Condition: Excellent
Branch: Luftwaffe
Rank: Generalleutnant
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Product Description: This Luftwaffe General Shoulder Board is a textbook example of a rare piece of insignia, that was worn by a high-ranking German military officer. The top of the board is made from intricately woven gold and silver wire braid. The weave of the braid is nice and tight, as one would expect. There is a single large rank pip affixed to the board with two brass alloy prongs. The pip indicates a rank of Generalleutnant. The base of this Luftwaffe General shoulder board is made of a finely woven white wool, formed around an internal stiffener. This is a sew-in type board, with some stitch holes near the end showing where this was once affixed to an officer’s uniform. This desirable shoulder board is in a strong excellent condition, with only slight age toning and patination to the wire braid and white wool. It displays very well.
Historical Description: The German military as well as civil, political and paramilitary organizations traditionally used shoulder straps and shoulder boards as uniform insignia, to denote the rank or function of the wearer. After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, there was a tremendous increase in the number of groups and organizations in Germany wearing officially sanctioned uniforms, and most of these organizations used shoulder straps and shoulder boards as a component of their regalia. The exact color of piping utilized, the material color, the type of braid or Tresse that was used, and the number or location of devices and pips present, allow shoulder boards to be tracked to the exact organization that issued them, and often yield even further detail such as the wearer’s rank and even his specific military unit. Normally worn in pairs, the boards were in some cases plain, and in other cases adorned with detailed embroidery or metal emblems. Some shoulder boards were made in the millions, others were specific to a single individual.
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