BACKGROUND: The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 under the auspices of the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), as the Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler (Shock Troops), and was re-designated Schutz Staffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich "Beer-Hall" Putsch on November 9^TH 1925. Originally members of the fledgling SS had no official uniform until April 1925 when they adopted, what was to become known as the, "Tradition Uniform" and personnel were outfitted with the same brown shirt uniform and kepi as the SA. In November 1925 personnel of the newly formed SS adopted a black kepi, necktie, breeches and border trim on their armbands to distinguish themselves from their SA counterparts. On July 7^TH 1932 the black service uniform, for Allgemeine-SS, (General SS), SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops), SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units), and SS-SD, SS-Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei, (SS-Security Service and Security Police), personnel was first introduced to replace the brown shirt, "Tradition", uniform. In 1934 the black service tunic underwent a minor alteration by modifying the hip pockets from the original patch type to the slash type. Originally SS personnel wore police overcoats with the insignia removed until the black SS-Overcoat was introduced in 1934. Of Note: "Overcoat" was the political designation for this style of coat while the military utilized the term "Greatcoat". The black overcoat was a basic uniform item for wear by all ranks, with minor variations, and followed the basic design of the Imperial German army’s greatcoat. The black service uniform included straight legged, trousers with white piping to the outside leg seams for wear with the standard service and the evening dress uniforms. For some unknown reason the straight legged, trousers with white piping were withdrawn from service sometime in 1936 and were reinstated as per regulations of April 1^ST 1937. After the outbreak of WWII the black service uniforms including the overcoats were eventually phased out of wear for all but Allgemeine-SS personnel. On June 8^TH 1942 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler ordered that all black service uniforms in the possession of Waffen-SS, (Armed-SS), personnel were to be returned to clothing depots in an attempt to overcome material shortages. By 1943 even Allgemeine-SS were being outfitted with field-grey uniforms and the black uniforms were to be reintroduced at the successful conclusion of the war. Of Note: SS Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result the SS established the SS-Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system in Munich in 1935. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s were allotted a one time clothing allowance from the government with the amount varying depending on the individuals rank. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could also choose to purchase privately tailored garments of higher quality although the price may have been restrictive. Also Of Note: The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was officially founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster’s Department. The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and were marked by the appropriate RZM/SS approval marking. In 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM. Of Interest: Renown graphic artist SS-Obersturmführer Professor Carl Diebitsch, (Later SS-Oberführer), of the Hauptamt Personlicher Stab Reichsführer-SS, Heinrich Himmler, (Personal Staff Department of National SS Leader Heinrich Himmler), was involved in the design of the black uniform. Apparently a favorite of Himmler’s, Diebitsch was also responsible for designing numerous other items utilized by the SS including the hangers on the M36 chained officer’s dagger, many pieces of Allach porcelain and a stained glass window for the exterior of the König Heinrich, (King Heinrich I, {876 -936AD}, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of what was to become Germany), cathedral dome, a part of the historic Quedlinburg castle complex, among other things. The command structure of the SS, Schutz Staffel, (Protection Squad), was highly complex and had many different levels and offices with numerous functions. The basic regional organizational infrastructure of the Allgemeine-SS began with the SS-Oberabschnitte, (SS Districts), which corresponded roughly to the German Armed Forces, Wehrkreis, (Military District). Each SS-Oberabschnitte contained two or three SS-Abschnitte, (SS Sub-Districts), and each SS-Abschnitte was comprised of two to four SS-Fuss-Standarten, (SS Foot Regiments). The SS-Fuss-Standarten were further divided into four Sturmbann, (Battalions) and a reserve Sturmbann and each SS-Oberabschnitte, also had a dedicated Nachrichten Sturmbann, (Signals Battalion), responsible for all communications. The Sturmbanns were generally further sub-divided into Sturm, (Companies), and almost all of these units were numbered. In the case of the Signals units personnel wore the Signals "Blitz" arrow and the particular Sturmbann number on their unit designation collar tabs and the actual Sturm number on a cufftitle. The Signals Sturm cufftitles were bordered on the top and bottom edges in light brown with Officer’s ranks having the numeral worked in silver/aluminum wire threads while EM/NCO personnel had the numeral worked in silvery/grey threads.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, early, private purchase, black wool/rayon, "doeskin", blend, double breasted style, full length, transitional SS cut, overcoat with a lay down collar, features dual, vertical, parallel, rows of six, front closure buttons with corresponding button eyelets on both the left and right front panels, enabling the coat to be button either left or right handedly. The overcoat also has a single, large, metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The overcoat has two, diagonally angled, slash, front, hip pockets with slightly angular flaps situated at the waistline. The straight cut sleeves have deep, fold back, French cuffs which are tacked in the upright position at the reverse sleeve seams. The top edge of the left French cuff has a woven, black rayon, cufftitle bordered at both the top and bottom edges in horizontally woven light brown rayon and the hand embroidered, Sturm numeral, "1", in bright, silver/aluminum wire threads. The cufftitle is neatly machine stitched to the sleeve. The upper, left sleeve has a nice quality, multi-piece construction, SS armband with a red wool base field with a ribbed, white rayon, circular field and ribbed, black rayon, tape swastika to the center. The top and bottom edges of the armband are bordered in the correct, ribbed, black rayon tape. The armband is neatly handstitched to the sleeve. The red wool base of the armband has a couple of small moth holes. The reverse of the overcoat has a central, vertical, opened, reverse pleat to the upper back panel, an SS style, horizontal, ornamental, half waist belt with dual retaining buttons positioned at the waistline and a central, vertical tail skirt vent with a single button closure. The tail skirt vent runs from the half waist belt down to the bottom edge of the coat. The right shoulder has a sewn on shoulder cord with three, doubled strands of twisted, bright, silver/aluminum braid mounted on a black wool base. The shoulder cord retaining button is intact. The lay down collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The reverse of the left collar has a single button and a separate, extended, black wool tab with a single button eyelet and a single, corresponding button on the reverse of the right side of the collar for a secure neck closure in inclement weather. The forward edge of the lay down collar is trimmed in twisted, bright, silver/aluminum braid piping. The collar features the October 1934-May 1945 pattern, black wool collar tabs also trimmed in twisted, bright, silver/aluminum braid piping. The left hand side, rank collar tab features three, silver washed, stamped alloy rank pips signifying the rank of SS-Untersturmführer. The right hand side, unit designation collar tab has a hand embroidered Signals "Blitz" arrow and the Sturmbann numeral, "7", in bright, silver/aluminum wire threads. The collar piping and both of the collar tabs are neatly handstitched to the collar. The cufftitle and unit designation collar tab indicate the owner served with the SS-Nachrichten 1^ST Sturm, 7^Th Sturmbann (SS-Signals 1^ST Company, 7^TH Battalion). Of Note: the 7^TH SS-Nachrichten Sturmbann was a component of SS-Oberabschnitte Nordost, (SS District North-East), and was headquartered in Königsberg. The interior of the overcoat is fully lined, in black rayon with a black striped, off-white rayon lining to the sleeves. The lining has a vertical slash pocket to the left breast panel and a small, black wool reinforced, slightly diagonally angled, slash to the reverse of the exterior left hip pocket for the dagger/sword hangers. The interior of the overcoat has a single button positioned on the left side at the waistline for a neat closure. The interior of the overcoat also has a machine woven, black rayon, tailor’s label with machine woven, silver script that includes the tailor’s logo and name and address, "Carl Schmidtke Königsberg i/PR.". The tailor’s label is neatly handstitched to the nape of the neck. The overcoat is in overall very good condition with light chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges, a couple of small tears near the bottom edge of the tail skirt, and minor age and usage toning including a couple of small white stains. The front closure and reverse half waist belt buttons are all the silver washed, pebbled, magnetic sheet metal type and the reverse of each is well marked with the faint, impressed RZM logo within a circular border, the manufacturer’s RZM code, "M5/306", and the manufacturer’s logo consisting of the letter, "F", positioned on the top of the letter, "P", all within a triangular border. The RZM code and the logo both indicate manufacture by Franz Petzl of Wien, (Vienna). The shoulder cord retaining button is a silver washed, pebbled, alloy type while the buttons under the collar and the single interior button are the molded black bakelite type and all appear to have their original stitching. The overcoat is roughly size 42", (106.7cm), chest. Also included are a nice quality, private purchase, light weight, black wool/rayon, "doeskin", blend construction, straight legged, long pants with a vertical, four button, French fly and an additional metal hook and eye and a single button positioned on the horizontal waistband with a corresponding, internal, horizontally extended, button holed, fabric tab to the left side of the fly. The front of the pants have two, vertical, slash, side seam pockets with ornate, scalloped, reinforcement stitching. The pants don’t have the usual, small, horizontal slash watch pocket. The reverse of the pants ride slightly higher then the obverse and have a single, horizontal, slash pocket with a single button closure to the right seat. The reverse of the pants also have two, short, diagonally angled, tapering darts and dual, horizontal, fit adjustment straps with a corresponding, blued, opened, dual pronged, sheet metal buckle. The exterior, horizontal waistband has eight, evenly spaced, suspender attachment buttons with two positioned on either side of the fly and the additional four buttons flanking the typical, "V" slash to the reverse center. The vertical, outside, leg seams each have inserted, narrow white wool piping. The pants have straight cut, dual-ply hemmed, non-adjustable cuffs. The interior waistband is lined in two grades of off white cotton/rayon blend material with one having grey stripes while the other has grey and black dots. The internal pocket bags are constructed in off-white cotton. The pants are in overall very good condition with light nap wear through-out, minor age and usage toning and one, small, handstitched repair to the upper right leg. The buttons are all the molded black bakelite type and appear to have their original stitching. The pants have no visible size or manufacturer’s markings although all the buttons have the impressed manufacturer’s name and location, "Gebr. Siebert Königsberg i/PR.". The pants are quite large and are roughly a size 42",(106.7cm), waist. Nice set with both items in overall very good condition.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $ SOLD