Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 249:
Description
WWII German Artillery Hauptmann Feldbluse, Rgt. 80. WWII German Heer Tailored M36-Style Officer’s Feldbluse to a Hauptmann of Artillerie-Regiment 80, with Infantry Assault Badge and Iron Cross 2nd Class/Ostmedaille Ribbon Bar Offered here is a privately tailored Wehrmacht Heer service tunic attributed to a Hauptmann (Captain) serving with Artillerie-Regiment 80, the attribution resting on the gilt metal ’80’ unit numerals mounted on the officer’s silver braid shoulder boards. The tunic retains its hand-embroidered breast eagle, bullion collar tabs, a die-struck Infantry Assault Badge affixed to the left breast pocket, and a two-place ribbon bar for the Iron Cross 2nd Class with swords device and the Eastern Front Medal (Ostmedaille). No separate published biography has been located for the original owner; his service story rests in the insignia and decorations preserved on the garment itself. Artillerie-Regiment 80 was raised in the Cottbus/Frankfurt an der Oder district of Wehrkreis III and saw action in the 1940 campaign in France before being committed to the Eastern Front. The presence of the Ostmedaille, instituted in 1942 to recognize troops who endured the brutal first winter campaign in Russia of 1941-42, places this officer’s service within that grueling period, while the swords device on the Iron Cross ribbon points to a subsequent distinction for gallantry. The Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen is a notable inclusion on an artillery officer’s tunic, awarded only after a minimum number of qualifying days in close combat and suggesting periods of direct infantry-style engagement – not uncommon for artillery officers pressed into forward observation or ad hoc infantry roles during the fighting in the East. Regimental numerals on shoulder boards, though officially ordered removed for security early in the war, were frequently retained on garrison and dress tunics such as this one, giving collectors a rare direct link to a named regiment. The tunic is of dark bottle-green wool/tricot construction with a matching dark green collar piped in bright red (Hochrot) Waffenfarbe denoting the artillery branch, worked with hand-applied bullion collar tabs. The hand-embroidered silver-aluminum bullion Heer breast eagle sits above the left pocket on its dark green backing. The sew-in silver braid shoulder boards show red branch underlay, two gilt rank pips, and gilt ’80’ numerals consistent with Hauptmann rank. The die-struck silvered zinc Infantry Assault Badge is mounted through the left pocket flap; above it, the ribbon bar carries the correct red-white-black Iron Cross ribbon beside the Ostmedaille ribbon, with a small silvered swords device pinned at center. The lot comprises the single tailored tunic complete with all insignia, badge, and ribbon bar as pictured; no separate case, cap, or paperwork accompanies it. Condition is very good for the type: the exterior wool remains solid with minor handling marks, light spotting, and faint staining near the lower buttons; the interior rayon/silk lining shows honest sweat discoloration at the collar and underarms with the internal dagger/sword hanger strap intact; all insignia remain securely and correctly positioned, with no significant moth damage evident. A well-preserved, decorated Eastern Front artillery officer’s tunic that ties a numbered regimental designation to close-combat and winter-campaign awards on a single, display-ready garment.
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