How many different style,s of bevo-sleave eagle,s???

[JOHN VD HEIJDEN]

How many differnet style,s of differnt sleave eagle,s (bevo) are there know?

I myself already have 4 and I also know of the bottom bell shaped one
are there more?

[pimpf]

As far as I know that existed 4 basic version of BeVo eagle. But I also heard about local produced eagle - in Belgium.

[Gary Wood]

John,
that is a good question, and I wonder how many were produced in Germany and how many were produced outside Germany like the Reitz eagle although I have seen another eagle i think is produced maybe in Belgium or holland as well, I will see if I have a scan of the eagle that was sent to me,
cheers,
gary
cheers,
Gary

[Gary Wood]

here is the one I mentioned in the above post, at one time I must admit I would have just disregarded it as a fake as I am sure a lot of other would as well but I have learnt "Never say never"

[Gary Wood]

the back

[pimpf]

Hm ... interesting one. Is this German produced ?

[Gary Wood]

Alex,
I would say defiantly not, probably one of the 2 countries I mentioned above, anyone else have patterns like this example?
cheers,
Gary

[werner p.]

So Called Reitz Eagle



I say "so-called" because there is no proof till today that these eagles were actually made by the E.Reitz uniformwerke. The investigation is ongoing, but so far without results !
More info ?
Check my website

Werner Palinckx

[Gary Wood]

Werner thanks for the pictures, I have a question as it seems that you are working on research do you know how many firms within Belgium in the wartime period manufactured machine woven insignia?


cheers,
gary

[werner p.]

Good question

Werner thanks for the pictures, I have a question as it seems that you are working on research do you know how many firms within Belgium in the wartime period manufactured machine woven insignia?


cheers,
gary

Gary ,
that's exactly what I am trying to figure out. I know of at least one company, but I am gathering the information , just to be sure, before I expose the name. The Reitz factory did produce UNIFORMS, plenty of proof for that, but as far as pictures tell and all witnesses I spoke to told me, the E.Reitz factory itself did NOT produce its own insignia.

You can then ask WHY are these eagles called Reitz eagles ?? Well, there is a whole story behind this. About 15 years ago everybody who knew about these eagles called them "Leopoldsburg-made" eagles. Because Leopoldsburg was one of the biggest military facilities in Belgium ( still is today) , the Germans used the compound all during the war. Where there are many soldiers , there is a mil-shop. This shop still exists today and soldiers buy their shoes, shoe polish, extra uniforms, socks, caps and .... insignia. Rank insignia and regimental ( brass, cupper, iron) insignia. This is the case today, this was the case during the war. When Leopoldsburg was liberated, the shop, piled with German every-day uniform bits and pieces, was simply left behin. Some smart dealers ( and one guy in particular) bought or "liberated" the whole lot and sold it by bits and pieces. This dealer who used to have his shop near the PORTE DE HALLE in Brussels, kept selling these eagles untill the 1980's . The guy died about 10 years ago.

When people buying these eagles asked him " where did you get all this ? " He simply answered : " from Leopoldsburg" ... hence the first name.

Then mr. Chantrain wrote an article in AMI magazine describing Belgian made skulls, eagles, cuff titles , buckles etc. The Leopoldsburg eagle emerged again and was linked to the only known - at the time of publication of the article- large manufactury in Belgium : the E.Reitz Uniformwerke in Merksem near Antwerp. And from that day on the name of the eagle changed in "Reitz eagle".

But all the evidence points in another direction.
And I am trying very hard to find out what it is.
So far I have only encountered 1 ( one) factory that actually produced insignia, and that is where I am so far....

God, if I read all this , it looks like I am on a quest for the holy grail ....

I am going to bed now !

Werner Palinckx

[werner p.]

Correction

Just to be correct for the record, Reitz did not make insignia, but they did make shoulder boards.
I don't know if this falls under insignia or not...

Werner

[Gary Wood]

Werner
yes shoulder straps would be classed as insignia BUT not what I called specialist insignia in that I mean the item were made by a specialist machine like an embroidery machine or a weaving machine, I guess the Reitz scenario is somewhat like the dachau insignia scenario a lot think the insignia was made at the work complex, but again no evidence (Yet) that that is so.

As special machines are used to make such items it is more than likely that they were ordered in from specialist manufactures who had been supplying them (the SS) pre war and early wartime.

I think the insignia would be made elsewhere by many different manufacturers and they would order it in when they needed it, just like they would order thread from the spinners and cloth from the weavers, this would be true of buttons, belt hooks, leather from the hide manufacturers ect ect as the existing manufacturers were already set up with the machinery to make such items. And the SS-BW just like Reitz would then use these material items in there manufacturing process to complete the items they manufactured.
cheers,
Gary