I am interested in modeling some Dragon SS figures as Wehrmacht, and I want to know what changes I will have to make to them.

Can somebody tell me if there are any significant differences between mid to late war Wehrmacht and SS camouflage uniforms OTHER THAN the colours and camouflage patterns? In particular:

(1) Any differences between Wehrmacht and SS camouflage smocks? The SS smock appears to have foliage loops on the upper arm that are absent on the Wehrmacht smock.

(2) Any differences between the Wehrmacht and SS camo helmet covers? The foliage loops appear to be in different places but I'm not certain of this.

(3) Did the SS use the same style shelter-quarter as the Wehrmacht?

I searched these forums but could not find the information I am seeking.

Thanks

Tom
Westerville, Ohio, USA

ever heard of google?

How do you think I got here? :-)

Seriously, I found several sites, but nothing clear and authoritative. As you can see in my OP, I know what the official uniforms appeared to have, but I know there are experts on this site who can tell me about exceptions, variations, etc. Also, what information I can find does not deal with smocks and helmet covers.

Hi Tom , Here is a link that might help:http://www.lostbattalions.com/german2idx.html.

This Paragraph is from Wikipedia:
In place of the black uniform, SS men wore uniforms of dove-grey or Army field-grey with distinctive insignia. The uniforms were made by hundreds of clothing factories licensed by the RZM, including, Hugo Boss, with some workers being prisoners of war forced into labor work;[8] many were made in concentration camps. The SS also developed its own field uniforms. Initially these were similar to standard Wehrmacht wool uniforms but they also included reversible smocks and helmet covers printed with camouflage patterns with a brown/green "spring" side and a brown/brown "autumn" side. In 1944 the Waffen SS began using a universal camouflage uniform intended to replace the wool field uniform.
I hope this helps......Vince

P.S. Hey Sapper nice post

Thanks. That is helpful.

I guess what I'm really trying to find out is it the cuts and stitching were the same for both services. Obviously the cloth and camo patterns differed.

The site you referred me to strongly suggests that features such as the camo loops on the SS smock and helmet covers were different, but that the overall garmets were very similar.

Also, the fact that clothing was acquired from so many sources means that there must have been some degree in variation present with all clothing, uniforms, and even equipment.

(I remember my mother-in-law telling about donating warm clothing to the soldiers in the East. I always wondered what poor landser got the wear her nightgown under his service uniform.)

One difference is that the ss smock had elastic cuffs and waist band, the army version used a draw string at the waist and buttons at the cuffs. Probably not a big deal in 35th scale though.

For camouflage pattern, this page may be more helpful. Make sure you read the German Pattern Guide at the top.

http://www.artizandesigns.com/painting-guides.php

Regards
Paul

Thanks all for the input.

I know I said I wasn't so concerned about camo patterns, but after reading Paul's post I have one question.

Did the Wehrmacht make use of Italian pattern camo? I know the SS did but I haven't found any reference to any Wehrmacht units using it.

The short answer regarding Italian pattern camo is a reserved "yes". However there had to be a direct source for the material which means that its use by the Wehrmacht is -pretty much limited to units serving (or having served) in Italy. There are exceptions but these are extremely rare. t
These garments are either individually acquired or perhaps produced at a small unit level by unit or civilian tailors

HTH,
Ron Volstad.

Thanks Mr. Volstad. That's what I suspected. Just couldn't confirm it.