WWII German sizes

[Paden]

Hi everybody,

I hope, somebody can help me!
I am searching for the size range of german flight jackets in WWII.
Are they simlar to the US sizes or did they us other sizes?

Today US 42 is EU 48.

Best regards,

Ingo

 

[John Lever]

Hi Ingo, I buy jackets from Germany all the time. I would say US/UK 42 is approximately size 52 European, and 44/46 is 54 European.
This might help -
http://goeurope.about.com/cs/shopping/l/bl_clothes_size.htm

John

 

[Paden]

Hi John,

is 52 a vintage size or a modern size?

 

[John Lever]

Hi John,

is 52 a vintage size or a modern size?

Ah ! don't know the answer to that. In fact how do the two sizes relate ?
For example, a size 36 [ inches]US is not a size 92 [cm] in European size.
What do the numbers actually refer to?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Clearly 52 is both a modern and vintage size. Just a size after all.

This is something i've always wondered about Euro gear (German leather being an exemplar). I happen to be a 34 UK/US. This equates to a vintage German 44. Weird. (34 * 2.54) / 2 is just over 43. Maybe this is it? The euro size is half the centimetre measurement? It kinda works out. (42 * 2.54)/ 2 = ~53 . . . all approximate, of course, but it's pretty close.

bk

 

[John Lever]

The rule of thumb I use is the German size is 10 more than US/UK.
54 is 44 and so on.

 

[Clark Savage Jr]

All WW2 German sizing for uniforms that I have seen, was in centimeters for the chest sizing.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The rule of thumb I use is the German size is 10 more than US/UK.
54 is 44 and so on.

That's right. But what does 52, let's say, refer to in the German/Eurozone vintage system? It's not the number of inches in cm, it's not the size in inches. My scheme kinda works, (marked size = half the size in cm) but i don't suggest it's perfect. And then the question remains why on earth the sizing system would be set up in such a way.

bk

 

[Sonero]

I have been eyeing a jacket made in Germany but the sizing is confusing.

Size is listed as XXL with a 65cm chest size...Hmmm ? 65cm comes out to 25 inches USA. That doesn't make sense at all.

I am a 50 inch chest USA or 131cm's. A 3XL in Australian clothing.

Does anyone know what size I am in German clothing ? The seller ( who sells to an international customer base) was not able to tell me...and I HATE when people assume you know how to use a a tape measure and lay things flat on the table. It drives me...NUTZ.

Thanks