German Police General's Service Tunic
CATEGORY: Version
SKU: 52.GOR.02.01.01.01.001.000
Estimated market value:
Estimated market value:
This rare tunic is fabricated from Police-green wool exterior, the breasts of the jacket close by six reinforced button holes meeting an equal number of pebbled, gilded metallic buttons, stamped on the reverse with EXTRA FEIN, the tunic bears two pleated breast pockets and two pleated hip pockets, each with reinforced buttonholes meeting a pebbled, gilded zink buttons, the collar, constructed of dark-green wool, the interior right collar has two magnetic metal hooks meeting an equal number of magnetic metal eyelets on the left allowing the collar to sit flush with the neck, the collar is flanked by tabs composed of light-green-coloured wool base, bearing Arabesque designs in gold wire, each measuring 44 mm (w) x 93 mm (l), shoulder boards rest on each shoulder, constructed of three interwoven cords with the inner cord of aluminum soutache while each flanking cord was braided gold cord, making four bends around a button loop, underlaid with light green wool, measuring 44 mm (w) x 100 mm (l), the left upper arm bears a sleeve insignia in the form of a police-style German national eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, executed in hand-embroidered gold-coloured wire with a black swastika surrounded by a golden-coloured wire, all sewn onto a field-grey backing, measuring 80 mm (w) x 70 mm (h), below the left breast pocket is a set of SS Police runes, constructed of silver aluminum bullion embroidery, on a field-grey wool backer, measuring 35 mm (w) x 39 mm (h), suspended from the right shoulder is a full-size officer’s aiguillette constructed of golden wire, the reverse of the tunic presents a central vertical tail skirt vent measuring 165 mm, the interior of the tunic is lined with grey-green rayon, with striped off-white rayon-blended material lining the interior of the sleeves, the interior of the tunic contains a pocket on the upper left breast that presents a blank label for Hans Klee, Kassel, with space for owner information, the interior of the collar presents the maker label for Hans Klee, Kassel, Bahnhofstr. 16, across the shoulders measures approximately 40 cm, with a length of 63 cm in the sleeves, with an overall length of 72.5 cm, presenting very minimal mothing and soiling, in overall extremely fine condition.
During the Third Reich, an effort was made to unite all of Germany’s disparate provincial police forces and agencies into a single cohesive national unit. To attain this goal, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was named Chief of the German Police in the Ministry of the Interior in June 1936. That same month, Himmler implemented new standardized uniforms, headgear, and insignia. The uniforms worn prior to Himmler’s appointment were often navy blue, particularly in what had been Prussia. The new uniforms were green, in a shade that was then dubbed “Police green”.
The German Police were divided into two main units, the Ordnungspolizei (Orps or Regular Police) and the Sicherheitspolizei (Secret Police); the Ordnungspolizei were unofficially called the green police (Grüne Polizei) as a result of their uniform colour. The Sicherheitspolizei were made up of two main organizations, the Gestapo and the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Investigation Police). At the beginning of the Second World War, the Sicherheitspolizei were brought under the auspices of the Reich Main Security Office.
The Ordnungspolizei was also divided into smaller branches of service, and each branch was associated with a branch of service/troop colour (Truppenfarbe). The troop colours include:
Schutzpolizei des Reichs (National Protection Police): Green
Schutzpolizei der Gemeinden (Municipal Police) pre-1942: Red
Schutzpolizei der Gemeinden (Municipal Police) post-1942: Green
Gendarmerie (Gendarmes/Rural Police): Orange
Verwaltungspolizei (Administrative Personnel) pre-1942: Red over grey
Verwaltungspolizei (Administrative Personnel) post-1942: Light grey
Feuerschutzpolizei (Fire Protection Police): Carmine
Wasserschutzpolizei (Water Protection Police): Yellow
The uniform garments worn by members of the Wasserschutzpolizei (Water Protection Police) and the Feuerschutzpolizei (Fire Protection Police) remained blue after the 1936 uniform redesign.
The service tunics were worn by all ranks of German police personnel.
The buttons are silver-coloured (aluminum) and pebbled, with the exception of General ranks who wore gold-coloured buttons. There are generally eight buttons on the front closure, two buttons on each sleeve cuff, and one button closing each pocket. There may also be four decorative buttons on the tunic's reverse vent. The vent is also lined in Truppenfarbe piping.
There are four exterior pockets in total on the tunic, with two at breast level and two at hip level. The pockets are generally “patch” pockets with scalloped flaps closed by one button each.
The collar and sleeve cuffs have an additional layer of brown wool, and for Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers/Enlisted Men (NCOs/EMs) they are lined in Truppenfarbe piping, same as the seam of the front closure.
The tunic may be lined with rayon, cotton, artificial silk, or silk, depending on the wearer's rank, as well as whether the tunic was manufactured privately. There are often interior pockets cut into the tunic's lining, and a manufacturer's label is often ink stamped or sewn onto tunic lining.
The insignia featured on these tunics include collar tabs, shoulder boards, and a sleeve eagle. See the relevant Insignia sections for more information.
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