Imperial German Dragoon Regiment Oberstleutnant Shoulder Board Crimson Underlay

An original Oberstleutnant’s silver-cord field-officer shoulder board (Schulterstück) of a numbered dragoon regiment, identified by the crimson underlay that distinguished the dragoon arm. The reverse carries a collection label reading “Fig. 5.0 – Numbered DR Regt. w/ Crimson Underlay – Lt. Col.” The round interwoven braid with a single rank star denotes Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel).

The board is built of round interwoven (plaited) silver braid — the construction reserved for field officers (Stabsoffiziere) — mounted on a crimson wool underlay. The lower field carries a single gilt six-pointed rank star (Stern). The board bears no regimental numeral or cypher, as was usual for the field-officer’s board of a numbered dragoon regiment. A vertical button slit is worked at the head, the reverse is faced in crimson, and the squared base terminates in cut cord ends.

The numbered dragoon regiments — those without a royal cypher — carried the crimson (krapprot) underlay as the distinction of the arm, and as light cavalry served in reconnaissance, screening, and mounted action. The round interwoven braid identifies a field officer; among the field grades the Major wore the braid without stars, the Oberstleutnant with one, and the Oberst with two. Without a numeral or cypher, the board is attributable to the numbered dragoon arm generally rather than to a single regiment.

The crimson underlay marks the dragoon arm, and the single star on the field-officer braid denotes the grade of Oberstleutnant.

Condition is good. The interwoven braid is intact with strong plaiting and the expected tarnish. The gilt rank star is present and secure, the crimson underlay is sound with some wear, and the collection label is intact on the reverse. The base shows cut cord ends in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end. No restoration is evident in the provided images.

A dragoon field officer’s board in senior rank, complete with the crimson branch underlay, makes a sound and affordable representative piece for a cavalry or rank-focused collection, standing for the numbered dragoon regiments as a class.