Shoulder Boards - EM Panzer DAK (Afrika Korps)

Shoulder Boards – Panzer Troops, Deutsches Afrika Korps

These shoulder boards are associated with enlisted personnel of the German Panzer troops serving in the Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK) during the Second World War.

The Deutsches Afrika Korps was deployed to North Africa in 1941 to support Italian forces and oppose British troops in the desert campaign. Commanded by General Erwin Rommel, the German armored divisions formed the core of the Axis offensive and defensive operations in the region.

Within the German military uniform system, shoulder boards indicated both the rank category and branch of service, identified by a color known as Waffenfarbe. For Panzer units, this identifying color was pink, visible as piping along the outer edge of the shoulder boards.

This example is made from light tropical fabric, typical of uniforms designed for service in hot climates such as North Africa. The lighter materials and colors were introduced to adapt German uniforms to the environmental conditions of the desert theater.

The boards follow the typical flat construction of enlisted shoulder boards and feature a tongue and button fastening system, allowing them to be attached to the tropical field tunic worn by German soldiers during the North African campaign between 1941 and 1943.

Produced by various military textile manufacturers, these insignia formed part of the tropical uniform equipment issued to German units operating in the African theater.

Shoulder boards made of tropical cloth with pink piping represent a distinctive insignia of the German Panzer troops serving in the Deutsches Afrika Korps.