shoulder boards I.D help please

[grandads-kitbag]

HI can any one confirm what units these are please and if poss what period , many thanks

[Proud Kraut]

Hi, not my focus of collecting but definite NOT Bundeswehr. The outer ones look like DDR/Volkspolizei, the both in the center like former BGS or West German police shoulder boards to me.

[Grenzjäger]

From left to right:

Heavily worn shoulderboard from the GDR. The Rank is a lieutenant and it´s hard to tell if it´s from the police (Volkspolizei) or Borderguards (Grenztruppen) because the colour is pretty faded. Used until 1990.

Hauptmann/Hauptkommissar (Captain) BGS (Federal German Border Police) Used until 2001.

Erster Polizeihauptkommissar (First Captain) County Police Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) Used until 1976.

Also a heavily worn shoulderboard from the GDR for a lieutenant. Due to the heavy fading I can´t tell you exacty where it belongs to (police or borderguards..) Used until 1990.

Hope this helps ! :-)

[Collectinsteve]

Welcome Grenzjäger!

Are you sure about the Niedersachsen identification? I am only familiar with the blue-gray uniform worn in the 1960s through 1970s. On the other hand, I have a Bremen Landespolizei uniform that uses the same rank with the same light green color. It's the only uniform I am aware of that uses that specific style and color of rank. Rheinland-Pfalz is very dark green, BGS is darker, S-H is similar but darker, N-S is dark blue, Saarland is different too, and the rest didn't use shoulder rank (Bayern, Baden, Hesse, etc.).

But there are so may variations of uniforms in the 1960s I would not be surprised to learn of a new one

Steve