BACKGROUND: On entering Kriegsmarine service all personnel were assigned and trained for a specific career. These careers consisted of a wide variety of specialty trades and functions with some of the careers restricted to certain rank groups. On successful completion of the appropriate training, personnel were issued distinctive career insignia to be worn on the upper left sleeve of the uniforms. For EM/NCO’s the career insignia could be worn combined with the rank insignia or as separate insignia. Regulations dictated that the base color of the insignia was to match the color of the uniform it was worn on. Of Note: The Specialist career insignia for Junior NCO’s and EM’s was originally introduced in 1933, with a few later additions and was slightly different then the standard career insignia in that more in-depth training was required and the emblems were worked in red thread as opposed to the gilt metal, golden yellow or cornflower blue emblems of the standard career insignia. The Specialist career insignia was modified in 1940 and remained in use for the duration of the war. In all the Kriegsmarine utilized no fewer then thirty-one assorted specialist career badges. The Unterwasser Horcher, (Under Water Sound Locators), was originally introduced on October 30TH 1935 and was replaced with the new pattern in 1940.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The 1940 pattern insignia consists of a roughly, 95mm tall, 70mm wide, vertically oval, deep navy blue, wool base with a machine embroidered, downward pointing, vertical, arrow positioned above a single chevron all in bright red, rayon threads.