BACKGROUND: The Army Mobilization Order of March 12^TH 1937 established a group of Sonderführer, (Specialist Leaders), formed from personnel with specialized knowledge and/or skills to perform specific tasks that regular military personnel were unable to fulfill. Depending on their qualifications the Sonderführers were assigned positions with the equivalent of NCO or Officers ranks although since they lacked the prerequisite military training their authority only extended to personnel serving with them in the performance of a particular task or function. The Sonderführer's were somewhat comparable to the German army’s Administrative Official’s branch of service but instead of overseeing administrative functions, they actually performed the functions such as language interpreters, propaganda, construction staffs, medical, dental and veterinary services among others. The Sonderführer's were divided into five different position groups with each group being roughly the equivalent of a military unit running from Battalion level down to Squad level. The Sonderführer's position/rank was dependant on the position group that the individual was assigned to. The Sonderführer's wore standard army uniforms befitting their position/rank with minor variations that included distinct shoulder cords and boards and collar tabs. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a particular identifying waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service), color with grey/blue being chosen for Sonderführer personnel. The Sonderführer’s waffenfarbe was generally displayed on the collar tabs and as the base color of the uniform collar. The distinct Sonderführer’s shoulder cords/boards and collar tabs were originally introduced in August 1939, and were slightly modified in March 1940 and again in December 1942 when the insignia reverted back to the 1939 pattern. This example is for a Sonderführer serving in position group "Z", (Zug), which is comparable to a platoon level unit and the position of Zugführer which is comparable to the rank of Leutnant.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, field-grey, wool/rayon blend construction tunic features a vertical six button front closure with dual metal hooks and eyes positioned at the neckline. The tunic has four, pleated, front pockets with scalloped button down flaps. The breast pockets are the standard patch type while the hip pockets are the saddle-bag type with expanding side panels. The right breast has an Officer’s quality, hand embroidered national eagle in bright silver/aluminum bullion and wire threads with pale green accent threads on a cut-out blue/green badge cloth base. The eagle is neatly machine stitched to the tunic. The reverse of the tunic has a small, central, vertical tail skirt slash. The straight cut, non-adjustable sleeves have deep turned back French cuffs which are stitched in the upright position at both the inner and outer sleeve seams. The tunic has the distinctive Sonderführer/Zugführer sewn on shoulder cords consisting of dual bright silver/aluminum Russian braiding with no base material. The shoulder cords retaining buttons are intact. The tunic has a lay down, grey/blue badge cloth construction collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The collar features the distinctive Sonderführer/Zugführer collar tabs with machine embroidered old Prussian style Litze with in bright silver/aluminum wire threads with a pointed top tip, a diagonally angled bottom tip and the regulation "V" patterned bright silver/aluminum center stripe mounted on grey/blue wool bases. The collar tabs are machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the tunic is fully lined in ribbed grey rayon with off-white sleeves. The lining has a vertical slash pocket to the left breast and the reverse of the exterior left hip pocket has a small, field-grey wool reinforced, horizontal slash for the dagger/sword hangers. All three of the collar liner retaining clips are intact. The tunic is in overall good condition with light to moderate chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges, light age and usage toning and considerable moth grazing resulting in lost nap and numerous small holes. All but one shoulder cord button are the field-grey painted, pebbled, magnetic sheet metal type which retain assorted amounts of their field-grey paint and appear to have their original stitching. The single shoulder cord button is the field-grey painted, pebbled alloy type and has been restitched. The tunic is roughly size 40" chest.

GRADE ***                             PRICE $1,400.00