SS Officer Sleeve Eagle – Silver Bullion (Variant)

The SS sleeve eagle, or Ärmeladler, was the national emblem worn on SS uniforms and was positioned on the upper left sleeve.

Its design depicted a stylised eagle with outstretched wings clutching a circular wreath containing a swastika. The final pattern introduced during the late 1930s featured predominantly straight, geometrically shaped wings and differed noticeably from the earlier design with more downward-sweeping wings.

Examples intended for officers were normally produced using hand-embroidered aluminium thread and silver bullionon a black textile backing. Different types and directions of metallic thread were used to define the body, feathers, claws and wreath and to create a slightly raised appearance.

Dimensions of approximately 9 × 4.5 cm correspond closely with known officer sleeve eagles and distinguish them from the smaller eagle insignia intended for headgear. Original hand-embroidered examples show considerable variation in wing shape, feather arrangement and head detail as a result of individual workmanship and different manufacturers.

A lesser-known detail concerns the unusual placement of the insignia: because the SS originated as a political organisation outside the regular armed forces, it developed its own sleeve national emblem rather than adopting the Army practice of wearing the eagle on the right breast. In 1938, a second pattern with straight wings and a revised head orientation was introduced, although earlier examples continued to appear on uniforms after the change.