SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION

S018162 5TH SS WIKING DIVISION, SS-STURMMANN'S FIELD-GREY ASSAULT ARTILLERY WRAP TUNIC. (Sturmartillerie Feldjacke)

BACKGROUND: Development of self-propelled assault artillery to support the infantry in a close fire support role began in the late 1930's and continued through-out the war. With the development of these new weapons it was decided that crew personnel would require a uniform designed specifically for wear in the close constrains of their vehicles. The army’s black panzer, (armored), wrap uniform had proven practical in the confines of tanks, but it was determined that the color was too conspicuous for use while performing the close support role as the assault gunners were quite often required to leave their vehicles for observation within close range and view of the enemy. This consideration led to the introduction of the army pattern, field-grey Sturmartillerie, (Assault Artillery), uniform on May 29TH 1940, with the same design and cut of the black panzer wrap uniform. Originally these army pattern assault artillery uniforms were issued to personnel serving with the SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Sturmgeschütze-Batterie, (SS Life Standard Adolf Hitler Assault Gun Battery), in early 1941. On September 1ST 1941 the Waffen-SS, (Armed-SS), officially adopted the field-grey assault artillery uniform with minor construction modifications. The main modifications were that the overlapping front closure of the Waffen-SS version was more vertical, as opposed to the diagonally angled overlap of the army’s version and the Waffen-SS version didn’t have the central, reverse, vertical seam as the army version. Regulations of December 1942 extended wear of the field-grey assault artillery uniform to personnel serving in Panzerjägereinheiten, (Anti-Tank Units). In 1939 the Waffen-SS adopted waffenfarben, (Branch of Service Colors), with each branch of service being allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe with Artillerie, (Artillery), and Sturmartillerie, (Assault Artillery), personnel being allocated bright red waffenfarben, which was displayed as piping on the shoulder straps or the base of the shoulder boards. The 5TH SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking", (Viking), was originally formed in November 1940 as the SS-Division (mot.) Germania by consolidating the regiments Germania, Nordland, Westland and the 5TH SS-Artillerie regiment into a new divisional unit. On January 1ST 1941 the division was renamed, SS-Division "Wiking" and on November 9TH 1942 the division was upgraded and renamed SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Wiking". The division was upgraded again and received its final designation on October 22ND 1943 as 5TH SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking", (SS-Armored Infantry Division). On September 1ST 1942 a new honorary cufftitle, scripted, "Wiking", was introduced for all divisional personnel who had not already been allotted a cufftitle. Personnel from the cadre regiments, Germania, Nordland and Westland had already been bestowed cufftitles prior to the introduction of the Wiking cufftitle. Originally the "Wiking" cufftitle was produced in the standard RZM, Reich Zeug Meisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), machine embroidered style for EM/NCO’s ranks and a machine woven version for Officer’s ranks until, in 1943, a variant BeVo-like, machine woven version was introduced. Of Note: The RZM was official 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, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), 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. Also 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.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, slightly mottled, field-grey, wool/rayon blend construction, Waffen-SS cut, waist length, double breasted style tunic with fold back lapels with "rounded" edges, and a lay down collar. The left, front, closure panel of the tunic has four, hidden, button eyelets and an additional three, visible button eyelets on the fold back lapel. The right, front, closure panel has four, large, corresponding buttons and three, smaller buttons all intact. The edge of the right, front, closure panel has an additional two, small, buttons positioned underneath the overlapping left closure panel with two, internal, fabric loops for a secure closure with a neat appearance. The tunic has a single, large, metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline, for a secure closure. The top, left, lapel button eyelet has an inserted, Iron Cross 2ND class ribbon and a Russian Front Medal ribbon, both neatly handstitched in place. The left breast has four, horizontal threads loops, for wear of awards. The tunic has no exterior pockets. Both the obverse and reverse of the tunic have two, evenly spaced, vertical, machine stitched, tapering darts. The tunic is the Waffen-SS pattern with no central, seam to the reverse. The side panels of the tunic each have four, vertically aligned, horizontal, thread reinforcements with a small, vertical, slash, positioned at the waistline and designed for the belt support hooks. The belt support hooks are absent. The straight cut sleeve cuffs each have a vertical, outside seam slash with a single button eyelet and dual, corresponding, fit adjustment buttons to each. The upper left sleeve has a second pattern, (Circa 1939-1945), machine woven, SS sleeve eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons, in silvery/grey rayon threads on a cut-out, black wool base. The eagle is portioned above a SS-Sturmmann’s rank chevron consisting of a single, machine woven, "V" shaped, bright, silver/aluminum, diamond patterned, tress chevron, machine stitched on an inverted, black wool, triangular, base. The lower, left sleeve has machine woven, RZM pattern, black rayon construction cufftitle featuring machine embroidered, Latin script, "Wiking" in silvery/grey rayon threads. The script stands out in nice, high, relief. The cufftitle is bordered at both the top and bottom edges in horizontally woven, seven strand, bright, silver/aluminum wire threads. The tunic has black wool construction, slip on, shoulder straps with bright red rayon waffenfarbe piping. The bottoms of the shoulder straps are in field-grey wool while the narrow, slip on, retaining tongues are in black wool with a textured, black, cotton/rayon blend, reinforcement panel machine stitched to the reverse of each. The shoulder strap’s fabric retaining loops and field-grey painted, pebbled alloy retaining buttons are intact. Of Note: Enlisted Artillery/Assault Artillery ranks shoulder straps indicate the ranks of, SS-Kanonier, SS-Oberkanonier, SS-Sturmmann and SS-Rottenführer inclusively with the collar and/or sleeve insignia indicating the specific rank. The lay down collar has the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The collar has the post-August 1940, third and final pattern, (Circa 1940-1945), un-piped, pattern, EM/NCO’s collar tabs with no outer edge piping. The collar tabs consist of the later, "BeVo", machine woven, right hand side, SS runic collar tab and the left hand side, SS-Sturmmann’s rank collar tab. The right hand side collar tab features a ribbed, black rayon base with machine woven, SS runes in silvery/grey rayon threads while the left hand side, has a ribbed, black rayon base with a narrow, bright, silver/aluminum strip of tress with an interwoven, central, black stripe positioned near the forward edge. The collar tabs are neatly machine stitched to the collar. The interior front panels of the tunic are lined in pale, grey rayon with an HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), weave. The lining has a horizontal slash, patch pocket to the right breast panel and a vertical slash, patch pocket to the left breast panel. The lining also has a vertical, grey cotton, belt support straps with four, stitched eyelets to each, positioned to each side at the waistline. The interior also has two, horizontal, pale grey, HBT, rayon strips with tunnel looped, grey, HBT cotton/rayon fit adjustment straps positioned at the reverse waistline. The upper, left, breast panel is well marked with faint, blurred, black size inkstamps and an additional, illegible black inkstamp which is presumably a manufacturer’s or RB number mark. The tunic is in overall very good condition with spots of light to moderate chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges, light age and usage toning, one small tear to the lower, outer, right sleeve seam and small spots of light to moderate nap wear. The buttons, excluding the pebbled, alloy, shoulder strap retaining buttons, are all the molded, pale, olive drab, glass type and all appear to have their original stitching. The tunic is roughly size 40", (101.6cm), chest. This tunic was found stripped and the current owner has had nice original insignia restored to the Jacket. Original SS cut wraps like this example are getting hard to find.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $12,855.00

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