Panzer-Lehr Regiment Unteroffizier Shoulder Boards

Product Description: Offered here is a scarce and desirable matched pair of Panzer-Lehr Regiment Unteroffizier shoulder boards, as worn by NCOs serving in one of the most elite armored training units of the Wehrmacht during World War II. These boards are constructed on a dark green wool base, bordered with partially interwoven aluminum NCO tress and trimmed in the distinctive rosa (pink) Waffenfarbe denoting Panzer troops.

Each board features a finely hand-applied silver Gothic “L,” designating Lehr (instructional) service in the Panzer-Lehr Abteilung—a unit formed to train and demonstrate armored tactics, later serving as the foundation for the Panzer-Lehr-Division, one of the most well-equipped Panzer divisions of the war.

The reverse of each board retains its original field-grey cotton slip-on tongue with integral buttonholes, both intact and unaltered. The pair remains in very good condition, showing only minor age-related wear, with no damage, tears, or repairs.

Original Panzer-Lehr insignia is exceptionally hard to find, especially as a complete and matched set. This offering represents a rare opportunity to acquire insignia from a renowned and historically significant unit in the German Panzerwaffe.

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.