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As Nazi uniforms go, this is quite a rare tunic, often misunderstood, but even more often a type unknown to many collectors. People unfamiliar with German World War II uniform regulations often incorrectly assume that tunics of this sort are some sort of post-war modification. THIS IS NOT A POST-WAR CONVERSION OF ANY KIND!

This uniform tunic began life at the "LAGO" uniform factory as item 2321 on order 35, a Wehrmacht Waffenrock tunic with bright red artillery Waffenfarbe or piping down the front flap, on the cuffs and in the back flaps. It was sent to Munich tailor Michael Huber who had a shop (probably in part of his home) at Thalhauserfußweg 12.

As the war dragged on into 1944 German industries could no longer maintain either the quality or quantity of uniforms required by the fighting forces of the Army, Air Force, Waffen-SS or others. Shirt-jackets, pullovers and smocks of all kinds were substituted for beautifully styled and time-honored German field uniforms. German uniform regulations were broadly altered to accommodate the new issues and to provide for the conversion of parade and other classic uniform styles for use by combat troops (a good deal of information about such conversion can be found in online forums). This tunic is an unissued example of one of those classic late-war conversions that required the removal of colored piping and bright trappings the substitution of simple field gray collar and cuffs.

The photo below shows how the bright red piping was carefully removed from the rear flaps of the tunic when it was converted, leaving very small tell-tale pieces at the tops and bottoms of each flap. The red piping down the front of the tunic was very carefully removed leaving only a few remnant ends of the grey-green thread that held it in place on the inside of the flap.

It was either the uniform factory "LAGO", or the tailor Huber that converted this tunic by removing the beautiful bright red piping and classic dark green "Swedish" collar and cuffs, substituting the latter with subdued grey versions, and painting the buttons dark green.

The tunic as converted still has its inside breast pocket and pockets built into both sides of the tails at the bottom of the back. There is a beautiful original breast eagle in silver wire, woven on dark green on the right chest at the level of the second button.

The exterior of the tunic is made of very good quality grey-green material and is in very good original condition, as is the original manufacturer/tailor sleeve label. A few of the MOTZ and T&G pebbled buttons are missing a bit of their green conversion paint but are otherwise as new. The lining is complete and in very good condition but has a few holes in it and a very few rust-type stains in the area where it may have been hung on an iron hanger.

We can't speculate on why there are holes in the lining, but this uniform came back to the United States with other Nazi uniforms brought back by an American Sergeant who filled each of the uniform tunics with metal objects like daggers, medals, knives, etc. for shipment.

For those who place stock in "black lighting", we can say that nothing on this tunic fluoresces under black light.

The back length of this tunic is 28 inches, the sleeves are 25 inches long, the shoulder width is 16 inches and the armpit-to-armpit measurement is 17-½ inches. The tunic weighs 2-¾ pounds.

Would make a superb display on a mannequin or hanger in any advanced German uniform collection. This is a 100% untampered with Third Reich original.