KM insignia ?

[Jean-Claude]

[QUOTE=Norm F;5519765]
I wonder if there's any significance to the fact that going from the 1st pattern to the 2nd pattern the Kriegsmarine switched to a design with a bigger eagle and a smaller swastika?

Hi Norm the same thing occured on other Reich adlers as well (Heere, NSDAP etc.) Just my theory but to me early pattern Heere/Km eagles only folllowed suit to party eagles with short winged eagles and prominent swastikas (M27 & M34) to reflect tastes/style of the times and to emphasize the party (swastika) as many german post WWI organizations claimed the eagle as their heraldic device. After accession to power in 1933 in a "one party country" the need to emphasize the party was no longer as important as it was to emphasize national (eagle primary) unity/strenght as a result/consequence of the party (swastika)

JC

[John R.]

When we say "1937 onwards", at some point it was replaced by a one piece design. I think there was an issue with the eagle falling off the cap since it was secured only by the single pin where with the one piece design, far more secure.

John

[John R.]

From Norm:

Hi John,

The April, 1935 date was for the introduction of the 2nd pattern eagle, not the start of one-piece insignia.

For the Tellermütze:

pre-1934 - oval Reichsmarine eagle medallion only
March 24, 1934 - round cockade plus 1st pattern national eagle
April 2, 1935 - round cockade plus 2nd pattern national eagle

Although the 1st pattern eagle was official only for one year, it continued to be used for a few more years overlapping with the introduction of the 2nd pattern eagle.

Manufacturerers then at some point started combining the cockade and the eagle into a more convenient one-piece insignia, but when exactly I don't know. My Dad's were all two-piece and I had initially assumed the one-piece was post-1937 but then I saw a one-piece with a 1st pattern eagle in the other thread which suggested an earlier production.

Now, for sizes:
Tellermütze - 1st pattern eagle 3.7 cm; 2nd pattern eagle 5 cm
Schirmmütze (visor cap) - 1st pattern eagle 5 cm; 2nd pattern eagle 6.5 cm

So the 2nd pattern eagle was a wider design. Also the 1st pattern eagle was very shallowly stamped with only a small rim vs. the 2nd pattern which was stamped to a 4 mm depth.

[John R.]

In regards to the one piece construction, while I do not know when it was introduced, it was in wear prior to September 1939.

From photos.

John