NSDAP Gauleiter Tunic | Attributed to Gauleiter Grohe

Museum Interest

This beautiful quality tunic was tailored by Aachen's finest house, that of Louis Pfeiffer. Although the tunic itself isn't named, it is attributed to Gauleiter Grohe, the Gauleiter of Cologne & Aachen. It's fitting that Grohe would have gone to one of the very best tailors of that area (the tailor being a locally well-known NSDAP member himself), and the lack of loops for awards is exactly how Grohe wore his tunics at that time.

NSDAP Gauleiter rank tunic for sale, circa 1938. The tunic in fine quality brown cotton. The shirt with red collar edge piping, and retaining the collar patches for the rank of Gauleiter, with full double golden wire oakleaves on red wool.The collar patch insignia  machine sewn into position. The tunic retains a very high quality wool NSDAP armband to the left sleeve, along with beautiful high gold eagle/swastika buttons throughout. The interior sports a fine golden silk lining with off white silk sleeves. The woven Louis Pfeiffer tailor label machine sewn in place.

Condition report: The tunic surviving in excellent, near mint condition, free from any moth or damage. Some just very light use evident.

About the rank of Gauleiter:The rank of Gauleiter would be comparable to controlling the State of Texas in the USA, the county of Surrey in England, or the Normandy-region in France. By 1939 there were just 42 Gau in Germany with one Gauleiter heading each area. The rank of Gauleiter was subordinate only to the rank of Reichlseiter, and Adolf Hitler.

Notes on the tailor: The fine tailors and clothing store of Louis Pfeiffer had been in existence from the end of the 1800s. By the outbreak of the First World War, it was classed as the ‘to-go-to’ tailors of Aachen. Louis Pfeiffer’s son Kurt joined the business, training as a textile salesman. Louis Pfeiffer died in 1915,  and his son, Kurt,  took over the running of the shop. Later, he founded the “Retail Association of German Textile Entrepreneurs” and from 1929 to 1933 also took over the management of the Aachen Retail Association. Additionally, Pfeiffer took on an honorary position in the Aachen Chamber of Commerce.

During the late 1920s, Pfeiffer showed great political interest in the Paneuropean Union founded by Richard Nikolaus Graf von Coudenhove-Kalergi, and in Gustav Stresemann's foreign policy. Through those interests, he joined the German People's Party (DVP). However, by 1932 he had been captivated by Hitler, and in 1933 joined the NSDAP.

After Aachen was taken by the Americans in October 1944, Pfeiffer (despite his membership of the NSDAP) was one of the nine selected citizens, appointed and installed by the American military government as the civil interim government of Aachen. After 1945,  Pfeiffer played a key role in the reconstruction of the city of Aachen.