Tailored German Army Artillery Officer Tunic for an Oberleutnant

Product Description: This is an absolutely gorgeous, choice example of a tailor made WW2 German Artillery officer tunic. Officers had to supply their own uniforms, and they were usually obtained from private tailors, as is the case here. This beautiful tunic is untouched, and in excellent overall condition. The tunic itself is made of a heavy weight field gray wool, that would have been appropriate for both field and service use. The front closes with six field gray painted buttons, typical for wartime manufacture. The attractive Army breast eagle is hand embroidered in aluminum bullion, and is very neatly hand stitched to the chest in a fashion typical of wartime German tailor work. The collar tabs are red piped for Artillery, and are machine applied; there is no sign of previous tabs ever having been applied. The Artillery officer shoulder boards each have a single gold colored rank pip, indicating the rank of Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant), and are neatly and tightly applied. The collar tabs and shoulder boards are the subdued “field” type, with dull braid. There are tailor applied loops for a single badge and for a ribbon bar. We have included a photo showing how this handsome tunic looks when it is displayed with a ribbon bar and wound badge, but these are not included in the sale. The exterior of this Artillery officer tunic is extremely clean, retaining virtually all of the original wool nap, and showing no staining. There is one extremely small moth hole, along one cuff edge, that is barely visible when the tunic is displayed. The inside of this Artillery officer tunic is fully lined with artificial silk, as is typical, and exhibits lots of neatly done hand sewing. The interior of the M36 style dark green badge cloth collar has clips for affixing a celluloid collar bind. There is a machine embroidered tailor tag in the lining indicating manufacture by the firm of Breuninger A.G. in Stuttgart. Inside the internal pocket, there is another tag with the typewritten notation “Offz. Bluse” (Officer Blouse) and the size, 46. There is also a dagger hanger, with a clip marked with the Assmann manufacturer logo and “D.R.G.M” indicating a trademarked design. There is no indication, inside or out, that this Artillery officer tunic was ever actually worn. This tunic makes for a fantastic display.

Historical Description: The Heer, the army of the German military during the Third Reich, was established in 1935. Over the next 10 years, German Army troops wore a huge variety of uniforms. Enlisted men generally wore uniforms issued from military depots. Most enlisted soldiers wore wool trousers and a tunic with four external pockets, known as a Feldbluse (field blouse). Before the war, soldiers also were issued a walking-out tunic, with flashy insignia, called the Waffenrock. Officers wore the same general uniform styles, but as officers had to supply their own uniforms, they usually wore tailor made versions. There were also myriad varieties of specialized uniforms worn by certain units or in specific situations, from the stylish black wool “wraps” worn by crews of armored fighting vehicles, to the drab HBT work uniforms. There were tropical and summer uniforms, and camouflage smocks for combat troops. For troops operating in winter climates, there were long wool overcoats, fur clothing articles, and padded jacket and trousers sets. In 1944, a new uniform was introduced, featuring a short jacket with only two external pockets. Most but not all German Army uniform jackets bore the Heer emblem of an eagle holding a swastika.

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