Luftwaffe Breast Eagles

[RPN]

Tropical shirt eagle

Brought back by a New Zealand vet (from Tunisia).
Regards
Paul

[John Hodgin]

Handsome tropical eagle Paul. Thanks for posting it. And thanks to everyone else who posted too. I'm sure there are more variations; we can add to this as they show up. Willi, here is one on thin grey material like yours but the eagle design is different.

Paul, if you have other pieces from New Zealand vets. we would like to see them.

Best,
John

[Jos L C]

Just some officer's to show you.

Jos.

[Jos L C]

Droop tail.

[Willi Z.]

John, I too have a number of blue-gray eagles exactly like yours. Bill Shea got a bundle of them from a US veteran a few years ago and I bought every one I could at $65 a piece at the time. I have seen that exact one used of Luft lightweight flight jackets.

Here are a few variations to the Luft trop shirt eagle.

And my favorite HBT eagle in a subdued green.

I have always had a fascination with Luft eagles, something I remind myself of each time I open my box of 200 or so eagles....... . I blame it on my dad who showed me his Luft officer's eagle when I was a mere child..........he had cut it off his uniform while a POW in Belgium in 1945 and saved it.

Willi

[Gene]

Here are some of mine:

[John Hodgin]

Nice eagles Jos, Willi, and Gene. Thanks for posting these. Really like your first tropical Gene.
Regards,
John

[Gene]

Thanx John. The top left is on black, and I can't find where I put it but I also have one on green-grey for the assault gun wrap.

[J Melvin]

Originally posted by Gene
I also have one on green-grey for the assault gun wrap.

Gene, you may have just figured out for me the reasoning behind the feldgrau (green-grey) overseas cap and M43 cap with green-grey backed insignia that I posted earlier. Makes sense to me that they were made for the assault gun wraps and other uniforms typically found with the Army.

[Gene]

It's just an educated guess, but I can't think of another uniform it could belong to. I also have a cap eagle too in this color.

[Gene]

.

[J Melvin]

Gene, I've got two theories on them, and neither is entirely supportable, but here goes: first, they were used for the specialized uniforms such as the assault gun sets. The Luftwaffe had panzerjagers in many of the field divisions and also in the HG division. So, very possibly developed for those uniforms. Second, as the field divisions were taken over in 1943 by the Heer, equipment supply for them began to come through the Heer quartermasters and the Heer began trying to make them more "uniform" with their own soldiers. As such, uniform components were switched to Heer style. This may be a type of eagle developed for wear on Heer-style uniforms. If it was, I think that it was an interim piece between the feldblau backed pieces and the ultimate switch over to Heer insignia by the field divisions on uniforms.

[Gene]

I think it was simply made for their grey wrappers and four pocket tunics. When a uniform was designed, it must have been said "Hey! We need to have a matching eagle for this thing!" so lo and behold, we have different eagles. Just a theory

[John Hodgin]

For what it's worth, I agree with you two that these insignia were for Assault Gun uniforms. Chris Mason has a cloth para badge backed on this color material; now that's a neat and scarce item!

Beat,
John

[Willi Z.]

I agree that fieldgray Luft eagles were for Luft assault gun wrappers. Gene, is there anyway you could post a pciture of the back of those 2 fieldgray wool eagles........and that camo eagle above???

Willi