Original German WWII Named Heer Army Panzer Armored Oberleutnant Officer M36 Field Uniform Tunic by Wilhelm Holters with Afrikakorps Cuff Title - Dated 1939

Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice early pattern German WWII Heer Army Panzer Armored Oberleutnant Officer's M-36 Tunic, which has an AFRIKAKORPS cuff title on the left sleeve. The tunic shows moderate wear from service and in very good display condition. The interior still has a complete embroidered maker tag on inside of the collar, which reads:

WILHELM Holters
BERLIN W.50
TAUNTZIENSTR. 16

There is what looks to be a trade guild or other type of logo on the lower left of the label. Additionally, there is a nametag inside the pocket, which has the same maker information on it, but also indicates what looks to be the name of Bogh, as well as a date of April 1939 in the lower left corner. It's very rare that we get tunics with the nametag still legible, making this a rare treat!

The tunic is made from lovely "whipcord" weave wool gabardine, in the standard Heer feldgrau (field gray) color. It features four pleated pockets with scalloped flaps and pebbled buttons, which look to be made from pebbled stamped non-magnetic aluminum alloy tops with magnetic bodies and eyelets. The front closure features five of the same buttons on the right breast flap meeting an equal number of reinforced buttonholes on the left flap. All look to be faintly marked on the rear, and the buttons are sewn directly to the fabric, which does make them a bit more prone to tearing off, however these all look to be original. There are also two hook and loop collar securing fasteners, which are fully functional, and there are also three small snaps next to the front closure to help keep it closed.

The interior is lined with with a very nice gray green colored rayon cotton blend twill fabric, while the sleeves are lined with striped rayon, with some solid white areas at the ends of the cuffs. There is a single horizontal slash pocket on the inside of the left chest, which is where the name tag is. It has the correct large eyelet opening into the left waist pocket for attachment of an officers dagger. We do not see any major repairs, just the usual wear and staining from service.

It is adorned with the usual rank and branch insignia used on German tunics. The attractive Army breast eagle is the correct early pattern officer's silver bullion hand embroidered type on a dark green background, and is stitched to the outer layer of fabric only. There is just a bit of fraying and oxidation on the eagle due to wear. The collar is wrapped in flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) wool, and has officer's field litzen collar patches on each side, which are woven from silver bullion thread with dark bottle green backgrounds matching the collar. It is in very good shape, and is usually one of the first places to show damage from use, however in this case it is free from holes and major wear.

The colored bullion stripes on the litzen are colored Rosa (Rose-pink), which was the Waffenfarbe (corps color) during WWII for the Panzers (Armored Troops) and Panzerjäger (Tank Destroyers). 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 rose pink backing, which shows around the edges. There is one rank "pip" installed on both, indicating the rank of Oberleutnant, equivalent to a U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant. Additionally, the lower right sleeve has an Afrikakorps Ärmelstreiffen (Africa Corps Cuff Title) sewn to it, which is the later BeVo embroidered pattern with a silver thread Latin AFRIKAKORPS marking, and totally correct. It is hand sewn to the sleeve.

Overall condition is very good, showing wear and staining consistent with light service. There are some small tears and holes, but nothing out of the ordinary for an 80 year old wool jacket.

An outstanding German Panzer Officer’s tunic with a great DAK cuff title, ready to outfit with awards and display!

Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 26”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15"
Chest width: 18.5”
Waist: 26"
Hip: 20"
Front length: 28"

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.

Field Tunic (Feldbluse) Model 1936
Terms such as M40 and M43 were never designated by the Wehrmacht, but are names given to the different versions of the Model 1936 field tunic by modern collectors, to discern between variations, as the M36 was steadily simplified and tweaked due to production time problems and combat experience.

When the NSDAP came to power in early 1933 the Reichswehr, the armed forces of the Weimar Republic, were near the end of a two-year project to redesign the Army Feldbluse (field-blouse). Beginning in that year the new tunic was issued to the Reichsheer and then the rapidly growing Wehrmacht Heer, although minor design changes continued to be made until the appearance of the standardized Heeres Dienstanzug Modell 1936. The M36 tunic still retained the traditional Imperial and Reichswehr uniform color of grey-green "field gray" (feldgrau) wool, but incorporated four front patch pockets with scalloped flaps and pleats (on Reichswehr tunics the lower pockets were internal and angled). The front was closed with five buttons rather than the previous eight, and the collar and shoulder straps were of a dark bottle-green instead of the Reichswehr grey. Compared to the Weimar-era uniforms the skirt of the feldbluse was shorter and the tailoring was more form-fitting due to Germany's adoption of mechanized warfare: soldiers now spent much time in the confined space of a vehicle and a shorter jacket was less likely to pick up dirt from the seats. It also included an internal suspension system, whereby a soldier could hang an equipment belt on a series of hooks outside of the tunic. These hooks were connected to two straps inside the lining, which spread the weight of equipment without having to use external equipment suspenders. The M36 was produced and issued until the very end of the war, though successive patterns became predominant.