SchPo D. Gemeinden Ensemble

[W.Unland]

Hello,

Presented here is one of the more difficult police uniforms to put together, that of a member of the Schutzpolizei d. Gemeinden. These were small town civil police officers hired by the cities. They wore a distinctive wine red branch color until absorbed into the Schutzpolizei in 1942, when they officially ceased to exist.

First an overview:

[W.Unland]

A side view better showing the insignia and rare named sleeve eagle. Since names were ordered removed in 1941 and the branch disbanded in 1942 any surviving named eagles or uniforms can be considered "rare" in the real sense. Much more rare than an SS tunic, but a fraction of the price..........go figure.

[W.Unland]

A better view of the cap, in this case an officer's, but it took me 4 years to find a GemPo visor cap so I wasn't about to turn it down because its rank didn't match the uniform.

[W.Unland]

And finally the exceedingly hard to find greatcoat. This coat as well as the only other example I have seen both have evidence of a sleeve eagle having been sewn to the sleeve. Although regulation stipulate that no eagle was to have been worn on the greatcoat I suspect that these small town cops didn't initially follow the regulations. I think it unlikely that BOTH coats I have seen were collector modified and then corrected, so I think it a real indicator that eagles were indeed initially worn on GemPo greatcoats.

[W.Unland]

I just recently obtained the correct cap for this uniform, an nco's with leather chinstrap rather than officer's cords. This cap is interesting in that it is dated 1942 and was made in Holland. Clearly, a small town contracted with an occupied country supplier for the cheapest cap they could find and this was made to their specifications.

Thanks for looking,
Bill Unland

[W.Unland]

Here is the Dutch maker's stamp inside the cap. This company is known to have produced German military pith helmets under contract but this is the first visor cap with it's maker's mark to surface so far.

[Max]

Hello,
great tunic and visor cap Unland!!!!

The J.P.MOL. of Breda used to produce visor and overseas caps also for the Dutch nazi party (NSB) and their "defense sections" (WA).

regards,

Max

[martinsuper]

I know this is an old post, but can we get some pics of your sleeve eagles?!