Looks can kill. They can also ignite a discussion.
Last year, one Anarchist lady accused our fellow dieselpunks (those who sport military style outfits) of pro-Nazi aspirations and proposed to adopt the Spanish Republicans / WWII Resistance as a source of inspiration. Indeed, the irregulars’ looks have a lot in common with the “punk” component of the movement but we cannot ignore the desire to reflect the “orderly” aspect of the Diesel Era.
Speaking for this Encyclopedia’s staff, we must say that no one of us sees WWII German uniform as “cool” or “sexy”. It will be always associated with the crimes against humanity and any attempt to revive it inside dieselpunk crowd should be condemned (WWII reenactment is another story). On the other hand, it is simply stupid to label a guy who modeled his outfit on the New Jersey State Police uniform as a “Nazi sympathizer”.
It is true that some elements of the German militaria are widely imitated and commercialized, especially in the Far East. One of the reasons for this is the lack of information on other uniforms. The common knowledge is limited to the looks of the US, British, German and post-1943 Soviet servicemen. This limits our imagination. To broaden the horizons, we decided to publish a few examples of late 1930s – early 1940s uniforms.
1941 Mar., Syria, Private, 7th Division
1941 May, Tobruk, Private, 9th Division
1940 Apr., Colonel, 1st Inf. Regiment
1940 May, Major, 1st Regiment, Belgian Air Force
Lance-Sergeant, 1st Inf. Regiment
Staff Captain, Czechoslovak Air Force
1940 Jan., 1st Lieutenant, Reconnaissance Unit, Danish Air Force
1940 Jan., Private, Jutland Division
1940 May, Sedan, Major, 46 Inf. Regiment
1940 May, Toulon, Lieutenant, Mediterranean Fleet
1940 Oct., Lieutenant, Artillery Regiment
1941 Mar., Wing Commander, Fighter Squadron
1939 Sep., Captain, Bomber Brigade
1939 Sep., Lieutenant, Fighter Squadron
1940 Jan., Kiev, Colonel, Armored Division
1940 June, Kiev, Major, Red Army Air Force
1941 Apr., Captain, Fighter Flight
1941 Apr., Captain, Infantry Regiment
For a dessert, only one inspirational photograph:
Swiss Commander & Chief, General Henri Guisan getting in his 1939 Buick Special Convertible
Free your mind. Use the details to create something of your own. Remember: Dieselpunk is not imitation, it is imagination.
Dieselpunk Encyclopedia 
todesjager
August 9, 2013 at 12:06 pm
I would suggest in many respects if using German uniforms to use Pre-1933 Uniforms, Especially WW1 Imperial Uniforms, Granted, Still probably has a some schtick attached, but by far not as much as anything Post 1930.