K005057 OBERBOOTSMANNMAAT'S PEA JACKET. (Seemannsjacke)

BACKGROUND: German Naval uniforms and headgear were based on traditional designs that date back to the creation of the Prussian Navy in 1848, and although the uniforms and headgear did evolve during the interim years, many items used during the Third Reich would still have been quite recognizable to the Imperial sailor. The Pea jacket was a basic, traditional, uniform item issued to enlisted personnel and Junior NCO’s, with minor variations, and followed the basic design of the Imperial German Navy and Reichsmarine Pea jackets. The most easily visible difference between the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine era Pea jackets was the Reichsmarine era Pea jackets had two, vertical, rows of six, visible, front closure buttons while the Kriegsmarine era Pea jackets had two, vertical, rows of five, visible front closure buttons with an additional button hidden beneath each lapel. On later produced Third Reich era Pea jackets the buttons under the lapels were usually omitted. The early Third Reich era Pea jackets were manufactured with a single back panel until regulations of 1939 altered the construction to two back panels with a central, vertical seam. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the OKK, Offizier Kleiderkasse der Kriegsmarine, (Officer’s Clothing Account of the Navy). Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms and headgear from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored items although the price may have been restrictive. Generally speaking officers bought nice quality, private purchase, uniform items but they could also choose to buy their uniforms directly from the military clothing depots.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, early, pre-1939, Kriegsmarine era, navy blue wool construction, three quarter length, double breasted style jacket with fold back, upswept, peak lapels and a small lay down collar. The jacket features two, vertical, parallel, rows of five, front closure buttons with corresponding button eyelets on both the left and right front panels. The fold back, peak lapels also have a single button eyelet to each and an additional button positioned beneath each lapel. The right breast has a hand embroidered national eagle in gilt wire and bullion threads with golden/tan accent threads on a cut-out navy blue wool base. The gilt bullion to the eagle’s wings has mostly worn away revealing the underlying white threads although the gilt wire to the wreathed swastika is still intact. The eagle is handstitched to the jacket. The jacket has two, horizontal, slash, front, hip pockets with overlapping, straight edged flaps. The straight cut, non-adjustable sleeve cuffs have a single row of horizontal stitching positioned about 4" up from the bottom edge. The jacket has a single back panel. The jacket has sewn on shoulder straps that were generally not applied to the Pea jacket. The navy blue wool construction, pointed tip, sewn on, shoulder straps feature ribbed, gilt, wire, NCO’s tress, machine stitched to all the outer edges, two, slightly miss-matched, stamped, natural alloy rank pips and a gilt washed, stamped alloy, Boatswain’s, (Bootmanns), career cypher consisting of a fouled anchor. Of Note: Rank designations were tied to the career the individual was assigned to and in this case the proper rank designation is Oberbootsmannsmaat which was the equivalent of the army rank of Oberfeldwebel. The jacket has a lay down collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. In theory the collar should have plain, cornflower blue collar tabs and gilt NCO’s tress trim to the forward edge but it doesn’t appear they were ever applied. The interior of the jacket is fully lined in heavy, navy blue melton cloth with pale grey, brushed, rayon sleeves. The lining has a horizontal slash pocket to both left and right breast panels and an additional horizontal slash pocket to the lower left front panel. The upper back panel lining is well marked with the white inkstamped Kriegsmarine proof marking within a "boxy" "T" shaped border, "B.A.K. 11. 2. 35", and, "2", indicating, Bekleidungs Amt Kiel, (Clothing Depot Kiel), with the issue date, February 11^TH 1935 and the grade of the garment, "2". The upper back panel lining also has the owner’s, red, crudely, chain stitched, personal roster number and a small, white rayon label with the red, machine woven owners name, "Hopp". The chain stitched roster number consists of, "O382S", with a horizontal separating line positioned above "28", and indicates the owner was the 382^ND person inducted into the navy in 1938, and was a nautical personnel assigned to the Baltic Sea station. The jacket is in overall very good condition with some minor nap wear and age and usage toning. The buttons are all the gilt washed, stamped alloy type and feature an embossed fouled anchor on a horizontally ribbed field with a simulated, twisted rope, outer border and all appear to have their original stitching. The jacket is roughly a size 40" chest.

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