While I don't collect militaria, I came across these wonderful pieces of history that I had to save. A WWII W.A.V.E.S. bridge coat (not sure if that's the technical term for a WAVES sailor) and trousers issued to the same woman. Preparing to post them in the classifieds, I got to read up a lot about WAVES and their role in the war. I feel all the better for having learned much more about them.
A very rare piece of early post-war history...
A tunic of the Saar state Gendarmerie 1947-1952. There existed only a few hundred - much more rare than most WW2 uniforms or early East German stuff.
Everybody knows that the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany became the German Democratic Republic and Germany was divided in two states until 1990.
But for a short time after WW2 there was a third German quasi-state. After WW2 France occupied the coal and industry-heavy Saar-Country and made it a semi-independent French protectorate separated from the German state acting as a "buffer". It had it's own security forces and was economically tied to France. It wasn't until 1957 that the Saar-Country returned to West-Germany.
During the later years of the Saar state the Gendarmerie was dressed in dark navy like the normal Saar state town police. Beside that there was the khaki-uniformed paramilitary "Saar Bataillon".
I love the cut of the tunic. Very 1930's... very nipped waist and peak lapels.
It is a size 36.
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