BACKGROUND: Shortly after Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), ascended to the leadership of Germany, the police, as with almost all civic organizations, incorporated the new style national eagle and swastika on their insignia. The first pattern police insignia to utilize the new style national eagle and swastika was introduced on April 23RD 1934. On June 17TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern, (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany. As a result of this appointment and the restructuring of all the separate German state police into a single national police force new regulations were instituted on June 25TH 1936 to bring about uniformity in dress for all police through-out the country. One of the new uniform regulations of June 25TH 1936 was the introduction of a slightly modified second pattern police eagle and swastika to replace the first pattern and the introduction of a new bandoleer and ammunition cartouche for wear by all mounted police personnel. The new bandoleers and cartouches were in black for the Schutzpolizei, (Protection Police), and Gemeindepolizei, (Local Municipal Police), and brown for Gendarmerie, (Rural Police), NCO’s, for the service dress with an additional white bandoleer for NCO’s and a silver/aluminum bandoleer for Officers to be worn by all branches of service with the parade dress. The bandoleer was to be worn over the left shoulder with the cartouche to the reverse. The cartouche for Officers ranks was slightly smaller then those worn by NCO ranks. The cartouches for both Officers and NCO’s included second pattern police style national eagle. Of Note: Wear of the bandoleer and cartouche was to be discontinued as per regulations of March 17TH 1941.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 50mm tall, 100mm wide, second pattern, (Circa June 1936-May 1945), single piece, die stamped aluminum alloy, construction, right facing eagle features out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons and is superimposed on a vertically oval, opened top, oak-leaf wreath with the eagle’s wings extending beyond the outer edges of the wreath. The hollow backed reverse is a mirror image of the obverse and has all three pair of inset, attachment loop secured by crimped base plates. The reverse of the insignia is well marked with the embossed manufacturer’s initials "CTD".