Polizei Uniform REgulations

[iannima]

Preparing for our deployment at Crich (National Tramway Museum) next weekend, a friend of mine and I have come up with a question on Polizei uniform regulations.
I own a Kompanie der Transportpolizei tunic and my friend a Bereitschaftpolizei one. Both are made of gabardine with FIVE buttons and a hook to close the collar. No piping either at the cuffs or at the collar.
The question is, having assumed that the tunic would have been worn open with shirt and tie for parade or Ausgang, when would the collar be worn closed? For a Dienstuniform?
That is what we would want to represent but we are unsure whether it would not have been done simply with a grey shirt and the appropriate tie. But if that is the case, when would the collar ever be closed?

[olivyaya]

Here is a 'duty' picture

[olivyaya]

Another earlier one

[iannima]

Olivier, Thanks for these two photographs. Unfortunately things are more complicated because your colour photograph shows what is most likely a piped tunic with only four buttons. You can tell by looking at the position of the top button relative to the breast pockets. Compare my tunic and this chap's and you will see that the top button is much higher in mine. This is also true of NVA Manschaften tunics compared to open collar officer ones: when five buttons are present the spacing has to be even and that means that the fourth button from the bottom is much higher in the former case than it is in the latter.
The other photograph is VERY early as they are still armed with PPsH.
Effectively what is needed is some evidence of what the Bereitschaftpolizei was doing (the Kompanie der Trapo was the Trapo equivalent in many ways).

[olivyaya]

Olivier, Thanks for these two photographs. Unfortunately things are more complicated because your colour photograph shows what is most likely a piped tunic with only four buttons. You can tell by looking at the position of the top button relative to the breast pockets. Compare my tunic and this chap's and you will see that the top button is much higher in mine. This is also true of NVA Manschaften tunics compared to open collar officer ones: when five buttons are present the spacing has to be even and that means that the fourth button from the bottom is much higher in the former case than it is in the latter.

Great observation !! I had not noticed that before... ! Great clue to find out what is what when descriptions are very short on ebay and elsewhere...

[olivyaya]

Matteo, one more question ... I thought the tunics with collar hook were of earlier design and those without much later ones ... however I have this quite early one without any collar hook...

[SCHUPO]

Olivyaya,

Your 1971 dated tunic is one of the earlier ones that does not have any piping on the collar or cuffs. Those TRAPO tunics that were issued to the Kasernierten Einheiten des MdI buttoned at the collar. Those TRAPO units were die Kompanien der Transportpolizei. Your tunic is not for the barracked police. Since it also has no piping or insignia, it might also be an early Feuerwehr tunic.

[Gordon Craig]

Iannima,

I would say for indoor deployment that the collar should remain open. In my copy of Uniform und ihre Trageweise for the VOPO there is only one illustration showing the collar of the tunic closed and that is in dress C11 whicxh includes wedge cap, great coat and belt. All other forms of dress are shown as open collar.

Regards,

Gordon