Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely lightly used German WWII Heer Infantry Officers great coat or overcoat, constructed with an outer shell of heavy feldgrau (field gray) "doe skin" weave wool. These were preferred during the cold months, and have an unmistakable silhouette. The interior of the great coat is fully lined with lovely light green / brown rayon, and is in very good service used condition, showing wear commensurate with light to moderate service. There is slash pocket on the inner left chest, and also the slot that exits under one of the exterior pockets for a dagger, so this is most likely a greatcoat intended for an officer. 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.

The great coat matches very well with the M36 pattern, with a dark bottle-green (flaschengrün) "badge cloth" lay down collar and long cuffs at the end of the sleeves. The front features the correct 12 button front closure, featuring 6 buttons on each side, which are sewn directly to the fabric of the coat. These are all marked EXTRA FEIN, and look to be of aluminum and steel construction, with pebbled painted tops. There are diagonal slash pockets on either side at the waist, which have top flaps that can be worn both in and out of the pockets. The rear bottom of the coat has the usual button closure, which would be used depending on the situation.

There are no shoulder insignia on this greatcoat, but it definitely looks to have had them installed at one point. There are threads remaining where the buttons were on top of the shoulders, and there are opened seams at the top of the shoulder where the shoulder boards used to be.

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 is some light mothing in areas, as well as wear around the collar, usually the first place to show wear. There is also some pilling to the wool in areas, such as around the cuffs and the very bottom of the jacket.

This is a lovely service used example of a genuine German WWII Heer Army Private purchase wool greatcoat and would display fantastically.

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.