Original German WWII Heer Army Smoke & Chemical Troops Enlisted M44 Field Grey Wool Uniform Tunic - Period Conversion from M43 Tunic

Item DescriptionOriginal Item: Only One Available. Towards the end of the Second World War in late 1944, Germany was looking to to cut down on tailoring and production costs as material shortages continued to mount. The Wehrmacht's answer to this issue was the introduction of the M44 pattern uniform. Similar in appearance to the British Battle Dress or the related US 'Ike' jacket, the M44 was unlike any other German pattern uniform, and the first major deviation in uniform design since 1936. The front still featured the button front closure, but the the tunic skirt was shortened to waist length, the number of pockets was reduced to two. The tunic could be worn with an open or closed collar.Some versions also had additional internal pockets as well as an internal belt, but on later examples these were often omitted. Additionally, the rarely used and complicated internal suspension system used on earlier designs was finally dropped. The color was the newFeldgrau44, a drab greenish-brown. The standard German insignia would still be worn, such as the breast eagle, collar tabs (litzen), and shoulder straps. Except for the elite Panzer-Lehr-Division, which field-tested the new uniform in summer 1944 before its approval for general issue, the M44 was usually seen at the front only in the war's last months and generally on the greenest of troops. Due to rushed production, many were not even fully outfitted with all the correct insignia.This is a very interesting example of a Heer Army Issue M44 tunic, which looks to originally have been an M43 tunic, but was period converted / shortened to the M44 pattern. There are belt clip holes on the right and left side, but they are too high to really be of use, and we can see the stitches and cut off fabric on the interior bottom where material was removed. We are not sure why this alteration was done, though it's always possible that the bottom of the tunic was damaged, or perhaps the owner wanted to have the new more streamlined look.As it is now, the tunic was made from the standard square woven wool fabric, in the correct Feldgrau color used during the late war period. It features two un-pleated chest pockets with square flaps, each secured with a magnetic pebbled button. The front closure features four of the same buttons on the right breast flap meeting an equal number of reinforced buttonholes on the left flap. The bottom features an additional waist closure strap, with an internal button (missing) and added button hole, along with two added buttons further to the right. The buttons are oxidized a bit on the back, so we cannot see any maker marks, and all are sewn directly to the fabric. They still retain much of the original painted finish on the tops. The interior is mostly unlined, as is correct, and there are no pockets that we can see.The tunic is fitted with the correct insignia, including late war enlisted gray BeVo style litzen on the collar, and a green / gray triangular BeVO machine embroidered breast eagle, totally correct for this type of tunic. We cannot see any signs that other insignia were sewn onto the tunic, which was fairly typical for examples made late in the war. The button attached styleMannschaften Schulterklappen(Enlisted shoulder straps) are the correct later pattern field gray wool material, withbordeauxrot(Bordeaux Red) piping, theWaffenfarbe(Corps Color) during WWII for HeerNebelwerfer(Smoke Thrower) Rocket and Chemical Troops. There are no rank chevrons or pips on the sleeves, which indicates the lowest enlisted rank of Soldat, or a U.S. Army Private. We were not able to find any specialized rank name for the chemical troops like there is for Cavalry or Artillery.Overall condition is very good, showing light wear to the exterior, and no major damage such as tears or repairs, though we do not know what the tunic was like prior to being converted. There are a few small moth holes, very common on the loose rough weave fabric used for these tunics. We definitely recommend these be stored with moth balls to avoid damage.A lovely late war German WWII Smoke and Chemical Troopers Enlisted uniform, ready to research and display!Approximate Measurements:-Collar to shoulder: 10'Shoulder to sleeve: 24'Shoulder to shoulder: 15'Chest width: 19'Waist: 15'Hip: 15'Front length: 24'Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or GermanyPayment OptionsNot eligible for payment with Paypal or AmazonLegal InformationDue to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.