Distance between pips

[Frank Soon]

Hi, all,
I have been wondering about this question for some time.
Was this covered in the regulation? and if yes, does anyone have the exact data about the distance between pips on shoulder boards?

Also, in the rank plates of some books, the pip for generalmajor is in the center of the board, while in some other plates, it's close to the bottom of the board, so which is correct? a friend of mine has an used uniform of a known VOPO generalmajor and the pip is in the center.

Another one, for the branches that had devices(medic, musician...etc.) on shoulder boards, if the rank is 3 or 4 pip warrant officer, there doesn't seem to have enough room for the device, so what would they do?


Thanks.

[Mike G.]

Hi Frank,

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.....

As you can see from this illustration using actual NVA Shoulder Boards courtesy of the publication Uniformeffeckten der bewaffneten Organe der DDR Spezialkatalog Band II (Klaus Walther);

the pips were placed to accommodate the wearer's personal preference or in the case of specialty insignia (Band - Harp) the placement of unique emblems.

So it would appear, some variance in placement was both permitted and authorized.

Someone out there it seems has access to, or possession of actual NVA Dress/Ware regulations, and perhaps they can add more.

In the interim, I hope this helps.

[torstenbel]

Frank, the regulation dims for wear of the pips are referrenced in Keubke's book on pages 228 and 229. Do you have access to this book? However, from past experience, I can assure you that NVA officers wore their pips all over the place and at the time, most would not have been aware of the regulation requirements...as I understand it, the Generalmajor pip was supposed to be worn at the bottom of the shoulder board, with the centre of the pip being 1.8cm from the bottom edge of the board (this was the requirement for wear after 1982). Cheers, Torsten.

[iannima]

Torsten has directed you quite rightly to the appropriate reference which I have also used. However I can tell you from direct experience that when punching a hole into an aluminium wired shoulder boards no degree of exactness can actually be maintained except in a very very loose sense.

[Frank Soon]

Thank you all. so the regulation was not strictly enforced in practice. :-)

And Torsten, did the "1.8cm" rule also apply to company and field officers? I recall seeing this on a collector's webpage, and it's 1.5cm for warrant officers, but he didn't mention any source of reference.

Regards
Frank

[torstenbel]

Thank you all. so the regulation was not strictly enforced in practice. :-)

And Torsten, did the "1.8cm" rule also apply to company and field officers? I recall seeing this on a collector's webpage, and it's 1.5cm for warrant officers, but he didn't mention any source of reference.

Regards
Frank

Frank, it was 1.5cm for other officers, 1.3cm for Faehnriche (not sure, but would those be warrant officers?) and 2.5cm for senior NCO's...hope this helps? Cheers, Torsten.

[Frank Soon]

Thanks a lot Torsten, I just checked that website again, it says exactly the same as you did.

It's a Japanese site.
http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/wieger/kata-lsk4.htm

[Mike G.]

Frank,

Some additional info that might be helpful:

[Mike G.]

Kuebke and Kunz:

[Mike G.]

Kuebke and Kunz:

[torstenbel]

Frank,

Some additional info that might be helpful:

I guess, it is time I get myself a scanner again to be able to do these quick sample images.... Cheers, Torsten.

[Mike G.]

No scanner, just a little ol' camera.

[torstenbel]

No scanner, just a little ol' camera.

yep, gave up on a scanner some years ago...and now only have the old, cheap and poor quality camera that you already know about... Cheers, Torsten.

[Frank Soon]

Wow, great info, Michael, now it's all clear.

What's still left is the problem on specialty device for Oberstabfaehnrich.

[torstenbel]

What's still left is the problem on specialty device for Oberstabfaehnrich.

Frank, very good question...maybe a Stabsoberfaehnrich was no longer 'allowed' to be qualified or they were permitted to wear the pips like a Hauptmann with specialty Auflage would??>..as far as I can see the Keubke book does not cover for the option. Cheers, Torsten.