Identify Shoulder Board please.

**douglas2496** · 11-20-2013, 08:29 PM

Hi everyone, I have these army officers boards and am having some trouble identifying them, as the colours could be one of several different waffenfarbe. So are they medical? transport? or something else? The most similar I can find are on the Collectors Guild as 'Administrative Officials Shoulder boards' The Collector's Guild but the blue looks darker.

It strikes me that the metal device on my boards (and those on the collectors guild) is the snake and rod of Asclepius, a classical medical symbol. If so, why are they also on an administrative officials board? Please help.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 11-20-2013 08:29 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Gunny Hartmann** · 11-20-2013, 08:34 PM

With the snake and rod it should be medical, the waffenfarbe should be cornflower blue. Maybe this has discoloured due to age, is it a brighter blue under the braid?..

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-20-2013, 08:34 PM

Transport or better Truppensonderdienst.

Cheers, Ade.

**bigmacglenn** · 11-20-2013, 08:36 PM

I would have speculated Medical Administration...?? They're quite nice!
cheers, Glenn

**douglas2496** · 11-20-2013, 08:43 PM

Thanks very much, but clearly the confusion remains. Presumably I should be going with Adrian's response for transport, but why does it have a medical device on it?

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-20-2013, 08:43 PM

The insignia represents the Mecurian Staff. Not Medical.

Cheers, Ade.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-20-2013, 08:44 PM

Caduceus vs Staff of Asclepius

**douglas2496** · 11-20-2013, 08:50 PM

Thanks Adrian, you have solved the puzzle for me (again). Clearly this winged rod and serpent is associated with Hermes who has links to both traveling and medicine. I am very grateful for your help.

**Gunny Hartmann** · 11-20-2013, 08:50 PM

by Adrian Stevenson

The insignia represents the Mecurian Staff. Not Medical.

Cheers, Ade.

Wow, i always thought it was a medical symbol. What do i keep saying about learning something new?..

**HPL2008** · 11-20-2013, 08:51 PM

It's not an Aesculapius rod or Äskulapstab [= staff with one snake], but a Caduceus or Merkurstab [= winged staff with two snakes]. They are commonly confused, which is aggravated by the fact that the Caduceus is used by the U.S. Army's medical branch.

The Caduceus is not used as a medical symbol on German uniforms and insignia, where it always represents administration and related aspects.

As Ade said, the shoulder board is for the Truppensonderdienst established in 1944; speficially its administrative [Verwaltung] component.

(The TSD had two occupational specialty groups, one was the Laufbahn des Verwaltungsdienstes im TSD [Occupational Career of the Administrative Service in the TSD] as identified by light blue ["dragoon blue"] branch color and the "Caduceus" shoulder board device; the other one was the Laufbahn der Wehrmachtrichter im TSD [Occupational Career of the Military Judges in the TSD as identified by wine red branch color and a "sword" shoulder board device. A technical service occupational career group was projected, but not implemented.)

Edit: As always. Beaten by the fastest keyboard in South Derbyshire.