BACKGROUND: The German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), national eagle by order on February 17TH 1934, with instructions to have it applied to all steel helmets, visor caps, and tunics by May 1ST 1934. Regulations followed on October 30TH 1935 that stipulated the national eagle was also to be applied to all field caps. Generally the national eagle for wear on the EM/NCO’s overseas and M43 field caps were machine woven, first in white on a dark green base, (circa 1934), then later in matte grey on a field-grey base, (circa 1939), while Officer’s versions were embroidered in bright silver/aluminum wire threads. A machine woven version in bright silver/aluminum flat-wire threads was also utilized by Officer’s but was also very popular with senior NCO’s. In May 1943 a new configuration of cap insignia with the national eagle and tri-color cockade on a single trapezoidal base was introduced for wear on the M42 overseas and M43 field caps.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Machine woven national eagle in matte grey threads positioned above a national tri-color cockade with a black outer circle encompassing a white inner circle and a red center dot, on a woven, black rayon trapezoidal base.