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. On January 16^TH 1937 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler introduced a runic SS breast badge for wear by former Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), personnel serving with the Ordnungspolizei, (Order Police). In July 1943 wear of the runic SS breast badge was extended to all full fledged SS personnel who were serving with the police and personnel in one of the Waffen-SS units that were not entitled to wear the SS runic collar tab.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, 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 edge of the left front closure panel and the bottom half edge of the right front closure panel 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 lower left breast has hand embroidered SS runes in bright silver/aluminum wire threads on a cut-out police green wool base. The base follows the same angular design as the runes and is roughly, 1 1/2" tall and 1 1/4" wide at its widest point. The runes are still quite clean and bright and the base is neatly handstitched to the tunic. 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 edges. The upper left sleeve has a pre-November 1941 pattern, machine embroidered police eagle encompassed by a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath positioned below the duty location, "Salzburg", all in green cotton truppenfarbe threads with black eye and swastika detailing, mounted on a cut-out, slightly mottled, vertically oval, green wool base. The wool base is neatly handstitched to the tunic. Of Note: Originally police NCO’s sleeve eagles included the name of the location where they were stationed but regulations of November 10^TH 1941 abolished the name for all but the Freiwillingen Feuerwehren, (Volunteer Fire Brigades), and the Pflichtfeuerwehren, (Compulsory Fire Brigades), personnel. The reverse of the tunic has a central vertical tail skirt vent with two belt ramp support 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 featuring dual, outer edge, bright silver/aluminum Russian braid with evenly spaced, interwoven chocolate brown "V"s, encompassing dual, inner, chocolate brown braids, with a silver washed, stamped alloy rank pip to each mounted on a green rayon truppenfarbe bases. The shoulder boards are still quite clean and bright. The shoulder board retaining buttons are intact. The reverse of the chocolate brown wool lay down collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching. The forward edge of the collar is piped in green wool truppenfarben and the collar features Senior NCO’s, machine woven rayon collar tabs with orangish/tan litzen and green center and branch of service stripes mounted on green wool bases. The wool bases of the collar tabs are trimmed in twisted bright silver/aluminum cord piping. The collar tabs are machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the tunic is fully lined in ribbed grey/green cotton with black striped, white rayon sleeves. The lining has a horizontal slash pocket to the left breast and two small vertical slash "glove" pockets 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 tunic has no visible size or manufacturers markings. The tunic is in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning, and numerous small spots of moth grazing resulting in lost nap. The buttons are a combination of the bright silver washed, pebbled sheet metal and alloy types and are still quite clean and bright. All the buttons appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 38" chest.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $1,755.00