For Sale: 1945 Tanker Oversuit

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Dusan

Maybe easier to deal thought you for language.

Ask for regular ( not express) shipping to Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

Might be able to combine shipments for Eric and others....

Size to fit 6 foot 2 inches....waist 42....Chest 46 inches ...leg inseam 35...arm 35.... is any allowance made for shinkage during washing...?

The picture shown seems to be very similar to original British tanker coveralls including the internal suspenders system.


Thanks

Bob C

[Bob Carriere]

Good information on British tank suits.

http://www.militarymodelling.com/new...ed-force/3699#

and more reading here

http://www.militarymodelling.com/new...ed-force/3699#

[Jim Burrill]

After I had my run of the Denim AFV Crew suits from India with dyed cotton twill, not real denim. ( real stuff has the threads in the warp in white and the weft in color. Thats why you see a dark blue side to jeans and a whitish side on the reverse.

Adler made up two piece denims and the AFV crewsuit. Then he sold through a UK dealer even though you could reach adler (and see his prices) on his website. Funny, even with the exchange rates figured in ,the "retail price from the UK dealer was over 120% markup!

Still... I bought one and was quite pleased with the quality. I showed the other lads in 15 Recce and one fellow managed to get an order in before the stock of denim dried up. Attempts to determine if any more would ever be made have been unsuccessful.

I would be all for placing a order with this new source!

Next question though, is would they develop a pattern and make repro tan Pixie suits? I would really like one that was loose enough to go over full winter kit ( undies, wool shirt, jersey, BD) I can fit my 5'11"/37" waist body in my Size 6 with all but the BD jacket and still move around int he Humber. I wowuld love something that was actually loose!

[Robert Bergeron]

Ed, Pete,

My apologies if i was perceived as diminishing the quality of the immense leadership and brillant tactical sense of a most revered and respected British General of WW2 .

But, General Simmonds for example would never ever have worn a Dennison, or other accoutrement. Different style.

I only meant that he ( General Montgomery ) was most extravagant in choice of dress almost to the point of being tought of wearing costumes .

I am sorry if i offended you and any member of this most august forum.

Here you are , a Wing Commander shot down in flames .

Your bowing , humble servant .



Robert

[Bob Carriere]

with an email to Solomonadler in Ck but the message bounced as undeliverable...no such address.

Dusan is our best bet so far.

So far from what I have read I would be quite happy with the earlier 1942 tank oversuit unlined ..... tan would be ideal but green will fade after many washes.



Bob C

[Jim Burrill]

i went to the website and from the picture, it looks like the same fabric as what Adler used for the one I bought from him.
Fabric is good, although it is not the same shade of green all the wartime denimn I have is. Think of the post war denim coverallls all seemed to be that lime green colour. The original wartime dated AFV Cewsuit that I sent to India as a pattern was the same lime green.

I am excited that he has them in stock, and at a good price.

My questions would be postage cost to the USA and the measurements for his sizes. The crotch to neck measurement is more critical than a waist size!

[Dusonn]

OK guys,
talked to Daniel today. He said he has only small sizes left (4, 5 ) the larger are sold. He s done a batch about 7 years ago which is running out. He said he sold some denim fibre to Adler (not his actual name just nick) to make some ATS overall so not sure what he used for his stuff but they might have been Daniels ones. Anyway Daniel sold out all the larger sizes, most of them went to the UK and some to Poland (probably for redistribution). He used the UKs sizing chart. He is going to make new stock, if there is enough interest. If twenty overalls are ordered then he would make them priority and get them ready in about a month or so. He is able to answer emails if written in plain English. He accepts Paypal. Also he is happy to post a sample piece of denim to anyone of you to check the tan and quality. I asked him to take some detail pictures which I will post here next week and also some measurements of his sizing. He will also look into postage costs both to the USA and Canada.

Also there might be a price increase for the new stock of about 15CND as I wrote the old stock was made 7 years ago the the prices of everything went up a little bit..

[Jim Burrill]

Dunson, Thank you for talking with your friend. I would order a crewsuit myself, and when we confirm the price and postage costs, I will talk them up with my unit and friends here.

Especuially if they will make up some large sizes! My driver, Larry Grim is about 6'4" tall so he needs a tall suit.

Thanks! Jim

[Bob Carriere]

Originally Posted by Jim Burrill

The crotch to neck measurement is more critical than a waist size!

Good point Jim......I remember wearing work coverall and having tears in my eyes whenever I raised both arms in the air to reach top shelves.

On well fitting coveralls the crotch should hang low enough to give some leeway.

Will see what Dusan finds out for us cost wise. I probably could use a couple but that is a long way from 20 pairs. The original tan colored one must have been from a heavy twill or light duck fabric and not denim.

Bob C

[Jim Burrill]

Heh... I wore a flight suit for most of my 21 years as a Naval Aircrewman...

The thing that WPG sells is a tan item for hot weather. The thing that we are calling an AFV Crewsuit was the actual uniform for AFV crew in Europe in summer. Then the tan Pixies. And nixed in along the way is the lads who still wore just their BD.

Int he States in my area, we have shows where the temps exceed 102 degrees Farenheit, yet we are portraying 15 Recce in Holland. So the denim crewsuit over skivvies is the coolest way to go. Having a 2nd or third pair to change into would be a bit more civilized.

While I see the sense in using these as work coveralls (the crew would have gotten these things greasy doing Parades) Some of the members without vehicles have been using boiler suits and proper WD coveralls for maintenance. Just like the real troops did.

As I have said, I would love to see the shop expand and make up the winter Pixie suit as a replica. I would hope we could get a group buy for both the denimn crew suit AND the tan Pixie. I would commit to 2 of each against the 20.

[Dusonn]

Here are few pics of the overall. Daniel will yet send me the sizing. If there is an extreme figure (2 meter tall guys etc.) he can get a custom size made.

[Dusonn]

few more details and reverse side

[Eric R.]

I am still up for one Duson!

Might have one other here among our guys locally and I know Jim will be in for some for his guys among the group up where he is at.

I sent you my measurements already. If he needs a neck to crotch measurement just PM me and I get it too you.

They do look good! And like Jim I might be interested in a Pixie suit.

ETA: OK confirmed for two additional suits for other group members.

[Jim Burrill]

Looks exactly like the one I got from Adler. And the same for the other fellow in my unit that had also got one.
When we can confirm the measurements - what chest, neck, waist and crotch to neck size goes with an XL , and postage to US, I am good for two.

[Tim Bell]

Also interested in some and I know last year for the Project 70 event there was huge demand and no supply... so suspect there will be others interested too.

Cheers

Tim

[Neil Ashley]

Can't 100% say from the pictures but the material looks like that used by Alder which has a strange turquosie hue to it and looks wrong when compared with originals.

[Jim Burrill]

Dusan,
My lads in my club have committed to about 15 suits, but several will need to be made to measure.

Can you get a copy of the measurement sheet he prefers we use?

I expect the common measuremnts, but most charts do not ask for the crotch to the neck. This is also called the torso height. This is critical to have for a one piece coverall, tank suit, boiler suit, flight suit garment.

Would it help to ship all suits to one USA address? If so, I can receive it and then take to the members of my club, or remail using cheaper domestic postage.

CHeers
Jim Burrill
1926 Allentown Road
Hatfield PA 19440
USA

(yes I know the dangers of the internet, but this info has been on-line for a dozen years)

[Bob Carriere]

That would work for me and possibly Eric.

I mauntaun a UPS address in Ogdenburg, NY and can pick up any or all Ottawa based tank suit.

Bob C

[Eric R.]

That will work for me and the other 2 guys in my neck of the woods.

Might check on the shipping though. Too big a package might actually cost more that a few smaller ones. Especially if it is 15 sets!

[Bob Carriere]

Probably will go for two myself.....

Bob C

[Jim Burrill]

that measurement again.... <g>

My wife is a professional costumer for film, stage and TV. I asked her what that measurement was called and she said it is "Girth" (I always thought of that as "around" as in a waist, but will bow to her knowledge!)

She says to take the measurement, put the tape on the mans' front at the base of the throat. About where the knot of a tie would be. Run the tape down the front to the crotch, under neat, and then back up to the neck about where the base of the collar sits.

[Eric R.]

I think we are at or over 20 suits now since I had two more guys commit to 3 more suits here in VA.

[horsa]

Also interested in one and potentially 3 others within our group so that should show it would be a profitable venture for them to undertake. Especially since this is still only MLU viewers of this message thread and word of mouth.

[Jim Burrill]

Brilliant! Perhaps they really should consider this a good market for the tan Pixies too!

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Jim

Had my wife help me take my girth measurement.....

I am 6 foot 2 inches....... my girth is 74 inches.......coincidence.

Now should we allow for a few more inches when taking such a measurement for growth when excited or in my case shrinkage of the fabric in the washing machine.....just hate whistling everytime I would raise my arms.

Kindly ask you home tailor!!!!

Bob C

[Dusonn]

Ok guys, it looks there is enough interest to start. Will talk to Daniel today. Last time spoken he was looking for the chart that he´d made the last batch of overalls, he could not find it instantly as the last batch was 7years ago. Anyway as far as the crotch size is concerned he said there is space to wear battledress underneath so there is some overspace allowed.
For the Tan Pixies, no proper fabric available at the moment. But he makes Denim battledress.
Back to you soon.

[Bob Carriere]

If it is in the lighter shade of khaki with a few washes it may come close to the beige/tan coverall used by the motor pool staff in the early 40s. I would be willing to experiment with that.

Can we see the shade side by side with the green of the tank suit...?

Bob C

[Dusonn]

Finally I received the size chart. It is in centimeters. Seams are the benchmarks. The girth as you call it here is the Neck to crotch line and is measured at the back of the coverall from bottom edge of collar over the back and butt to the crotch seam. (so not all the way up the front side)
As an example, Daniel is 176cm tall, 82kg weight and 95cm in waist (these data can well tell him what size is needed) and has No.6 Denim with enough space to wear a battledress underneath.
Bear in mind that when machine washed it may shrink a bit, maximum about 2cm after the first wash. The recommendation is not to wash on more than 40°C. Sensible hand-wash is prefered to keep it nice for a long time. The legs have about 4-5cm fold at the bottom so could be extended if you would feel in need of extra lenght.
Daniel would prefer that you choose one of the standard sizes, but if there is really an odd figure, an extra size can be made. Note this would take longer in order to make the patterns.
He is yet determining the postage to USA,CND and UK. Although he is going to get a batch of around 50 coveralls made this time, he prefers to know the sizes in advance so he can optimise the batch. After this the production of the batch would be about 2 months.
I will add information here as soon as I know more...so thanks for patience.

[Dusonn]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

If it is in the lighter shade of khaki with a few washes it may come close to the beige/tan coverall used by the motor pool staff in the early 40s. I would be willing to experiment with that.

Can we see the shade side by side with the green of the tank suit...?

Bob C

Bob, will try to take a picture of washed and new denim for comparison. I have a washed battledress but need to ask someone from my friends whos got a new one. The problem would also be a pattern. Do you have one which you could take a picture of for consideration?

[Bob Carriere]

Yes would love to see the color of the khaki denim next to the green.

I think I can have pictures of a set of coveralls and measurements for a the khaki model for your tailor friend.

Bob C.