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Title Water/traffic police shako eagle
Nationality German
Period c 1936-45
Sold

This eagle is the tombak variety (with a gilt wash), which was worn by both water police and traffic police on the full dress shako. The ordinary police wore the same device in a matte aluminium finish. All traffic and water police insignia is relatively scarce. The water police duties involved patroling canals, rivers and ports.

It measures, from wing tip to wing tip, 16cm. The little iron nuts have seized on the gilt bronze threads - a little WD40 and the judicious application of a small naked flame should free them up without too much trouble. Most of the gilt wash on the face of the plate has vanished, through age and overcleaning, I suspect; however, the bulk of the gilt finish on the reverse is intact, giving an idea of what a splendid looking plate it must have been in its heyday. It has been flattened - to mount on a board, at some stage, I suspect. They are normally fairly sharply curved to fit on the shako. There is a small crack on the left hand wing of the eagle, right on the knuckle, so to speak, about 2mm long.

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.


[Militaria : Badges : Third Reich : SS Police Fire]

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