Kriegsmarine Paradejacke

[U-Boot Kapitan]

Hi All,
I've just acquired this paradejacke and would like to know if anyone can help me identify the trade badges correctly.
Any help/comments most welcome.
Regards,
Jason

[amiklic1]

Nice "Affenjacke".

Rank insignia has changed few times from 1933 till the end of the war, so it can be:
1933-Gefreiter
1935-Oberstabsmatrose
1936-Stabsmatrose
1938 till the end of the war it's Obergefreiter,

As he got the EK2 I tend to believe it's for the Obergefreiter and based on the lower specialty badge it's after 1936, also.

Star indicates Boatswain career.

Upper of the two specialty badges is for Blockade weapons foreman (Sperrvormann), and the lower is for hydrophone personell (Unterwasserhorcher), introduced by order MV 36, No.490 on 31st of August 1936.

[U-Boot Kapitan]

Many thanks for that, it's much appreciated

Were hydrophone operators on board surface vessels as well as on u boats?

(I'm hoping this may have belonged to a u-boat man).

PS. I've never seen a badge like this with the 'waves' on before?

[amiklic1]

Yes, they were also on a surface ships.

Citation:
At 05:07 that morning, hydrophone operators aboard Prinz Eugen detected a pair of unidentified vessels approaching the German formation at a range of 20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi), reporting "Noise of two fast-moving turbine ships at 280° relative bearing!".

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Prinz_Eugen


That insignia is scarce, not usually seen as some other.

Congrats on a nice jacket.

[U-Boot Kapitan]

A-ha, I see,
Many thanks for the info.

Would the scarcer insignia make the jacket any more desirable or valuable?

[U-Boot Kapitan]

I also have a petty officer's collani or pea jacket...

[amiklic1]

Nice.
It has three loops for awards. One of them is made with different thread.
Also, the patches are a bit lower than usually seen.

Maybe you can post a close-up photos of the award loops and of the patches stitching?

[U-Boot Kapitan]

No problem... I have one or two photos taken previously:

The strip on the collar tab looks to have been added after the tunics original construction.

The ordnance badge looks to have been in-situ always.

Not too sure on the Obermaschinist patch, as it is a tad low as you say.
There's no trace further up the arm of any badge having been removed though ?







Will have to do better for the award loop photo tho I'm afraid

[amiklic1]

It's hard to say without having the jacket in hand.

I like the stitching of the ordnance badge. I wouldn't expect to see all the stitching the same and count that as the ultimate proof of wartime or non-wartime application as the sailors could finish the training later than being promoted so there could be delay in between the patches.

What I do not like is the fact that there should be two cross-stripes on the collar tabs if the guy had an Obermaat rank (which should be because of the chevron on the rank sleeve patch).

It should be like on this photo: