Luftwaffe Officer Bullion Breast Eagle

Product Description: A textbook example of the Luftwaffe officer’s breast eagle, finely hand-embroidered in silver bullion thread on Luftwaffe blue-grey wool, intended for wear on the Fliegerbluse (flight blouse) or service tunic. This piece represents the high-quality craftsmanship typical of officer-grade insignia in the Luftwaffe.

The eagle displays excellent detail and dimensionality, with well-executed bullion work showing only minimal signs of age. The insignia has been tunic-removed, with light paper residue remaining on the reverse, typical of war time construction. The front exhibits a few minor spots of silver bullion loss, consistent with age and handling, but does not detract from the overall presentation.

A desirable and well-preserved example of Luftwaffe officer insignia, offering both visual appeal and historical authenticity.

Historical Description: The German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht), as formed in 1935, and as they existed until the end of World War 2, consisted of the Army (Heer), the Air Force (Luftwaffe) and the Navy (Kriegsmarine). The Waffen-SS fell under the command of the Wehrmacht during the war. Each of these branches of service had a unique eagle design that was worn on both the formal dress and parade uniforms, and the field uniforms, of the members of that branch. These eagles were worn on soft headgear, including service and field caps, as well as on the uniform jacket. In the Heer, the Luftwaffe, and the Kriegsmarine, this eagle was worn on the chest of the tunic; collectors have termed these “breast eagles.” The Heer and the Luftwaffe generally used the same eagle style, though variations in color of the eagle or the backing distinguish between the two. The Luftwaffe used their own flying eagle emblem. The Waffen-SS sleeve eagle (and cap eagle) had wings that came to a distinctive tapered point. The cap, breast and sleeve eagles used by the various military branches were manufactured in many variations. There were machine-woven and machine embroidered versions, usually used by officers and NCOs. Hand-embroidered bullion wire eagles were typically for officers. There were metal eagles, for caps, or for uniforms that were intended to have detachable insignia. There were even eagles embroidered on camouflage fabric, intended for use on special field uniforms. There were also eagles in specific colors for use on tropical uniforms. Some of these eagles were mass-produced and are still common today. Others were, and are, very rare.

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