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. Regulations of June 1^ST 1942 addressed the introduction of a new field blouse to be similar in cut to the army’s field blouses resulting in the police M43 field blouse being adopted in early 1943. Generally all the police agencies utilized the straight legged, long pants as well as mounted and unmounted breeches but a tapered, "keilhose" type of pants were introduced along with the M43 field blouse. 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 field blouse the truppenfarbe was generally displayed as the base of the shoulder boards and the collar tabs. 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: Slightly mottled, Police green, wool/rayon blend construction M43 field blouse features a vertical, six button front closure with a single metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neck line and a lay down collar. The field blouse has two, pleated, breast pockets and two, non-pleated, hip pockets, all with scalloped button down flaps. The breast pockets are the basic patch type while the hip pockets are the saddlebag type with expanding side panels. The left breast pocket has four vertical and two horizontal thread loops for wear of awards and comes with a single place ribbon bar with a ribbed, rayon War Merit Cross 2^ND class ribbon with a gilt washed, stamped alloy, crossed swords cypher mounted on an alloy base plate with a pin back device to the reverse. The field blouse has four sets of three, vertically aligned, stitched eyelets with one set situated at either side of the front closure and two to either side of the back panel, at the waistline. The eyelets were designed for the belt support hooks which are absent. The back panel has two, short, vertical tapering darts and a short, central, vertical, tail skirt vent. The straight cut sleeve cuffs each have a vertical slash to the outside seam with dual fit adjustment buttons. The upper left sleeve has a post-November 1941 pattern, machine embroidered police eagle encompassed by a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath all in orange cotton truppenfarbe threads with black eye and swastika detailing, mounted on a cut-out, slightly mottled, vertically oval, police green wool base. The wool base is machine stitched to the sleeve in the typical zig-zag fashion. 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 field blouse has slip on shoulder boards with dual, bright silver/aluminum outer braids with evenly spaced black "V"s, encompassing dual interwoven black and silver/aluminum braids with evenly spaced black "V"s to the silver/aluminum braid, mounted on orange wool truppenfarben bases. The shoulder boards have their narrow, orange wool slip on retaining tongues intact. The shoulder board retaining buttons and fabric loops are also all intact. The reverse of the lay down collar is in a reed green cotton/rayon blend material with an HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), weave and has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching. The collar features machine woven, collar tabs with bright silver/aluminum flat-wire litzen interwoven onto an orange rayon truppenfarbe base which shows through as the branch of service and center stripes. The collar tabs are piped in twisted, bright silver/aluminum cord and are machine stitched to the collar. The interior of the field blouse is partially lined in brown rayon. The lining has two of the original four vertical, brown rayon straps with four stitched eyelets to each for the belt support hooks. The two front belt support hook straps have been removed. The forward right tail skirt has a field dressing pocket with a single button closure. All five of the collar liner buttons are intact. The field blouse is in overall good condition with numerous small spots of moth grazing resulting in small areas with the loss of the original nap and a couple of small, rust colored stains. The front closure, exterior pocket and shoulder board buttons are all the pebbled magnetic sheet metal type while the cuff, field dressing pocket and collar liner buttons are the molded green bakelite type and about half appear to have been restitched. The field blouse has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The field blouse is roughly size 40" chest. The field blouse comes with a pair of M43 police green, wool/rayon blend construction pants. The pants feature a vertical, four button, French fly with an additional two buttons and a large metal hook and eye positioned on the waistband. The exterior waistband has two, button down, belt loops with one positioned on either side of the fly and two to the reverse center. The pants have two, diagonally angled, slash front pockets with single button closures. The right front of the pants also have a horizontal slash watch pocket with a straight edged button down flap situated below the waistband. The right front waistband also has a small metal ring stitched in place to secure a watch chain. The right seat of the pants have a horizontal slash pocket with a single button closure. The reverse of the pants also have two, vertical, tapering darts and dual, horizontal, fit adjustment straps with corresponding, toothed, sheet metal buckles. The straight cut cuffs have two vertical tapering darts and a vertical slash to the outside leg seam. The cuffs appear to have had fabric foot stirrups that have been removed. The interior waistband is lined in grey rayon with four evenly spaced, suspender buttons. The reverse center of the waistband has two, vertically extended, fabric tabs with a single button to each, also for suspenders. The internal pocket bags are in coarsely woven grey cotton. The pants show moderate nap wear and age and usage toning through-out and a couple of small, handstitched repairs. The buttons are a combination the molded green bakelite and magnetic sheet metal types and most appear to have their original stitching. The pants have no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The pants are roughly size 33" waist.

GRADE ***1/2                             PRICE $1,250.00