WWII NAZI GERMAN POLICE PANZER WRAPPER TYPE II WW2

Second pattern black wool/rayon blend construction waist length double breasted style tunic with fold back lapels and a large lay down collar. The left front closure panel of the tunic has four hidden button eyelets and an additional three un-hidden 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 metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The left sleeve has a bullion police eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons, encompassed by a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath. The obverse of the tunic has two diagonally angled tapering darts while the reverse of the tunic has two vertical tapering darts and a central vertical seam. The sleeve cuffs each have a small vertical outside seam slash with dual fit adjustment buttons to each. The tunic has Schutzpolizei des Reichs Wachtmeister's slip on shoulder boards. The tunic has a large lay down collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse and exaggerated forward pointed tips. The collar has green waffenfarbe piping. The collar features the elongated, black wool construction collar tabs with the typical, silver stamped, alloy, Danziger style Totenkopf cyphers and green rayon waffenfarbe piping to the outside edges. The collar tabs are machine stitched to the collar. All original buttons and stitching. The lower, right panel is well marked with white size ink stamps and is dated 1943. MINT The black Panzer Wrap tunic was originally introduced by the army on November 12TH 1934, for wear by armored vehicle personnel and was worn through-out the war with minor modifications in 1936 and 1942. Allegedly Chief of the motorized troops, Oberst Heinz Guderian came up with the coloration and design of the form fitting uniform which he based on a popular ski outfit of the time. Black was chosen as the color as it help conceal the grease and grime commonly encountered by motorized personnel. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their uniforms from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase garments of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored uniforms although the price may have been restrictive. The German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), national eagle by order on February 17TH 1934, with instructions to have it applied to all steel helmets, visor caps, and tunics by May 1ST 1934. Generally officer’s ranks utilized hand or machine embroidered breast eagles while EM/NCO’s ranks utilized machine embroidered or machine woven breast eagles. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), with pink being chosen for Panzer, (Armored), personnel. Of Note: The general waffenfarbe for all armored units was pink although other colors were utilized including red for armored artillery units, golden yellow for armored reconnaissance units and the 24TH Panzer Division, lemon yellow for armored signals units and, for a short time, alternating black and white for armored engineer units. On the field blouse, service tunic and Panzer wrap tunic the waffenfarbe was generally displayed on the shoulder straps/boards and the collar tabs. Originally the Panzer wrap tunics also utilized the waffenfarbe as piping on the forward edge of the collar until regulations of mid-1942 abolished the use of the collar piping and instructed it to be removed from the tunics, although the directive was not strictly adhered to.