{"product_id":"wurttemberg-m1915-feldgrau-leutnant-shoulder-boards-pair-subdued-officer","title":"Württemberg M1915 Feldgrau Leutnant Shoulder Boards Pair Subdued Officer","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is a matched left-and-right pair of subdued field-grey officer's shoulder boards (Schulterstücke) of the M1915 pattern, for a Leutnant (second lieutenant), most likely of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The rank is fixed by the flat officer's braid worn without any rank star, which denotes the junior officer grade of Leutnant. The state is indicated by the interwoven soul threads of the braid, which are black and red, the national colors of Württemberg; this is the basis for the attribution and is worth confirming against a state-color reference, but black and red is the Württemberg combination and is distinct from the black of Prussia, the light blue of Bavaria, the green of Saxony, or the red and yellow of Baden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eEach board is worked from flat officer's braid (Tresse) in field-grey, laid in parallel runs and turned in a loop at the rounded base, with fine black and red silk soul threads running through the weave in the herringbone pattern. The braid is mounted on a dark underlay of blue-black wool, the color denoting the wearer's branch or regiment; without a numeral or cypher the specific unit cannot be fixed from the boards alone. The reverse of each board is finished in matching dark wool in the T-form standard to M1915 officer boards, with a cross-strap at the head and a tongue carrying a worked button slit at the base, by which the board buttoned to the tunic and was held beneath its cloth bridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe historical interest of these boards lies in what they represent about the war itself. Until 1915 German officers wore bright silver and gold bullion insignia in the field, which made them conspicuous targets in an age of magazine rifles and machine guns. The M1915 regulations introduced subdued field-grey insignia for the field-grey service uniform, replacing the shining metallic braid with dull grey braid that carried the state distinction quietly in its soul threads rather than in bright metal. A pair of feldgrau officer boards is therefore a direct artifact of the shift to modern camouflaged battlefield dress, worn by a serving officer at the front rather than on the parade ground. Württemberg entered the Empire in 1871 keeping its own army contingent, which fought as the XIII Army Corps, so a Württemberg officer's field boards belong to one of the four kingdoms that maintained a distinct military identity within the Imperial Army.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe German terms are limited to the rank and pattern. Schulterstück is the officer's shoulder board as opposed to the enlisted man's cloth strap (Schulterklappe); Leutnant translates as second lieutenant; feldgrau (field-grey) names the subdued wartime color. No inscription, name, or maker's mark is present to attach the pair to an individual officer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn condition the pair is complete, matched, and honest. The field-grey braid is intact with the black and red soul threads clearly legible and no unraveling of the weave, and the dark underlay is sound with age wear. The boards show the expected soiling and handling consistent with field wear and long storage, and the reverse mounting with its button slits is intact on both. No braid or backing element is missing, and the two correspond as a genuine left-and-right pair rather than a made-up match.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor the collector, a matched pair of M1915 subdued officer boards is a tangible piece of the war-fighting German officer's field kit, more evocative of front-line service than the bright dress bullion of the parade uniform, and the black-and-red Württemberg soul threads add a specific state identity that a plain Prussian pair would not carry. Subdued feldgrau officer boards are more affordable than dress bullion, which makes an attributed and matched pair an accessible but genuine entry into Imperial officer insignia. The value here is supported by the intact matched pairing and the Württemberg attribution, and tempered by the absence of a regimental numeral or cypher.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50228096467183,"sku":"23-17","price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/23-17_1.jpg?v=1784852298","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/wurttemberg-m1915-feldgrau-leutnant-shoulder-boards-pair-subdued-officer","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}