Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely German WWII Kriegsmarine Navy Officer's great coat or overcoat, constructed with an outer shell of navy blue "doe skin" weave wool. These were preferred during the cold months, and have an unmistakable silhouette. The interior of the great coat is lined with lovely gray brushed cotton, and is in very good condition, showing some light wear and a few tears and stains on the interior. We checked all the pockets and usual spots, however we were not able to locate any maker information for the coat, which is almost certainly bespoke. There is however information written on the inner right side about a previous owner who held this in his collection.

The great coat is somewhat similar to the Army M36 pattern, except for the color. It also does not have a differently colored lay down collar, however the inside of the front closure is a lovely light blue color, which looks fantastic when the front closure is left open at the top. It features two flap covered diagonal waist slash pockets, and the left side pocket actually has hanger clips installed for a Naval officer's dagger, which are gold and suspended by rayon moire material. The ends of the sleeves show the classic long cuffs, and the front has the classic double-breasted front closure, with 6 buttons on each side. These are all gilt non-magnetic Kriegsmarine naval buttons, which are marked IM FEUER VERGOLDET (gilded in fire) on the back. They all have a lovely light worn look.

Each shoulder is decorated with sew-on style Generaladmiral rank shoulder boards. They are both constructed out of a row of interwoven silver and gold bullion strands in the typical Russian braid style, which have an interlocking plaited weave pattern ending at a pebbled gilt metal naval button. Both have the correct navy blue base for the Kriegsmarine, and there are three rank "pip" installed on each, correct for a Generaladmiral, equivalent to a Heer Army Generaloberst or U.S. Navy Admiral. This rank is second only to the Großadmiral in the Kriegsmarine Navy. The pips and shoulder boards show a bit of wear and oxidation due to age and use.

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. There are a few scattered moth nips on the exterior, but nothing major. The shoulder boards have some lovely period wear, and definitely look to be original to the coat.

This is a great example of a genuine German WWII Kriegsmarine Navy Generaladmiral Officer's wool greatcoat and would display fantastically!

Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 10"
Shoulder to sleeve: 24.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15"
Chest width: 20”
Waist: 22"
Hip: 29"
Front length: 49"

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.

German Naval uniforms and headgear were based on traditional designs that date back to the creation of the Prussian Navy in 1848, and although uniforms and headgear did evolve during the interim years, many items used during the Third Reich would still have been quite recognizable to the Imperial sailor. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the Offizier Kleiderkasse der Kriegsmarine (Officer's Clothing Account of the Navy or OKK).

Generally speaking officers bought nice quality, private purchase, uniform items but they could also choose to buy their uniforms directly from the military clothing depots. The Fore-and-Aft hat was carried over from the Imperial navy to the Weimar era Reichsmarine and on into the Third Reich. Of all the assorted headgear utilized by the German armed forces by far the most unique was the Fore-and-Aft hat which was to be worn by all Kriegsmarine Officers with the formal dress uniform and also with the Frock coat as the service dress uniform as required. Fore-and-Aft hats for officer's holding the ranks of Leutnant zur See up to and including Kapitän zur See were trimmed with black moire material, while officers holding the ranks of Kommodore up to and including Großadmiral hats were trimmed with gilt tress. There was also silver tresse for Administrative officers.

The Kriegsmarine was the navy of NSDAP Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war Reichsmarine (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches, along with the Heer and the Luftwaffe, of the Wehrmacht, the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945.

In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine grew rapidly during German naval rearmament in the 1930s. The 1919 treaty had limited the size of the German navy and prohibited the building of submarines.

Kriegsmarine ships were deployed to the waters around Spain during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) under the guise of enforcing non-intervention, but in reality supported the Nationalists against the Spanish Republicans.

In January 1939, Plan Z, a massive shipbuilding program, was ordered, calling for surface naval parity with the British Royal Navy by 1944. When World War II broke out in September 1939, Plan Z was shelved in favor of a crash building program for submarines (U-boats) instead of capital surface warships, and land and air forces were given priority of strategic resources.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (as for all branches of armed forces during the period of absolute NSDAP power) was Adolf H, who exercised his authority through the Oberkommando der Marine ("High Command of the Navy").

The Kriegsmarine's most significant ships were the U-boats, most of which were constructed after Plan Z was abandoned at the beginning of World War II. Wolfpacks were rapidly assembled groups of submarines which attacked British convoys during the first half of the Battle of the Atlantic but this tactic was largely abandoned by May 1943 when U-boat losses mounted. Along with the U-boats, surface commerce raiders (including auxiliary cruisers) were used to disrupt Allied shipping in the early years of the war, the most famous of these being the heavy cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Admiral Scheer and the battleship Bismarck. However, the adoption of convoy escorts, especially in the Atlantic, greatly reduced the effectiveness of surface commerce raiders against convoys.

Following the end of World War II in 1945, the Kriegsmarine's remaining ships were divided up among the Allied powers and were used for various purposes including minesweeping. Some were loaded with superfluous chemical weapons and scuttled.