Standard position of national arm shield

[mathiass]

Hi guys.

Im in a discussion with friends about the position on the uniforms, where the national arm shields should be attached.
It seems to me as most people did choose to sew it under the eagle on their left arm, but I have seen photos where the shield has been attached both far down on the left arm as well as even on the right arm.

Was it at all any standard for where about the arm shield should be sewn, or could the soldier freely just choose where to attach it?

Thanks in advance.

Regards
mathiass

[Ludwig]

Correct was below the sleeve eagle. If I remember OK, it was 1 centimeter.

[mathiass]

Correct was below the sleeve eagle. If I remember OK, it was 1 centimeter.

Did this also concern the Legions, waffenverbanden etcetera, as the Georgian, Free Arabian, Division Azur, Galizien, Charlemagne and more?

Regards
mathiass

[Ludwig]

As this is the SS forum, I was referring to the Waffen-SS. I don´t know exactly when the order of the correct position came, but I guess not from the start, if you think of all the photos of shields (SS units) being worn on the right sleeve.

[Basil]

Whatever the 'official' position was, it varied from formation to formation and within formations you might also see variations.

So, for example, within the Charlemagne division typically you would see the former Sturmbrigade Frankreich personnel wearing the SS pattern shield on the lower left sleeve and the former LVF personnel wearing the Heer-Pattern shield on the upper right arm.

Within, for example, Regiment 'Denmark' you might see ex Freikorps Denmark personnel wearing their shields on the lower left sleeve above the cuff-title or newer recruits wearing their shields below the sleeve eagle. The British Free Corps originally wore their sleeve shields on the lower left arm but were then ordered to move it to the upper right arm.

I think that a majority of late-war foreign volunteer formations probably wore their shields 1cm below the eagle on their left sleeve, if they wore the shields at all, but it doesn't seem to have been a regulation that was strongly enforced.