Waffen-SS Sturmbannführer "RFSS" Contract Field Tunic

WWII Waffen-SS Sturmbannführer "RFSS" Contract Field Tunic – Attributed with the Highest Probability to Walter Reder (16. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division „Reichsführer SS“)
This extremely rare, original WWII Waffen-SS officer's field tunic (Feldbluse) features an official "RFSS" contract pattern configured for an SS-Sturmbannführer, complete with collar tabs, shoulder boards, and visible ghost-lining where a period sleeve eagle was removed. The exterior is tailored from a heavy, high-grade field-grey wool blend characteristic of official procurement contracts. The wool remains in an exceptionally sturdy, crisp, and structurally sound condition. Crucially, the fabric shows an authentic, light front-line patina but is completely free from any distracting moth damage, open tears, structural holes, or major stains. The black wool collar tabs and the officer shoulder boards are firmly anchored to the tunic. The left collar tab features four textbook silver rank pips indicating the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer. These insignia components show natural, minor oxidation and surface wear to the silver tress and metal pips, fully matching the honest combat patina of the entire garment. On the upper left sleeve, the silver bullion officer’s sleeve eagle has been period-removed. No modern tampering or post-war manipulation is present; instead, highly distinct, clear thread remnants and unmistakable ghost-lining perfectly map out the original shape of the factory-applied eagle, proving its historical presence beyond doubt. The tunic retains its correct 4-button front configuration with original field-grey painted pebbled buttons. The hardware, buttonholes, four unpleated pockets, and standard turn-back cuffs are all fully intact, original, and operational, displaying only light service wear along the edges. The interior is lined with a correct satin/rayon material that remains completely solid and period wear. Most notably, the interior lining of the left sleeve displays highly unique physical features: heavy mechanical friction tracking, specific wear spots, and period-applied reinforcement patches. These internal markings are purely material facts, indicating that the sleeve lining was heavily stressed during the wartime period to withstand the constant mechanical pressure of a heavy combat prosthesis.

The tunic is attributed with the highest probability to SS-Sturmbannführer Walter Reder, commander of the SS-Panzeraufklärungs-Abteilung 16, based on specific physical evidence:
• Prosthesis Wear & Friction Tracking: Heavy interior wear and friction in the left sleeve match the mechanical pressure points of a wartime artificial limb, corresponding to Reder losing his lower left arm at Kharkov in March 1943.

• Asymmetrical Custom Tailoring: The wide-cut left shoulder and sleeve were custom-tailored to accommodate Reder's prosthetic arm and winter clothing.
Recovered from wartime sectors in Slovenia where Reder's unit operated in 1944, this museum-grade artifact links directly to the 16. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division „Reichsführer SS“.
• Rank: SS-Sturmbannführer
• Pattern: Official "RFSS" Contract Tunic
• Attribution: Attributed with the highest probability to Walter Reder (16. SS-Div.)
• Provenance: Recovered from wartime sectors in Slovenia
• Condition: Combat worn, untouched, insignia period applied (sleeve eagle removed).