ORAC
14th Nov 2022, 13:49
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/german-soldiers-ordered-to-remove-ss-size-labels-from-new-uniforms-txm5vkmj8
German soldiers ordered to remove ‘SS’ size labels from new uniforms
German soldiers have been instructed to tear out size labels from their new camouflage uniforms because they bear the initials “SS”, apparently an abbreviation for “small, short”.
In recent weeks the defence ministry has distributed about 313,000 sets of combat clothing, including helmets, sleeping bags and waterproof jackets and trousers, to the troops at a cost of €2.3 billion.
While most were labelled according to the usual English-language terms for their sizes — S, M, L and XL — it appears no thought had been given to how the smallest items might be categorised.…
Since the oversight came to light, the ministry has ordered any soldiers who had received jackets with the “SS” letters to remove them without delay. It is unclear how many uniforms were affected but a ministry spokesman said the issue was not widespread.
“This is a production problem,” the ministry said. “It’s a very small number of jackets and we are looking into it all. As soon as we were made aware of what had happened we issued an announcement that they should get rid of these labels in some way.
“Right now we are in contact with the manufacturer to investigate what happened. We know that it looks very strange to the public, so it became something we had to deal with immediately. We are investigating and as soon as we have clear results we will think about what to do then.”
German soldiers ordered to remove ‘SS’ size labels from new uniforms
German soldiers have been instructed to tear out size labels from their new camouflage uniforms because they bear the initials “SS”, apparently an abbreviation for “small, short”.
In recent weeks the defence ministry has distributed about 313,000 sets of combat clothing, including helmets, sleeping bags and waterproof jackets and trousers, to the troops at a cost of €2.3 billion.
While most were labelled according to the usual English-language terms for their sizes — S, M, L and XL — it appears no thought had been given to how the smallest items might be categorised.…
Since the oversight came to light, the ministry has ordered any soldiers who had received jackets with the “SS” letters to remove them without delay. It is unclear how many uniforms were affected but a ministry spokesman said the issue was not widespread.
“This is a production problem,” the ministry said. “It’s a very small number of jackets and we are looking into it all. As soon as we were made aware of what had happened we issued an announcement that they should get rid of these labels in some way.
“Right now we are in contact with the manufacturer to investigate what happened. We know that it looks very strange to the public, so it became something we had to deal with immediately. We are investigating and as soon as we have clear results we will think about what to do then.”