Leather U Boat Jackets

[hpalapdog]

U-35 crew all in leather. Sunk November 1939 and everyone pictured spent the rest of the war as POWs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-35_(1936)

 

[Monitor]

That's a... great movie. Das Boot. One of the best films ever made, if I am to be asked, and I don't even like war movies that much. One of those movies that makes you stop talking about wars. Like Idi i Smotri. I mean, just watching Idi i Smotri can give you a PTSD.

 

[HPA Rep]

This is a good photo. Crew surrendering to the USN. The guy nearest the camera looks an old sea dog judging by the wear on his cap and age, but wears a brand new looking jacket.

Eksually, the U-Boot crew has surrendered to the USCG, not the USN (the USCG often fails to get their hard-earned credit in WWII). It's very interesting to note the Guardsman at center is wearing a USN leather work jacket and pointing a sawed-off, double-barrel shotgun, while his fellow Guardsman at left holds the mega-rare .45 cal. Reising SMG and seems to be wearing the zip-front foul-weather jacket. Very interesting photo on many levels.

 

[hpalapdog]

I don't think the old hand with the glasses is to impressed with the show of force. They sailed into coastal waters near the end of the war to surrender.
The RN would have offered a tot of rum or a cup of tea !

(I think it may be 1945 but I can't remember where I downloaded the image from.
Anyone know how to reverse search images on google ?)

 

[Doctor Damage]

This coat is up on the Bay, and although I have no intention of buying it, I'm wondering if it's authentic. Anyone?

 

[RayR]

The doctor who jacket is NOT a uboat jacket it is a type of civilian jacket common in europe in those days and known in germany as a Kutscherjacke (coachmans jacket) you may see the odd picture of submariners wearing one but it is not an issue item it's private purchase.

Issue ones were were either black for below decks crew or grey for deck crew NOT brown, single breasted for other ranks , double breasted for officers and all the double breasted issue ones had a strait yoke front and back.

People selling scalloped yoke jackets as original WW2 issue jackets are either conman or idiots who did their research on wikipedia...most fall into the former catagory ,trying to sell 50s-70s german police jackets worth maybe 100 euros at most to little nazi fanboys for many time their real worth, you will see sellers on ebay selling them as SS tank comanders jackets and allsorts saying they were issued to 1 ss panzer division and backing this up with pics of 12 SS in normandy wearing private purchase jackets because nazi fans lap that sort of thing up, shame that as from experience the police jackets are better made.

Another thing is that the uboat officers jackets are a bit longer than other types, mine (post war but same dimensions as WW2 ones) is 33 inches from bottom of collar stand to bottom of hem so really more of a coat length than some of the copies.

I am in the prcocess (when I get time) of measuring up my jacket and taking a set of patterns from it and modding them to fit me better..arm holes are tight and it's too narrow across the shoulders ..a size 56 euro 46 uk with a 18.5 inch width across the yoke! and adding some mods to take it back to WW1 flying jacket specs and once I get it nailed to my satisfaction I will be sending a set of patterns of to aero if they want them.

Don't hold your breath though I am working the rounds of the clock these days but it will be nice to see what they could do with that type of jacket which is one of my favourites.

About Das Boot..I used to work with an old royal navy submariner who joined up at 14 just after WW2 started and served for the duration and he said it was the only film about submarines that he found watchabe as every other one was such total rubbish they were just insulting.

It is great to learn this. Thanks Tony B!

On another note, I got a Bad Wolf. I wish I had ordered 1" longer in back, but it was spot-on. And it seems John and Bad Wolf are history now. Not even the web site remains.

 

[RayR]

RayR, thanks for posting that piece of history. What is the actual color; is it grey, or a faded black?

Interestingly, the front of the coat is very similar to a US Navy WWI peacoat.

Faded black definitely.

 

[Benzadmiral]

If you google "submariner leather jacket" you will find a lot of different jackets

Noble Hous offers a nice Replica.
http://www.noble-house.eu/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/30

I own a Noble House A-2 and the quality is really good. Not the same level as my Aero Highwayman, but hey that one costs more than twice as much.

They have got some superb styles on there -- not only the U-Boat style, but German flight jackets. Good price, too.

 

[Lone_Ranger]

I don't know if there is any current interest in resurrecting this thread. It seems the last post was a while ago. I recently watched, The Bedford Incident, starring Sidney Poitier & Richard Widmark. It takes place on a US Navy destroyer, in the Denmark Straight during the Cold War. One of the characters is a West German Navy commodore, who was a famous U-boat commander. He wears the single-breasted variant over a black turtleneck in scenes where he is indoors. Scenes where he steps outside the bridge he wears the heavier 3/4 length double-breasted coat.

I also have a link to a company that makes German WWII jackets. Have never dealt with them, but they make the greatcoat, panzer wrap, U-boat, and Luftwaffe leather jackets. I can post it id there is still interest.

 

[Peacoat]

Yes, please post the link.

 

[Lone_Ranger]

They call themselves, Traders of the Lost Surplus. I haven't dealt with them. Love the greatcoat, but don't know where I would ever wear it.

http://old.totls.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43&Itemid=44

 

[Peacoat]

Thanks for the link. The U-Boat coat is pretty cool, but there is just a bit too much with that black leather greatcoat. The only place I can think of to wear it is in a movie.

 

[bn1966]

Yes, thanks for the link...made interesting viewing..looks like the Luftwaffe were so impressed with A-2s that they came up with something similar.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I'm guessing this is a post-war civvy jacket, but it's part of the genre.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a heartfelt blog post about the Wested u-boat/Doctor Who coat. It looks really good in black.

http://timeladyserenity.tumblr.com/post/52910394104/i-just-want-to-talk-about-my-leather-jacket-his

 

[zebedee]

Wested might do it in goat hide by request. If I order one from them (it'd be a Skyfall one if I did), I'd want it in that as it would be a bit lighter than an Aero and would be good for usual use. In the case of a U-boat style coat (if I could pull it off, which I can't) I wouldn't want it to be too hefty.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Wested might do it in goat hide by request. If I order one from them (it'd be a Skyfall one if I did), I'd want it in that as it would be a bit lighter than an Aero and would be good for usual use. In the case of a U-boat style coat (if I could pull it off, which I can't) I wouldn't want it to be too hefty.

I'm with you on this point. I've also been considering their 3/4 belted 007 jacket and I'd want it in a thinner leather, not their default heavy cow or steerhide.

 

[zebedee]

I tend to find that there's just 'excess' in a double-breasted leather coat (the one that I have is a very toned-down, slim coat [even then, I rarely wear it] with no belt). I much prefer the Stockman I have (and the nutter 70's one SB copied). Goat- and very careful sizing- would work, probably in a very dark brown/seal colour. Black is a bit too forbidding (although tea core might be ok), and I'd want it to be shortened.

 

[Stand By]

Eksually, the U-Boot crew has surrendered to the USCG, not the USN (the USCG often fails to get their hard-earned credit in WWII). It's very interesting to note the Guardsman at center is wearing a USN leather work jacket and pointing a sawed-off, double-barrel shotgun, while his fellow Guardsman at left holds the mega-rare .45 cal. Reising SMG and seems to be wearing the zip-front foul-weather jacket. Very interesting photo on many levels.

That's such a good photo! And good eye on the Reising SMG! I'd never heard of one until you called it out.
I've just learnt all about them here and found this very interesting:

 

[HPA Rep]

That's such a good photo! And good eye on the Reising SMG! I'd never heard of one until you called it out.
I've just learnt all about them here and found this very interesting:

Great video! Thanks for sharing, Stand By. Yes, rightly an ok weapon for guarding prisoners who likely won't escape; these can be seen as shipboard-Marine weapons off the coast of Normandie in 1944, but nothing you'd want to have to service in combat on Guadalcanal. I'm surprised there was no mention of clips falling out, something Marines complained frequently about; if I recall correctly, one of the members of the ill-fated Goettge patrol had the clip drop out of his Reising. And that was most definitely more like 800 rounds per minute and not the slow fire that was purported back in 1942.

Nice to see, though!