Shoulder Boards - EM Infantry

Shoulder Boards – Wehrmacht Infantry (Enlisted Men)

These shoulder boards are associated with enlisted personnel of the German infantry of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.

The infantry formed the core of the German Army and consisted of numerous regiments and divisions deployed across the various theaters of the war.

Within the German military uniform system, shoulder boards served to indicate both the rank category and branch of service, identified through a color known as Waffenfarbe.

Enlisted soldiers wore relatively simple shoulder boards made from wool cloth without braided metallic cords, unlike the more elaborate shoulder pieces worn by officers.

This example is constructed from black wool cloth with white piping along the edges. The color white represented the traditional branch color of German infantry units.

The boards follow the typical flat construction of enlisted shoulder boards and include a tongue and button fastening system, allowing them to be attached to the field tunic (Feldbluse) and other uniform garments.

Produced by various military textile manufacturers, these shoulder boards formed part of the standard uniform equipment issued to infantry soldiers of the Wehrmacht during the war.