Imperial German Mecklenburg Jager Bataillon 14 Leutnant Officer Shoulder Board

An original Leutnant’s officer shoulder board (Schulterstück) of Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14 (Rifle Battalion No. 14), the Jäger battalion of the Mecklenburg contingent, identified by the gilt battalion numeral “14” set on a silver flat-braid cord field over a crimson underlay. The reverse carries a collection label reading “Fig. 10.0 – J.B. 14 Lt. Mecklenburg.” The absence of rank stars fixes the wearer’s grade at Leutnant (second lieutenant), the junior commissioned rank.

The board is built of flat braided silver cord (Geflecht) worked in the herringbone pattern characteristic of subaltern officers’ boards and turned at the rounded head in the standard tongue form. A gilt metal “14” is affixed to the lower field in the contrasting branch metal. The board is mounted on a deep crimson wool underlay that frames the cord on the face and forms the full velvet backing across the reverse. A vertical button slit is worked at the head for attachment, and the squared base terminates in cut silver cord ends that would seat beneath the shoulder seam.

The Jäger battalions were the light infantry and marksman arm of the Imperial German Army, heirs to the huntsman-rifleman tradition that set them apart from the line. They were dressed in green rather than the infantry’s dark blue and trained for skirmishing, sharpshooting, patrol, and independent action. Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14 belonged to the Mecklenburg establishment, and its officers wore the silver cord board of their grade carrying the battalion number, the rank and file of the same unit being distinguished by the green strap and red numeral.

The gilt “14” identifies the battalion, while the silver cord and crimson underlay are the distinctions of a commissioned officer. The reverse label records both the Mecklenburg affiliation and the Leutnant grade. No cypher or rank star is present, consistent with the junior officer of a numbered battalion rather than a regiment held under a royal chief.

Condition is good and complete. The silver braid is intact with strong pattern definition, the metallic surface dulled and tarnished to a warm grey as is normal for period silver cord. The gilt “14” is secure and retains colour. The crimson underlay is strong and bright, particularly on the reverse, and the collection label is intact. The base shows cut and lightly frayed cord ends in the manner normal to the unfinished tuck end. No restoration is evident in the provided images.

Officer boards of the Jäger arm are encountered less often than their enlisted counterparts, and a numbered example tied to the Mecklenburg contingent carries added appeal within the collect-by-state framework. The complete construction, the secure battalion attribution, and the clear rank make this a sound representative piece for a Jäger, Mecklenburg, or Imperial German officer-insignia collection, and a natural pairing with the enlisted strap of the same battalion.