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Any ideas on the age etc. of this Luftwaffe style leather jacket

robrinay

One Too Many
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1,489
Location
Sheffield UK
http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/robrinay/library/Luftwaffe style leather

I took delivery of this latest eBay find yesterday. It's Luftwaffe in style has original brass with black tape pocket zips stamped 'RES', a replacement (brown tape YKK) main zip and a variety of makes of press studs. The heavy duty, brass pocket zips are stamped 'RES' (not Ries or Ritsch) and one of the press studs is stamped 'C S' -all of the others just have symbols. The body lining is black moleskin and the sleeves a thick grey rayon? The hand warmer pockets are lined with light brown chamois leather. Any ideas chaps? For what it's worth, based on the slim evidence of a shopping list in German on a torn out page from a diary stamped Sonntag, I think it might be East German in origin and perhaps from the 1950's? = perhaps the RES is a lookalike copy of Ritsch or Ries?

I've found a couple of bits of information about the snaps/press studs found on this jacket - apparently these 'caged' type are older than the more usual domed type and the CS type with two stars and a Maltese cross stamp have been found on a 'Luft gauntlet' owned by a member of the war relics forum. Perhaps it's older than the 1950's or is that just wishful thinking?
 

Fastuni

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,277
Location
Germany
It´s a 50-60s motorcyclist jacket. The very spread collar is also typical of the era.
Nothing unusual about the snap buttons... old stocks of such parts were used for many decades.
Never seen RES zippers, but the brass zippers and design look 50s.

What makes you think East German? It would have almost certainly a VEB (people-owned factory) label (are there traces of labels?) if from East Germany.

Could you post a photo of the shopping list? Curious.
 

robrinay

One Too Many
Messages
1,489
Location
Sheffield UK
Thank you

Thanks for the info - I think I've thrown away the scrap of paper but if I find it I'll post a pic . I thought it might be East German owing to the unknown zipper make and the mix of popper types - all identical but with different markings - old stock from a specification that they be made interchangeable - Communist or Military? There aren't any labels. The sleeve lining has been hand stitched to the body lining in the shoulder area like on a tailored suit jacket..
Rob
 
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Fastuni

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,277
Location
Germany
It certainly was not made in one of the East German factories, but by a smaller scale workshop (lack of label, mixed snaps and hand-stitching). There were only few of these kind in East Germany - therefore likely West German. If someone knows more about RES zippers, we might find a definite answer.
 

hpalapdog

One of the Regulars
Messages
295
Location
uk
I think it's Austrian possibly made in Wien. Similar jackets with tags crop up from time to time with the address of a men's outfitter. Possibly mid-50s.

Some late war leather Luftwaffe official issue was also made in Wien

 
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Fastuni

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,277
Location
Germany
Thanks.

Translation:

5 Breakfast
5 Oil
45 Gasoline
35 Gasoline
13 Oil / last day

103

It looks like a calculation for a motorcycle trip.
 
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Novos

One of the Regulars
Messages
192
Location
Canada
Weird I saw those zippers and thought "RIES" not RES, although they do have a similarity in shape. It looks 60s to me but I'm not an expert.
 

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