Officers field grey woollen Kleine Rock jacket : Westfalisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr 22, German Army

German Army Field Artillery officer's field grey Kleine Rock jacket. The jacket is double-breasted and has two parallel rows of six, plain, plated, silver coloured metal, buttons down the front. The high stand and fall collar appears to only be a stand collar because the flaps are so neatly and securely held down. The silver bullion twist braid shoulder straps have an interwoven black thread, which indicates the wearer was in a Prussian unit, and rank insignia of leutnant (lieutenant). A small gilt brass flaming grenade badge of the type worn by field artillery units, and regimental number '22' are also fitted to both of the shoulder straps. The shoulder straps have scarlet edging, which is the corps colour, and the flashes on the collar flaps are also scarlet (staff officer?). The black and white ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class is sewn to the left front panel of the jacket. It runs diagonally down from the second buttonhole and around the edge of the front opening. The edges of the collar, front opening, and top of the folded back cuffs are scarlet. A pocket with a flap that slopes downward from the front to the back, has been let into both sides at the hip. There is a 200mm vent in the middle of the bottom of the back of the jacket. Sewn inside the top of the back of the jacket is the maker's embroidered label. The body of the jacket is lined with grey polished cotton. Striped white cotton lines the sleeves except for a 100mm wide band of yellow inside the cuffs. A pocket with a slit opening has been let into the breast lining on both sides.

This jacket was worn by a leutnant in the Westfalisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr 22. The regiment, which was part of the 200th Division of the German Army, campaigned in the Carpathian Mountains, Bukovina, and Italy, from when it was formed in July 1916 until the end of 1917. In 1917 the division was rated as one of the best in the German Army but it suffered heavy losses in Italy late in the year. In March 1918 it moved into the Cambrai area of the Western Front, and a few months later was in the Dormans area. The heavy fighting that the division participated in took its toll, and after the armistice was declared, when the unit was stationed at Wassigny, it was rated as one of the better second class divisions.