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H054759 MOUNTAIN TROOP EM'S WIND JACKET. (Gebirgsjäger Windjacke)
BACKGROUND: During WWII the German army fielded nine Mountain Divisions with an additional six Waffen-SS Mountain Divisions. Generally speaking the Mountain Divisions were specially trained and equipped Infantry Divisions. Due to the nature of the terrain and the commonly colder climate that the Mountain Divisions were expected to serve in, special clothing, footwear and equipment was developed specifically for their use. One of the specific Mountain troopers clothing items was the wind jacket which was introduced in 1938 and saw limited wear during the war. The wind jackets were designed to fit over the standard uniform and equipment and as a result were cut quite large. 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. On May 2ND 1939 the OKH, Oberkommando des Heeres, (High Command of the Army), authorized wear of a distinctive Edelweiss tradition badge by Mountain Troop personnel to be worn on the upper right sleeve of the service, dress and field uniforms. The design of the badge was based on a badge worn by the WWI German Alpine Corps. On introduction the badge was on a blue/green badge cloth base, but in early 1940 this was altered to a field-grey wool base. Of Note: A metal edelweiss with stem was designed for wear on the mountain cap and a stemless edelweiss was authorized for wear on the visor cap. Original regulations, unsuccessfully, dictated the edelweisses were to be removed from wear if the personnel were transferred out of a Mountain Troop unit. On November 12TH 1944 regulations were altered to permitted continued wear of the edelweiss after transfer out of a Mountain Troop unit as long as the individual had combat experience with the Mountain Troops. Generally EM/NCO personnel utilized machine embroidered or woven edelweisses while officers ranks wore higher quality, hand embroidered edelweisses. The different branches of service within the German army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), with light green being chosen for Gebirgsjäger, (Mountain Troop), personnel which was displayed as piping on the shoulder straps.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Field-grey, waterproofed cotton duck construction, three quarter length, double breasted style, Mountain trooper’s wind jacket with small, fold back, lapels and a large, lay down collar. The jacket features dual, vertical, parallel, rows of five, vertical, front closure buttons with the corresponding button holes on both the left and right front panels. The jacket also has a single, metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline for a secure closure. The jacket has two, slightly diagonally angled, slash, lower breast pockets and two, pleated, horizontal, patch, hip pockets all with scalloped, button down, flaps. The jacket has no breast eagle as per regulations. The straight cut sleeve cuffs each have a horizontal, button holed, fit adjustment strap, machine stitched to the inner seam with dual, corresponding, fit adjustment buttons to each. The reverse of the jacket has a central, vertical, machine stitched seam, an opened, reverse pleat to the upper section and a non-adjustable, half-belt with two ornamental buttons, machine stitched to the side seams at the waistline. The upper right sleeve has a pre-1940 pattern, mountain trooper’s edelweiss insignia. The machine embroidered insignia features a vertically oval, blue/green badge cloth base with an edelweiss flower with thirteen, irregular, white petals, an eight bulb, yellow stamen and dual green leaves and stem. The edelweiss is encompassed with a silvery/grey mountaineer rope border, with a silver/aluminum flat-wire piton to the top center. The insignia is handstitched to the jacket. The jacket has the late war, (circa 1944), pattern slip on shoulder straps of reworked, brownish M44 field-grey wool/rayon blend material with light green rayon waffenfarbe piping. The bottoms of the straps and the slip on retaining tongues are also constructed in the same reworked, brownish M44 field-grey wool/rayon blend and they have a central, grey rayon, reinforcement strip machine stitched in place. The waffenfarbe is also visible on the bottom of the straps. The shoulder strap fabric retaining loops and buttons are intact. Of Note: Enlisted Mountain Troop personnel’s shoulder straps signify the ranks of Jäger, Oberschütze, Gefreiter, Obergefreiter and Stabsgefreiter inclusively. The lay down collar has no collar tabs or any evidence of any ever having been applied, as per regulations. The reverse of the collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching and a dual, button holed, extended, fabric tab with a single button beneath the left side with a corresponding button beneath the right side for a secure neck closure in inclement weather. Both collar closure buttons are absent. The unlined interior of the jacket has dual-ply, front closure panels. The jacket has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The jacket is in overall fairly good condition with light age and usage toning and some color fading, a few small picks and pulls and a couple of fair sized, crudely handstitched repairs to the lower reverse panel. The buttons are the molded black bakelite type and all appear to have their original stitching. The wind jackets were designed large enough to fit over the standard field uniform and this example is roughly size 46" chest.
GRADE ***1/2 PRICE $1,785.00
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