Original Items: One-of-a-kind set. WWII German Rural Police Tunic Gendarmerie Meister (Warrant Officer). Police green wool construction service tunic features a vertical, eight button front closure with two metal hooks (one missing) and eyes positioned at the forward neckline and a brown lay down collar. The full length of both left and right front closure panel edges are trimmed in light green wool truppenfarben piping. The tunic has two, pleated, patch, breast pockets and two, slightly diagonally angled, slash hip pockets, all with scalloped button down flaps. The scalloped cut, non-adjustable, sleeves have simulated French cuffs in chocolate brown wool with dual ornamental buttons to the outside sleeve seams and light green wool truppenfarben piping to the top edges. The reverse of the tunic has a 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 light green wool truppenfarben.

The tunic has sewn on shoulder boards for the rank of Meister and feature dual bright silver/aluminum Russian braid with, inner brown braids, mounted on light green wool truppenfarbe bases. The tunic has a lay down, chocolate brown wool collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The forward edge of the collar is piped in light green wool truppenfarben. The interior of the tunic is fully lined. The tunic has no visible manufacturer’s or size markings. The tunic is in overall in very good condition with minor age and usage toning, light chafe wear to the cuff and collar edges and some moth nips. The buttons are all the silver washed, pebbled alloy type. Also included is a matching set of trousers in good condition.

Collar to Shoulder: P"
Shoulder to Sleeve:24.5"
Shoulder to Shoulder: 16"
Chest width: 19"
Waist width: 18"
Hip width: 19"
Front length: 31.5"

Trousers
Waist: 36"
Inseam: 30"

On June 17TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS, (National Leader of the 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 25TH 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. Of Note: The Feuerschutzpolizei, (Fire Protection Police), continued to wear the traditional blue uniforms although a Himmler directive in November 1938 dictated that the Urban Fire Protection Police also exchange their blue uniforms for the new police green uniforms. 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 light grey truppenfarbe being allocated to the Polizei Verwaltungs Beamte, (Police Administration Officials). Of Note: Police Administration Officials were further distinguished by the addition of bright red Nebenfarben, (Secondary color), until discontinued as per regulations on November 18TH 1944. On the service tunic the truppenfarbe was generally displayed as the base of the shoulder boards and the collar tabs as well as on ornamental piping, while the nebenfarben, was only utilized on the shoulder boards. Police Officers and Officials with equivalent rank/positions, 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, (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 individual’s 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.