Ss greatcoat fulda_werra

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks to our Canadian colleague for the very fine Bildmaterial from his research treasures.

[wewelsburgss]

Im looking for a photo of an Allgemeine officer in a mantel with a green collar,to put with my greatcoat,but seem to be having trouble?I realize it may not be the norm,but photos must exist.

[HPL2008]

The citation here from UM of 1940 is not a regulation, but merely an article on the advent of the field grey uniform in the SS. It is surely not the last word on the subject, and taken out of context, is not especially revealing as a regulation, but for the fact that the "new" grey uniform caused confusion just like everything else worn by the SS. One of our translators here should put pen to paper to make this article transparent, but it, too, reveals that the regulations were not always followed or understood.

Here you are. Since some of the "technical" terms are occasionally confused, misunderstood or inconsitently translated in the secondary literature or the collector community, for the sake of clarity I decided to add the original German terms in brackets where appropriate. I left the commonly known and understood terms like Wehrmacht, Reichszeugmeisterei or SS-Verfügungstruppe in their original forms:



" SS has Field-Grey like the Wehrmacht

The course of the Polish Campaign has made it known to the German people that, in addition to the formations of the Heer, the SS-Verfügungstruppen and SS-Totenkopfverbände have received their baptism of fire as well. In numerous engagements, the men of these groups - who share the bold soldierly spirit just as they now share the coat of grey as well - could face the enemy shoulder to shoulder. The same death toll made on the same soil, which they liberated or conquered. Several times, the reports of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht saw it fit to emphasize the SS' efforts and achievements. On various occasions while visiting the soldiers during the fighting, the Führer himself was with his SS-Men and decorated them with the award of the Iron Cross. Just as the Heer and the other armed services have their replacement units, which are up to all requirements at all times, so do the SS formations have such replacement units as well.
Kurt Borsdorff.

The field-grey SS-Uniform
After the Reichszeugmeisterei of the NSDAP had published the manufacturing regulations for the black SS service uniform and the respective trade publications had informed their readers about all the technical details of their tailoring, one soon saw hardly a SS uniform anymore that showed any non-regulation aspects. The war that England has forced upon us placed the SS-Verfügungstruppen and SS-Totenkopfverbände into the front of the defense as well. As Waffen-SS, those units that stand side by side with the Heer and the Luftwaffe now too wear the field-grey uniform. The uniform that is to be hand-made for the SS officers presents difficulties to many a craftsman tailor as can be seen from numerous inquires submitted to our publication. It has to be made expressly clear that one has to differentiate between uniform tunic [Uniformrock] and field blouse [Feldbluse]. The uniform tunic for SS-Officers is to be made according to the same manufacturing regulations as have been issued for the black uniform; only the following details differ from this:
1. In place of the SS-Swastika Brassard [SS-Kampfbinde], the SS-National Insigne [SS-Hoheitsabzeichen, i.e. the sleeve eagle] is to be attached to the left upper sleeve in such a position that this insigne's upper edge is level with an imaginary elongation of the breast pocket flaps' lower edge and that it is centered on the sleeve.
2. Shoulder boards are affixed to both shoulders. The officers of the Waffen-SS wear Wehrmacht-pattern shoulder boards and their unit's branch color [Waffenfarbe] on a black underlay.
The upper collar, made from uniform cloth [Uniformtuch] bears the familiar black tabs [Spiegel] and the standard cord edging [Schnurumrandung].
3. The officers' field blouse with a suitcoat-style back [Sakkorücken] has the national insigne, shoulder boards and tabs as on the uniform tunic.
The long trousers have uniformly white cloth piping [Vorstoß]. The field-grey greatcoat is also in the cut of the black uniform coat and is to be manufactured accordingly. All questions concerning the rear belt will now be answered with the following quotation from the manufacturing regulations: "Belt, one piece, shorten with basecloth [Grundtuch]. Upper edge of belt approx. 2 centimeters above the waist's baseline. Breadth of belt ca. 5 centimeters. Buttonholes on the free ends roughly 2.8 centimeters large, roughly 1.5 centimeters from the edge.

[Illustration]

Figure A: The rear of the field-grey SS Officers' greatcoat with one-piece back belt
Figure B: The Heer's greatcoat has a two-piece back belt which is connected by 2 buttons.
Original drawings for "UM": Hiddemann / "UM" picture archive

Buttons placed on the lateral seam accordingly." Thus, it is clearly defined that the field-grey SS officers' greatcoat has a one-piece back belt which is buttoned to the sides. The collar is covered with blueish-dark green badgecloth [bläulich-dunkelgrünes Abzeichentuch] (as with the Heer's coat). It has the standard cord edging and collar patches [Kragenspiegel] made of black badgecloth. Both shoulders are to have shoulder boards as on the tunic and blouse and, on the left sleeve, the SS-National Insigne is attached at the same level as on the field-grey cloth tunic.
Fritz Hiddemann."

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thank you, dear colleague, you are a champ.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Im looking for a photo of an Allgemeine officer in a mantel with a green collar,to put with my greatcoat,but seem to be having trouble?I realize it may not be the norm,but photos must exist.

Colleague Derek has to help you here, as, in my experience, 1939 and after photos of the Allgemeine SS are the exception, especially in field grey, save for potentates. We have posted images of the black uniform still in wear. You should relax and enjoy your purchase and let the doubter on the other site make amends for being a pissant.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Not to beat what is now a dead horse, but I actually had the picture Mr. Nick wants apropos the shoulder cords and green collar. I do not have an image of the man's rear.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

This thread is further proof that paying attention to the peanut gallery is a losing proposition in this game.

[HPL2008]

He's not an officer and it's probably not a tailored greatcoat, but just for additional documentation of such coats being worn by the Allgemeine SS, perhaps this detail from a group photograph of A-SS men (ca. 1934) is of interest here as well:

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The cap is of this type. Thanks to my colleague in Germany for the nice image.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The personage who has cast doubt on the Fulda Werra coat has, himself, a not inconsiderable collection of SS material, but his knowledge of same is anything but refined and subtle. How droll.