Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice German WWII Heer Army Infantry Leutnant Officer's M-36 Tunic, complete with the correct trousers. The set shows moderate wear from service and in very good display condition. We checked all of the pockets and the interior, and we were not able to locate any maker labels, so this was almost certainly bespoke, made by a local tailor for the officer.

The tunic features four pleated pockets with scalloped flaps and pebbled magnetic buttons, which look to be made from pebbled stamped steel with aluminum eyelets. The waist pockets are definitely closer to the sides than we usually see. The front closure features six of the same buttons on the right breast flap meeting an equal number of reinforced buttonholes on the left flap. The buttons are finished in gray green paint, which is very well retained on most, and they have some markings on the reverse. They are sewn directly to the fabric, which does make them a bit more prone to tearing off, however these all look to be original. There are also two hook and loop collar securing fasteners, which are fully functional. The collar stiffener/protector is still intact and in place, and appears to be original to the uniform, showing some cracking.

The interior is lined with a lovely gray colored rayon cotton blend, while the sleeves are lined with blue and white striped rayon. There is some light wear and staining to the interior, but no tears or major damage. There is an internal horizontal slash pocket on the inner right chest, while the inner left chest has a large vertical slash pocket next to the front closure There is also a large eyelet that connects to the exterior under the left waist pocket for the dagger to hang through, with the hook for the dagger still intact, tack stitched to the eyelet.

It is adorned with the usual rank and branch insignia used on German tunics. The attractive Army breast eagle is hand embroidered in aluminum bullion, and is very neatly hand stitched to the chest in a fashion typical of wartime German tailor work. The collar is wrapped in flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) wool, and has officer's field litzen collar patches on each side, which are woven from silver bullion thread with a dark bottle green background matching the collar. The collar is in very good shape, showing just a bit of wear around the edge, which is usually the first place on a uniform to show wear.

The colored stripes on the litzen are Weiß (white) braided rayon, the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) during WWII for Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry). The “sew-in” style company grade officers schulterklappen (shoulder boards) of this tunic are constructed with two rows of fine silver flatware "Russia Braid" double piping and have the correct white piping around the edges. There are no rank pips, indicating the rank of Leutnant, equivalent to a U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant. The left chest pocket has two thread loops on it, where there was likely originally an award attached. Stitched into the 2nd buttonhole from the top is the ribbon for the Iron Cross 1939 2nd Class.

Overall condition is very good, showing light wear and staining consistent with light service during the war. We cannot see any major mothing or other issues with the uniform, just a few scattered small holes to the exterior. The shoulder boards also show some light wear, while the litzen look great.

Along with the tunic there is a lovely pair of officers field uniform trousers, which are made from the same feldgrau (field gray) wool fabric as the tunic. They feature the correct white stripes on the side for infantry issue, and show light wear and staining from service, matching the condition of the tunic. There is however an area on the upper left front that shows what looks to be loss of the fuzzy "nap" of the fabric due to moth damage, however it is only on the surface. There are a few other areas present lower down.

The trousers feature two slash hip pockets, as well as the smaller pocket on the right side next to the fly, which is a button closure with a hook and loop at the top. The interior is lined with striped rayon around the waist, and other parts with gray rayon like the inside of the tunic. The trousers retain all the original buttons, however we noted that they have markings in FRENCH, so these trousers were very possible made in Occupied France, or at least using parts from there.

A very nice named bespoke German Infantry Officer's Tunic with Trousers, ready to outfit with some awards and display!

Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 8"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25”
Shoulder to shoulder: 13.5"
Chest width: 19”
Waist: 18"
Hip: 21"
Front length: 30"

Pants:-
Inseam: 13"
Waist: 29"

Field Tunic (Feldbluse) Model 1936
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.

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.