Shield - Wehrmacht Heeresadler

Wehrmacht Heeresadler Shield
38cm x 31cm steel shield

Wehrmachtsadler ("Armed Forces eagle") was the eagle insignia of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany. The Armed Forces form of the German national emblem (Hoheitsabzeichen) was worn by the army (Heer) and the navy (Krigsmarine), but not the Air Force (Luftwaffe). There were several variations and versions of the military eagle worn on uniforms, emblems and badges. On tunics this took the form of a cloth patch worn on the right breast, above the pocket (Brustadler, "breast eagle"). The air forces of Nazi Germany had its own stylized "flying" version called Luftwaffeadler ("Air Force eagle").

The Reichswehr's visual acknowledgement of the new National Socialist reality came on 17 February 1934, when the Commander-in-Chief, Werner von Blomberg, ordered the Nazi Party eagle-and-swastika, then Germany's National Emblem (Hoheitszeichen), to be worn on uniform blouses and headgear effective 1 May. The design adopted, in silver for the Reichsheer (army, later Wehrmacht Heer) and in gold for the Reichsmarine (navy, later Krigsmarine), was a stylized eagle with outstretched, beveled wings clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, later to be called the Wehrmachtsadler.

The Wehrmacht branches typically displayed distinctive emblems in the form of decals on their helmets. In an order issued by the Reichswehr Minister on 5 April 1934, the Army’s new eagle insignia was put on the left side of the helmets. The service insignia of the Heer took the form of a silver coloured frontal view eagle with down folded wings, its talons clutching a swastika, on a black shield-shaped ground. Although intended primarily for the Army, variations of this emblem could be found in a variety of symbolic uses throughout the Third Reich. This Army service emblem was placed on helmets until discontinued on 28 August 1943. The navy (kriegsmarine) used the same eagle emblem in gold. Luftwaffe decals displayed the side view of an eagle in flight, also holding a swastika.