Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice German WWII Major der Feldgendarmerie Officers great coat or overcoat, constructed with an outer shell of heavy feldgrau (field gray) wool. The interior of the jacket looks to be rayon, or a rayon blend, and is in very good condition. The great coat matches very well with the M36 pattern, with a dark green "badge cloth" lay down collar and long cuffs at the end of the sleeves. The front features the correct 12 button front closure, featuring 6 buttons on each side, all of which bear markings on the back.

The “sew-in” style Stabsoffizier schulterklappen (Field-grade Officer shoulder boards) of this tunic are constructed with two rows of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping, which are plaited together to form a loop around the buttonhole. They are in very good condition, and do not have any rank "pips" installed, indicating the lowest staff officer rank of Major, equivalent to the same rank in the U.S. and U.K. armies.

The shoulder boards have the correct Orange-gelb (Orange-yellow), the Waffenfarbe (corps color) used by both Feldgendarmerie Military Police as well as Recruiting and replacement (Wehrersatzwesen) troops. In this case, the rank of the officer would be more correctly Major der Feldgendarmerie.

Condition is very good considering the age, with the colors retained very well, and no major damage, just the usual light staining and wear from service. We cannot see any real moth damage or other issues, and the majority of the wear is actually on the shoulder boards.

This is a great example of a genuine WWII wool greatcoat and would display fantastically.

Approx. Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9.5”
Shoulder to sleeve: 26.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15.5”
Chest width: 17.5”
Waist width: 20"
Hip width: 34”
Front length: 53"

Following the invasion of the Soviet Union the Greatcoat was found to be insufficient for the Russian winter and they were replaced by more effective clothing.

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.