VM Jacket

[grenzflieger]

Guten Tag Genossen,

It has been a while since I've posted a message because I moved in the meanwhile, but I'm monitoring the forum closely. My girlfriend has approved the decoration of a DDR-room in our new house. So as a beginning and die hard collector, I'm a happy man now.

I got a question about the following uniform jacket of the VM that I bought of a old man a while ago. The date stamp is gone (washed out, I guess) so I'm not able to determine the exact year of birth of this jacket. I also don't know if it's original the way the way it's right now. Can you guys help me solving this problem/mystery?



Inside the left pocket:



Any advice on completing the jacket (schulterstücke, etc) would also be very nice! Thanks! Regards, Felix

[torstenbel]

I think these are very nice jackets. Do not know much about the Volksmarine, but I would think that it all looks good to me. Not sure now, but I think that this style of jacket is called a Kulani. Cheers, Torsten.

[torstenbel]

here is one that I showed on the forum a while back:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=153324&page=2

[grenzflieger]

Hi Torsten,

Still awake in the UK!? It's late! Thanks alot for your reply. I looks pretty simular but mine has got a different patch (laufbahn+auf zeit in one). Can't find that in Keubke. Also the collar tabs are differently sewn on the jacket if you take a closer look.

greetz felix

[torstenbel]

certainly still wide awake here..but it's even later with you now and you are still up....I know the patches are different, but the jacket is the same style. Don't know if there is any significance to the collar patches being sewn on differently, but I am pretty sure that the one I showed was a good one. Tot ziens, Torsten.

[grenzflieger]

yes still awake here... love to be a teacher (during holidays)

It's definitely the same style but if you ask me mine looks a little older (that I don't like because I'm a >80's collector). We'll see if one of the others has a clue. I try to make another picture of the collar tabs tomorrow.

Good night!

tot ziens

felix

[Gordon Craig]

grenzflieger,

Not sure what you mean when you say the collar tyabs are sewn on differently. Be good to see what you mean with pictures. I have an identical jacket, its in storage and I can not show you a picture, but mine was obviously unissued with no rank badges on the sleeves.

Regards,

Gordon

[iannima]

The things to explain for me are the hand-warming pockets and those patch and flap lower pockets which are unlike my own Colani

[grenzflieger]

Thanks Gordon and iannima,

The fact that their are hand-warming-pockets indeed (that aren't on torsten and yours) makes it a strange jacket. I can't find any jackets with hand-warming-pockets in keubke. The only jacket that has these pockets is an officer jacket from arround the '60, and that one is completely different. Here are some pics of the collar tabs that are sewn on differently also take a look at the buttons?!?




inside:


It looks like 18?8 58 or 53

Groeten,

Felix

[olivyaya]

A NCO one I got from ebay a while ago

Interesting yours has got breast side pockets... mine does not !!

[wachregiment]

A NCO one I got from ebay a while ago

Interesting yours has got breast side pockets... mine does not !!

Very nice (if you sell it, don't forget to PM me )

[DaveM]

grenzflieger.... nice Colani

Hi...
aside from the hand warming pockets....just wondering abou the arm trade / gold chevron combo...?
this jacket doesn't conform to any volkmarine pattern jacket or insignia I have seen to date in period books, grundwissen or internet photos on the VM
possibly Bundesmarine???

[Gordon Craig]

Gents,

I missed the hand warmer pockets earlier. Very unusual coat. It is not Bundesmarine however. Their coats like this only have eight buttons and slash type hidden pockets around waist level. The BM does not have any insignia even remotely close to that displayed on this coat.

Regards,

Gordon

[iannima]

What i also find VERY odd is the low cut of the lapels... Compared with mine, this one is much more open at the neck... Also notice how much cvertically loser to each other the buttons are...

Those patch and flap lower pockets, somehow I have always associated with the 1970s in the USA... which obviously cannot be in this case.
My suggestion is that this is a civilian peacoat to which Volksmarine insignia have been added. I cannot obviously comment how it was in the DDR, but in the west, it certainly was and is the case that a peacoat is a traditional garment for any number of seafaring professions and not just the military. It can also be considered a 'fashionable' coat. Perhaps a civilian ferry company? Weird it certainly is, and we are unlikely to know for certain...

[grenzflieger]

Thanks alot for your help guys. I guess it's not an original VM-jacket then, which surprises me because it was part of a tunic (tellermütze, hose etc), that I by the way didn't bought. I guess the old man wasn't as trustwurthy as I thought.

Little waist of the 80 euro's .. But well that is part of the collectors-deal. Now I will have to look for another VM colani because I want one very bad!! If you got any tips let me know. Can you guys say anything about the patch?

Thanks for your help. Today we are celebrating 'her majesties the queen day' here in the Netherlands so I'm off to the pubs in Amsterdam! To forget this terrible loss...

Felix