German Army Panzer Breast Eagle – 2nd Pattern – Black Backing

The German Army Panzer breast eagle, or Brustadler, was the national emblem worn on the distinctive black special uniform issued to German Army armoured vehicle crews during the Second World War.

It was positioned on the right breast of the Panzer jacket and depicted an eagle with outstretched wings clutching a wreath containing a swastika. This version, generally classified as the 2nd pattern, features the eagle in grey thread on a black backing, corresponding with the colour of the Panzer uniform. Original second-pattern examples are also documented in machine-woven BeVo construction on black backing.

The black backing visually blended with the cloth of the Panzer jacket, while the grey eagle remained clearly visible without producing the strong contrast associated with earlier white or silver-coloured versions. Wartime examples display numerous variations in thread shade, eagle shape, wreath design and manufacturing technique.

The black Panzer uniform itself was specialised clothing introduced in 1934 for personnel serving in armoured vehicles. Its short, overlapping jacket was practical inside the confined interior of a tank, while the black cloth helped conceal the oil and grease stains that were an unavoidable part of operating and maintaining armoured vehicles.

A lesser-known detail is that the black Panzer uniform was not originally intended as an all-purpose service uniform. Regulations still restricted its use largely to duty with armoured vehicles in 1940, with the standard field-grey service uniform intended for other occasions. By the end of that year, however, field-grey service dress was largely no longer issued to Panzer crews, and the black uniform consequently came to be worn much more broadly.