BACKGROUND: The use of collar ornamentation on military uniforms was utilized by numerous assorted nations with the main function being the indication of the wearers rank and/or branch of service. The German army had a tradition, dating from the 1700's, of maintaining a separate branch of Administrative Official’s attached to the army to oversee all administrative functions, thus freeing up active army Officer’s and allowing them to concentrate on actual military matters. The Official’s were responsible for a wide variety of administrative tasks from Court Martial, Librarian, Supply, Technical and Meteorological Services, to School, Barracks, and Hospital administration. Most officials careers consisted of four varying grades, of high, elevated, medium and low grade with slightly differing identifying insignia for each grade. The grade of the career was determined by the education and/or experience of the individual. Regulations of March 12TH 1937 reorganized the Officials and instituted the new Beamte auf Kriegsdauer a.K., (Wartime Official’s for the duration of the war), to be activated in times of mobilization. Originally the uniformed Official’s were allotted an identifying dark green branch of service color, (waffenfarbe), with a nebenfarbe, (secondary color), to indicate their actual career. Regulations of March 21ST 1940, replaced the assorted nebenfarbe colors with a secondary color of light grey for all Officials regardless of career or function. In January 1944 the Army instituted a new career for officers and certain officials, entitled, TSD, "Truppensonderdienst", (Special Service). This new career used light blue waffenfarbe and did away with secondary colors as worn by Officials in the other careers. On May 1ST 1944 all high grade career Administrative officials were transferred to the TSD.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Pre-March 1940 pattern, elongated, rectangular, blue/green badge cloth construction collar tab with the distinctive Official’s old Prussian style, dual, embroidered serrated litzen with seven teeth to each side, in gilt wire threads with the correct, regulation "V" pattern, gilt bullion wire "branch of service" stripes. All but the forward edge of the collar tab is piped in red wool nebenfarbe.