Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 67:
Description
WWII German Heer M40 Infantry Shoulder Straps, White Piping Pair. A matched pair of German Army enlisted man’s M40 slip-on shoulder straps in field-grey wool with white Infanterie piping. This lot presents a genuine pair of Schulterklappen worn by an enlisted soldier of the Wehrmacht Heer during the Second World War. No named recipient or unit designation accompanies this pair, and no separate published biography can be attached to them; their significance rests in their branch-of-service markings and construction, which speak clearly to the everyday equipage of the German infantryman rather than to any single documented action. By 1940 the German Army had largely abandoned the earlier dark bottle-green M36 shoulder strap base cloth in favor of field-grey (Feldgrau) wool, a change driven by wartime economy and the desire to reduce contrast against the tunic in the field – a pattern collectors commonly reference as M40. The white Waffenfarbe piping seen here denotes Infanterie, by far the largest and most heavily represented combat branch in the German order of battle throughout the war, fielding the bulk of the divisions that fought across Poland, France, the Low Countries, North Africa, and the Eastern Front. Slip-on straps of this type were mass-produced by numerous regional contractors and were designed to be quickly transferred between tunics, a practical feature of a supply system built for a rapidly expanding conscript army. Millions of such straps were issued, yet matched, sound pairs surviving with original piping and intact tongues remain a staple of Third Reich uniform collecting and a foundational reference piece for the study of Wehrmacht branch insignia. Each strap is cut from solid feldgrau wool body cloth, rounded at the outer end, with an extended wool tongue tab at the base designed to slide beneath the tunic’s shoulder bridle and secure over the collar button. White rayon/wool blend piping runs the full perimeter of both straps, tightly overcast in period machine stitching. A reinforced keyhole buttonhole is worked in matching thread near the tab end on each strap, consistent with standard wartime Heer manufacture. No maker stamps, unit numerals, or rank devices are visible on either strap in the photographs. The pair is offered together as the sole items in this lot; no ribbon bars, tunics, or accompanying paperwork are included. Condition is very good and original: the feldgrau wool retains solid nap with only minor surface lint and scattered light moth tracking, the white piping shows light, even age toning and soil but remains fully attached without fraying, and the reverse tongues remain intact and pliable with tight, complete perimeter and buttonhole stitching throughout. A solid, honestly matched pair of white-piped Heer infantry shoulder straps, representative of the standard-issue branch insignia worn by the millions of enlisted infantrymen who formed the backbone of the German Army in the Second World War.
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