An Army (Heer) Signals Enlisted Man's M44 Field Blouse

The blouse is fabricated from a coarse Army green wool. The shoulders are adorned with Enlisted Man's shoulder straps, the upper of each strap in matching coarse Army green wool, trimmed in yellow piping, indicating the corps as Signals, and housing a dark gray finished aluminum button with a pebbled upper in the reinforced button hole at the neck end, the underside in coarse Army green wool and gray rayon, each board secured in place via straps that are in olive green wool and gray rayon. Both sides of the collar at the opening have Infantry Enlisted Man's collar tabs in gray and moss green embroidery. There are two pockets on the front, one on each breast, each designed with a flap with a reinforced button hole and a dark gray finished aluminum button with a pebbled upper, maker marked "W.R." on the reverse, as are all the buttons on the tunic. The right breast above the pocket is enriched with an Army eagle insignia that has been post war reapplied in gray and green embroidery on an inverted triangular patch. The front has a vertical row of six dark gray finished aluminum buttons with pebbled uppers, facing an equal number of reinforced button holes on the left side. The sleeves have single-vented cuffs, each with a discreet gray bakelite button securing the cuff closed, the button facing two reinforced button holes on the opposite side of the venting. There are upward-facing aluminum hooks on either side at the rear waist. The inside is lined in gray rayon in selected locations, as per the design, with a single pocket in gray rayon on both breasts, each with a reinforced button hole and a gray bakelite button closure. The gray rayon lining beside the opening on the left side is stamped in black ink "0/0850/0196" above "156" beside "164", with a "54" surrounded by four numbers, clockwise from the upper left "84, 39, 76, 56" below. Sewn in place and suspended from both armpits is a gray rayon strap, each strap attached via one of the four reinforced holes on the underside of the strap, to the aforementioned aluminum hook where it penetrates the body of the blouse. It has a gray cotton strap in the collar for hanging the tunic on a hook. The blouse measures 420 mm across the shoulders and 500 mm in length overall, exhibiting tiny specks in the dark gray finish on the buttons, is free of mothing, with the stitching intact. Extremely fine.