Original WWII German Brown Wool Mantel Greatcoat - As Used by NSDAP, SA, NSKK, and Others

Original Item: Only One Available. Brown was to become the official color of the N.S.D.A.P. and S.A. by circumstance rather than design. A large stockpile of discounted, surplus WWI tropical brown shirts and fabric, intended for wear in East Africa, were located in Austria in 1924 and purchased by the NSDAP as a temporary measure to bring uniformity of dress to their party members. In November of 1926 the brown shirt was officially introduced, and retained, as the basic uniform item for the N.S.D.A.P. and S.A., and was eventually adopted by other political organizations such as the H.J., D.A.F., and the N.S.K.K..

This is a very good service used condition German WWII Brown Wool Mantel, usually called a greatcoat or overcoat, as used by many different paramilitary organizations under the NSDAP umbrella. It is constructed with an outer shell of heavy gold brown wool, and is definitely intended for the colder time of year. The interior is lined on the top with brown twill fabric, which also extends down to the ends of the sleeves. There are hanger loops at the rear of the reinforced sleeve openings, and there is an internal pocket on the inner left breast. There are tears to the lining, and a large section missing from the back. We also can see that there was originally a label sewn to the front of the inner pocket, however it is completely gone.

The greatcoat has two external waist pockets which have top flaps but no buttons. The double breasted front closure features 6 pebbled buttons on each side, all of which look to have RZM markings on the back. These are sewn directly to the fabric, and do show some pulling and deterioration of the stitching holding them in place. There is also a hook and loop fastener at the collar, which is a lighter brown color.

Condition wise, the coat does look to have seen a good amount of use during the war, and possibly afterwards. There is wear to the color, as well as scattered moth damage throughout the wool portions. There is some wear at the bottoms of the sleeves as well. This is lovely service used example of a genuine German WWII brown wool greatcoat and would display fantastically.

Overcoats in various forms have been used by militaries since at least the late 18th century, and were especially associated with winter campaigns, such as Napoleon's Russian campaign. The full-length overcoat was once again popularized by the use during World War I of the trench coat.

Stereotypically, overcoats used by the army tended to be single-breasted, while navies often used double-breasted overcoats. Overcoats continued to be used as battle dress until the mid-1940s and 1950s, when they were deemed impractical. However, in colder countries, such as the former Soviet Union, they continue to be issued and used. When more efficient clothing and synthetic fibers became readily available, the overcoat began to be phased out even there.

Approximate Measurements
Collar to shoulder: 10.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 26.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15"
Chest width: 19.5”
Waist: 21.5"
Hip: 33"
Front length: 49"