Luftwaffe 2nd Pattern General’s Summer Tunic Breast Eagle

Condition: Near Mint
Width Wing Tip to Wing Tip: 81 mm
Maker: Unmarked (Wilhelm Deumer – Lüdenscheid)
Base Material: Gilded Metal Alloy

The gilt, pin back, die-struck breast eagle worn on the white summer uniform tunic of a Luftwaffe General. The eagle is about 3 1/4 inches wide, The breast eagle appears to have repairs to the hinge, and pin assembly, otherwise in mint condition.

Luftwaffe 2nd Pattern General’s Summer Tunic Breast Eagle – attributed to the maker, Wilhelm Deumer – Lüdenscheid

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The breast eagle insignia worn by Luftwaffe troops was initially founded for DLV personnel and introduced on August 18, 1934. With the formal creation of the Luftwaffe in 1935, the breast eagle was adopted for wear on Luftwaffe uniforms as well, dated March 1, 1935.

The eagle faces to the viewer’s right, its left leg clutching the swastika. However, for certain eagles, this was reversed, for example, eagles worn on capes or steel helmets. They are surrounded by a small cloth backing outline in the color of the uniform they were meant for. However, eagles on a cloth backing in a downward-pointing triangle were also used.

This breast eagle was produced in two distinct patterns. The 1st pattern eagles produced from 1934 to 1936 feature an eagle with a “droop” tail, while the 2nd pattern eagles produced from 1936/1937 to 1945 feature an eagle with a “flared” tail. Both versions were produced by multiple companies, all differing from each other slightly in their designs.

The eagles worn on the white summer tunics are composed of metal and removable. Originally, all metal breast eagles were composed of either silvered brass or silvered tombac, but the material was changed to silvered metal alloys or silvered aluminum following 1938. The metal eagles worn by General ranks are gold-colored, and the eagles worn by Officers and NCOs/EMs are silver-colored. These metal eagles were issued in the same 1st pattern “droop” tail and 2nd pattern “flared” tail designs as the embroidered breast eagles.

The metal breast eagles may also be stamped with manufacturer marks and the D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster) mark. The D.R.G.M. mark states that the metal breast eagle design was copyright-protected and registered with all German states.