Original German WWII Heer Army Infantry Hauptmann Officer M41 Tropical Afrika Korps Uniform Tunic with KRETA Cuff Title & Award Loops

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. In early 1941, the German military began their conquest of southern Europe. Due to the warmer climates of these areas, the German Army needed to equip its troops with a more suitable form of dress, and replace the standard wool based feldgrau uniforms. The new "tropical" uniforms were lighter in weight, and dyed in colors ranging from light tan to dark olive.

This 100% authentic German World War Two Early M41 Heer Tropenbluse Tropical Tunic is in very good service used condition, looking "well-rested" with no signs of post war alterations, just how we like to see them. The tunic is made out of medium weight cotton twill weave denim-like material which has been dyed olive/tan, and is definitely a bit stiff. It features four pleated front pockets with scalloped flaps, which identifies this as the early M41 model. The first model, the M41, had pleated pockets with scalloped flaps, the second model, the M42, had flat pockets with scalloped pocket flaps, and the third and final model, the M43, switched to square pocket flaps.

The tunic is unlined, though it does have reinforcements around the sleeves and also on the front of the shoulders. There are no pockets on the interior, not even the bandage pocket, which is a known variation for these tunics. We were not able to locate any size or maker markings on the interior, so we believe it is most likely bespoke, made for this particular officer at a local tailor before he deployed to North Africa. It has a six button front closure, with the collar button and one of the lower buttons missing, which were sewn directly to the fabric. It also has the usual double hook and loop closure for the collar, and the pockets all have buttons matching the front closure, which look to be maker marked on the back.

It is adorned with the usual rank and branch insignia used on German tunics. The attractive Tropical Army breast eagle is BeVo embroidered with silver and tan threading on an olive green background, the correct colors for a tropical tunic. There is a bit of oxidation to the silver threads, but no fraying or other damage. Unlike most tropical tunics we see, the collar is wrapped in flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) wool fabric, and has officer's field litzen collar patches on each side, which are woven from silver bullion thread with a dark bottle green background matching the collar. It is in good shape, tough there is overall wear to the fuzzy nap of the fabric, which is usually one of the first places to show damage from use.

The colored stripes on the litzen are age toned Weiß (white) rayon, the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) during WWII for Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry). The “sew-in” style company grade officers schulterklappen (shoulder boards) of this tunic are constructed with two rows of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping and have the correct white piping around the edges. There are two rank "pips" installed on both, indicating the rank of Hauptmann, equivalent to a U.S. Army Captain. We also noted that second buttonhole from the top has the ribbon for an Iron Cross 1939 Second Class, and there are multiple thread loops on the left chest where awards would have once been worn. There is also very rare KRETA Ärmelstreiffen (Crete cuff title) on the left sleeve just above the cuff, indicating service during that campaign.

Overall condition is very good, showing light wear from service, but no major damage or repairs. We can see that it has some age toning, as looking under the pocket flaps shows that it was originally a bit more green and less yellow in color. We also noted that the top pockets have the outer corners sewn down, and assume they were not really used by the wearer.

A fantastic totally genuine Afrika Korps Infantry Officer M41 tunic in great service used condition. Ready for further research and display!

The KRETA Ärmelstreiffen (Crete cuff title) was the first in a series of four campaign award cuff titles and was introduced on October 16th 1942 It was awarded to personnel who participated in the successful assault on the Greek, Mediterranean island of Crete from May 20th to June 1st 1941. The cuff title was considered a military combat decoration, and as such, was bestowed with a corresponding award possession document and entered into the recipient’s official military service documentation. Bestowal of the award was opened to personnel in all three branches of service who had actively been involved in the invasion of Crete. The "Kreta" cuff title was worn on the lower left sleeve of the field blouse, service tunic and greatcoat by all eligible personnel with no differentiation for rank.

The "Kreta" cuff title utilized acanthus leaves as ornamentation which is a perennial herb or shrub native to the Mediterranean area and has been used through-out ancient history as ornamentation in art and architecture. The acanthus leaves symbolize quality, strength, longevity and creativity. The "Kreta" cuff title was manufactured in two slightly different versions with one version having seven acanthus leaf petals and the other with nine. Due to the significant role that the German Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) played in the successful invasion they were awarded a large percentage of the "Kreta" cuff titles.

The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (Deutsches Afrikakorps or DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of their African colonies, the formation fought on in Africa, under various appellations, from March 1941 until its surrender in May 1943. The term "Afrika Korps" is pseudo-German (so-called "cod-German"), deriving from an incomplete German title. The German term referred solely to the initial formation, the Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK), which formed part of the Axis command of the German and Italian forces in North Africa. The name stuck, with both news media and Allied soldiers, as the name for all subsequent German units in North Africa. The unit is known for having been commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.