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. 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 that was utilized, with minor modifications, until the end of the war. The police were divided into eight assorted branches of service and during the restructuring the different police agencies were assigned specific identifying "truppenfarbe" (Troop {Branch of Service} Colors), with green truppenfarbe being allocated to the Schutzpolizei des Reiches, (National Protection Police). On the service tunic the truppenfarbe was generally displayed as the base of the shoulder boards/straps and the collar tabs as well as on ornamental piping. Police Officers holding the rank of Polizei-Leutnant to Generaloberst der Polizei were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and could purchase them through the SS-Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system which was originally established in Munich in 1935. The Officers were allotted a one time clothing allowance from the government with the amount varying depending on the individuals rank. The ranks of Polizei Unterwachtmeister to Polizei-Obermeister were issued their uniforms although they could also choose to purchase privately tailored garments of higher quality although the price may have been restrictive. Of Note: The German Police had no enlisted ranks with the lowest rank being an Unterwachtmeister which was equivalent to the German army rank of Unteroffizier.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, private purchase, slightly mottled, Police green, wool/rayon blend construction service tunic with a subtle whipcord weave features a vertical, eight button front closure with dual metal hooks and eyes at the forward neckline and a lay down collar. The second top front closure button eyelet has an Iron Cross 2^ND class ribbon inserted and handstitched in place. The edges of both of the front closure panels are trimmed in green wool, truppenfarben piping. The tunic has two, pleated, patch, breast pockets and two non-pleated, patch hip pockets, all with scalloped button down flaps. The left breast has two vertical and six horizontal thread loops for wear of a medal/ribbon bar and awards. The straight cut, sleeves have non-adjustable, simulated French cuffs in chocolate brown wool with dual ornamental buttons to the outside sleeve seams and green wool truppenfarben piping to the top and forward edges. The upper left sleeve has a hand embroidered, wreathed police eagle in bright silver/aluminum wire and bullion threads with a black swastika on a cut-out, vertically oval, ribbed police green wool base. The police eagle is neatly handstitched to the sleeve. The reverse of the tunic has a central vertical tail skirt vent with two ornamental buttons to the top edge and an additional two ornamental buttons to the bottom edge. The tail skirt vent is flanked by small, ornamentally, vertical panels which are piped in green wool truppenfarben. The tunic has sewn on shoulder boards in bright, silver/aluminum Russian braid with two, gilt washed, stamped alloy rank pips and the 1935 Wehrmacht pattern, gilt washed, stamped alloy, numerical unit cyphers, "25", to each mounted on green wool truppenfarben bases. The shoulder boards are still quite clean and bright. The shoulder board retaining buttons are intact. The right shoulder board has an additional molded tan bakelite button positioned beneath it for wear of a lanyard or aiguillette. The forward edge of the chocolate brown wool lay down collar is piped in green wool truppenfarben and the collar features hand embroidered collar tab litzen in bright silver/aluminum wire threads with the regulations "V" patterned silver/aluminum wire "branch of service stripes", mounted on green wool truppenfarben bases. The collar tabs are machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the tunic is fully lined in ribbed grey/green rayon with black striped, off-white rayon sleeves. The lining has a vertical slash pocket to the left breast and a single, small, vertical slash "glove" pocket to the reverse of the tail skirt vent. The reverse of the exterior left hip pocket has a small corresponding horizontal slash for the dagger/sword hangers. The lining also has half of a horizontal grey/green rayon belt with a nickel/silver plated sheet metal buckle to the right side panel situated at the waistline. All three fold back sheet metal collar liner retaining clips are intact to the collar. The interior of the left breast pocket has a small white oilcloth label machine stitched in place with faint, illegible black printed and handwritten script. The tunic has no visible size or manufacturers markings. The tunic is in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning and some light moth grazing to the brown wool cuffs resulting in lost nap. The right shoulder board has had the internal cardboard stiffener pop through the end of the green wool truppenfarbe and the piping on the tail skirt vent has a couple of small moth nips. The buttons, excluding the bakelite aiguillette button, are a combination of the bright, silver washed, pebbled sheet metal and alloy types and are still quite clean and bright. All but one of the buttons appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 40" chest.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $2,130.00