One more addition
I believe there have been a few types of this Eagle.
I am not sure if this pattern has actually been approved for use during the war or If it was made for veterans shortly thereafter.
Hello. Here are a couple of pictures of the Polish eagle I bought in Normandy (Bayeux, D-Day landings area) some 15 years ago.
My eagle looks the same as yours, except for the missing anchor. Could you tell me if it might have been worn by one of the Poles who landed in Normandy in 1944?
Yours,
Didier (Hombourg-Haut, France)
Hi again, just found this picture showing your eagle badge type in use by a paratrooper of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade.
Regards,
T.
Thank you very much for your answer. I thought the eagle might date back from WW2, as I bought it from an antique dealer in Normandy and as I knew that Poles (1st Polish Armoured Division) had been involved in the Battle of Normandy - there is a Polish War cemetery at Grainville-Langannerie, south of Caen, which contains 650 burials.
Could you tell me what the shield underneath the eagle's claws stand for? It seems to me that it does not appear on most of the other Polish eagles.
First off, the smaller eagle type (typically 40mm high) is a carry over of an official badge from the pre-war armed forces. The center shield within the amazon shield dates back to the pre-independence WWI Polish Legions era which harkened back to the Polish Legions in the Napoleonic period. The eagle badges of that time often contained the number of the regiment on this shield. Pilsudski’s Legions used the small shield to hold the regimental number, or a letter such as "S" to represent the pre-legion "Pilsudski's Riflemen".
Regards,
Tony
Hi,
New comer to the forum. I joined because I saw this thread on the Cap Badges. I am sourcing info for a friend in Australia. His father served in the MSO 1947-48.
I would eventually like to source a badge similar to ONE of those listed in this thread but don't know which one it is?
Here is the info:
The badge was worn by Polish Soldiers who were classed as Displaced Persons and were working for the British Army in 1947 as Camp guards. They were called MSO, and worked mainly in Hamburg and Schleswig Holstein immediately following the war years.
I suspect in the early years after the war, the badge was an original Polish Army one. But which one? There are so many!
I am aware of the cap badge (big round one) worn by MSO personnel in later years.
I would appreciate any help!
Thanks
Alan
Hello Alan, and welcome to the forum.
Please check post #23 earlier in this thread for two examples of post WW2 Polish Guard eagle badges that were made in Germany. Perhaps the eagle on the round backing is the one you are thinking of? It is the only one like it that I know of, and it was used by Polish guard personnel on German terrain in the years immediately following WW2.
Regards,
Tony
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