{"product_id":"original-german-wwii-generalleutnant-m36-general-officer-uniform-tunic-with-wwi-wwii-medal-bar","title":"Original German WWII Generalleutnant M36 General Officer Uniform Tunic with WWI-WWII Medal Bar","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Items: Only One Available. This is a lovely early pattern German WWII Heer Army \u003cem\u003eGeneräle\u003c\/em\u003e (General Officer) M36 uniform tunic, outfitted for the rank of \u003cem\u003eGeneralleutnant \u003c\/em\u003e(Lieutenant General), with a great medal bar attached above the pocket. It is definitely \"well rested\", and shows no signs of modification, looking to have been on display for decades. Just a great honest tunic with no signs of being messed with, just like we love to see. We checked all over the uniform, but were unfortunately not able to locate any information regarding the maker or the owner of the tunic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tunic is really a great example of a private purchased Wehrmacht Heer \u003cem\u003eGeneräle Dienstbluse\u003c\/em\u003e (General Officer Service Tunic). It is constructed from a fine quality field-gray \"whipcord\" wool woven exterior, with five button front closure and four pleated pockets with scalloped flaps. The magnetic buttons are all the correct gold pebbled style for general level officers, probably made from gilt steel tops and aluminum backs and eyelets. All look to be maker marked on the back, though some are different makers, probably indicating a period replacement. The interior is mostly unlined, except for some fabric on the upper front, and is definitely a light \/ summer weight example, as there is also no lining at all in the sleeves. There are no interior pockets, and it has the correct large \"eyelet\" that is part of the left waist pocket, where a dagger hanger could be hung through.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the right breast is a fine quality gold bullion eagle, constructed of rolled, twisted, and flat hand embroidered gilt bullion threading, placed onto a dark bottle green wool backing. It is very neatly hand stitched to the chest in a fashion typical of wartime German tailor work. The bullion has some oxidation, and displays a lovely matured dark golden color. The collar is constructed of \u003cem\u003eflaschengrün\u003c\/em\u003e (dark bottle-green) wool, and is adorned by a set of General grade collar tabs, known as alt-Larisch or Arabesque style, which were used for all General ranks below Feldmarschall. These have the correct red backgrounds with gold bullion embroidery, which has a lovely matured patina matching the eagle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach shoulder is decorated with the sew-on style \u003cem\u003eGeneralleutnant\u003c\/em\u003e rank shoulder boards. They are both constructed out of a row of interwoven silver and gold bullion strands in the typical Russian braid style in an interlocking weave pattern ending at a pebbled gilt metal (magnetic) button. Each has a single rank \"pip\" installed, correct for Generalleutnant, equivalent to a Major General in the U.S. Army. There is a lovely medal ribbon bar over the left breast pocket, and as best we can tell it has the following awards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e- Imperial German WWI Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class Medal\u003cbr\u003e- Bavarian Merenti Cross of Military Merit with Swords, 1913 version with Military Ribbon\u003cbr\u003e- Friedrich-August Cross\u003cbr\u003e- Imperial German WWI Honor Cross of the World War 1914\/1918 (Hindenburg Cross) Medal with Swords (for Combat)\u003cbr\u003e- Two Wehrmacht Long Service Awards, blue Ribbons with gold Wehrmachtadler eagles for 25 years of military service.\u003cbr\u003e- 1 October 1938 Commemorative Sudetenland and Czech Conquest Medal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe colors on the ribbons definitely show some fading, and they also display wear from service. There are three additional loops above the ribbon bar, for additional awards, or possibly a previous ribbon bar, and there are two pairs of thread loops on the left chest pocket, which would have also had additional awards on them, now missing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have examined this uniform from top to bottom, and everything we can see on it is correct and well rested. Really a lovely looking tunic, showing just a bit of wear, with a great medal bar. Ready to add to your collection and display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApproximate Measurements:-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCollar to shoulder: 9.5\"\u003cbr\u003eShoulder to sleeve: 26.5”\u003cbr\u003eShoulder to shoulder: 15\"\u003cbr\u003eChest width: 19”\u003cbr\u003eWaist: 19\"\u003cbr\u003eHip: 20\"\u003cbr\u003eFront length: 30\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eMore on German Uniform Tunics\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eTerms 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eField Tunic (Feldbluse) Model 1936\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44909299728453,"sku":"ONSV26NCS153","price":4295.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/C1CA88C1-1FB4-4874-A520-2CA0B99FFC15.jpg?v=1777460114","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-german-wwii-generalleutnant-m36-general-officer-uniform-tunic-with-wwi-wwii-medal-bar","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}