A Luftwaffe Short-Sleeved Tropical Shirt

Fabricated from tan cotton, horizontal straps and brown finished zinc buttons with pebbled uppers on both shoulders, where shoulder straps would have resided, the button on the right shoulder marked with the RZM (Reichszeugmeisterei) insignia and maker marked "M5/8" (F.W. Assmann & Söhne, Lüdenscheid) on the reverse, the button on the left shoulder maker marked "A & S" (F.W. Assmann & Söhne, Lüdenscheid) on the reverse. The front has two pockets sewn in place, one on each breast, each pocket with a decorative pleat and fold over flap with reinforced button hole for the dark tan button, which also has another light tan plastic button sewn back-to-back with the dark tan button and appears on the inside of the pocket. Sewn in place over the right breast pocket is a Luftwaffe eagle in gray embroidery on an inverted triangular olive green cotton patch. The front has a vertical row of four dark tan plastic buttons on the right side, each of which has another light tan plastic button sewn back-to-back with the dark tan button and appears on the underside of the opening, facing an equal number of reinforced button holes on the left side. Inside, there is a white tag with red embroidered numerals in the collar inscribed "38", along with the handwritten numeric inscription ".38." in black ink above. Tan cotton straps appear on either side of the tag, each with reinforced button holes and held in place with light tan plastic buttons. The shirt measures 440 mm across the shoulders and 955 mm in length overall, exhibiting light soiling on the left shoulder blade, four tiny holes on the back just below the collar line, with intact stitching. Near extremely fine.