Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Brown was to become the official color of the N.S.D.A.P. and S.A. by circumstance rather than design. A large stockpile of discounted, surplus WWI tropical brown shirts and fabric, intended for wear in East Africa, were located in Austria in 1924 and purchased by the NSDAP as a temporary measure to bring uniformity of dress to their party members. In November of 1926 the brown shirt was officially introduced, and retained, as the basic uniform item for the N.S.D.A.P. and S.A., and was eventually adopted by other political organizations such as the H.J., D.A.F., and the N.S.K.K..
This is a very nice example of a German WWII SA "Brown Shirt" uniform tunic, complete with the correct brown breeches / jodhpurs and tan necktie that complete the uniform. All of the items show some great period wear and are totally correct. The breeches and tie are unmarked, however the tunic still has the original faded RZM tag on the bottom right interior, giving Hersteller (supplier) number 416, with other information not legible due to wear. The inside of the color is also marked with a D.R.P. 573519 PERFECT globe logo, with SA RZM 124/27 52 41-42 marked to the right, which we assume is the maker and size information. A shortened version of this marking is stamped onto the white shoulder lining. The tunic features a 5 button front closure, with three silver buttons in the middle, and plastic waist and collar buttons.
The shirt has all the correct insignia for the period, including a stitched on multi-piece NSDAP / SA armelbinde (armband) on the left sleeve. The kragenpatten (collar tabs) have Shwarz (black) backgrounds, which with the silver buttons and "pips" indicates the Berlin-Brandenburg SA gruppe (group), which encompassed the area around Berlin and the Western part of Brandenburg. The collar has the correct NCO black/white twisted piping around the perimeter. The NCO schulterklappe (shoulder strap) has a black base, correct for this group, and features the correct two rows of black/white twisted double cord piping.
The right collar tab is the unit tab, and 4 / 64 indicates the 4th Sturm (company), 64th Standarte (Regiment). The left collar tab has a single "pip" with two rows of white piping with a black stripe. This combination does not appear on the standard SA rank charts we see. We assume that the second row of piping was added on when they were promoted from an SA-Oberscharführer (SA-Senior squad leader), but we do not know what exactly they were promoted to. The next higher rank is usually SA-Truppführer (SA-Troop leader), but the troop leader ranks all have TWO rank pips. The rank insignia may mean that they were promoted to some type of "SA-Hauptscharführer" (SA-Chief Troop Leader). Definitely some interesting research potential here!
Overall condition of the tunic is very nice, showing light wear from service, especially around the collar area of the shirt. The fabric is somewhat worn in places, with some light staining, however there are no repairs or major damage we can see.
The included breeches show only light wear, with some lither areas from washing or cleaning off stains. They feature a button fly and button closures at the bottom of the legs so they can fit into boots. The included necktie is the correct color, unmarked, and in very good condition. It has an attached NSDAP Membership Badge Pin, which is in great condition, and ((RZM)) marked M1/92 on the back, indicating it was made by rare maker Carl Wild of Hamburg.
A very nice example of an SA "Brown Shirt" NCO uniform tunic with some great markings, complete with the correct pants and tie. Ready to research and display!
Approx. Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 10"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25”
Shoulder to shoulder: 18”
Chest width: 22”
Waist width: 19.5"
Hip width: 19.5”
Front length: 22"
Pants-
Waist: 15"
Inseam: 21"
The S.A.-
The Sturmabteilung, literally Storm Detachment, was the NSDAP Party's original paramilitary. It played a significant role in Adolf AH's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for NSDAP rallies and assemblies, disrupting the meetings of opposing parties, fighting against the paramilitary units of the opposing parties, especially the Red Front Fighters League (Rotfrontkämpferbund) of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), and intimidating Romani, trade unionists, and, especially, Jews – for instance, during the NSDAP boycott of Jewish businesses.
The SA were also called the "Brownshirts" (Braunhemden) from the color of their uniform shirts, similar to Benito Mussolini's blackshirts. The SA developed pseudo-military titles for its members, with ranks that were later adopted by several other NSDAP Party groups, chief amongst them the Schutzstaffel (SS), which originated as a branch of the SA before being separated. Brown-colored shirts were chosen as the SA uniform because a large number of them were cheaply available after World War I, having originally been ordered during the war for colonial troops posted to Germany's former African colonies.
The SA became disempowered after Adolf AH ordered the "blood purge" of 1934. This event became known as the Night of the Long Knives (die Nacht der langen Messer). The SA continued to exist, but was effectively superseded by the SS, although it was not formally dissolved until after NSDAP Germany's final capitulation to the Allies in 1945.
