Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 388:
Description
WWII German Luftwaffe K So/34 Sommerfliegerkombi, Second-Pattern Summer Flight Suit with LUCO 7 Zippers and Emergency-Release Chest Opening Offered here is an original World War II Luftwaffe K So/34 one-piece summer flying suit, the second-pattern variant readily identified by its diagonal quick-release chest opening and vertical fly. This lightweight, unlined coverall was standard-issue outerwear for German aircrew flying in warm-weather conditions; no individual recipient or unit provenance accompanies this example, but the garment is fully identifiable by pattern, construction, and hardware consistent with wartime Luftwaffe procurement. Introduced in the mid-1930s as the Fliegerschutzanzug fuer Sommer (Kombination) K So/34, this suit was designed to be worn over the standard service uniform, providing a protective, easily donned layer for bomber, reconnaissance, and transport crews throughout the war – branches of the Luftwaffe that, unlike single-seat fighter units transitioning to two-piece suits by 1940-41, continued relying on the one-piece pattern well into the later war years. The defining feature of the second pattern is its emergency egress system: a diagonal lacing cord, secured beneath a leather-tabbed flap running across the chest and anchored by a small chain-link assembly, allowing a wounded or downed airman to tear the suit open rapidly in the event of a water landing or crash without fumbling for a zipper pull. This safety refinement reflects the Luftwaffe’s ongoing attention to aircrew survival equipment as operational losses mounted on multiple fronts. The suit is constructed of the characteristic mottled, salt-and-pepper cotton canvas, cut as a one-piece coverall with a broad fold-down collar and articulated shoulders. Zippers throughout – the diagonal front torso closure, both thigh vents, the lower leg openings, and the cuffs – are stamped LUCO 7 on their pulls, each fitted with brown leather tabs; the vertical fly closes with its own separate zipper. The diagonal chest opening retains its leather storm flap, twin snap closures, and the internal chain-link emergency-release cord beneath it. A leather collar tab with dual snaps secures the throat closure, and Prym-style snap fasteners appear at the collar and cuffs, several showing light verdigris consistent with age. A neatly executed stitched darn is visible on the lower body fabric, evidence of a period or early collector repair rather than a manufacturing feature. Condition is good for a wartime working garment: the canvas shows honest creasing, light overall fading, and scattered spot soiling consistent with field use and storage, while the metal hardware retains sound mechanical function with only localized surface patina. The leather collar tab and chest flap remain supple and intact, and the zippers examined move along their tracks without obstruction. A solid, characterful example of the increasingly scarce K So/34 second pattern, its LUCO-marked hardware and intact emergency-release mechanism offering collectors a tangible piece of Luftwaffe aircrew survival engineering.
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