Matching Heer General Slip-On Shoulder Board Set

Product Description: This Matching Heer General Slip-On Shoulder Board Set is a gorgeous and extremely desirable pair, for a high ranking German Army officer. The base of each shoulder board is made of high quality red badge cloth wrapped around an internal stiffener. The badge cloth retains bright original color, with no fading or moth damage. The top of each board shows beautiful gold celleon construction, intertwined with attractive silver piping. The underside of each board retains the original tongues, with machine sewn button holes, to allow these to be fastened to a tunic or greatcoat. These eye-catching shoulder boards are completely matching throughout, and were no doubt produced as a set. There are no signs of wear, and no holes from pips or devices. One board has some slight soiling on the top. This Matching Heer General Slip-On Shoulder Board Set displays great, and remains in overall excellent condition.

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.