Original Item: Only One Available. The Ordnungspolizei, abbreviated Orpo, meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in NSDAP Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organization was absorbed into the NSDAP monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favor of the central government ("Reich-ification", Verreichlichung, of the police). The Orpo was controlled, nominally by the Interior Ministry but its executive functions rested with the leadership of the SS until the end of World War II. Owing to their green uniforms, Orpo were also referred to as Grüne Polizei (green police). The force was first established as a centralized organization uniting the municipal, city, and rural uniformed police that had been organized on a state-by-state basis. Eventually the Police were divided into eight assorted branches of service, with each branch having a distinguishing truppenfarbe, (Branch of service color) that was displayed on the uniforms including the piping on the visor caps.

The Schutzpolizei des Reiches or the Schupo was the state (Reich) protection police of NSDAP Germany and a branch of the Ordnungspolizei. Schutzpolizei is the German name for a uniformed police force. The Schutzpolizei des Reiches was the uniformed police of most cities and large towns. State police departments were in charge of protection police, criminal investigation divisions (Kripo, short for Kriminalpolizei), and administrative police. The state protection police comprised a patrol branch, barracked police, traffic police, water police, mounted police, police communications units, and police aviation. Policemen had to have previous military service, good physical and mental health, be of Aryan descent, be members of the NSDAP and also members of the SS. Policemen were promoted according to a regulated career system. Promotion for officers was determined by merit and seniority. Pay for policemen was higher than the average industrial worker and was more in line with the average privately employed white-collar worker.

The German Police had no enlisted ranks, with the lowest rank being an Unterwachtmeister (Junior Watch Master), which was equivalent to the German army rank of Unteroffizier. The highest NCO rank was that of the Meister (Master), or Warrant Officer, which did not have an armed forces equivalent, but was higher than an army Oberfeldwebel (Master Sergeant).

This lovely Schutzpolizei Meister NCO's M-36 tunic is made of fine quality police-green wool gabardine twill, and in form is more or less identical to the Army Heer tunic except for the colors used. We were not able to see any markings or labels on the interior, so we believe it was most likely made by a local tailor. The tunic features four pockets with scalloped flaps and pebbled aluminum buttons, and has an eight button front closure, with two "hook and loop" fasteners for the collar. The buttons on the tunic are sewn directly to the fabric, not attached with metal circlips, and all are in great shape. They all look to have maker marking stamped on the back.

The interior is lined with lovely olive tan brushed cotton, with lightweight white striped rayon lining the sleeves. There is an interior slash pocket right next to the button closure on the inside left breast. There is just a bit of wear on the interior, with no tears or other damage that we can see. There is the usual slot / eyelet for a dagger or bayonet to hang out of the lower left pocket.

The collar is wrapped in a brown "badge cloth" wool, has police NCO's litzen collar patches on each side, which are machine woven from silver bullion thread with a Police Hellgrün (light green) background, the Truppenfarbe (Troop Color) of the Schutzpolizei. The collar is in very good shape, showing only minor areas of wear, and has light green piping around the edge. This would usually be the first place on the uniform to show wear, so it definitely does not look to have seen extensive use. The sleeve cuffs are covered with the same brown cloth as the collar, and the cuffs and front closure are piped in light green as well.

As this is a Police tunic, there is no Wehrmachtadler breast eagle, and instead the uniform has a high quality machine embroidered Pre November 1941 Civic Police Eagle badge sewn to the left sleeve. The insignia is sewn using the same Light green color thread, with a black swas, and as it is an early example, it is marked with the district Nürnberg-Fürth in embroidered "black letter" style letters above the eagle. This was a major city area it Northern Bavaria. It is only sewn to the top layer of fabric, indicating that it was installed when the uniform was being fabricated, however the stitching is pulling out on the bottom edge.

The “sew-in” style NCO schulterklappen (shoulder boards) of this tunic are unique to the rank of Meister, and are bordered with a single row of of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping around the edge, with brown chevrons woven into the design. Inside this is a braid of brown double piping woven together with the silver double piping with the same brown chevrons, giving them a lovely look. They have the correct light green wool base material and piping around the edges for the Schutzpolizei.

Included with the tunic is a correct WWII German Polizei (Police) NCO's Pebbled Belt Buckle (Koppelschloß) with correct black leather belt. It is embossed with a central swas (hook cross), with a wreath around it bearing the motto Gott mit uns (God with us). Nice single piece injection molded and crimped aluminum construction box buckle with a pebbled background. The buckle is in excellent condition, showing only light wear, and is maker marked on the reverse with B. H., for Bernhard Haarmann of Lüdenscheid, a city with a very large clothing accessories industry.

The belt itself measures about 39” when fully extended, and is marked 88 on the buckle end. It still retains the leather tab with a double row of 7 holes for size adjustment, attached with "hidden" stitches. It is the type that originally had felt on the interior, however most of it has been removed, except under the tab, where it is quite moth eaten. The black lack leather indicates the belt was for for the Ordnungspolizei (Order Police), the Schutzpolizei (Protection Police), or the Gemeindepolizei (Local Municipal Police), personnel, so it is correct for this uniform.

Overall condition on this tunic is very good with no major damage or moth marks. This is a great example of a genuine WWII German Schutzpolizei Meister’s uniform, complete with the correct belt!

Terms such as M40 and M43 were never designated by the Wehrmacht, but are names given to the different versions of the Model 1936 field tunic by modern collectors, to discern between variations, as the M36 was steadily simplified and tweaked due to production time problems and combat experience.

Field Tunic (Feldbluse) Model 1936
When the NSDAP came to power in early 1933 the Reichswehr, the armed forces of the Weimar Republic, were near the end of a two-year project to redesign the Army Feldbluse (field-blouse). Beginning in that year the new tunic was issued to the Reichsheer and then the rapidly growing Wehrmacht Heer, although minor design changes continued to be made until the appearance of the standardized Heeres Dienstanzug Modell 1936. The M36 tunic still retained the traditional Imperial and Reichswehr uniform color of grey-green "field gray" (feldgrau) wool, but incorporated four front patch pockets with scalloped flaps and pleats (on Reichswehr tunics the lower pockets were internal and angled). The front was closed with five buttons rather than the previous eight, and the collar and shoulder straps were of a dark bottle-green instead of the Reichswehr grey. Compared to the Weimar-era uniforms the skirt of the feldbluse was shorter and the tailoring was more form-fitting due to Germany's adoption of mechanized warfare: soldiers now spent much time in the confined space of a vehicle and a shorter jacket was less likely to pick up dirt from the seats. It also included an internal suspension system, whereby a soldier could hang an equipment belt on a series of hooks outside of the tunic. These hooks were connected to two straps inside the lining, which spread the weight of equipment without having to use external equipment suspenders. The M36 was produced and issued until the very end of the war, though successive patterns became predominant.

SS field uniforms were of similar appearance externally but to fit their larger patches had a wider, feldgrau collar, and the lower pockets were of an angled slash type similar to the black or grey SS service-dress. The second button of an SS Feldbluse was positioned somewhat lower, so that it could be worn open-collar with a necktie. Due to supply problems the SS were often issued army uniforms.