Nebelwerfer Feldwebel Shoulder Straps (Smoke Troops)

Product Description: A matching set of WWII German Heer Nebelwerfer Feldwebel Shoulder Straps slip on shoulder straps, featuring bordeuax Waffenfarbe artificial silk piping and  silver tress denoting the rank of Feldwebel or Technical Sergeant. Constructed from field-grey wool with a solid backing.  One strap shows minor fraying to the tress near button hole,  otherwise these straps are structurally sound and intact.  The front surfaces display good color and minimal wear consistent with age and service use. A desirable original pair showing authentic period wear.

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.