History

During the Second World War, German troops stationed in northern Africa are generally referred to as the Afrikakorps. Technically, this is not entirely correct, since some German units operating in Africa were not actually part of the DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps), and some units of it were, in fact, Italian ones. However, for the purpose of collecting so-called “tropical” uniforms and insignia, collectors have simplified the meaning of the term.

The first German troops were sent to northern Africa in February of 1941, to support their Italian allies against the British. The climate of the African continent made it necessary to wear specialised uniforms and gear that not only supported the soldiers in serving in a hot and arid environment, but also helped them in blending in with the landscape, which, in general, presented itself as brown, olive, khaki, or sand/tan in colour. Worn over long periods of time under the blistering desert sun, some uniforms were eventually bleached to white or off-white. Uniforms and insignia in these colours are often referred to as “tropical”, and it is worth noting that they weren’t just worn by members of units stationed in Africa, but in the entire Mediterranean theatre of war, including southern France, Italy, the Balkans, and Greece, as well as in southern Russia during the summer months. Tropical uniforms were worn by members of all three branches of the Wehrmacht: the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force). Members of the Waffen-SS stationed in southerly regions also wore tropical-style uniforms, and even though they technically have no connection to the DAK, all tropical uniforms and insignia of all branches of the German military are listed here.

Shoulder boards or straps were first and foremost used to identify a soldier’s rank. In certain cases they would also identify the soldier’s branch and unit, and potentially his specific role/career. For these purposes, shoulder boards often feature a branch colour, sometimes complimented by either a letter, a number, or a device, or any combination of these.
Shoulder straps differ in size due to varying production methods and materials, how many numbers and letters they have to hold, and even the wearer’s shoulder size.

Within the Luftwaffe, there were specific branches/arms of service. Each of these branches was associated with a specific Waffenfarbe (branch colour). These Waffenfarben were included in the design of the rank insignia and other uniform insignia of Luftwaffe personnel. On Officer’s shoulder boards the Waffenfarbe is present in the form of a cloth underlay, while on the shoulder straps of the lower ranks it features in the form of piping.

A simplified overview of the Waffenfarbe colours follows.

White: General Officers
Golden-Yellow: Flying Troops (Fliegertruppe)
Red: Anti-Aircraft Troops/Luftwaffe Artillery
Brown: Luftwaffe Signals/Communication Corps (Luftnachrichtentruppe)
Black: Reich Air Ministry, Construction Engineer Corp (Baupioniere) or Luftwaffe Engineer Corp (Luftwaffen-Pioniere)
Dark Green: Administration (Militärverwaltung) - Feldwebel to Generalleutnant
Light/Meadow Green: Radar Units and Air Traffic Control
Dark Blue: Luftwaffe Medical Corps (Sanitätstruppe)
Light Blue: Transport Units (Transporteinheiten) - Leutnant to General
Carmine: General Staff Service Officers (Generalstabsoffiziere) and Veterinary NCOs/EMs
Pink: Corps of Engineer Officers (Ingenieuroffizierkorps) - Leutnant to Generalleutnant
Wine Red: Military Judicial Officers (Militärgerichtsbarkeit) - Hauptmann to Generalleutnant
Orange: Officers at Service (Offiziere zur Dienstleistung)

Supplementary Officers (Ergänzungsoffiziere) had a second Waffenfarbe underlay underneath their regular branch colour underlay. It is light grey.
The same was true for Reserve Officers, except that their second underlay was the upper underlay, not the lower one, and it is blue.

Additional career insignia may be located on the shoulder boards, and they are either embroidered or composed of metal (alloys, white metal, aluminum). The metal insignia were generally gold-coloured (gilt) for Officers, and silver-coloured for Generals, Non-Commissioned Officers, and other enlisted ranks. Embroidered insignia was featured on the shoulder boards of personnel with the ranks of Unterfeldwebel to Flieger. These insignia were generally machine-embroidered, but could be hand-embroidered when purchased privately.

The possible career insignia include, but are not limited to:

Advanced Luftwaffe School: “HS”
Aerial Warfare School Staff: Intertwined “KS”
Air Ministry Staff: “RLM”
Air Signals Intelligence Detachment of the High Command of the Luftwaffe Personnel: Intertwined “OL”
Air Signals School Staff: Intertwined “NS”
Air War Academy Staff: Intertwined “KA”
Anti-Aircraft School Staff: “FAS”
Anti-Tank Instruction Battalions Personnel: Intertwined “PL”
Battalion numbers: Small Roman or Arabic numbers
Fortress Anti-Aircraft Artillery Personnel: “F”, may include numbers below the letter associated with the wearer’s specific battalion
Guard Battalion of the Luftwaffe Cadre Personnel: Intertwined “LW”
Instituted for Air Defence Personnel: Intertwined “RL”
Instructional Units of the Luftwaffe Personnel: “L”
Judiciary Officials: Judicial Sword (bronze coloured)
Luftwaffe Medical Academy Personnel: “A”
Luftwaffe Medical Personnel: Rod of Aesculapius
Luftwaffe Musicians: Lyre
Luftwaffe Reserve Officers in the Maritime Luftwaffe Command: “S”
Luftwaffe Secret Field Police: “GFP”
Luftwaffe Special Forces Service: Caduceus
Luftwaffe Sports School Personnel: “SS”
Luftwaffe Technical Academy Personnel: “TA”
Maritime Instruction Squadron: “SL“
Motor Transport School Personnel: Intertwined “KRS”
Non-Commissioned Officer School Staff: “US”
Ordnance Armourer School Personnel: “WS”
Ordnance Officers: “W”
Reconnaissance Instruction Group Jüterbog Personnel: Intertwined “AL”
School for Air Traffic Control Personnel: Intertwined “LS”
War Ordnance School Personnel: “FS”

Shoulder straps for Tropical uniforms were only worn by NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) and EMs (Enlisted Men). The base colour is tan or khaki, although grey-blue shoulder straps were also worn with certain rarer tropical garments. The shoulder straps would be piped in the wearer’s Waffenfarbe. For NCOs, the tress on Tropical shoulder straps is usually brown.

The Stabsfeldwebel Shoulder Boards feature three pips.
The Oberfeldwebel Shoulder Boards feature two pips in a line.
The Feldwebel Shoulder Boards feature one pip.
The Unterfeldwebel Shoulder Boards feature no pips.
The Unteroffizier Shoulder Boards feature no pips, and there is no tress along the bottom of the shoulder board.

The shoulder straps for enlisted men are composed of a flat wool base and no additional tress.

The Enlisted Men (EM) Shoulder Boards were worn by all ranks of enlisted personnel, including Hauptgefreiter, Obergefreiter, Gefreiter, and Flieger. The Luftwaffe differentiated between these ranks by wearing these shoulder boards in conjunction with collar tabs that are unique to the wearer's specific enlisted rank.