Italian Camo M44 tunic

[17thairborne]

I am posting this here because most IT camo seems to be associated with the SS, although LW and Police units wore them also along with others.

THis is shown on a website with only one image, but I have asked for a few close ups. I can get more to post here if needed. I realize these are a mine field without actually holding and analyzing them up close and in person, but what are your thoughts on the authenticity of this. No story attached or claimed by the seller.

I am thinking of buying it, but am hesitant as it is a new area for me. Any help or opinions is appreciated to steer me along a decent path.

[17thairborne]

Two more images

[17thairborne]

More

[17thairborne]

Final

[17thairborne]

A final note, I am not posting the sales site, although some may figure it out, because I would like the item to speak for itself. Once the opinions are in then I will factor in what has been said about the seller on the WAF. I'm going in this with an open mind.

[17thairborne]

Small frontal shot from site.

[17thairborne]

FYI,
Received a pm from one collector and received a favorable comment on this one. I was very positive about the jacket at the outset, and this bolsters my confidence!

oz

[jacquesf]

This is going to be a leap of faith, without some provenance and a detailed handson with experience of period stiching. I suggest you involve kammoman. J

[Fred Fokkelman]

To be honest I like what I see so far. Different from mine though.

[clint-magnum]

I like it also.
have nearly the same with period applied luft eagle.

[Ironcrown]

It's well made, but with this kind of uniforms it's always like a mine field.
Don't forget that nowadays is still very easy to find original italian camo fabric at very low prices. Original wartime thread is also still available, and so are the buttons. A good tailor can do anything, and since there are no rigid patterns to copy, with the correcy materials it's very easy to build a very convincing repro. I would take it just if the price is very reasonable.

[17thairborne]

Thank you so much for the comments.

[WEISNER]

This is going to be a leap of faith, without some provenance and a detailed handson with experience of period stiching. I suggest you involve kammoman. J

I am with Jacques on this one, IMO it is nothing more than a nice, late war cut camo tunic. the leap of faith comes in handy with these camo tunics and there are some beauties posted with photographic evidence of the camo tunic in wear, but without such provenance and a hands on I would save my money. JMO!

Kev

[Zauberflöte]

I subscribe to all the comments made.

Herewith a custom made tunic in Italian camo I believe to be 100% original (I consider it to be made for Polizei).

Without solid provenance only specific details made in the construction, hard to fake wear and true aging would be the key to authenticate such a garment IMO.

[17thairborne]

Again thanks for the input. I understand the issue with provenance. I collect 17th Airborne items, and there are a host of put-together jackets out there. I even have found problems with "veteran purchased" items. A daughter, who knows nothing of militaria asked me to construct an ike jacket for her ww2 father. She gave me all of his stuff which included some German items that I could keep. There was a roll of Heer breast eagles, all fake. A lot of stuff was acquired in the 70s and 80s when fakes were plentiful. Even the "provenance" of a veteran can be sketchy. I now only buy groupings with paperwork, photos and hopefully a photo of the actual item being worn. That has cut my 17th AB collecting down to nearly NOTHING.

I suspect the only true field made 100% secure purchase, as pointed out, is a small grouping along with the jacket and a picture of the veteran wearing the actual jacket where the camo patterns and changes of color match the image. Now that would be hard to fake, but not impossible! (recall the thread where the original seller very carefully and artfully photoshopped the actual jacket onto a digital imaged and stated "look at this picture, it could be the very jacket being worn" Thankfully someone recognized the image and posted the original with ss pattern camo.

So with such purchases goes a commensurate price, much reduced from what one would pay for a provenanced item. If this one ends in my collection, I will post more detailed images, but we will never be able to make a collective determination of real or not.

All being said...I am learning a lot from all of you and I thank you.