27 Inch Railway Eagle by Borsig

Product Description: This 27 Inch Railway Eagle by Borsig is an extremely impressive object, that was removed from a train. The maker mark on the back of this handsome bird shows that it was manufactured by the Rheinmetall-Borsig casting foundry, during the 3rd Reich era. As the evidence shows, the US veteran had just a little bit of a problem on his hands at the time trying to retrieve this war trophy from the train to which it was once fastened. Probably using nothing more than his P38 can opener and his M3 fighting knife for tools, he broke the fastening studs off of the reverse side. Besides shearing off the studs, this rather rough removal resulted in a small hole in the obverse of the left wing, a large hole in the right one, and a crack next to it. That’s the way it goes sometimes: “there’s my trophy and I’m taking it home!” The obverse of this eagle displays a nice patina over its surface, and remains in an all-original, uncleaned state. On the reverse, in addition to the maker logo marking, this 27 inch Railway Eagle is also marked with “Gal.-Mg. (Hy.)” indicating the alloy composition. This eagle is a very large and scarce (and desirable) 680mm size, ideal for highlighting your collection. It’s in excellent, untouched condition.

Historical Description: During the Third Reich, all rail transport was nationalized and organized under the German Reichsbahn. Reichsbahn rail cars were state property and included everything from the locomotives used for transporting freight, to passenger cars, street cars and trolleys. In the Nazi era, and during WWII, the Reichsbahn adorned their locomotives and passenger rail cars with large metal decorative German eagle and swastika national emblems. These were made in various sizes and had a variety of finishes to suit different purposes and vehicle types. Generally, these eagles were manufactured from aluminum or zinc alloy, with integral threaded studs on the reverse that were used to affix these to the fronts of rail cars. These eagles had a striking and imposing appearance and were an iconic part of Nazi regalia. After the war, Allied denazification policies required these to be removed. Many were destroyed, though these were eagerly sought after by Allied troops hunting for souvenirs. They are extremely collectible and desirable artifacts today. 

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