get caught in the machinery. The trousers had tapered cuffs with drawstrings and tapes in order to fit into lace-up ankle boots. Although the jacket could be buttoned to the neck in cold weather, ordinarily it was worn open-collar with a field grey or mouse grey shirt and (in theory) a black necktie. The jacket was manufactured in three different patterns between 1934 and 1945. First pattern jackets had deep lapels with square collars. There was also no provision to close the collar. Second pattern (1936–42) added three buttons to close the collar, reduced the size of the lapels and had a more pointed collar. Note that some second pattern jackets were produced without collar piping (possibly for non-panzer personnel entitled to wear the jacket). The third pattern (1942–45) deleted the collar piping for all personnel but was otherwise similar to second pattern. Self-propelled anti-tank artillery (Panzerjäger) and assault-gun (Sturmgeschütz) crews were issued similar uniforms in field-grey from 1940. Originally a large black beret was worn over a hardened-felt helmet. This proved cumbersome and unnecessary and on 27 March 1940 a black version of the standard M34/M38 sidecap was authorized; later in the war the M43 field cap in black was worn. Officers frequently wore old-style (altere Art) "crusher" peaked caps. Vehicle crews in North Africa wore the same olive tropical uniform as the infantry, including collar Litzen; many tankers pinned their skull insignia to their lapels. In 1943 the Panzertruppe were issued their own reed-green HBT summer field uniform. This resembled the black uniform but had a single, very large pocket on the left breast and another on the front of the left thigh. A one-piece denim overall, known as a Panzerkombi, was issued to panzer (armoured) crews and mechanics for maintenance work and the like; crews sometimes wore it for general field service although the practice was discouraged. Originally issued in blue-grey, the Waffen-SS later used camouflage-printed examples. It featured zips running down the inside of the dump leg which could be used to zip both legs together to make a sleeping bag. The similarities between the Panzer uniform and the SS Panzer uniform, and the use of a Totenkopf emblem by both, led to incidents of Army Panzer crewmen being shot by Allied soldiers who assumed they were SS members. Ironically the infamous black Allgemeine SS uniform, familiar from prewar newsreels, was not worn by combat troops;