Original Item: Only One Available. During the NSDAP period A H and the military leadership believed in the morale-improving effects of music, and military bands were in use from units as small as a battalion up to entire branches. These of course would need someone to bear the new Troop Colors flags introduced in 1936, which were identical except for the background color of the flag, which matched the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) of the unit. The flags had a background Iron Cross emblem with a wreathed closed-wing wehrmachtadler (Armed Forces Eagle) in the center, and swas's in the corner.

While after 1939 structure changes made less units permitted to maintain a band, they were still maintained by many units. It then became customary for the unit commander to appoint an NCO as the standard bearer, and they would often wear a chained gorget when on parade as a sign of their special position. They also had an insignia worn on the right sleeve, the Abzeichen der Fahnen-und Standartenträger (Badge for Flag and Standard Bearers). These were BeVo machine embroidered on a field gray background using aluminum flat wire thread, as well as black and a third color that matched the units corps color. The design has a central closed-wing Wehrmachtadler with standard flags on either side, over a spray of oak leaves.

This is a superb BeVo-style embroidered German WWII Heer (Army) Infantry Standard Bearer's Sleeve patch, which were worn by the official flag bearers of the unit. These badges are somewhat delicate, and there were not very many standard bearers, so they are relatively hard to find. These were originally machine embroidered onto a large roll, and cut off into rectangular sections, which then had the edges folded under when sewn to a uniform. This example has never been installed on a uniform, so it still has all of the original backing fabric. It measures 5 3/8"H x 4 1/4"W including the surrounding fabric. There is a bit of fraying at the ends and on the rear, but no major damage. The background on the design is the correct Feldgrau (Field gray) color, with silver, black, and white thread used in the design. It shows a central Reichsadler (National Eagle) over oak leaves, with flags to either side. These have Weiß (white) on the corners, the Waffenfabre (Corps Color) for Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry) in the German army.

A very rare Sleeve patch in fantastic condition, ready to add to your collection and display!