Rare Waffen-SS Italian Camouflage Field Tunic

A rare and extremely well-preserved Waffen-SS camouflage field tunic, constructed of Italian Camo material.With the surrender of Italy in 1943, huge stocks of M1929 'Telo Mimetico' camouflage cloth fell into the hands of the German military. From this source caps, jackets and trousers of various designs were made, some to regulation patterns and others to personal taste. Such products were in much evidence among troops in the Italian theatre as well as those of 1 SS Panzer-Division 'Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler' and 12 SS Panzer-Division 'Hitler Jugend' in Normandy, 1944The exterior is dyed in a classic Italian camouflage with a mottle consisting of a field-grey base overlaid by irregular splotches of dark brown and light grey. It features a turned-down collar with shoulders that are topped on each side by pebbled zink buttons and integral loops for the accommodation of straps. Set into the breast flaps are four pleated pockets closing with scalloped horizontal flaps perforated with reinforced buttonholes, in turn meeting pebbled zink buttons. The tunic closes with five pebbled zink buttons on the right flap meeting an equal number of reinforced buttonholes on the left flap.The interior is plain and unmarked. Measuring approximately 48 cm across the shoulders, with an arm length of 60 cm, and an overall body length of 71 cm, the tunic demonstrates only minor material fatigue consisting with light field use, and remains in an extremely fine condition.