Gold or silver Pips and devices for officer boards

[cbuehler]

This may be elementary, but I have never had an explanation as to why some Heer officer shoulder board pips are gold and some silver. Likewise, devices such as the medical caducaeus.
Is there any reason for this?
Thanks,

CB

[Fred Green]

Hello,

The German army regs called for silver on NCO boards and Gold for commissioned Officers. You will see silver pips and numerals on officer boards though.

Fred

[RamJet]

Fred is right. Sometimes also golden pips lost their colour over the years and look silver-grey today.

And these regulations not only cover the Army but the whole Wehrmacht.

[Fred Green]

Hello,

As Ramjet said, the pips sometimes lost their color. I have seen zink pips and numerals eat their finish!!

Fred

[NickG]

Good question. In the W-SS on the over hand the pips were supposed to be silver always for NCO's as well as for officers ...so no distinction...at least in theory,
so the shoulderboard pips would match the collar tab pips in color both being silver...
However the W-SS once fully militarized and recognized as a fighting force within the Wehrmacht quickly adopted the Heer tradition of allowing officers also golden pips....(as Ramjet stated)
often Heer pattern boards lacking black SS neben farbe were even worn by W-SS officers...
but I don't think that golden pips were ever officially put in their SS regulations.
So with W-SS officers silver pips on officers shoulder boards would technical be the norm. In the army (Heer) it's the other way around. At least this is my understanding but in both forces gold was predominantly seen, but as stated gold wash often wore off and silver NCO pips could have been used at the front for field promotions or repairs if those were all that was available...
In para military formations like NSKK, silver pipes were the norm for officers...which is probably why early on W-SS officers or SS VT officers also were supposed to use silver instead of gold...

[Disco Partisan]

That's interesting while pips were supposed to be silver for officers in the W-SS their shoulder board devices had always to be gold

[NickG]

Algemeine SS has silver ciphers...silver insignia...note LAH insignia...
that's why early military SS was supposed to wear silver too...

http://www.themarshalsbaton.com/SS%2...s/image001.jpg


Here golden pips on Heer boards...note also Heer cap eagle...most likely a Heer converted cap...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dkgrcTVdhP...affen-SS_e.jpg


Silver ciphers....but golden pips....


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...f95998e4a2.jpg






.

[RamJet]

In the W-SS on the over hand the pips were supposed to be silver always for NCO's as well as for officers ...so no distinction...at least in theory

Nick is right. But I didn't count the Waffen-SS into the Wehrmacht so my statement with the golden pips was only meant for Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.

[Fred Green]

Hello,

In all actuality your answer was correct Ramjet. The question was about Heer boards.

Fred