BACKGROUND: The old style Officer’s service tunic was introduced for wear during short lived Weimar era, (Circa 1919-1933), Reichswehr, (National Defence {Force}), and was to be replaced with the new Third Reich pattern, Officer’s field blouse/service tunic, (Circa 1933-1934), with an unspecified wearing out period. The old style service tunic was quite popular with the older Officers which resulted in the wearing out period being extended to March 31^ST 1942 for all Officers beneath the rank of General. Due to its popularity and in spite of regulations some Officers chose to continue wearing the old style service tunic for the duration of the war. The design of the Third Reich style service tunics was based on the Reichswehr service tunics with minor variations. The old style tunics had slash hip pockets as opposed to the patch type pockets on the new style and originally the old style tunics had an eight button front closure until regulations of October 1928 reduced the buttons to six. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their uniforms from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase garments of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored uniforms although the price may have been restrictive. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service), color with bright red being chosen for Artillerie, (Artillery), personnel. On the field blouse and service tunic the waffenfarbe was generally displayed on the shoulder straps/boards and the collar tabs.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, private purchase, field-grey wool/rayon blend construction old style service tunic with a whipcord weave features a vertical, six button, front closure with dual, metal hooks and eyes positioned at the forward neckline. The tunic has two, pleated, patch, breast pockets and two diagonally angled, slash, hip pockets, all with scalloped button down flaps. The right breast has a hand embroidered, Officer’s quality, national breast eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons, in bright, silver/aluminum wire and bullion threads with black accent threads, mounted on a cut-out, blue/green badge cloth base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the tunic. The left breast pocket has two, horizontal, thread loops for wear of an award. The straight cut, non-adjustable, sleeves have deep, fold back French cuffs which are stitched in the upright position at both the inner and outer sleeve seams. The reverse of the tunic has a central, vertical, tail skirt vent with two, belt support ramp, buttons situated at it’s top edge. The tunic has sewn on shoulder boards of matte, silver/aluminum Russian braid with a single, gilt washed, stamped, alloy rank pip and the gilt washed, stamped alloy, September 1935 Wehrmacht pattern, regimental numeral cypher, "2", to each, mounted on bright red wool waffenfarbe bases. The shoulder board retaining buttons are intact. Of Note: The regimental shoulder board numerals indicates service with the 2^ND Artillery Regiment which was a component of the 2^ND Infantry Division which was reorganized in 1936-1937 as a Motorized Infantry Division and again in late 1940 as the 12^TH Panzer Division. The tunic has a lay down, blue/green badge cloth collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The collar features hand embroidered collar tab litzen in matte, silver/aluminum wire threads with the regulation, "V" patterned, bright red wire branch of service stripes. The collar tabs are mounted on blue/green badge cloth bases which show through the litzen as the center stripe and are machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the tunic is fully lined in ribbed grey cotton/rayon with off-white, grey striped rayon sleeves. The lining has a small, grey, and a small, tan, rayon patches handstitched in place. The lining has a horizontal slash pocket to both the right and left breast panels. The tunic has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The tunic is in overall good condition with minor nap wear to the cuff and collar edges, light age and usage toning and about a half dozen small moth nips primarily to the lower left, front tail skirt. The buttons are a combination of the field-grey painted, pebbled, magnetic sheet metal and alloy types and most appear to have been restitched. The tunic is roughly size 36" chest.

GRADE ***1/2                             PRICE $950.00