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, (SS-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, 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 positioned at the forward neckline and a lay down collar. The left edge of the front closure panel and the lower 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 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 faint, vertically oval outline where a police eagle had been applied and removed. The reverse of the tunic has a short, 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 the July 1940 to May 1945 pattern, sewn on shoulder boards in bright, silver/aluminum Russian braid mounted on brown wool center panels and ribbed, green rayon truppenfarben bases. The shoulder boards are still quite clean and bright. The shoulder board retaining buttons are intact. 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, greyish/tan cotton twill with black and white striped, brushed grey rayon to the sleeves. The lining has a vertical slash pocket to the left breast and a dual, small, vertical slash "glove" pockets to the reverse of the tail skirt vent. The reverse of the exterior left hip pocket has a small, field-grey wool reinforced, horizontal, slash designed for the dagger/sword hangers. All three, fold back, sheet metal collar liner retaining clips are intact to the collar. The lining is well marked with the black inkstamped designation and date to the left breast panel, "Po 1940" and black inkstamped sizes and the manufacture‘s name that appears to be, "Paul Opalla & Co.", and the date, "1940", to the right breast panel. The right breast panel lining also has additional black inkstamps that include, "Zuschnitt Nr. ", (Cut/style number). The tunic is in overall very good condition with minor age and usage toning and some light chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges. The buttons are all the bright, silver washed, pebbled alloy type and are still quite clean and bright and all appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 36" chest. Comes complete with its original officers silver wire arm eagle. Eagle was removed from the tunic after the war, and is in the front left breast pocket.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $1,288.00