Uniforms and Equipment of the Old Army - Cavalry - Cuirassiers - The Overcoat and the Officers' Cloak

The overcoat, the cloak and the litewka were also part of the uniform of the Prussian cuirassiers.

In the Clothing Regulation for Officers and Medical Officers of the Royal Prussian Army (Berlin 1896) the overcoat is generally described as follows (p. 73):

Text

The overcoat of the cuirassier officers was dark blue. It had collar, breast-flap lining and pocket-flap facings in the respective regimental color.

However, there were some deviations here (cf. Pietsch, Formations- und Uniformierungsgeschichte des preußischen Heeres 1808-1914, Volume 2. Cavalry .... Hamburg 1966, p. 55).

The overcoat has always had a pocket with a flap on the left skirt for the dress sword.

In the Clothing Regulation for Officers and Medical Officers of the Royal Prussian Army (Berlin 1896) the overcoat is generally described as follows (p. 58):

"Construction.

Long frock coat with two parallel rows of buttons, one on each of the evenly cut front pieces, the latter with breast flaps, both cut in one piece; the buttonholes begin 2 cm from the outer edge; from this and from the position of the front buttons the width of the breast flaps results.

Side panels and two-piece back.

Base material:

Cloth or doeskin, duffel, eskimo, namely:

....

for cuirassiers, uhlans, field artillery, train: dark blue;

for dragoons: cornflower blue.

Skirt tails split at the back, pocket-flap welts wedge-shaped, broader at the bottom than at the top, with a facing which in general corresponds to the color of the collar.

Buttons flat; gilded or silvered, as on the tunic:

Shoulder buttons (screw buttons permitted), with the eyelet 2.5 cm from the collar seam, six in front, the two upper ones vertically below the shoulder buttons, the two lowest on the waist seam, the four others equally spaced between them;

on the pocket flaps the two upper buttons at the intersection points of the waist seam with the back seams, the lower ones with the edge 1.5 cm above the pocket-flap facing.

Colored, rounded-off standing collar in front of the same color and fabric and with the facing of the tunic and collar, throughout without embroidery and closable by two or three metal hooks with eyes.

Sleeve cuffs with facing at the top, which matches in color and fabric the facings of the tunic (ulanka); they are to be set on the sleeve so that the right side of the cloth lies outward and the lower seam is concealed by the sleeve lining.

Breast-flap lining generally of the color and fabric of the tunic collar.

On the shoulders, 0.4 cm from the sleeve seam, an eyelet for inserting the tongue of the shoulder strap made of the base material. Epaulette holders (for officers of the active service) only for uhlans.

Skirt lining black; sleeve lining light.

Variations:

...

Cuirassiers: Left slit for inserting the sword as on the tunic.

Guard Cuirassiers: breast-flap lining ponceau-red.

Fit and dimensions:

Skirt length: the lower edge should reach to 10 cm above the knee joint.

It is optional to button the overcoat to the right or to the left.

Height of the sleeve cuffs including facing: 16 to 19 cm;

Length of the skirt pocket flaps: 24 cm, lower width including facing: 4 cm.

Otherwise as with the tunic".

Text

The cloak and the paletot had a left pocket for receiving the dress sword. Since May 15, 1899 a vertical slit was prescribed for this purpose.