S001259 CUSTOMS POLICE BESIRKZOLLKOMMISSAR'S GREATCOAT. (Mantel) 

BACKGROUND: On June 17^TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern, (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany including the Customs Police. As a result of this appointment and the restructuring of all the separate German state police into a single national police force new regulations were instituted on June 25^TH 1936 to bring about uniformity in dress for all police through-out the country. One of the new uniform regulations replaced the previously worn blue uniforms with a new style police green uniform, excluding the Wasserschutzpolizei, (Water Police), and the Feuerschutzpolizei, (Fire Protection Police), that was utilized, with minor modifications, until the end of the war and included greatcoats. The German Customs Service can be traced back to 1834 when a Customs Union was formed to allow the separate German States to trade amongst themselves without trade and tariff taxes, while still imposing import trade taxes on other European nations. With the unification of the German States into a single nation in 1871 the Customs Service became a national paramilitary organization, under control of the Reichsfinanzministerium, (National Finance Ministry), in Berlin. The national Customs Service was still responsible for imposing and collecting import trade taxes but was also tasked with border defence duties. In 1936 the Customs Service was reorganized and given further policing responsibilities including the apprehension of individuals attempting to escape from the NSDAP’s Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), yoke. The German Customs service was divided into two separate branches with one branch consisting of the Landzollbeamte, (Land Customs Officials), which was subdivided into the Zollgrenzschutz, (Land Customs Border Guards), and the Wasserzollbeamte, (Water Customs Officials), and the second branch consisting of the remaining Zollbeamte, (Customs Officials). All Customs personnel below the rank of General were issued with an identifying cufftitle to be worn on the lower left sleeve of the service tunic and greatcoat. The Police Greatcoat was an essential uniform item for wear by all ranks and followed the basic design of the German army’s greatcoat with minor variations. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, heavy, private purchase, slightly mottled, field-grey, doeskin wool/rayon blend construction, double breasted style, full length, greatcoat with a blue/green, badge cloth, lay down collar. The greatcoat features dual, vertical, parallel, rows of six, front closure buttons with corresponding button holes on the right front panel and a single button hole on the left front panel positioned at the waistline with an internal, corresponding button. The greatcoat also has a single, large metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The greatcoat has two, diagonally angled, slash, front, hip pockets with slightly angular flaps situated at the waistline. The greatcoat has straight cut, non-adjustable sleeves with deep, fold back, French cuffs which are tacked in the upright position at both the inner and outer sleeve seams. Interestingly the lower left sleeve doesn’t have the standard Customs cufftitle or any evidence that one was ever applied. The reverse of the greatcoat has a horizontal, ornamental, half waist belt with a single retaining button positioned at the waistline and a central, vertical tail skirt vent with a four button closure. The tail skirt vent runs from the half waist belt down to the bottom edge of the coat and the tail skirt closure buttons are absent. The greatcoat has sewn on shoulder boards in matte silver/aluminum Russian braid with large, evenly spaced, interwoven, green "V"s, through-out and two, small, stamped, natural alloy rank pips mounted on dark bottle green wool bases. The shoulder boards retaining buttons are intact. The greatcoat has a lay down, blue/green badge cloth collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The reverse, left side of the collar has dual buttons and a separate, dual button holed, blue/green badge cloth tab with a single corresponding button to the reverse of the right side for a secure neck closure in inclement weather. The greatcoat has no collar tabs as per regulations. The interior of the greatcoat is fully lined in greyish/tan rayon with brushed grey rayon sleeves. The lining has a single, horizontal, slash pocket to the left breast panel and a small, field-grey wool reinforced, diagonally angled, open slash to the reverse of the left hip pocket intended for the dagger/sword hangers. The interior of the lining’s horizontal, slash pocket has a white oilcloth label with black printed script machine stitched in place. The printed script includes the tailor’s name and location, "Wilh.Viohl & Co. Berlin C.2. Heiligegeiststr. 21". The greatcoat is in overall fairly good condition with areas of light to moderate nap wear and minor age and usage toning through-out and numerous small moth nips. The front closure, reverse half waist belt, and the shoulder strap buttons are all the field-grey finished, pebbled, magnetic sheet metal type while the buttons positioned beneath the collar are the molded black bakelite type and about half appear to have their original stitching. The greatcoat is roughly size 40" chest.

To Order this item, please use one of the two e-mail addresses below to contact us. Please make sure to quote the item number in your e-mail

MILITARIA WANTED!  If you have items for sale, please contact us. We specialize in selling single pieces and entire collections. Over 3 decades in the business and we do all the work for you. Get the best return for your investment.

-E-Mail Address pawmac@nbnet.nb.ca  Or  guild@nb.aibn.com

To return to the main page please CLICK below