Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic identified example of a scarce Imperial German WWI Prussian Generalleutnant (Lt. General) Officer's M-1915 Waffenrock Tunic, in the WWI "Feldgrau" pattern. We acquired this lovely tunic from the A.A.F. Tank Museum, which unfortunately after 20 years had to close its doors, and it was part of their collection. It was originally sold at an auction in Germany years ago, and it was identified as originally having been made for the use of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (Karl Anton Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Prinz von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen).

Prince Karl Anton, who lived 1 September 1868 – 21 February 1919, was a member of the Princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. He was the third and youngest son of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and his wife Infanta Antónia of Portugal. Karl Anton's elder brothers were William, Prince of Hohenzollern and Ferdinand I of Romania. Their house was a cadet branch of the Prussian Royal and German Imperial house of Hohenzollern, and as with many members of the Royal house (especially those lower in the succession) he served in the military, and by WWI had reached the rank of Generalleutnant (Lt. General) in the Prussian Army.

As a member of the Royal house, it was also a common practice to be made the honorary commander of a regiment during parade functions, and during this time the General would wear a uniform arrayed as the regimental Oberst (Colonel), which was the usual rank of a regimental commander. The only difference would be that the uniform would bear the correct rank of the member of royalty.

The result for Prince Karl Anton becoming an honorary regimental commander was this: a parade uniform for a Generalleutnant a la Suite des 1. Garde-Dragoner-Regiments "Königin Viktoria von Großbritannien und Irland" (Lt. General in the 1st Guards Dragoons "Queen of Great Britain and Ireland" Regiment), as described in the original auction listing in German. This uniform would only be worn by the member of royalty when parading with the regiment, and research has confirmed that this uniform must be for Prince Karl Anton. Cavalry uniforms belonging to members of Royalty are EXTREMELY rare today, and we are pleased to be able to offer this uniform tunic.

The Waffenrock tunic itself is piped in red along the front edge, and rear skirt swallowtail, the cuffs and collar, which at the time was standard for most units in the Prussian army. The cuffs are of the “Swedish” turnback style with two non-functional buttons, which have bullion litzen underneath them. All Buttons are of a bronze finish, and each is marked HOCHFEINE QUALITÄT. It features two chest pockets with scalloped flaps, and two hip pockets with flaps that can be turned inside to hide them.

Interior has a light brown twill polished cotton/wool lining, with a single interior pocket at the left chest, and two pockets behind the swallowtail on the skirt. At the waist is an interior belt, which gave the wearer a tailored look when secured at the waist when not wearing a belt.

The collar of the tunic is fitted with litzen featuring white embroidered devices on a blue background with red piping. The shoulderboards are the correct Generals type, featuring braided gold and silver "Russia braid" piping, with a single rank "pip" denoting the rank as Generalleutnant (Lt. General). They have red piping over a blue base, the colors used for the 1st Guards Dragoons regiment. The left chest of the uniform still has a 1914 EKI and Black wound badge mounted, though we suspect they were added later, and are not original to the tunic. There are also a MULTITUDE of thread loops for awards, and from what we can see from Prinz Karl Anton's Wikipedia Entry, he would have qualified to wear at least 26 awards and decorations on his uniform, which he most certainly would have on parade.

The uniform is in good condition, considering its age, and just how rare WWI Imperial German Feldgrau uniforms are. There is mothing and small nips here are there throughout the body of the uniform, with some old, very small, collector’s repairs to some of the slightly larger holes. Overall, a very attractive tunic that displays very nicely despite these slight drawbacks, especially considering who the owner was.

Imperial German Feldgrau uniforms are incredibly hard to find on the market today, both officer and enlisted. Aside from the attrition of clothing worn in the trenches, much was burned as a result of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic and lice infestations. What survived was either worn out by veterans who repurposed their old uniforms as everyday clothing following the bleak years during the massive depression that raged throughout Germany, or, was simply repurposed or converted for use with the Reichswehr.

A fantastic example of an M1915 Feldgrau Waffenrock Tunic, identified to a member of the Prussian Royal House. A fantastic display and research opportunity that will not be repeated!

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 26”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15”
Chest width: 18.5"
Waist width: 15"
Hip width: 20"
Front length: 33"