Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army M35 Waffenrock dress tunic for an Artillery Signals Oberleutnant, tailored by Scharnagl & Horr of Mannheim and named on its interior label to Funkmeister Linger. The tunic retains its deep red Artillery branch color, officer grade insignia, hand embroidered breast eagle, junior officer shoulder boards with single rank pips, and a signals specialist badge (Funkmeister Abzeichen) on the lower right sleeve.

The base material of the uniform is made of a fine feldgrau colored "whipcord weave" wool. It features eight silvered pebbled buttons on the front closure, which meet a matching number of reinforce buttonholes on the opposite side. There are also two hook and loop clasps at the collar. The buttons are all magnetic, made from silvered steel backings and eyelets with pebbled aluminum tops, and are in very good condition, all marked EXTRA FEIN on the back.

The interior is lined with a very nice olive colored cotton rayon blend, and there is a vertical slash pocket on the left side just inside the front closure. There is a fixed length internal belt to help keep the tunic form fitting. The sleeves are lined with striped rayon. The rear of the tunic just below the collar has a worn maker tag for Scharnagl & Horr / MANNHEIM, and there is also a name tag inside the inner chest pocket, which is actually filled out:

Scharnagl & Horr Mannheim P.7.19.
Herr Fŭnkm. Linger
Datum 24. Okt. 19 38

In this case the writing was in Kurrentschrift, which is why there is a small "u" symbol over the "u" in the name. We believe this marking to indicate that the wearer was originally ranked Funkmeister when they purchased the dress tunic, which is a signals equivalent to a Feldwebel, a Senior NCO equivalent to a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant. We assume that the owner was later commissioned as an officer, and the tunic adjusted.

The tunic is fitted with the usual rank and branch insignia of Heer Army tunics. The breast features a lovely hand embroidered silver bullion thread eagle, sewn into a dark bottle green wool backer. The eagle is without damage and is very neatly hand stitched to the chest in a fashion typical of wartime German tailor work.

The collar is wrapped in a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) "badge cloth" wool, and the base material of the two bullion officer's dress litzen on each side of the collar opening is Hochrot (Deep Red) wool, the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) during WWII for Artillery, as well as General Level Officers. The collar, front closure, and other areas of the tunic bear piping of the same color. The two litzen themselves are woven from a fine silver flatwire thread with bullion embellishments. The lower French style cuffs of the sleeves have the correct bottle green wool base, and are adorned with the correct red piping and litzen matching the collar.

The “sew-in” style Leutnante Schulterklappen (junior officer shoulder straps) of this Waffenrock are constructed with two rows of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping and have the correct deep red bases that protrude around the edges. Each has a single gold rank "pip" installed, for the junior officer rank of Oberleutnant, equivalent to a U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant. We can also see two thread loops on the left chest for attachment of an award or medal ribbon bar, now removed. There is a signals trade badge sewn to the lower right sleeve, just above the cuffs.

Exterior condition is very good overall. The colors remain strong, with only a few small tears or moth nips and no major exterior damage. There is light fraying at several buttonholes. The collar and insignia remain well preserved, with only minor fraying to the bullion on the left collar tab. The shoulder boards are also in very good condition.

The interior shows considerably more wear. There are tears and holes in the lining, particularly across the lower front, with larger areas of material missing on the inner right side. The striped rayon at the sleeve ends is worn through almost completely in places, with additional substantial wear elsewhere inside the sleeves. The interior condition contrasts with the much better preserved exterior and should be considered an important part of the tunic’s service history.

With its Scharnagl & Horr Mannheim tailoring, October 1938 named label to Funkmeister Linger, Artillery Hochrot branch color, Oberleutnant shoulder boards, hand embroidered bullion eagle, complete dress collar and cuff insignia, and surviving signals specialist badge, this is a particularly interesting named Heer officer Waffenrock. The exterior moth nips and fraying, interior lining losses, sleeve lining wear, and likely later officer conversion are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in an Artillery officer, Heer signals, named uniform, M35 Waffenrock, or advanced German WWII uniform collection.

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 23.5"
Shoulder to shoulder: 16.5"
Chest width: 19"
Waist: 16.5"
Hip: 19.5"
Front length: 27.5"

The M35 Waffenrock dress tunic was introduced for wear by all ranks on June 29TH 1935 as the walking out, parade and ceremonial dress with the piped, stone grey long pants. The design of the M35 dress tunic was based on the Imperial German army’s service tunic but was a different color and generally of much higher quality. Originally all personnel were issued two M35 dress tunics but manufacture was discontinued in late 1939 or early 1940 and was to be reinstated at the successful conclusion of the war. Regulations of March 21ST 1940 stated that the M35 dress tunics that were no longer suitable for dress wear were to be modified and reissued to personnel of the replacement and reserve units for every day wear. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their uniforms from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase garments of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored uniforms although the price may have been restrictive.