Panzer uniform Something Odd

[SpainshSS]

I found this photo of a Sergeant in his Panzer uniform quite interesting for two reasons. First he is wearing the Spanish cross with swords in gold, This is the first period photo I have seen of someone wearing this medal.
Second and most interesting to me personally. Is how he is wearing his shirt collar over his tunic collar. I know that the Falange would wear their shirts like that during the Spanish Civil War. As well as the member of the 250th Spanish Blue Division and Blue Legion then later in the Waffen SS. However, I have never seen a German solder wear his shirt like that.

It made me ask why?
Did he pick this up when he was in the Spanish Civil War as a member of the Condor Legion?
(We know he was in the Spanish Civil War from his Spanish Cross Medal.)

Is he not German, but in fact a Spaniard?
History says no Spaniards served in any Panzer unit at all.
(There was plans to form an all Spanish Panzer Division, however, it never came to be.)
Yet one thing I have learned about history is. There is no absolutes in anything.
I would love to know what you all think about this, thanks all.

[Oberleutnant Ulrich]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but im 99.9% sure that the Spanish cross is the Bronze, compare it to his Panzer badge in bronze. I've seen this picture on the net before claiming he had a "gold" infantry assault badge...well that kind of ruins the reference right there.

Only 1126 Golds were awarded and almost all of them to the Luftwaffe...the chances are quite slim and again...compare it to his Panzer assault badge.

As for the collar, plenty of foreigners joined up in the ranks of regular units as "German" because of German background or just volunteered for service in the Wehrmacht instead of the SS. It was also known of the Swiss, for instance my great uncle (A few of my relatives actually) joined regular units in the Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and one joined a Panzergrenadier Regiment. But having served in Spain he could have picked up there...or perhaps his tunics wool collar was bothering him and he pulled his shirt over, I've done this before when taking a nap while wearing a wool tunic.

[SpainshSS]

No bubble bursting here. I would rather know the truth then not. So I don't spread some miss info and thinking I was right. That why I posted on here to ask. I knew someone would know better then me. Thank for clearing that up.
Like I stated before maybe he picked it up well in Spain. (His collar that is.) However he is no foreigner. No foreigners sieved in the Condor Legion.
I just thought it would something nice to talk about Thanks again for clearing up the matter on the medal.

[POA1944]

I have heard it was within regulation to have the service shirt collar to be like that when the collar of the feldbluse in this case (Panzer Wrap) had the top button,unbuttoned.To keep the wool collar from chafing the persons neck.But was not regulation to do so when the collar was completely buttoned up.

I have seen this done a lot in other original photographs.

[grenmartens]

There is absolutely nothing wrong about the way he is wearing his shirt as it conforms to the following regulation:
HM43 No. 559 of June 23, 1943. This order announced the adoption of the collared shirt made of a light knit material (Trikotemd) and the progressive deletion of the Kragenbinde. The order stated that when the tunic was closed, the collar of the new issue shirt had to be visible by 2cm at the front and roughly 0.5cm at the sides and rear! When the tunic was open the first button of the shirt and was to be undone and the opening of both garments had to be identical. Although the collar of the shirt was normally placed under the that of the tunic the regulations stipulated that the shirt collar could be worn over the tunic collar.

Of course in practice in the field, particularly later in the war, soldiers pretty much suited themselves and in general minor uniform regulations were rarely enforced at the front.