BACKGROUND: The German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s 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. Later amendments to the introductory order stipulated that the national eagle was also to be worn on all field caps, the sports uniform and the black panzer wrap. The eagle came in three distinct designs with two having slightly different out-stretched wings and the third with down-swept wings. Generally Officer’s ranks utilized hand or machine embroidered breast eagles while EM/NCO’s ranks utilized machine embroidered or woven breast eagles. During the war the breast eagles were manufactured in a variety of slightly different manufacturing techniques and colorations. The standard issue EM/NCO’s M36 breast eagles were in white threads and were to be abolished in 1939 to be replaced with a less visible grey M39 breast eagle but the changeover was never fully completed. The early produced M39 eagles were on a dark green base while later production models were on a field-grey base. Tropical insignia, including breast eagles, was developed in late 1940, along with other pieces of tropical insignia, uniforms and equipment for wear by DAK, Deutsches Afrika Korps, (German Africa Corps), personnel serving in North Africa. The design of the tropical items essentially adhered to the pattern of the field-grey continental uniforms and insignia with color variations.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Tropical pattern, machine woven, national breast eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons in bluish/grey rayon threads with interwoven tan accent threads on a cut-out, woven, tan rayon base.