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S003956 GENDARMERIE LEUTNANT'S SERVICE TUNIC. (Dienstrock)
BACKGROUND: On June 17TH 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 25TH 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 orange truppenfarbe being allocated to the Gendarmerie, (Rural 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. Also Of Note: The original "test" model and the first officially sanctioned Luftwaffe Paratrooper’s jump smocks were manufactured in a mottled green material with tan flecks until the third, camouflage patterned jump smocks were introduced in mid-1940. When the Luftwaffe phased out the mottled green smocks the remaining bolts of material were requisitioned by the Police and utilized for summer uniforms as it was relatively similar to the Police green uniforms in use.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Mottled green, tan flecked, cotton construction summer service tunic features a vertical, six button front closure with dual metal hooks and eyes at the forward neckline and a lay down collar. 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 four horizontal thread loops for wear of a medal/ribbon bar and awards and comes with a two place ribbon bar. The ribbon bar features a War Merit Cross 2ND class ribbon with a gilt washed, stamped alloy, crossed swords cypher and a Russian Front Medal ribbon mounted on a sheet metal base plate with a horizontal pin back device to the reverse. The ribbons are still nice and clean. The straight cut, sleeves have non-adjustable, fold back French cuffs which are stitched in the upright position at both the inner and outer sleeve seams. The upper left sleeve has a hand embroidered, wreathed police eagle in bright silver/aluminum wire and bullion threads with a black swastika and eye detailing, 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 seam and no tail skirt vent. The tunic has slip on shoulder boards in bright, silver/aluminum Russian braid mounted on mid-brown wool underlays and orange rayon truppenfarben bases. The shoulder boards both have their narrow, orange rayon, slip on retaining tongues buttons and fabric loops all intact. The lay down collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse and 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 orange wool truppenfarben bases. The collar tabs are machine stitched to the collar. The interior breast, upper back and sleeves are lined in light weight grey cotton. The tunic has no visible size or manufacturers markings. The tunic is in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning, a rust colored stain to the upper right breast and a fair sized tear to the right sleeve cuff. The shoulder boards and collar tabs both show chafe wear revealing the underlying white threads and the truppenfarbe base to the left shoulder board has a fair sized tear. The buttons are a combination of the field-grey painted and the bright, silver washed, pebbled alloy and sheet metal types and show light to moderate oxidization spotting. All of the buttons appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 38" chest.
GRADE ***1/2 PRICE $2,040.00
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