BACKGROUND: Germany has a long history of producing some of the best master musicians in the world including the renown composers Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms and Hitler's personal favorite Richard Wagner. Military bands date back to the middle ages and were originally utilized for acoustic signaling long before eventually evolving into a form of entertainment. The German government and the Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), recognized the beneficial morale effect of music and along with larger units and Headquarters bands, Luftwaffe, (Air Force), regiments and independent, battalion sized units, excluding medical units, each had band and a fife and drum corps of various sizes. Depending on the size of the band it would be led by an individual holding the ranks of Musikmeister, (Leutnant), to Stabsmusikmeister, (Hauptmann).

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Slip on shoulder board in bright, silver/aluminum Russian braid mounted with tombac lyre on golden yellow wool waffenfarbe base. Shows lots of period wear and use. Rare.