Question regarding Leutnant uniforms

[Creaghorn 10]

just finished the book "mein lieber hans". it's not a book per se but a compilation of letters the mother of Hans Hinsch had sent to him while he served in WW1 (first as an engineer, then twoseater pilot and then as a scoutpilot in jasta 11 under MvR. he fell in mid 1917 with 3 confirmed victories).

very interesting facts, because it reveals not a certain view of an author but simply the intim written conversations between a mother and his son who is in war. so no false glorifying or romance aviation blah but very personal views and facts about the situation at home and the normal life and friends and family. how in the beginning the parents sent stuff like marmelade and chocolate and socks etc. to him, and later in the war he had to send food and cloths etc. to his family because they were starving at home.

one thing the letters also reveal is how a big superstar MvR was in the minds of the public at home. hans's family was so proud their son was allowed to join the great richthofen etc.

 

but what makes me wonder is that at one point hans gets promoted to leutnant. his mother writes him that there is a leutnants sabre in a certain shop, badges and uniform pants in this shop etc. so did they really had to buy the stuff to get recognized as leutnant by themselves? did they really only get the official paper to be a leutnant, but everything else was the leutnants own business?

[Hasse Wind 46]

That was certainly common practice in many armies and navies (maybe all of them, I don't know) in the 19th century and before. Maybe it was done during WW1 too. Or maybe he wanted get a better, tailor-made uniform for himself instead of the ordinary army issue uniform?

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Officers in the British and French services were required to purchase their own uniforms and accessories. In fact, in the French air service, pilot cadets also had to purchase their own uniforms, which is why benefactors such as the Vanderbilts played such a large part in the lives of the American volunteers as they supplied them the money for uniforms and other needed items, as well as an allowance while the cadets were in training.

 

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[Rickitycrate 10]

In my varied readings of Royal Navy Officers during the Age Of Sail and the Napoleanic wars the acquisition of uniforms and such was left up to the individual and his pursestrings. There being better shops from which to acquire your threads. The common sailors also paid for thier clothes out of the meager earnings. The reason many of them wore similar clothes was not due to a uniform as such but that the ships purser bought bolts of fabric and the clothes were made onboard.

[Hasse Wind 46]

Not only uniforms were purchased, but also officer ranks. This didn't happen anymore during the Great War, but it was also a common practice in many armies and navies well into the 19th century to purchase a commission. So if somebody had plenty of money and he wanted to have a career in the military, it was possible to become an officer through a simple purchase.

[Creaghorn 10]

thank you guys. didn't know that. interesting stuff

[Olham 164]

Yes, I have once had a German officer's cap from WW1 in my hands,

and in the cap was a stitched emblem saying the name and address of the tailor shop.

Funny, it was in Berlin-Lichterfelde, Gardeschützenweg - the street my Berlin grandparents

lived in. The Kaiser's barracks were just down the road, and he may have earned his livelihood

with tailoring uniforms.

A pity I was not so deeply interested in WW1 stuff then - I should have bought it.