History

From 1934 to 1941, the pith helmets featured insignia associated with the wearer’s general ranks groups. From mid-1941 onward, the pith helmets were only decorated with two shield insignia, the national tri-colour shield and the Wehrmacht eagle shield.

The national tricolour shield was worn on the right side of the helmet and the gold-coloured Wehrmacht eagle shield was worn on the left side; the eagle shield is silver-coloured for Administrative Officials with the rank of Officer.

While these shield share their general design with the shields worn on helmets in the Heer, there are a few identifiable differences. For instance, the Kriegsmarine shields were manufactured without an embossed outer edge trim or border, and with rounded corners, while the Heer shields feature an embossed outer edge and sharp corners.