WWII German Army and Navy Decals

1: Early Grey Lined Army Decal​

Insignia produced during the transition from the Reichswehr to the Wehrmacht were slightly different from those that came later. This Army decal appears on a World War I Austrian helmet converted to Wehrmacht use. The decal features a silver coloured image with grey-lined interior details, on the standard black shield-shaped ground.

2: Standard Army Decal​

A decal commonly used on Army helmets was that produced by the firm of Ed Strache of Warnsdorf, established in 1872 as a newspaper and publishing company with operations primarily in Vienna. The firm produced water-slide and lacquer-based helmet decals. This example exhibits silver-grey highlights on a metallic silver coloured image. The helmet is an M1935 that was field-repainted in 1940.

3: "Large Footed" Army Decal​

Several firms produced helmet insignia for the Wehrmacht, which resulted in a number of minor variations. Often described as the ‘big-foot’ decal by modern collectors, this example was produced by the firm of C.A.Pocher in Nurnberg.

4: Standard Navy Decal​

Printed by the firm of Ed.Strache in Warnsdorf, this naval decal is identical to that used by the Army apart from the metallic gold-coloured image. This decal appears on an early M1935 double-decal helmet.

5: Naval Decal Variation​

This gold-coloured Kriegsmarine decal appears on an M1935 helmet that was field-repainted by hand with thick battleship grey paint.

6: Black Lined Naval Decal ​

This Kriegsmarine example differs from others in that the interior lines are solid black. The metallic backing layer is particularly evident in this image. The finely textured surface of the paint protrudes through the decal.

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