Some Heer shoulderstraps - Bau, Panzerjager & Supply

**PaulW** · 11-09-2018, 05:05 AM

The Bau Pioneer pair. This Waffenfarbe was used until (officially, but in practice probably later with supply factors taken into account!) 11th October 1943, but continued until the end of the war with the "Kriegsgefanganen Bau und Arbeits Battalions" (POW Construction and Work battalions, who had used this waffenfarbe from 2nd April 1941 onwards - these units used POW 'volunteers' to repair Air raid damage and numerous other tasks in return for better rations etc). Although the branch colour seems obscure I had been looking for a pair of these for a while as I like the Pioneer connection (they were 'absorbed' by the Pioneer branch, or at least adopted their Waffenfarbe, in October 1943), and had to buy them as 'Kradschutz', although I'm certain that they are Bau!

Just for interest I'm also showing them on a tunic and next to some other light-brown Waffenfarbe for comparison. Note the slight variations in hue (even between the Bau straps if you look closely!). I believe that this is a combination of manufacturer/ batch variations, dirt, wear / sun-fade and so on - in my humble opinion.

Kradschutz is a much different (orange-brown IMHO) colour.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 11-09-2018 05:05 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**PaulW** · 11-09-2018, 05:19 AM

Just for interest, the above Bau straps and what I would call Kradschutz (Motorcycle) shoulderstrap Waffenfarbe underneath...

**PaulW** · 11-09-2018, 05:33 AM

A Panzerjager pair (again, note some slight differences between each strap) that could be worn on a normal tunic or a field-grey wrap of course. I had a mint pair, but prefer just a little wear and so managed to obtain this worn pair from Herr Weitze!

I don't mind slight differences between shoulderstraps. I have always imagined that each strap was made individually on a production line and thrown into a bucket or container and that they were then paired together - perhaps not always but shall we say sometimes? Each seamstress might have been using different thread shades and different scrap material (for the backs where it really didn't matter much at all), hence the differences that we notice as collectors, but that front-line soldiers most probably did not notice!