I have been trying to find the correct colour for the waterproof motor cycle coat as worn by the German field gendarmarie the few colour pictures I have managed to find suggest it to be black or possibly a very dark black/green any help or confirmation would be helpful.Thanks in advance.

Phil

Hi the early M?C coat has a green cloth collare , later on it was all field grey with a touch of green , very hard to describe fully as leather over time does not hold it colour , cheers ian

The one I have was made in 1939 and is a lovely rich green shade of field gray with the dark green wool collar, The shade varied as the war progressed and indeed, the collar was produced in field gray wool from 1940. Luftwaffe coats were apparently made in bluegray colors.

These coats were made of rubber coated light canvas (as my colleague Ian will surely recall) and the rubber surface tended to retain a slight sheen to it. This can easily be replicated by rubbing a bit of "forehead" oil over a matt paint finish.

HTH
Ron V

Thanks guys,the info is just what I,am lookiing for I had the impression the coat was actually produced from a rubberised material,nice one on the forehead oil Ron. Thanks again chaps

Regards Phil H

I have a colourpic, where the coat looks like a light grey, indeed with the green collar.
Weren't these coats made of a synthetic, waterrepellant material??

IIRC only the early edition heavy twill cloth M1934 motorcyclists’ rubberised coat was issued with the green fur collar with bluish dark-green facings that were used up until May 1940. The later issue of this coat featured a large feldgrau cloth collar and should be painted with feldgrau facings. Officially the coat is said to be feldgrau, but bear in mind that (IIRC) the earlier feldgrau had more of a green tint to it that that later (or is that visa versa?). Also, due to the twill being rubberised the feldgrau will appear slightly discoloured - probably like it has a slightly oily look to it.