History

The headgear and uniforms worn by members of the Kriegsmarine were based upon the designs utilized by the Kaiserliche Marine and the Reichsmarine. The official regulations governing the uniforms of the Reichsmarine were issued on April 5, 1921, and they were embraced, with a few alterations, as the Kriegsmarine uniforms in 1935. The designs and categories of career badges utilized during the Kriegsmarine mirrored those utilized the Reichsmarine; new careers were established throughout the Third Reich.

These insignia were assigned to Junior Non-Commissioned Officers in the Kriegsmarine after they had completed the technical training associated with their career specialty.

The insignia always feature an anchor, but the career insignia superimposed on top of the anchor differs per Kriegsmarine career. For the rank of Obermaat, an additional chevron is featured on the insignia, below the anchor.

The exact colour scheme of the career insignia depends on the uniform on which it was originally worn. The backing of the insignia generally matches the colour of the uniform on which it was worn. The career designations on the insignia are generally hand-embroidered with celleon, machine-embroidered with artificial silk thread, or made from stamped light-weight gilt metals.

For the blue service uniform the career insignia were composed of yellow-coloured thread or metal and a blue backing.

For the white summer/tropical service uniform the career insignia were composed of cornflower-blue thread and a white backing.

For the field-grey service uniform the career insignia were composed of yellow-coloured thread and a dark green/bluish or a field-grey backing.

The Navigating Helmsman Insignia feature crossed anchors and a sextant as the career insignia.