Description
Physical description
Single-breasted jacket of olive-brown wool with open collar, front-fastening of four buttons, shoulder epaulettes of twisted aluminium cord on grey Waffenfarbe backing, pleated breast pockets with scalloped button flaps, bellows skirt pockets with rectangular button flaps, turnback cuffs, double vent detailing at rear skirt with two buttons fitted to waistband and metal belt hooks either side of waistband. Fully lined internally in brown satin fabric with horizontal slash pocket to the left side and shell dressing pocket in bottom left corner. All external buttons are of aluminium stipple pattern.
Sewn to the right collar point is a rectangular collar patch of emerald green cloth and yellow piping with '12/78' in silver-grey chain-stitch embroidery, denoting the 12th Sturm of the 78th SA Standarte (Nordsee). On the left collar is an identical patch but with rank insignia for a Sturmhauptführer, being three aluminium stars and two stripes of aluminium braiding. Sewn through the top buttonhole is the ribbon for the War Merit Cross and on the left arm the NSDAP armband is completely stitched on. Around each turnback cuff is a 4mm aluminium wire ring or 'service stripe', unique to the SA.
Label
The four-pocket jacket was first adopted by the SA in 1932 when the government urged that the SA should adopt a more respectable uniform. Shoulder epaulettes and collar patches were added in 1933 and these conformed to the facing colour used on the kepi to indicate the administrative district to whom the member belonged. In 1939 when the SA structure was modified, epaulettes were redesigned (those for SA-Sturmführer to SA-Sturmhauptführer as shown on this jacket) with collar patches edged in one of two colours to differentiate between Gruppen; for example emerald green edged in white would define a unit from Sachsen, while in yellow (as here) would be from Nordsee. The distinctive right hand collar patch with its designation expressed as a fraction, '12/78' means that this member served in Sturm 12 of Standarte 78 (12th Company of 78th Regiment, Nordsee region).
Inscription
Eigentum der Gruppe Nordsee
Inscription
[RZM logo] A4 135 [number stamped in blue ink]
Reichszeugmeisterei der NSDAP.
H No. 387864