K11355 LINE FREGATTENKAPITÄN'S MESS JACKET & PANTS. (Kantine Rock und Hose) 

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 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. Officer 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. The mess dress for officer’s for formal and informal wear followed the basic design of the Imperial mess dress and consisted of a navy blue jacket, vest, and pants, a white shirt and a black bow tie or an optional white version. The navy blue mess jacket was worn with sleeve rank stripes and career insignia while the white mess jacket utilized shoulder boards. The pants worn for formal and informal wear were of the standard design with the addition of vertical outside seam stripes. During the Weimar Reichsmarine era the mess dress was not utilized but regulations of May 11^TH 1936 reinstituted its wear. Of Note: Further procurement of the mess dress was restricted by regulations of February 21^ST 1940. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Very nice quality, private purchase, deep navy blue doeskin wool construction mess jacket. The waist length, Bolero or Spencer style, simulated, double breasted jacket features fold back, upswept, peak lapels and a small lay down collar. The jacket has a central, vertical, front opening with a single stitched eyelet positioned on either side of the waistline with a corresponding dual button, shackle chain closure. The jacket has diagonally angled, vertical, rows of four ornamental buttons on each chest panel. The right breast has a nice quality, hand embroidered breast eagle in gilt wire and golden yellow celleon threads with golden yellow accent threads on a cut-out navy blue wool base. The eagle is neatly stitched to the jacket. The left breast has six horizontal thread loops for wear of awards. The jacket has a horizontal slash pocket to either side of the front opening at the waistline. The lower front panels of the jacket both have a short, vertical tapering seams. The jacket has a downward scalloped pointed tip to the reverse center. The straight cut, non-adjustable sleeves each have three, roughly, 1/2" tall, vertically aligned, horizontal, woven, gilt wire, rank tress stripes machine stitched all around the sleeves above the cuffs. The rank stripes signify the rank of Fregattenkapitän. Each sleeve has a career insignia positioned above the rank stripes that consists of a hand embroidered, five pointed tip, star in gilt wire threads on a cut-out navy blue wool base. The career insignia is neatly handstitched to the sleeves and indicates a Line Officer. The jacket has no shoulder boards or collar tabs as per regulations. The interior of the jacket is fully lined in black rayon with a repeating, quilted zig-zag pattern and internal padding to the breast panels, an un-quilted, unpadded, black rayon lining to the back panel and unpadded, blued striped, white rayon sleeve lining. The interior left breast has a single vertical slash pocket with a small, white, rayon label, handstitched in place with red machine woven owners name, "Hageniesche". The jacket is in overall very good condition with minimal nap wear to the cuff and collar edges and minor age toning to the insignia. All but one of the buttons are the gilt washed, injection molded, alloy type while one is the gilt washed, stamped magnetic sheet metal type. The sheet metal button appears to be a replacement. All of the buttons feature a vertically embossed fouled anchor on a horizontally ribbed field encompassed by a raised smooth ring and a simulated twisted rope like outer ring and all retain the majority of their original gilt wash. The jacket is quite large and is roughly a size 44" chest. Included with the jacket is a pair of very nice quality, private purchase, deep navy blue doeskin wool construction straight legged long pants. The pants feature a vertical, four button French fly with a single metal hook and eye positioned on the waistband. The pants have two, slightly diagonally angled, vertical slash front pockets. The reverse of the pants have two short, vertical, tapering darts, as ingle horizontal slash pocket with a single button closure to the right seat and two horizontal fit adjustment straps with an opened rectangular dual pronged, blued sheet metal buckle. The horizontal waistband is somewhat higher in the back with the typical, central "V" slash to the reverse center with two suspender buttons and an additional four evenly spaced suspender buttons on the front. The outside leg seams each have a roughly, 1 1/2" wide, woven, vertical, gilt wire, rank tress stripes machine stitched the full length of the legs. The pants have straight cut, dual-ply hemmed cuffs with a narrow strip of reinforcing black rayon machine stitched to the rear half interior of each cuff. The interior waistband is lined in black rayon while the interior pocket bags are constructed in black cotton. The pants are in overall very good condition with minimal nap wear to the pocket openings and minor age toning to the rank tress The buttons are all the molded black bakelite type with embossed script, "Solide Elegant", and appear to have their original stitching. The pants are roughly size 40" waist. Very nice set. 

Added May 4th/06. The two lower pockets are not to Third Reich Kriegsmarine regulations. The jacket is most likely a conversion from an earlier Reichmarine. See Uniforms and Traditions of the Kriegsmarine by Bender for additional info.

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