During the harsh winters on the Eastern Front in World War II, particularly after the catastrophic first winter of 1941–1942 that caused massive German casualties from frostbite and exposure during operations like the Battle of Moscow, the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS issued specialized fur garments known as the Pelzmantel and Pelzjacke as critical supplements to standard wool uniforms and the later padded reversible Winteranzug (winter suit). The Pelzmantel, officially the M1942 sheepskin coat, was a single-breasted, knee-length or three-quarter-length heavy overcoat made from thick sheepskin with the smooth hide (leather) side facing outward for durability and the insulating fleece (wool) side facing inward for warmth; it typically featured a wide white cotton collar often incorporating a tuck-away hood, wooden toggles or buttons, leather loops, and was designed to be worn over the standard field-grey wool greatcoat or parka for extreme cold protection. These bulky but highly effective coats were issued to sentries, guards, truck drivers, bomber crews, and some frontline combat troops, though their weight and restricted mobility made them less ideal for active infantry maneuvers, leading many mobile units to prefer the lighter padded Winteranzug. Complementing the Pelzmantel was the Pelzjacke, a shorter fur-lined winter jacket or torso-warming vest (sometimes called a body-warmer or Felljacke) usually constructed from pieced-together rabbit fur, sheepskin remnants, or similar pelts sewn into a practical garment that provided excellent localized insulation to the upper body. Highly popular across all branches of the Wehrmacht and especially among Waffen-SS troops on the Eastern Front, the Pelzjacke could be worn as a standalone outer layer, under parkas or field jackets, or over sweaters and was valued for being lighter and more versatile than the full-length Pelzmantel while still offering superior protection against sub-zero temperatures. Both items were introduced more systematically in 1942 to address material shortages and the failure of earlier winter preparations; they were often produced from domestic or captured Soviet furs, featured simple construction suited to mass production, and represented a pragmatic German adaptation to the brutal Russian climate, though distribution remained uneven due to wartime constraints. Today, surviving original examples in museums and collections, such as the Imperial War Museum’s M1942 Pelzmantel, underscore how these fur garments helped sustain German fighting capability in one of history’s most grueling winter campaigns despite their limitations in active combat.
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KRIEGSMARINE
Fregattenkapitän Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (1911-1986) began his naval career in 1931 and transferred to the U-boat arm in 1939, later commanding the Type VIIC submarine U-96 as Kapitänleutnant from September 1940 until March 1942 while attached to the 7. U-Flottille and conducting eight war patrols in the Battle of the Atlantic that resulted in the sinking of twenty-four ships totaling 170,237 gross register tons along with two ships damaged for 15,864 gross register tons and one ship declared a total loss. For his achievements during the first three of these patrols, in which U-96 under his command sank fourteen ships of 115,580 gross register tons and damaged two others of 15,864 gross register tons including the prominent sinking of the British troopship Almeda Star of 14,935 gross register tons on 17 January 1941, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 26 February 1941 as Kommandant of U-96 in recognition of his rapid destruction of more than 125,000 gross register tons of enemy shipping in a short period. For further successes achieved over the course of another five war patrols in which he sank an additional ten ships totaling 58,746 gross register tons, he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 while still serving as Kommandant of U-96, after which he went on to command the 9. U-Flottille in Brest and briefly U-256 before becoming Flottillenchef of the 11. U-Flottille until the end of the war.
Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2011/03/album-foto-jaket-bulu-nazi-jerman.html
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