Uniforms and insignia of the Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe was the air force of Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II . Luftwaffe styles of uniform and rank insignia had many unique features between 1935 - 1945 . By Hitler ' s decision on February 26 , 1935 , the Luftwaffe was to be officially the third branch of the Wehrmacht as of March 1 , 1935 . The new Luftwaffe was faced with the problem of uniforms , as they wanted a uniform distinct from those of the other two branches of the Wehrmacht ( Heer and Kriegsmarine ) and also wanted a clear differentiation in dress of military and civilian flyers . The basic uniform consisted of a blue - grey single - breasted , open - collared jacket with four pockets and flaps , white shirt and black necktie , blue - grey trousers , black leather boots and a blue - grey peaked cap , side cap or Model 1935 Stahlhelm . Ranks were indicated by collar patches , along with Army - style shoulder boards . While on field service the jacket would often be worn ' collared up ' , Army - style , without shirt and tie . The flying suit typically consisted of a beige jumpsuit , leather flying helmet and thick fur - lined boots . Black leather jackets were also worn by fighter pilots . A popular item of clothing was the " fliegerbluse " , a blue - grey , single - breasted jacket without external buttons , intended to be worn in the confined space of an aircraft . As Reichsmarschall , Hermann Göring had specialized uniforms and insignia . The collar patches featured crossed batons ; the shoulder boards was similar to that of a Field Marshal , but with a Reichsadler clutching the batons . The Luftwaffe eagle insignia was different from the rest of the Wehrmacht : its wings curved upward and the swastika did not have a circle around it . Though the Luftwaffe had variety of field divisions besides Flak units , it was the Hermann Göring Panzer Regiment - later Division - that was most unique as the premier tank unit of the Luftwaffe . In late 1938 with the creation of the Panzer - Späh - Zug ( armored car unit ) , the personnel of this company of the General Göring Regiment have taken the design of the Army styled black panzer uniform , but with Luftwaffe insignia , shoulder boards and collar patches . A number of various uniforms evolved in cut and design which were designated to cover any occasion Luftwaffe personnel would encounter . Among these were : Luftwaffe Head Gears . Paratrooper Helmet . The Luftwaffe introduced the Fallschirmjäger ( Airborne and Glider borne troops ) helmet in 1936 . With its lighter weight and lack of helmet crimping , the Fallschirmjäger helmet was similar to the Model 1935 Stahlhelm but without a helmet edge . There was also more filling in the internal of the helmet to protect the head during airborne operations . The visor and ear guards were removed to enable the headgear to be more compact and thus avoiding much of the protrusive parts in air maneuvering . The necessity of a different strap assembly was provided to prevent the loss of the helmet in the air and also giving more safety to the chin and neck regions from jolts and pressures . The second Fallschirmjager Division that saw service in North Africa , used the standard paratrooper helmet with Luftwaffe decal insignia . All were painted an Africa Korps tan , by the parachute riggers and personal equipment men of each Regt . They brushed on two or three coats of standard paint that was used on trucks . In doing this they covered up the flying eagle insignia . The paint jobs ran from excellent to poor , depending on how rushed they were and the craft ability of the artist . Flying Helmets . The LKp S - 101 Luftwaffe Flying Helmet Made by Siemens for the Luftwaffe . The 101 model is similar to the leather 100 model and was improved with brownish - grey flecked material lined with grey - green satin . Oval fleece cushions are fitted inside the helmet , over the ears , with plastic inserts tucked inside . Goggle straps and chinstraps are made of leather . The hard rubber ear cups are covered with dark brown leather and feature the ridge for goggle retention . Caps . Luftwaffe side cap ( Fliegermutze ) is made in blue - grey wool and comes with silver cord piping on top of the turn - up for officers . The Luftwaffe side cap or Feldmutze comes with smaller version of Luftwaffe eagle and national cockade . while The Luftwaffe field cap ( Einheitsfliegermutze ) comes in blue - grey fabric with silver piping on the crown for officers without insignia . The Luftwaffe peak cap is made in dark blue - grey fabric with a black ribbed band and a black patent leather peak . The Luftwaffe Peak cap crown and band edge are piped in silver with double silver cap - cords , it comes with silver bullion embroidered Luftwaffe eagle supported by two stylized wings with cockade in the center . Officers uniform . Officers uniforms had an embroidered Luftwaffe eagle over the wearers right breast pocket . Headgear saw further use of the aluminium coiled wire in the embroidered cockades , oak leaves , wings , chin cords and a smaller Luftwaffe eagle together with aluminium effect piping . Collars were edged in twisted aluminium cording and the four patch pocket tunics had aluminium pebbled buttons . Service dress uniform . The Luftwaffe uniform Fliegerbluse is made in blue - grey wool and is hip length . The Luftwaffe uniform Fliegerblue is made by us in three models . All three models of Luftwaffe Fliegerbluse are fly - fronted with no visible buttons . The German Luftwaffe Tuchrock tunic has a falling collar with deep lapels and 5 buttons . The Luftwaffe uniform Tuchrock has four pleated pockets with square flaps . Luftwaffe uniform Waffenrock tunic is made in blue grey wool and closely matches the design of the Wehrmacht M 1935 tunic in construction . The Waffenrock tunic has 4 pleated pockets with pointed flaps and the lower two pockets on the skirt are pouch pockets . The officers ' Luftwaffe uniform Waffenrock tunic has deep turn - back cuffs coming to the mid - forearm and a 5 button front . Luftwaffe Jackets . The Luftwaffe Leather Pilots Jacket were Made in black or dark brown very thin split cowhide . The jacket is waist length with zip front . It has two zip chest pockets and two pockets under the ribs with pointed flap closure . The jacket features and standard tailored collar . Luftwaffe produced Greatcoat which Made in heavy blue - grey wool fabric . It is a double - breasted , has two rows of six metal buttons and reaches the mid - calf . There is a cloth half belt with two buttons in the rear of the waist , and a central rear vent hidden in an inverted pleat which reaches from the hem to the waist . It has two slanted slash pockets just below the wait with rounded flaps . The Black Panzer Jacket . The Luftwaffe style black panzer jacket was identical in style to that of the Army and was drawn from Army stocks . It was manufactured with black wool and was double - breasted , short waisted and with a large collar with pointed lapels . The wrap of the double - breasted front was nearly all the way across and then angled back down to the waist . The insignia consisted of the Luftwaffe national emblem , first on the blue - gray wool backing and later in a matching black backing . These were machine - woven or embroidered in white thread . Luftwaffe officer ' s sword and Dagger . Edged Weapons . Luftwaffe Edged Weapons included 1st and 2nd Model daggers , Paratrooper Gravity knives , swords and bayonets . The Luftwaffe Officers 2nd Pattern dagger made by Eickhorn , Solingen . The second Model of Luftwaffe dagger was adopted for wear by officers and certain high - ranking NCO ’ s in 1937 . Gravity Knife " Fallschirmjäger - Messer " . Paratrooper Gravity Knife , is a knife with a blade contained in its handle made by Paul Weysersberg , Solingen , and which opens its blade by the force of inertia or gravity . The main purpose of this opening method is that it allows opening and closing to be done one handed , in situations where the other hand is occupied . A major historical use has been in issue to parachutists to cut off their parachutes when tangled in a tree or similar . The gravity knife uses a button , trigger , or fulcrum lever to release the blade from both the open and the closed positions , and may use a side - folding or telescoping . While most military gravity knives utilize a locking blade design , other types may not mechanically lock open but rely instead upon friction to wedge the rear section of the blade against the interior of the handle . Factory - made gravity knives have various types of buttons , triggers , and fulcrum levers , which usually are used to release the blade from both the open and the closed positions . Luftwaffe Pilot Wristwatches . The use of wristwatches by Luftwaffe pilots became very widespread as accurate timings were required to assist them in their mission . The quality that went into the production of these manufactured timepieces , A . Lange & Söhne , Wempe , Stowa , IWC , Hanhart , Tutima and Laco . Hanhart Chronograph which was a One - Button watch made by Swiss - German manufacturer , Hanhart . The one - button version was a simplified design that first appeared in 1942 and was the version worn by the Luftwaffe ' s aces like Major Erich Hartmann . The watch is a 17 - jewel mechanical movement and only 2500 units were produced . A Tutima Flieger Chronograph watch , which was a high quality chronograph wrist watch that was developed in 1939 . However it was not until 1941 that the watch was available for sale either individually to pilots or to the German Air Ministry , and then supplied to the German Luftwaffe . Lange and Sohne Luftwaffe Observers Watch was used in the aircraft which required a highly reliable and easily readable timepiece , from approximately 1941 a standardised design was manufactured . These watches were very large even by the standard of today . A large Navigation mechanical watch Laco Aviator for German Pilots was used in military Luftwaffe Pilots . The hours markers and watch hands are fluorescent ( luminous in dark ) . The Reichs Air Ministry recognized the need for an efficient observer watch " Beobachtungsuhr " to be used by the aircraft navigator , assisting crews of long range bombing missions . Observer Watches were also worn by the Pilots who needed wrist watches that could be accurately and instantly read when both hands were used to pilot the aircraft . This design was given the Reichsluftfahrtministerium classification number FL 23883 . This number appeared on all Luftwaffe Watches of this design . Laco also produced a compass which would have been worn by the pilot on his other arm . The Fallschirmjäger ( 1935 – 1945 ) . The Luftwaffe produced a camouflage jacket as a consequence of the heavy casualties inflicted on German armed forces in Russia . As the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjaeger jump smock was too overpriced to produce in the quantities required , a simplified camouflage over - jacket was put into production and became the signature of the Luftwaffe infantry . When made , the only insignia printed to the jacket was the standard Luftwaffe eagle and swastika emblem , on the other hand , rank insignia , in the form of conventional epaulettes , was added and even some metal combat awards and cuff titles are known to have been worn . Luftwaffe Field Divisions were deployed in the East , Italy and the Western Front . It ' s a three - quarter length lightweight single - breasted camouflage jacket with stand and fall collar and two flapped lower pockets . Luftwaffe Medical Corps . The Medical Branch of the Luftwaffe was one of the original career fields present when the Luftwaffe came out into the open on March 1935 . The standard waffenfarbe for the Luftwaffe Medical branch was cornflower blue . When attached to the Hermann Goering Division and the Luftwaffe Field Division , the solid blue collar tabs and shoulder boards were to be retained . Luftwaffe uniforms in Afrika korps . The cuff title was introduced on March 6 , 1942 and was carried by units or formations the Luftwaffe that were stationed in Africa . It was carried 16 cm above the end of the right sleeve . Knochensack . Knochensack ( " bonesack " ) was the nickname for German parachute jump smocks designed to wear over a paratrooper ' s equipment made for the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger during World War II . They were made in a variety of camouflage patterns and made from tough cotton material . There were several models in use in 1936 , when the German paratroops were still part of the German army . The first pattern used by the German air force ( in 1938 ) was manufactured in a plain green pattern . The cotton fabric used was a mix of green fibres with a few orange fibres intermixed . It had a front zipper opening but did not open fully , and had to be stepped into much like overalls . The use of zippers in ( military ) dress was still something of a novelty . The earlier models had no pockets . Over time first one , two , and then four pockets were added , with some having a flare pistol holster at the rear . By 1943 / 1944 the Knochensack was modified to include a fully opening front and no longer had to be stepped into . After ca 1942 the fabric used was camouflaged . The German Knochensack formed the basis for the British paratroop jacket that was developed into the Denison smock and the jump smock used by the USMC Parachute Battalion s in the Pacific Theater .