K001395 OFFICER'S CAPE CLOSURE CHAIN. (Spanierschloss Kette für Offizier Umhang)

BACKGROUND: German Naval uniforms and headgear were based on traditional designs that date back to the creation of the Prussian Navy in 1848, and although uniforms and headgear did evolve during the interim years many items used during the Third Reich would still have been quite recognizable to the Imperial sailor. The Officer’s cape, commonly called, "Spanier, (Spaniard), was an optional, private purchase, item of dress permitted for wear by all Officers and Officials with equivalent positions when regulations didn’t prescribe a certain order of dress. The cape was manufactured in two slightly variant styles termed "full" or "half wheel", designs. Both styles of the cape featured a vertical, four or five button front closure with the addition of a chained closure device that was positioned near the top, forward, neckline just below the forward tips of the lay down collar. The closure chain device had a disc to each side of the front closure with an embossed, lions head similar to the ones as found on the Officer’s dagger hangers. The buttons and the chained closure device were in gilt for Officers and silver for Administrative Officials. Regulations of February 1940 dictated that further manufacture of the capes was prohibited until the successful conclusion of the war. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the OKK, Offizier Kleiderkasse der Kriegsmarine, (Officer’s Clothing Account of the Navy). Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms and headgear from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored items although the price may have been restrictive. Generally speaking officers bought nice quality, private purchase, uniform items but they could also choose to buy their uniforms directly from the military clothing depots.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The fire-gilt finished, die stamped and tooled, alloy construction cape closure chain device consists of two roughly, 42mm diameter, discs with a nicely detailed, embossed, high relief, lion’s head to each. The lion’s heads show nice facial detailing and a flowing mane. The reverses of the lion’s heads are mirror images of the obverses and one has a soldered hook, while the other has a soldered ring with a twelve link, tooled alloy closure chain. The reverse of each lion head disc has a separate, circular, sheet alloy, plate with a semi circular cut out to each to accommodate the hook and ring. The separate, circular, sheet alloy, plate also has six small punched holes for soldered attachment prongs on the reverse of the lion head discs. The separate alloy plates would have been positioned on the interior of the cape with the attachment prongs on the reverse of the lion’s head discs would be punctured through the cape for a secure attachment. Nice!

GRADE ****1/4                             PRICE $250.00

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