Uniform Removed Tropical Heer Breast Eagle

Product Description: This uniform removed Tropical Heer Breast Eagle is a really nice piece. These tropical eagles are far more scarce than the standard issue Army eagles intended for use on the field gray uniform, and in this condition, are truly rare. This textbook eagle features a gray German Army eagle and swastika emblem, on a tropical tan backing. This is the style of eagle that was factory applied to the issue tropical tunics worn by the Afrikakorps, on the Southern Front and elsewhere. The edges of the insignia have been neatly factory folded, and there are stitch holes from a typical factory “zip and flip” type application in which the top line of stitching was done with the eagle upside down, then the eagle flipped over and finished on all other sides with straight machine sewing. Some small traces of the original tan thread used to affix the eagle to a soldier’s tunic are still present. The reverse shows the typical factory folding style as well as details of the machine woven construction. This is a worn piece, and there is some slight soiling on the front from wear.  There are no rips, holes, stains or other damage. This Tropical Heer Breast Eagle is a particularly attractive and desirable example, in excellent condition.

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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