I'm working on a Volkssturm impression, but I'm having a rather difficult time locating pants that fit me! They are either HUGE in the waist, far too short in the leg, or made of a person the size of a telephone pole. Anybody out there have any civilian trousers, wool, preferably dark in color, in the range of a modern US waist size of 32 and a modern US inseam size of 30? Or know of anyplaces like that? Thanks in advance, Rip
PzGren has a good point, lots of guys over here kit themselves up as partisans etc from Oxfam (you would be amazed how '40s some of the stuff they sell is).
In theory Goodwill Stores would work, BUT, they never have the right stuff. At least the couple that are convenient for me to get to that is. Just there this weekend as a matter of fact. Out of all the trousers there only a four or five were wool. Of those, all had zipper flies (yes, I know they were around, but button flies were by far the most prominent) and none had the cuffed pant legs (again, yes, I know pants were not always cuffed, but the majority were). All the rest were that weird slick rayonish type fabric that first off I HATE, and it just isn't authentic. And while I know rayon WAS around, it wasn't necessarily used in men's trousers, which were usually cotton, wool, or courdaroy, and this stuff wasn't rayon. Whatever that modern stretchy,slick material Gym Teachers shorts are made out of. Rip
You mean Lycra? Just an idea but if you can find an old wool pair of ex-military trousers (they do still turn up from time to time) how about either using them as they are (Volkssturm wore more or less anything they could lay their hands on) or dye them black or dark blue.
By George, I think it is Lycra I was thinking of. Nasty stuff. Anyway, thanks to all for your ideas. I am now the proud owner of a pair of wool hiking knickers. Very cool, with button fly, and elastic cuffs. Hooray!! Wm.T.
