Original Item: Only One Available. During the Pre-WWII years in Germany, virtually all aspects of the government fell under control of the NSDAP, and the Customs service was no exception. Here we have a very nice example of a German WWII Customs Officer M36 Tunic for the rank of ZollSekretär (Customs Secretary). He was in the ReichsFinanzVerwaltung (Reich Finance Administration) as indicated by the RFV device on his shoulder boards. This group was essentially the Ministry of Finance, responsible for managing the country's finances during the war, including collecting taxes, managing war bonds, controlling currency, and allocating funds to the military and other critical areas of the regime.

The basic construction is very similar to the Heer Officer M36 tunic, with the main difference being the insignia and ornamentation used. The tunic features two pleated breast pockets with scalloped flaps over two waist slash pockets, which also feature scalloped flaps. The front closure features 6 pebbled buttons on the right side with a matching number of reinforced buttonholes on the left, along with two hook and loop fasteners on the collar. The tunic has pebbled magnetic buttons, which look to be made from pebbled stamped steel with aluminum backings and eyelets. All look to be marked DILUEWIA 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.

The interior is lined with light green brushed cotton twill, and features an interior horizontal slash pocket on the inner left chest area. There is also a bandage pocket on the lower left, as well as straps with attached belt hooks that are stitched to the sleeve reinforcements. The sleeves are linked with green and white striped rayon, and we can see that there is fading and staining to the lining, particularly near the neck area.

The collar is wrapped in flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) wool, and there is the same color piping down both sides of the front closure and around the cuffs. It has the correct Customs officer's collar tabs on each side of the collar opening, which are made with the correct lacquered buckram internal stiffeners, and wrapped with a dark bottle green background matching the collar. These show a small wreath inside a 'sawtooth' border, with two rank "pips" above, machine executed with aluminum thread on the background. Per reference material these indicate the rank of ZollSekretär (customs secretary).

The button attached style Schulterstücken (shoulder boards) each have two rows of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping with the outer row having alternating black and silver stripes, while the inner row is silver with black chevrons. They have the correct dark green base material on the bottom and the edges, and each features a gothic RFV cypher with a single rank "pip", which should denote the rank of ZollAssistent (Customs Assistant), the rank below ZollSekretär, a discrepancy we cannot explain. They may have been been promoted, and were not able to obtain pips for the shoulder insignia.

The left cuff bears a lovely Land Customs / Border Police green cuff title, which features silver bullion embroidery. It has silver on the edges, and there is a Reichsadler Eagle in the center. There is definitely wear to the edges and the exterior, so this definitely saw service since being attached. Attached over the left breast pocket is a lovely 2-place German medal bar for the Iron Cross 1939 2nd Class as well asl the Zollgrenzschutz-Ehrenzeichen (Customs Border Guard Decoration of Honor), given for long service in the Customs service.

Condition of the tunic is very good, showing the expected wear from use in service. There are some small holes and wear on the exterior, and some staining and fading to the interior. Looking to have seen light to moderate service during the war, this is a great chance to pick up a hard to find Customs Tunic. Ready to display!

Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 26”
Shoulder to shoulder: 16"
Chest width: 19.5”
Waist: 18"
Hip: 19"
Front length: 31"