been a history fan of WW2 (EUROPEAN FRONT) all my life and did not know the difference of the Deaths Head. I must be honest until now I thought they were SS. Thank you

[@Mugdorna]

I've read in in several books over the years

[@schlawa]

As usual, thx for providing good content to both M-H-V and the Panzermuseum :)

[@mustno3]

Hey Military History Visualised, I'm not a history person, and really .. your channel made me very interested in history for some reason. Don't know why. But I love your content. Keep up the good content.

[@pandabuluk]

From all media, the Totenkopf insignia on Panzer Crew uniform got a minor spotlight in World of Tanks comic. The wearer almost get shot by vengeful Tommies who mistake them as SS because the totenkopf, but got spared in the end.

[@chromiumphotography5138]

Excellent video - I spent over an hour discussing the finer points of German tanker uniforms with a re-enactor last year with his Stug III, based on an FV432. It is easy to see how allied soldiers mistook tankers for SS soldiers, I am a bit of a tank nerd but before then didn't know the difference between the Panzertruppen and the SS. Thanks, keep up the good work!

[@andypoppenberg8720]

The collar tabs must be sewn on with their front edge 1cm from the front collar edge and with their rear, lower edge from the side collar edge and not in the middle of the collar. The shoulder straps are not in Wehrmacht style, but from the Waffen SS tank corps, because of their additional black underlay. Wehrmacht Shoulder Straps only have one color underlay or piping. But the whole jacket seems to be a Waffen SS Panzerjacket. It looks as if the button facing is vertical and not at the obtuse angle typical for Wehrmacht jackets. Unfortunately you can't see this in the video. Die Kragenspiegel müssen mit ihrer Vorderkante 1cm vom vorderen Kragenrand und mit ihrer hinteren, unteren Kante vom seitlichen Kragenrand aufgenäht werden und nicht in die Mitte des Kragens. Die Schulterklappen sind nicht in Wehrmacht-Form, sondern von der Panzertruppe der Waffen SS, wegen ihrer zusätzlichen schwarzen Unterlage. Wehrmacht Schulterklappen zeigen allein eine Farbe in Unterlage oder Paspel. Aber die ganze Jacke scheint eine Waffen SS Panzerjacke zu sein. Es sieht aus, als ob die Knopfleiste senkrecht verläuft und nicht im für Wehrmachtjacken typischen stumpfen Winkel. Das kann man leider im Video nicht so genau erkennen.

[@Ruhrpottpatriot]

And this my friends is one of the (many) inspirations for the first post war German Bundeswehr dress jacket. Just fyi before you call those pieces "Eisenhower Jackets".

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Thanks. That was interesting. I'm glad the purpose of the ribbon was mentioned as I thought it was a Wound Badge - which shows how much I know. As to the Cuff Bands for Elite Units, this reminds me somewhat of the Braids (??) worn hanging from Epaulets by other units as a mark of honor. The one thing not mentioned I wish had been - was the Cap. In 1970 when I was in Ordnance School - they had an M-109 there with the back open - so you could just climb in it. I did so - and at 5' 11" repeatedly banged my head on the interior of the vehicle ... which doesn't give one little bit ... I've noticed that most other tankers, especially today, have some form of helmet to protect their heads from the inside of the tank. I've never seen a picture of a German WWII tanker with anything but those caps. Same for the British ... as far as I can remember. I wonder if there was any kind of cushioning built into the cap? As to telling he difference between an SS uniform and a Panzer uniform - I always thought that all the SS had the double runes on their collars. ??? .

[@worldwarwill1278]

If you google Michael Wittmann or Michael Wittmann tank ace, you will see the type of uniform the SS tankers wore. It was basically the same, but as you say, had he double sig runes on one side of the collar, then the soldiers rank on the other side.

[@scrubsrc4084]

Whenever I head back to where I used to live in Germany I always make the fairly short trip to munster.

[@fishyc150]

Fallinbostol, hohne or celle? I was actually Munster lager itself so only 5 mins from the front of the camp gates...

[@scrubsrc4084]

@@fishyc150 celle, I was born in hannover, dad was with 94 loc ra then my brother wound up in celle with the fusiliers in 05

[@fishyc150]

@@scrubsrc4084 BMH hannover? Happy times. I did 12 years in the area... Munster (munster lager as it was known) then began hohne/ belsen with 32 armoured engineers. Off to Hamburg, luneburg, lauenburg, hannover of a friday night 😊 Take care

[@scrubsrc4084]

@@fishyc150 never ceases to amaze me how many were out there in the baor

[@fishyc150]

@@scrubsrc4084 when I arrived mid 80s we had 1 BR Corp. 3 full divisions. I heard that nearly 1 million men rotated through BAOR since the end of WW2...

[@johnnypopulus5521]

Wow, this was such a good video. All of your content is great, Bernhard, of course. I now know much more about the panzertruppen uniform than I had before.

[@TheStugbit]

Inside a tank can be dark depending on the circumstances. That's why, as far as I'm concerned, their interiors are painted white. Black color contrasts with the white color so, in a lacking light situation it would be easier to distinguish things if there is a high contrast. Perhaps is this another reason for black color uniform? Situational orientation inside the tank for the crew. But since only the Germans made use of it, I don't know. Regards.

[@TheStugbit]

Situational awareness* inside the tank perhaps is the correct name. Sorry for the English

[@thhseeking]

Another point is that the SS had a skull on their cap, whereas the Panzertruppen had the cockade.

[@blatherskite9601]

Why disclaimer? This was a factual presentation of historical artefacts, no personal politics intruded. Another excellent video. Now I, at least, am better informed. BTW, I believe the pink piping to the uniform and shoulder boards was Panzer uniform as well, not just the black cloth.

[@nichtvorhanden5928]

Brecause in Germany it is illegal to show a swastika outside of educatuinal or research context or freedom of art. I think it could be similar in Austria.

[@comsubpac]

@@nichtvorhanden5928 it is but the disclaimer is more for KZbin and those poor Indians that have to sort through reported videos.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

> Why disclaimer? This video took several hours to make, not including travel time, the time of Ralf, Laura and others. etc. So, I would have to be dumber than a fucking brick to not add such a disclaimer to mitigate the chances that the video might be falsely identified, flagged, demonetized, etc. etc.

[@blatherskite9601]

@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized True, I guess. Forgot for a moment that much of the world gets in line to be offended by anything. Still a good video!

[@vinh7251]

@@blatherskite9601 Or alternatively: Having seen first hand the calamity bought about by the unrestricted propagation of hate speech, the German & Austrian people took the decision to reduce the power available to hate groups by refusing to allow them to use the symbols and icons that had previously been used so effectively. Like it or not, this is a subject that needs to handled with some care and I think the warning is both warranted and sensible.

[@A-man-Capitals301]

Pink has never looked so terrifying☠ a really cool jacket and uniform

[@motorrebell]

The Pink color lining is still used today in the Panzertroops of the Bundeswehr .

[@A-man-Capitals301]

@@motorrebell yes but these strike an imposing image is what I was going for but thank you for the info 👍

[@motorrebell]

Wasnt the Skull emblem adapted as an Honor to the "The Last Hussar" Anton Ludwig Friedrich August von Mackensen (6 December 1849 - 8 November 1945) ? , He was a German field marshal commanded successfully during the First World War of 1914-1918 and became one of the German Empire's most prominent and competent military leaders.

[@comsubpac]

Why should they? He had nothing to do with tanks and tanks had nothing to do with cavalry.

[@motorrebell]

@@comsubpac Maybe because it was its predecessor , The use of the Totenkopf as a military emblem began under Frederick the Great, who formed a regiment of Hussar cavalry in the Prussian army commanded by Colonel von Ruesch, the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch). The Skull emblem was a symbol of the Prussian Hussar Cavalry - Was worn during WW 1 and even worn by Kaiser Wilhelm ( before ww 1) .

[@vapomaster6967]

In case someone didn't know: The Panzer unit used pink as their colour surrounding the badge of rank etc. (Infantry used white and StuGs used red cause the were considerd a part of the artillery) Pink was at this time considerd as a tradionall colour for boys only. Barby kinda changed that.

[@DasPanzermuseum]

True, but the main influence for the transfer most often cited are the blue coveralls the industry workers wore. Through them blue became more and more connected to "masculinity" and "strength" .

[@vapomaster6967]

@@DasPanzermuseum Ah, ok thanks. Didn't know that.

[@kadeberrier3799]

Don't forget the various Panzerjäger units that wore pink and red piping. Even some had black piping. There were some that switched to Panzergrenadier green piping too!

[@typxxilps]

less laundry too which saves ressources and all its logistics too

[@MeanBeanKerosene]

There's an amazing book by Jack Pia called 'Nazi Regalia' that shows almost all of the NSDAP awards to both Wehrmacht and Zivilist. I have no idea if it's still in print but it's a great resource to see the myriad of propaganda tools for the German people in the Nazi era.

[@F1ghteR41]

The reason why Nazis were introducing bladed weapons everywhere is because Weimar government early in 1919 banned them all except for the bayonets for all except those who served 25 years of impeccable career. Totenkopf symbol was also used by the Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment as early as 1915, and these guys were prominent as an assault formation due to their use of flamethrowers. That might be the reason the A7V crews picked this symbol up in the first place.

[@jimminey-fooking-cricket4903]

IIRC the unit that had the arm band ordered removed was Das Reich or Wiking.

[@lucas82]

Always thought the skull was a symbol that was borrowed from the Braunschweich Corps of the Napoleonic age

[@T4nkcommander]

Great video! Von Rosen mentions having to dodge the French right after the end of the war, as a civilian tip off warned him that several of his compatriots were kidnapped by French, never to be seen again. I wonder if this was just retaliation by wandering gangs, or a case of mistaken identity due to the uniform.

[@sterlixster3093]

.... and WWII General Göring Panzer Troops Black Uniform .... best regards from Venedig

[@philbosworth3789]

It's a shame the was no visual (or mention) of the early panzer beret, but very good otherwise.

[@Franciscavid]

Love this kind of videos man! Great job!

[@alesd2120]

There were also field grey version of this uniform later in the war, also worn by other Panzer troops - like "Sturmartillerie" (but with Kragenspiegel instead of skulls).

[@DuinHark]

More uniform videos! These are great!

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

Best worn Freddie Starr style, with white shorts and Wellington Boots.

[@Gopnik57]

We really need more Videos about clothing in the different branches of the Amry in different nations.

[@Bigbacon]

i wear a reproduction one of these, with no insignia, as a coat because they look so sharp.

[@JesusJimenez-be5kn]

Thanks for clearing that up. great information.

[@GetUpTheMountains]

I would've loved to see a comparison of StuG uniforms vs Panzer. Simmilar in cut, but of course not in black. No oil in StuG's I suppose. ;)

[@bobkrohn8053]

Couple of things to mention. *Why was PINK chosen as the branch color for armored troops. At least in the US pink is considered a very feminine color. No guy would think of buying a pink car, or even a shirt. * I’ve seen many newsreels where captured Army tank men removed the metal skull badge from the collar tabs. * There was also the Herman Göring Armored Division (typically White piping). They had a confusing mix of collar insignia, some of which included the Skull badge. *Some of the Panzer Jackets were, for some reason, tailored so the collar patches could not be aligned with front AND side edges of the collar (???) * Lastly, the Afrika Korps never wore the black jackets after arrival in North Africa. They wore the standard cotton tropical tunic. Many placed the naked metal skull badge on the lower collar. The upper collar had the standard generic “twin bar” patch used by all others. Officers sometime used officers style collar tabs. There was never any tan color cotton tanker jacket.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

pink from what I remember was chosen for deception

[@bobkrohn8053]

@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized I don’t understand.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

@@bobkrohn8053 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYS7o3mdfJd9gs0

[@rodrigodepierola]

Great video, as usual. Uniforms are a language on their own.

[@charlesphillips4575]

Many years ago I wore British Army Battle Dress. That had a very short jacked that only just overlapped the trousers.

[@dodecahedron1382]

Mesdames et messieurs Nous avons l'honneur De vous presenter la nouvelle collection De Panzertruppen!

[@OpasJDGarage]

Excellent video, concise and informative.

[@typxxilps]

But he had achieved a 2 time success fight an enemy tank down which must be pretty rare for a tank officer or Oberleutnant which is usually a commander of a tank unit and not just a single tank back then. Must be a lot of work but there should not be so much officers that got these awards in the "Großdeutschland" Divison except this guy had served before in a different tank unit where he had gained 1 or both awards, but 2 of them on one uniform must be damn rare if both are legit. Great presentation and very well covered and also a bit surprising about all the details. Those cuff bands can be pretty expensive nowadays cause on of the 3000 for defenders of Elsaß Lothringen in 1944 or so are sold for a few thousands € nowadays if you even find one on sale.

[@SheepInACart]

Remember the retroactive application of the award, there is a good chance the promotion to officer in charge of a tank unit within the more prestigious company was granted in recognition of the same skill/bravery as 2 tank destruction badges, rather than earned while in that role.

[@michaelkaylor6770]

Thank you for that explanation. Most informative.

[@g.zoltan]

Hans, are we the baddies?

[@madcowrebel4216]

They were SS not panzer

[@razor1uk610]

@@madcowrebel4216 ..but there's skulls! ...skulls.

[@ottomeyer6928]

@@razor1uk610 in the 19th century the prussian armee had the "deathhead husaren cavallery" hence the skull insignia

[@rolfagten857]

With a parade the panzer officer / soldier donned a gray ( heeres) tunic.

[@panzermacher]

Regarding all German uniforms of that period & why Panzer uniforms HAD to be Black. 1) Most all Service uniforms with the exception of working Kriegsmarine uniforms were a blend of Wool & Rayon, hence they could NOT be washed. 2) Clothing dyes of that period were NON Color fast, so even if you could wash the uniform, the color would run & fade exceptionally fast. 3) The total absence of Modern phosphorous based Laundry detergents & solvents. 4) the only method of "cleaning" a uniform was to beat it with a special Clothing Whip ( Bekleidung Peitsche) So as you can see in order to "hide" grease & Oil stains a Black uniform really was the only option in the field, the other "option" was a pre war (peace time) Drill & work uniform (Drillich/Arbeitsbluse) made of unbleached denim.

[@tonidmc]

It would be interesting to dedicate a video about the Panzer division of the luftwaffe and see that rare and beautiful uniforms that they wore.

[@sabastianbismarck8050]

Sehr gut. Danke.

[@vaza57]

please show us the "underpants" if they are clean after running away from Russians

[@fernandofajardogarcia1312]

Yo creo que sigue la tradición del uniforme del Funftes Husaren regiment y de el 1º y 2º Leib-Husaren Regiment los cuales eran negros con una calavera en el chakó. La chaquetilla de las tropas panzer recuerda muchísimo el dolmán de los uniformes de húsares. También el negro con los vivos de las hombreras rosas se usaba en los cazadores a caballo del Freikorps Lützow. Un saludo desde España.

[@РОССИЯ_ОМОН]

So beautiful

[@dge4560]

When in munster, dont miss the very nice spähwagen 234/4. I love that little thing. Maybe a exclusive walkthrough and history og that particular vehicle as an idea for future vids 😁

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

I did film it, but sadly I have almost no source on it :(

[@dge4560]

@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized oh bugger. 🙂 Thx for your great content