Award loops on Tunics

[Harry]

I have a general question regarding original methods of attaching awards to tunics. Were beckets/loops ALWAYS used or were pin-back awards sometimes just stuck through the uniform fabric? I have tunics with loops/beckets, and a couple where the war badge pins are fixed directly through the breast pocket. You comments are greatly appreciated.

[Glenn McInnes]

I have often wondered the same thing. If a soldier knew he was going to be awarded say an Infantry assault would he have a tailor affix award loops or was it just pinned through the pocket.


Most awards have the pins very pointed maybe this was the reason for easy attachment to the uniform by pinning it to the pocket through the tunic material.



Glenn

[CSP]

Harry: Undoubtely, some soldiers must have pinned the badges through the cloth just due to expediency and being in a field/front situation. It would be difficult to tell if such a pinning through a pocket today was left over from the war or added post war, however, I think the odds would be that after the war's end, badges were removed either in POW camps, discharge camps, by the veteran as he put things away in his trunk/attic, etc, etc., as they all displayed the swastika. One might still see holes today on pockets regardelss of a badges presence...and in that case, one could guess at when the holes were made as well as what was worn and then, add something appropriate for display. Personally, I do not recommend poking badges on pockets where there is absolutely no sign of decorations having ever been worn....nor adding badge loops where none ever were (repairing a torn loop to me is acceptable as 'restoration').

Overall, I think badge loops were the convention and it is always more desirable to have these present of displaying badges on a uniform.

[CSP]

I think a fair portion of badges have rather dull points and / or lack strength for pinning through a tough fabric like wool/ woll-rayon...thus, they do not lend themselves to a lot of pinning. The EK I is a good example of having less than sharp points.

[Glenn McInnes]

I think a fair portion of badges have rather dull points and / or lack strength for pinning through a tough fabric like wool/ woll-rayon...thus, they do not lend themselves to a lot of pinning. The EK I is a good example of having less than sharp points.

I agree Scott, However most Infantry,Panzer and General assault badges (not all of them) I have seen had the ends of the pins filed to a very sharp almost needle point.

I have often wondered why such a sharp point and not just left blunt.


Glenn

[Ralph Heinz]

Badges pinned on

And . . . sometimes the holes in tunics may have been made by souvenir hungry GIs. Take a look at this gentleman, Ed Croy, a US Army soldier wearing a German NCO tunic to which he has attached all manner of items including a Mother's Cross around his neck. He obviosly pinned some of the awards through the tunic as they are not where they should be and he even added a metal LW eagle below the sewn on Heer Adler.