Heer Artillery Ordnance Shoulder Boards and Collar Tabs

Product Description: This is an excellent and complete set of Heer Artillery Ordnance Shoulder Boards and Collar Tabs (Waffenoffizier) insignia, consisting of sew-in style shoulder boards and matching officer’s collar tabs. The shoulder boards are constructed from finely woven silver aluminum braid on a vivid red wool base, representing the waffenfarbe for Ordnance troops. Affixed to each board is a gilt-toned set of crossed cannon devices, the official branch insignia for a Waffenoffizier, along with a single silver pip denoting the rank of Oberleutnant. These are the sew-in type, intended to be directly stitched into a uniform tunic—hence the open, unfinished edges visible at the base, a standard feature for this style.

The accompanying officer’s collar tabs are a textbook match, featuring two twisted silver wire litzen, tightly hand-embroidered around a red fabric core, and bordered by red interwoven braids. The tabs are mounted on a high-quality bright red wool base, which matches the shoulder boards precisely, and are backed with rigid buckram for structural support. Measuring approximately 66mm x 41mm, the tabs remain in mint, unissued condition with no fraying, moth damage, or discoloration.

This Heer Artillery Ordnance Shoulder Boards and Collar Tabs are pristine and highly desirable example of Waffenoffizier insignia for a Heer Oberleutnant. The brilliant red coloration, fine wire embroidery, and overall condition make it an ideal addition to any advanced collection of Wehrmacht officer regalia. Sets of this quality and completeness, especially in unissued condition, are becoming increasingly scarce and are seldom encountered on the market.

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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