Shirts in the imperial german Army 1910-1919

This blog post will focus on shirts as they were used during the First World War. Of course, the civilian shirts will also be presented. To do this, we will first look at the historical background, focussing on the sources. We will then look at how the shirts were made and distributed to the soldiers. The difference between officers’ and enlisted men’s shirts plays a major role here, as does the function of the gifts of love. Finally, we’ll take a look at the details and differences between civilian and military shirts before concluding.

 

 

Origin of the shirts

In principle, equipment was provided by the army, including underwear if you were an ordinary soldier or enlisted man. Volunteer enlisted men and officers had to equip themselves privately, but were allowed (and able) to afford additional equipment that was not included in the clothing regulations. Nevertheless, they had access to the items provided by the commissariat, which became important later in the war. For these ranks in particular, there was a wider range of clothing than for ordinary soldiers.

 

Officer Shirts

The main sources are diary entries and letters home. There are also newspaper reports and extracts. The focus here is clearly on cavalrymen, in particular Eberhard Frhr. von Senden, a guard dragoon and lieutenant at the outbreak of the war. He was in action from the beginning of the war. Another important source are the letters of Frhr.Albrecht Knigge, who volunteered for the Prussian army in June 1916 at the age of 17 ½ and joined the (Magdeburg) Hussars No. 10 as an ensign.

As early as 30 August 1914, Senden wrote in his diary: “Everyone bought three more ‘war shirts’ in a green colour to make us believe that we were still wearing clean clothes days later.” (Senden, Weltkrieg, p. 61)

What is interesting about this entry is the mention of the colour, as the underwear was usually white. He bought the shirts shortly before he and his regiment were shipped from the Western Front to the Eastern Front.

Knigge, on the other hand, lists a total of 68 different items in a letter to his mother, who transferred this list to her diary on 20 January 1917. This list includes both clothing and equipment, as the following extract illustrates:

 

“Packing list for the marching luggage

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 5 silk shirts
                                    2. 4 pairs of pants
                                    3. 6 pairs of woollen stockings
                                    4. 1 head protector, 1 pair of wrist warmers
                                    5. 1 leather waistcoat
                                    6. 1 pair of leather pants”

 

(Reichenbach, Weltkrieg, p. 87) Interestingly, Knigge later realised how useless many of his items of equipment were and particularly emphasised the leather pants (see also note 46).

Two months earlier, in a letter dated 13 November 1916, he explained why he had opted for more expensive silk shirts:

 

“(6) Shirts. Many officers have advised me to use only silk ones, as they have many advantages. They keep the lice away. They can be washed in any trench and can be worn unflattened [=unironed] and dry very quickly. Another great advantage is that they take up very little space when packed.” (Reichenbach, Weltkrieg, p. 72).

 

He was able to obtain the silk shirts from an acquaintance, which meant that Knigge was not only able to obtain them more cheaply, but also without a ration card. Although the list consisted of 68 different items, Knigge wrote in a letter on 15 January 1917: “I will take as little as possible with me, as I tell myself that the crews have almost nothing with them except what they have on their bodies. Nevertheless, they live and feel happy.” (Reichenbach, Weltkrieg, p. 83)

It is doubtful whether the enlisted men actually felt so happy, but we will not go into this any further at this point. According to this, the men were dependent on the commissary shirts. But there were also other sources of shirts. The (enlisted) men were supported considerably by the gifts of love.

 

Shirts in the gifts of love

Even though most ordinary soldiers could only afford private purchases to a limited extent or not at all, many everyday necessities were distributed to the masses through targeted campaigns such as “love offerings”. The phenomenon of gifts of love can already be found in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 [Beiträge zur Geschichte von Meinerzhagen Festschrift zum 40jährigen Bestehen des Wehrvereins Meinerzhagen 1873 – 1913 Am Friedensfeste zu Meinerzhagen den 8. August 1871, S. 66] and was taken up again during the First World War, especially at the beginning of the war.

These charity campaigns were mainly organised by cities, organisations such as the Red Cross and private associations at both local and national level. The goods themselves were provided by companies and private households. This meant that shirts from home production found their way to the front.

In an article from the “Wiesentbote” of 6 November 1914, various gifts of love were listed, including “6 unbleached and 1 pair of coloured woollen pants,  2 coloured shirts.” Another example is a Cologne list from 1915. This shows the wide range of goods, including 1000 shirts (!) which were sent to the front by the city of Cologne at Christmas 1915. In May 1917, a Berlin newspaper announced that at the beginning of the war “greater emphasis was placed on woollen underclothing as well as food and luxury goods”. Although no precise figures are given here regarding clothing, it does provide information about the material.

 

 

 

These descriptions of gifts of love can be found en masse in all kinds of newspapers. This leads to the conclusion that these gifts, including shirts, were produced in large quantities by home labour. The fact that there are an overwhelming number of reports on the gifts of love in all kinds of newspapers is due to the fact that they “played a central ideological role in the Red Cross’ war propaganda” and “massively influenced the sense of duty on the ‘home front'”, as Larena Schäfer correctly noted. There were also written gifts of love, which will not be discussed in detail here. “This reciprocal, propagandistic relationship and the concrete practice of giving gifts of love during the war [were] the central aspects” of Red Cross propaganda.

 

 

Books such as “The Book of Laundry” could be found in many households and this one source alone shows many different patterns for everyday shirts. The collars and the button plackets on the chest are particularly striking. The shirts for everyday use no longer differed too much from those issued as standard to the troops by the clothing offices.

 

Comparison of civilian and military shirts

Now that we know that shirts came from all sorts of different sources, let’s take a look at how they appeared. To do this, we’ll look at a reproduction that I made myself and an original that dates from around 1900. We will compare these shirts with the sources. My reproduction attempt is based on the clothing order, but we compare it in particular with those described in the “Book of Laundry”. We also compare it with the original shirt.

 

 

This civilian shirt corresponds to the standard of the time. The button placket with these pleats was a simple design element, while the rest of the shirt is kept simple. We have buttonholes on the collar so that different stiff collar styles can be buttoned onto the shirt, making it suitable for different types of suit. The pleats in this shirt are almost non-existent and would hinder the wearer in the event of excessive movement.

In comparison, the military issued shirt has a simpler pattern and no specific design elements at all. There are no buttonholes for additional collars and the button placket is plain and simple as we can see. On the lower front and back we find additional pleats for the movement of the upper body and a better wearing comfort. These pleats and the width of the shirt can also be found in the patterns for the simple shirts. Allowing freedom of movement was incredibly important for soldiers in order to survive in battle. Likewise for labourers, who could not be hindered in their often physically demanding work.

Conclusion

Although the German army was well organised and had a high degree of standardisation, there was a variety of undergarments that depended on the individual’s income or the provision of others.

The gap between enlisted men and officers was particularly wide, as Knigge’s comments show. Officers could afford silk shirts, while enlisted men had to use shirts made primarily of cotton, possibly wool, linen, flannel, nettle or whatever was available. The Book of Linen also mentions regional differences, which were particularly evident in the gifts of love.

Overall, it is important for the shirt to allow plenty of freedom of movement. Cleaning and keeping the shirts clean was also a major issue. This is because keeping the shirt clean was at least as important as freedom of movement in combat (especially in the trenches). Freedom of movement is not specifically mentioned in the sources, but keeping clean and tidy is. Baron von Senden used cleanliness as a reason for choosing green shirts, just as Baron Knigge justified his choice of silk shirts with cleanliness. Furthermore, many officers seem to have given Knigge this advice, which speaks in favour of its widespread use within the officer corps. The common soldiers, on the other hand, did not have this choice for the most part, but had to rely on whatever was available at the time.

 

Sources:

Printed Sources:

Heinrich Graf von Reichenbach (Ed.): Als Husar im I. Weltkrieg. Briefe, Tagebuchauszüge und Fotographien des Freihern Albrecht von Knigge, Berlin 2014.

Friedrich Frhr. von Senden (Ed.)/Eberhard Frhr. von Senden: Der Erste Weltkrieg 1914-1918 Erlebnisse eines Jungen Leutnants. Ostfront – Patrouillen an der Spitze im Bewegungskrieg. Westfront – Kämpfen, Durchhalten, Überleben im Stellungskrieg, Norderstedt 2020, 2. Aufl.

Petra Hesse/Mario Kramp/Ulrich S. Soénius (Ed.): Köln 1914. Metropole im Westen, Köln 2014.

Brigitta Hochfeldern/Marie Niedner (Ed.): Das Buch der Wäsche. Ein Leitfaden zur zeit- und sachgemäßen Herstellung von Haus-, Bett- und Leibwäsche, sowie zu deren gründlicher Behandlung und Pflege unter Beigabe der erforderlichen naturgroßen Schnitte, Reprint Hannover 1988.

Jürgen Kraus: Die Feldgraue Uniformierng des deutschen Heeres 1907-1918, Band 1, Wien o.J.

 

Digital Sources:

-https://sammlungen.ulb.uni-muenster.de/hd/content/pageview/247256

-https://koeln1914-blog.tumblr.com/

-https://www.digital.wienbibliothek.at/wk/periodical/pageview/676484

-https://www.infranken.de/lk/forchheim/1-weltkrieg-unterhosen-fuer-die-lieben-an-der-front-art-622350

-https://www.sprechende-akten.uni-bremen.de/perspektiven-2-liebesgaben-fur-den-schutzengraben-1914-1918/