Original Item: Only One Available. Like many other armies, the German armed forces spent a considerable amount of time training how to improve the accuracy of firing their small arms. An award was developed to recognize individuals who excelled in shooting. The Marksmanship lanyard was instituted on June 29th of 1936 through an executive order signed by AH. The shooting lanyard award was attached to the uniform by placing one of the loops on the button of the shoulder board and the other end on the button of the jacket.

The initial award was issued without any acorns, and every time the award was earned again, an additional acorn was added to the loop opposite to the shield. The award was authorized to be worn by personnel beneath the rank of officer. There were many additional grades, which resulted in different color badges and acorns.

The design of the shooting award consisted of a silver lanyard with thick bullion strings, with an overall length of about 16 inches. One end has a loop made of a single strand of string while the other end caps in an oval shape holding a badge. This section also has a loop on the end. The backs of the lanyards are sometimes lined with felt or silk. There were different awards for the different branches, and different colored lanyards once grades above 4 were achieved.

This is a very nice 2nd Pattern Heer / Army Marksmanship Lanyard, Grade IV (Three Acorns). This later version has the Heer / Army eagle at the top of an oak leaf wreath, with two crossed swords over a shield in the middle of the wreath. The condition is very good, showing only light wear, and no major deterioration to the felt backing of the badge. The bullion portions are still bright and look great.

Ready to display!