Imperial German Foot Artillery Regiment 3 Leutnant Shoulder Board Grenade

An original Leutnant’s silver-cord shoulder board (Schulterstück) of Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 3 (Foot Artillery Regiment No. 3). The reverse carries a collection label reading “Fig. 2.0 – FAR 3 – Lt.” A gilt flaming-grenade device above a gilt “3” numeral, without rank stars, denotes Leutnant.

The board is built of flat braided silver cord worked in the herringbone pattern and turned at the rounded head, mounted on a red wool underlay. The lower field carries a gilt flaming-grenade (Granate) device above a gilt “3” numeral. A vertical button slit is worked at the head, and the squared base terminates in cut cord ends.

The Fußartillerie, or foot artillery, manned the heavy siege, fortress, and position guns of the army, a separate arm from the lighter horse-drawn field artillery. The flaming grenade was its traditional branch device, and the numeral “3” identifies the regiment.

The flaming-grenade device marks the foot-artillery arm, the numeral “3” identifies the regiment, and the absence of a rank star denotes the grade of Leutnant.

Condition is good. The silver cord retains good braid definition with the expected tarnish, and the gilt grenade device and numeral are present and secure. The red underlay is sound, the collection label is intact on the reverse, and the base shows cut cord ends in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end. No restoration is evident in the provided images.

A foot-artillery officer’s board carrying the distinctive flaming-grenade device makes a sound and accessible representative piece for a collection of the technical and artillery arms.