Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII early NSKK brown shirt tunic for an Oberscharführer of Motorsturm 15, Motorstandarte 56. It is a particularly well appointed example retaining its original collar tabs, early shoulder strap, NSKK sleeve insignia, multi-piece armband, three-piece ribbon bar, and a Weimar period Baltic Cross mounted to the right breast pocket. The tunic remains in very good condition with strong color and only moderate age and service wear.

The National Socialist Motor Corps, or NSKK, developed from earlier motor organizations associated with the NSDAP and served primarily as a motor transport, driver training, and vehicle maintenance organization. Early NSKK members continued to wear brown shirt style uniforms derived from SA patterns before later adopting more distinctive NSKK service dress.

This tunic has the standard five button front closure associated with the early brown shirt pattern. The waist and collar buttons are plastic, while the central three front buttons are silver colored metal and sewn directly to the fabric. Two pleated breast pockets with scalloped flaps are secured by matching silver buttons. The cuffs also carry silver buttons attached by split rings.

The interior is completely unlined. A size tag at the rear collar is marked:

54

No additional interior markings were observed.

The right shoulder carries an early black and silver checkered Schulterklappe shoulder strap with orange yellow Orange-gelb piping and black backing. The strap remains in very good condition and retains a paper RZM tag. This early pattern was used across a range of NSKK enlisted and NCO ranks. The NSKK retained the district colors from the SA, and "Orange-yellow" could be either the Mitte Group (Province of Saxony and Anhalt) or the Südwest Group (Württemberg and greater part of Baden).

The black Kragenpatten collar tabs remain fully stitched to the tunic with their devices intact. Black piping runs around the edge of the collar.

The right collar tab is the unit tab and is marked:

15 / M56

identifying Motorsturm 15 of Motorstandarte 56.

The left collar tab carries a single strip of striped bullion piping across the lower edge with one rank pip above, identifying the NCO rank of:

Oberscharführer

, equivalent to a German Heer Oberfeldwebel (Master Sergeant).

The tunic also retains the correct NSKK sleeve insignia. The left sleeve carries a multi-piece cotton NSDAP/SA style Armbinde armband, tack stitched to the sleeve in several places. Lower on the same sleeve is a second pattern aluminum bullion machine embroidered NSKK driver’s diamond.

The right sleeve carries a BeVo aluminum bullion embroidered:

NSKK

Ärmelabzeichen sleeve insignia. Its position on the right sleeve is consistent with the earlier pre-1939 arrangement before this insignia was moved to the left sleeve.

Above the right breast pocket is a mounted ribbon bar reflecting prior military service. The supplied identification includes ribbons associated with the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class, Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords, Austrian War Service Medal with Swords, Hungarian War Service Medal with Swords, and an additional Austro-Hungarian award that has not been identified with certainty.

Below the ribbon bar are four thread loops intended for two separate awards. The upper pair is empty, while the lower pair retains a Weimar period Baltic Cross.

The Baltic Cross was associated with German Freikorps service in the Baltic region after World War I. Its presence, together with the ribbon bar, suggests that the original wearer had significant earlier military or paramilitary service, though no individual service record accompanies the tunic.

Overall condition is very good. The brown fabric retains strong color with only light age toning and scattered staining. Water staining is visible along the wearer’s right side, particularly on the reverse. The buttons remain securely attached, and all brass belt hooks around the waist are still present.

With its complete Motorsturm 15 / Motorstandarte 56 collar insignia, Oberscharführer rank tab, early checkered shoulder strap with orange yellow piping and RZM tag, original armband and NSKK sleeve insignia, mounted veteran ribbon bar, and Baltic Cross, this is a particularly strong early NSKK brown shirt tunic. The light staining, water marks, minor wear, uncertain exact regional reading of the shoulder strap color, and incomplete identification of one ribbon are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in an early NSKK uniform, Motorstandarte 56, Oberscharführer rank, German veteran award, or advanced political uniform collection.

Approximate Measurements
Collar to shoulder: 11.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 23.5"
Shoulder to shoulder: 20"
Chest width: 22"
Waist: 19.5"
Front length: 22"

History of the NSKK
The National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK) was a successor organization to the older National Socialist Automobile Corps (NSAK), which had existed since being formed on 1 April 1930. Legends about the actual emergence of the NSKK go back as far as 1922, when the publisher of the Völkischer Beobachter (People's Observer) and founding member of the German Workers' Party (DAP), Dietrich Eckart, allegedly purchased trucks so the SA could perform their missions and transport propaganda materials. Martin Bormann founded the NSAK, which itself was the successor to the SA Motor Squadrons (Kraftfahrstaffeln). AH made the NSAK an official NSDAP organization on 1 April 1930. The NSAK was responsible for coordinating the use of donated motor vehicles belonging to party members, and later expanded to training members in automotive skills. Adolf Hühnlein was appointed Korpsführer (Corps Leader) of the NSAK, which was to serve primarily as a motorized corps of the Sturmabteilung (SA). Hühnlein became the organization's "nucleus".

The organization's name was changed to the National Socialist Motor Corps (Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps; NSKK), becoming official on 1 May 1931. It was essentially a paramilitary organization with its own system of paramilitary ranks and the smallest of the NSDAP organizations. Despite its relatively smaller size, when the NSDAP celebrated Braunschweiger SA-day on 18 October 1931, the NSKK had upwards of 5,000 vehicles at its disposal to move men and materials.

The primary aim of the NSKK was to educate its members in motoring skills or what was called "fitness in motoring skills" (Motorische Ertüchtigung), but it also transported NSDAP and SA officials. In the mid-1930s, the NSKK also served as a roadside assistance group, comparable to the modern-day American Automobile Association or the British Automobile Association.

Membership in the NSKK did not require any prior knowledge of automobiles. It was thought that training in the NSKK would make up for any previous lack of knowledge. Under the guidance of the police, numerous NSKK men were stationed at traffic junctions and trained in traffic control.

On 20 July 1934, weeks after the major purge of the SA in what became known as the Night of the Long Knives, the NSKK was separated and promoted into an independent NSDAP organization. From 1935 onward, the NSKK also provided training for Panzer crews and drivers of the Heer (German Army). The NSKK had two sub-branches within the organization known as the Motor-HJ (Motor-HJ Motor-HJ) and Naval NSKK (Marine-NSKK). The Motor-HJ branch was formed by Reichsjugendführer (HJ Leader) Baldur von Schirach after he became a member of the NSKK. It operated 350 of its own vehicles for educational and training purposes. The Naval NSKK trained men in the operation and maintenance of boats.

During the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the NSKK assumed responsibility for a variety of transport tasks, proving themselves effective at political propaganda by transporting foreign visitors around on designated tours. By 1938, NSKK members were undergoing mechanical and operational training for both civilian and military type vehicles. Over time, the training at NSKK schools became primarily focused on military related tasks. For services to the NSKK and due in part to the general success of the NSKK, Hühnlein was promoted to the position of a Reichsleiter of the NSDAP in 1938. Hühnlein was NSKK Korpsführer from 1931 until he died in 1942, when Erwin Kraus took over.