Description
Product Description: This uniform removed M40 Heer Breast Eagle is a very nice and evocative example of this iconic piece of German Army insignia. This pattern of eagle was introduced in 1940 and produced through 1944. It was the most typical pattern of breast eagle used on wartime field gray enlisted issue tunics. It’s Bevo, machine woven construction, and depicts the German Army eagle and swastika in gray thread on a field gray backing. This one was affixed to a uniform with a mix of hand and machine sewing, and was later carefully removed, with minimal resulting damage. Traces of the original attachment threads remain present. This appealing M40 Heer Breast Eagle shows some wear, with soiling and some tiny stains. The reverse shows the folded edges of the thin rayon backing cloth as well as typical details of the machine woven construction. This piece displays great and is 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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