Belgium Is this a Belgian or a German overcoat?

[Rittmeister]

I have this photo of a POW wearing this jacket but it seems rather "un-Belgian"?

[Jef]

Hello Rittmeister,

http://www.freewebs.com/abl1940/overjassenenmantels.htm is a good website to compare the photographs. In fact I never saw a Belgian overcoat with a seam under the chin, between the upper buttons. And the upper buttons are hidden under the collar. I have put an overcoat on my scanner:

A lot of Belgian soldiers were released from POW camp late 1940 and returned home. Others stayed longer in Germany or Austria. I have in my collection a uniform of my late neighbour. He had to work in Austria on roadworks till 1942. His Belgian uniform was totally worn out. He told me he received other clothes from the Red Cross: it's a British Battle Dress from 1938 and a Polish trouser. In these clothes he got home in 1942.

Maybe the overcoat in your pic is also a captured piece of uniform?

Kind regards,

Jef

[Rittmeister]

Hi Jef,

Some very good comments, thanks for your expertise. I enlarged the buttons, it seems to be some kind of navy motive? Does this reveal anything more?

[Jef]

Hello Rittmeister,

Indeed, the buttons shows a navy motives. I have been looking in http://www.knopfsammler.de/main_index.html and I could not find the buttons you showed. Most of the navy buttons have a crowned anchor. The anchor in fantasy buttons have often a ropeshaped border. However, buttons of the Belgian Infantry of the Line used in 1914 almost the same ornament, altough there is a little difference.And of course the number of regiment is changed into an anchor.... I used a pic of the knopfsammler website. I was not able to find French navy buttons. Maybe we have to look in that direction?

Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful.

Jef

[Jef]

Hello again, Rittmeister,

I still have been looking for the buttons and look what I found in http://www.histoire-collection.com/catalog_300.html . I think this button is the one you are looking for: Infanterie Marine/Infanterie Coloniale.

I was wrong to think about Belgian buttons, sorry. If the buttons belong to the greatcoat, there is a big chance the greatcoat is French. I'm sure there are gentlemen on this forum who knows more about French Naval Units than I do, maybe they can confirm this.

kind regards,

Jef

[Michael Johnson]

Infanterie Coloniale was my first thought as well. Doubtless the Germans had large stocks available.