olivyaya

It would be great to see some of your pics ! Welcome here !

They are getting more and more expensive... a nice original one is a minimum of 100 euros... most likely 150/200 euros...

Yes, I do have it, but mine is the 1st Edition and no picture on page 84 ! Your reference msut be from the following edition...

No, it is not exactly the same since my tunic is an officer gabardine tunic... not the same as yours wolly type... But as far as yours is concerned, the button positionning does indicate a periode, in your case not the latest type !! It would have been easier to confirm if your tunic had markings... but since it does not, some of the exposed details do give some interesting information !

I actually think you have ! The tunic is an early 1980s GT one for non profesional soldier ; the collar size is not a problem, must correspond to the era when the tunic was tailored... what we would need to check is whether all earlier type wolly tunics have the same type of collar, and later ones a larger collar... The buttons position clearly shows the tunic is not of later production !! As for the officer tunics are concerned, I have found this one in my collection ; it has the same buttons positionning as your woly type tunic... but this one is a bit special since it is a former black collar tunic that has been converted to an open collar tunic after 1974.

After checking, apparently not the same as far as the officer type tunics are concerned... I have early tunics and later ones which both have the top button BELOW the breast pockets' line...

Most of my stuff is packed in boxes in my basement... so it will be difficult for me to check... but I'll keep an eye from now on while surfing the web... and as soon as I dig into my boxes again... Having said that, it is interesting to note that as time went by, the DDR tried to save as much as possible whenever and wherever they could... which meant, eg, a growing simplification in the production of uniforms. In this sense, what is strange is that the shorter collar tunic should be the later type, since the other one is saving on fabric... it should be the other way round... Very interestind indeed...

The buttons positionning is the same as for officer tunics are concerned... you can verify it on your very 1st tunic in this post, the Luftvertidigung one... late 70s, top button BELOW the breast pockets' line !!

You are right, sorry I misunderstood you... I had never noticed the collar size difference !!! Very interesting !!! As for the buttons, on the last picture, the top button is placed ABOVE the breast pockets' line... typical of late 80s production... Earlier, the top button is sown BELOW the breast pockets' line

A picture that tells you all :

The colar buttons were meant to attach the kragenbinde when the tunic is worn "hoghgeschlossenen" with the claps ... as far as I remember this could be done on duty !

Looks like to be a non professional EM tunic of the GT ; wrong shoulder boards... those "VEB" tagged ones are seldom seen I would say... The cuff title denotes the tunic was tailored after 1976 ; af far as I remember, the switch to open collar tunics occured end 1970s/early 1980s for the non officers ; officers gradually switched to the open collar tunics from 1974 on.

You are very welcome... I cannot see the pictures... aren't they protected inside your account pages ?

I remember in the early 1990s noticing that on brand new gabardine tunics, the collar tabs were never sown ... while they were on all wooly type ones... this puzzled me for quite a while... until I understood that the gabardine tunics were meant to receive either the NCO/EM or the Officer collar tabs... this is why they would not sow them before they knew to whom the tunics were destined.

I love this type of tunics with the MfS stamp inside ! I also have a couple and I am so excited each time I handle them !!

Gabardine tunics were worn by officers AND professional NCO or EM !! Non professional NCO and EM wore the wooly type ones !! The tunic posted in post #1 is definetly a professional EM since the colar tabs are machine sown... the officer shoulder boards are not correct... If you keep them you would have to replace the collar tabs !

1969, but do not forget the title was only shown on the tunics of the Guard... the Administrative branch of the Stasi did not have it !

Nice rare MfS marked tunic ! The specific MfS marking was only used for a couple of yrs in early 70s (71-72 from what I know) on dark colar tunics...! Used again in late 70s on light summer uniforms...

The rough edged ones are for the great coats !! Same as for the GT ones !

Thanks ! Yes you are right... maybe because he was appointed general vey late (1982) !!! Btw, is the sleeve lining also striped on your uniform ??

I like the safe in Mielke's office !!!

My general uniform from early 80s

Thanks for the picture !!!!!!!!!!

Since he is selling the as such... no problem for me !