Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Kriegsmarine officer white summer tunic for a Kapitänleutnant serving in the Signals branch. It is constructed from white cotton twill with a whipcord style weave and retains its original gilt Kriegsmarine buttons, summer metal breast eagle, signals officer shoulder boards, and a 1939 dated Offizierkleiderkasse der Kriegsmarine label from Kiel with the original wearer’s name partly illegible.

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 It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war Reichsmarine (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic.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.

White summer uniforms were worn by officers in warm weather and in suitable service settings, using lightweight construction and removable or easily maintained insignia and fittings. This tunic is made from white cotton twill with a fine whipcord style weave and has the standard open lapel collar. The back of the collar retains its original maker and owner label:

OFFIZIERKLEIDERKASSE DER KRIEGSMARINE
KIEL
Herr [partly illegible]
Nr. 2399 19 39. 10

The label identifies the Kriegsmarine Officers Clothing Fund in Kiel. The 1939 date is clearly legible, while the wearer’s name is long and difficult to decipher. A portion may read something similar to “Inty. d. R.,” but the inscription is too unclear to identify confidently.

The front of the tunic has four patch pockets, one on each breast and one at each waist, all with scalloped flaps and decorative pleats. Each pocket is fitted with a gilt Kriegsmarine button. The front closure uses a vertical row of four additional gilt Kriegsmarine buttons. The buttons are maker marked and are retained by split rings or circlips on the interior, allowing them to be removed as needed. The lightweight summer tunic is unlined.

Above the right breast pocket is a Kriegsmarine summer metal breast eagle. It is secured through purpose made white thread loops, with two vertically aligned loops for the pin and a lower horizontal loop for the retaining hook. Additional thread loops are present above and on the left breast pocket for awards or decorations that are no longer present.

The officer Schulterstücken (Shoulder boards) of this tunic are constructed with two rows of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping and have the correct white backing for the Kriegsmarine summer uniforms. They are the type that slides through a slot in the shoulder seam, and are held in place by a wider piece on the end, with the other end attached to the button on the uniform.

Each board carries two rank pips, identifying the rank of Kapitänleutnant, broadly equivalent to a U.S. Navy Lieutenant. Between the pips is a lightning bolt through a ship’s wheel cypher, identifying the wearer as a Signals officer.

Overall condition is very good with no major damage. There is expected service wear and some age toning, particularly around the collar where perspiration and skin oils would have had the most contact. The internal stitching at the end of the right sleeve cuff has also pulled loose.

With its 1939 dated Kriegsmarine Officers Clothing Fund label, partially named ownership tag, Kapitänleutnant shoulder boards, Signals branch cyphers, original summer metal breast eagle, gilt Kriegsmarine buttons, and well preserved white cotton construction, this is an especially appealing named officer summer tunic. The partly illegible owner name, collar toning, missing awards, and loose internal right cuff stitching are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Kriegsmarine officer uniform, Signals branch, Kapitänleutnant rank, named WWII naval tunic, or advanced German naval collection.

Approximate Measurements
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 20"
Shoulder to shoulder: 16"
Chest width: 17.5"
Waist: 18.5"
Hip: 20.5"
Front length: 25"

WWII Kriegsmarine

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 ship-building 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 favour 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 AH, 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.