A little help identifying a greatcoat?

[Sigma 010]

Hello fellas.

Recently got my dirty mitts on this greatcoat, and I love it! Problem is, I've no idea what the history is behind it.

No insignia. Nothing. tags have been torn off. The only hint I have is the buttons - brass pebble pattern, with the following in the interior (of the button). It has an eagle. Could be American to my amateur eyes, but probably a German eagle. has FFL, each letter in a circle stacked in a triangle. there are some small stars, which look like asterisks, and 25/mm stamped there as well. This is mostly from memory though.

Pockets are in cordroy. One's busted so I'm taking it to the tailors for them to fix. (as well as put a new blank tag on just so nothing frays. need to find a few spare buttons. there are some small plain blue plastic buttons in between the rear split, and another one nearer to my neck.

From what I can deduce, it looks like a East German overcoat of some sort.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Also, 2 questions. How do you all care for/store your greatcoats? and where can I pick up a few spare buttons?

Thanks a million,

Sam.

 

[barra063]

FFL could be Forces Francaises Libres or in English the Free French Forces.

 

[john z]

If the buttons are marked 25mm, which I assume is their diameter & they are original to the coat that rules out it being American. They don't do metric. Also it wont be pre 70s British as we were still using imperial units then.

 

[Hal]

It won't be east German, as the "German Democratic Republic" did not use the eagle in their insignia. Probably west German or possibly Austrian.

 

[matrioshka]

I think it's West German. Did you look in the inside pocket for a tag?

M

 

[Sigma 010]

No tags in the pockets. They've been not so cleanly ripped off.

Now I look at the button, it reads:

* (eagle symbol *

FLL, rather than FFL

25, on one side of the button, and M/M on the other.​

the asterisks are exactly that, asterisks.

I say East German, because I was trying to track it down, and what I came up with was this: http://www.militarysupplyhouse.com/overcoatsf1.htm

The only 'East German' overcoat there looks extremely similar. There's no patch on mine. One of my German friends told me that the patch was that of an military fire brigade.