Polizei Enlisted Grade police Eagle Patterns

[W.Unland]

Type 16.

The next type of eagle may represent the product of a very small local manufacturer. All known examples have been named to the same jurisdiction, so it is tempting to suggest that they were made locally for use in the city and district of Aachen.

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This eagle is characterized by a thin round head with a pronounced detail line just under the eye (1), a thin rather long body (2), and winglets that do not go all the way to the top of the wings (3).

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All examples of this eagle pattern found to date have been named to the city of Aachen. All are of very similar appearance, and share a rather ?muddy? embroidery that obscures much of the detail lines incorporated into the design. It is thought that these were produced by a hand machine operator rather than by an automated process as the examples display differences in head shape, wreath detail, and body size. As Aachen was a large police center with representatives from almost all of the various police branches, it can be assumed that this eagle was produced in other colors as well.

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[W.Unland]

Type 17.

The next, rather odd looking eagle, is also thought to be the product of a small local producer for use in the city and district of Wien.

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This eagle?s distinctive features are its ?helmet like? head ridge (1), rather short squat body (2), and very thin legs (3). Some authorities doubt the authenticity of this eagle based on its unconventional design. This author , however; finds nothing in the materials used, or embroidery techniques that would suggest it to be other than authentic.

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All known examples of this eagle are identical in every way, and it is presumed that these were produced using some automated or repeating embroidery machine. The HBT summer example shown here has had a four letter name removed to comply with late war orders. It is impossible to determine what it originally said but it is assumed to have been Wien as all other examples found have been so named. This eagle has only been found in green and green on black for use by armored Schutzpolizei units, presumably at the police panzer school located in Vienna.

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[W.Unland]

Type 18.

The pattern of eagle shown here has not been encountered often, and the two examples shown are the only ones of this type seen to date by this author.

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In can be inferred that this is a ?late war? pattern as these examples are both ?cut out? to the shape of the eagle in compliance with late war regulations discontinuing the use of jurisdiction names on police sleeve eagles. This pattern is distinguished by the equally sized down curved rows of body detail lines (1), the two distinct detail lines on the nicely shaped head (2), and the low placed swastika touching the wreath at the bottom (3).

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Here is a photograph of the two examples known. Both are identical, and it must be assumed that they were produced using some automated procedure. The eagle on the right is embroidered on a dark gray material and is assumed to have been used by the ?Luftschutzpolizei?.

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[W.Unland]

Type 19.

The next eagle pattern to be considered is one of the most handsome. Unlike many of the insignia discussed earlier, this example is very realistic and ?dignified? looking. It has only been encountered by this author twice. Once as shown here and once in orange. It is assumed that it was produced by a small, local manufacturer.

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This eagle can be easily recognized by its unique leaf pattern at the bottom of the wreath (1), and its handsome realistic head with correctly shaped beak (2). The proportions and modeling of this eagle is singularly outstanding amongst all of the insignia examined by the author. A very fine graphic representation of an eagle!

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Here is a photo of the two examples of this eagle found to date. The slight differences in execution suggest that this pattern of eagle was embroidered by a hand machine operator.

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[W.Unland]

Type 20.

The eagle shown next is controversial to say the least, and many collectors doubt that this type ever existed at all. This author is convinced, however; that it is indeed an authentic period made insignia. For less than a year, beginning in 1936, a white summer blouse was authorized for senior non-commissioned officers of the Schutzpolizei, similar to that specified for officers. The NCO?s, however; were to wear a green eagle on white cotton rather than the bullion officer?s eagle. This regulation was rescinded soon after the 1936 Olympics.

As this would have been a private purchase uniform it is impossible to determine how many, if any, NCO?s actually purchased such a blouse during this period. It has been argued that some were indeed worn by Schutzpolizei assigned to the Olympic security operations, but no photographic evidence of a white NCO tunic in wear has yet surfaced. That said, it is unreasonable to assume that insignia manufacturers would NOT make a green eagle on white in accordance with the 1936 uniform regulations, just in case a customer might demand one.

The eagle shown here displays all of the attributes of an authentic, period made insignia. Its design seems to be unique and has not been seen on any other insignia. The author believes that it is indeed a very early insignia produced before the ?standard? eagle specifications became widespread.

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This eagle is characterized by its thick, prominent crossed ribbons at the bottom of the wreath (1), the very narrow body with sharp, angular detail lines (2), nicely shaped head without any detail lines at all (3), and the rather indistinct, unusually elongated thin background wreath (4). This last detail is very unusual, and suggestive of an early manufacture date. As shown in type 1 discussed earlier, the wreaths in the early production eagles display very unusual leaf patterns and design, and this eagle which would have only been produced for a short time immediately after the introduction of the police sleeve eagle insignia, seems to follow that tendancy.

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[W.Unland]

Type 21.

The final pattern to be considered in this essay is shown here. These are most often encountered as Feuerwehr eagles, but are relatively rare.

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This eagle is characterized by its small, unique head with tiny angular beak (1), and its angular body detail lines (2). To date only fire service eagles have been discovered in this pattern and it is unknown if they were made for use by any branch of the police. The author has not examined enough of this pattern to express an opinion as to their manufacturing process.

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[W.Unland]

Obviously, this list is not to be considered all inclusive, nor complete, as there are many other patterns of eagle that the author has seen but not been in a position to examine closely enough to include in this analysis. It is important once again to stress to the reader that these police insignia were produced by many, if not hundreds, of manufacturers during the Third Reich period, and the product of each of these might be expected to be unique. Unlike the insignia of the political organizations and military during this period, police insignia seems to have been produced with little regard to any standard design or specified regulation. It seems that the insignia was described in general terms by the central police authorities, and the interpretation of that description was left to the individual manufacturers. Consequently, if one should encounter an eagle pattern not discussed in this essay, it should not be dismissed out of hand. After looking at the various patterns discussed above, some?feeling for what looks authentic should be gained to help the collector in forming an opinion about any eagle in question?s originality.

Since police insignia were, for the most part, purchased locally, for local use, some eagle patterns can be expected to be region specific, although there is not enough data currently available to make an analysis of this aspect of production.

In conclusion, the sleeve eagle patterns discussed above are believed to all be representative of authentic, period produced patterns, but that is based on a rather subjective analysis of the artifacts themselves, and unfortunately, no one person can ever say with certainty that a given pattern was indeed utilized during the era. An educated opinion can be made, nothing more.

Well thats it for now. I hope this is found to be of some value to someone out there. If It saves one new collector from throwing his money away on a reproduction I will feel justified. Thanks for looking, and if anyone has anything to add I encourage them to do so.

Best regards,

Bill Unland

Edited June 27, 2006 by W.Unland

[Scowen]

Thank you Bill for yet another absorbing thread, I've just spent my whole lunch hour reading it

As with the thread on fakes ( http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=9368 ) I shall pin this to the top for easy reference.

You have definitely whetted my appetite for obtaining a couple of these birdies.

Cheers

Don

[Rosenberg]

Thanks for posting,Bill! I have avoided these eagles as I have not had a clue about good and bad! This work here helps a lot to get to know these a little better. Next time I see one I won?t overlook it

Regards