BACKGROUND: The black Panzer Wrap tunic was originally introduced by the army on November 12^TH 1934, for wear by armored vehicle personnel and was worn through-out the war with minor modifications in 1936 and 1942. Allegedly Chief of the motorized troops, Oberst Heinz Guderian came up with the coloration and design of the form fitting uniform which he based on a popular ski outfit of the time. Black was chosen as the color as it help conceal the grease and grime commonly encountered by motorized personnel. 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 pink being chosen for Panzer, (Armored), personnel. Of Note: The general waffenfarbe for all armored units was pink although other colors were utilized including red for armored artillery units, golden yellow for armored reconnaissance units and the 24^TH Panzer Division, lemon yellow for armored signals units and, for a short time, alternating black and white for armored engineer units. On the field blouse, service tunic and Panzer wrap tunic the waffenfarbe was generally displayed on the shoulder straps/boards and the collar tabs. Originally the Panzer wrap tunics also utilized the waffenfarbe as piping on the forward edge of the collar until regulations of mid-1942 abolished the use of the collar piping and instructed it to be removed from the tunics, although the directive was not strictly adhered to.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Second pattern, (circa 1936), black wool/rayon blend construction, waist length, double breasted style tunic with fold back lapels and a large lay down collar. The left front closure panel of the tunic has four, hidden, button eyelets and an additional three, un-hidden button eyelets on the fold back lapel. The right front closure panel has four, large, corresponding buttons and three, smaller buttons all intact. The edge of the right front closure panel has an additional two small buttons positioned underneath the overlapping left closure panel with two, internal, fabric loops for a secure closure with a neat appearance. The top button hole on the left lapel has a Russian Front Medal ribbon inserted and handstitched in place. The tunic has a single metal hook and eye at the forward neckline. The right breast has a nice quality, machine woven, national breast eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons in bright, silver/aluminum flat-wire threads, mounted on a cut-out, woven, black rayon base. The eagle is machine stitched to the tunic. The left breast has six, horizontal thread loops for wear of awards. The tunic has no exterior pockets. Both the obverse and reverse of the tunic have two, vertical, tapering darts and the reverse also has a central, vertical, seam. The side panels of the tunic each have four, vertically aligned, horizontal, thread reinforcements with a small, vertical, slash between each, positioned at the waistline and designed for the belt support hooks. The vertical slash was never cut opened and the belt support hooks are absent. The sleeve cuffs each have a small, vertical, outside seam slash with dual fit adjustment buttons to each. The tunic has slip on shoulder boards of matte, silver/aluminum, Russian braid mounted on pink wool waffenfarbe bases. The shoulder board’s narrow, pink wool slip on retaining tongues are both intact. The shoulder board fabric retaining loops and the black painted, pebbled, alloy, retaining buttons are all intact. The tunic has a large lay down collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The forward edge of the collar is piped in pink wool waffenfarbe cord. Of Note: The piping to the forward edge of the collar was abolished as per regulations of late 1942. The collar features the elongated, black wool collar tabs with the typical, silver washed, stamped, magnetic sheet metal, Danziger style Totenkopf cyphers and pink rayon waffenfarbe piping to the outside edges. The Totenkopf cyphers only retain remnants of their original silver wash with spots of wear to the base metal with light surface spotting through-out. The collar tabs are machine stitched to the collar. The interior breast panels are lined in ribbed, tan cotton twill. The lining has a horizontal slash, patch pocket to the right breast panel and a vertical slash patch pocket to the left breast panel. The left breast panel is well marked with black size inkstamps and the manufacturer’s acronym and location, "Lago-Posen", indicating, Landes Lieferungs Genossenschaft-Posen, (State Supply Cooperative/Association-Posen). The lining also has the vertical, ribbed, tan, cotton twill, belt support straps with five stitched eyelets to each, positioned to each side at the waistline. The interior also has two, horizontal, ribbed, tan, cotton twill strips with tunnel looped, grey cotton/rayon fit adjustment straps positioned at the reverse waistline. The tunic is in overall very good condition with minor nap wear to the cuff and collar edges and minimal age and usage toning. All the buttons, excluding the pebbled, alloy shoulder board retaining buttons, are the molded black bakelite type and appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 42" chest.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $6,935.00