Feldherrnhalle Martyrs' Plaque

The Feldherrnhalle martyrs' plaque is a desk piece sculptured as a scaled presentation of the the original Mahnmal in Munich, Germany. The plaque was built to honour fallen comrades who took part at a failed revolution attempt that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Adolf Hitler had unsuccessfully tried to seize power. The 16 fallen were regarded as the first "blood martyrs" of the NSDAP. Shortly after coming into power, a memorial was placed at the south side of the Feldherrnhalle crowned with a swastika. The back of the memorial has an inscription "Und ihr habt doch gesiegt!" - And you triumphed nevertheless! From author's own collection.

Luftwaffe Stylised Eagle on Wood Base

Luftwaffe stylised eagle, likely to be affixed onto a wall plaque or decorative item with a threaded hole on the reverse. The head of the eagle, talons and feathered wings are extremely well sculpted. Made from casting process of aluminum in parts and soldered together, and then polished. An example is shown below, as a desk piece whereby the eagle is mounted onto a wood base with a marble backing and personalised dedication as a rememberance desk piece for a Luftwaffe training session in 1942. This came from Eastern Philadelphia from a Veteran. Both from author's own collection.

NSKK Helmet Shield

Hollow version of NSKK helmet shield. Believed to be finished in brass and unmarked with one prong still remaining. Some corrosion on the front and reverse of the shield. Definitely a been there piece. Recent discussion with other collectors have also revealed that this was used for a very short period of time where it would be mounted onto the NSKK motorcyclist's helmet. However, no period photos exist to confirm such claims. From author's own collection.

NSKK Vehicle Radiator Plaque Solid Variant

Solid version of NSKK car or motorcycle radiator plaque. Made of aluminum and electroplated with a chrome finish. The N.S.K.K. initials are emblazoned onto the material, whilst enamel has been used for the swastika symbol. Two through holes are drilled through the wingtips, and another two on the top and bottom are for mounting purposes. The reverse is marked with gesetzlich geschützt, indicating copyright or registered trademark but to an unknown firm or maker. The reverse also shows minor pitting marks that have been sanded off, indicating that this might have been a piece made from the casting process. From author's own collection.

NSKK Vehicle Radiator Plaque Hollow Variant

Hollow backed version of the NSKK vehicle radiator plaque. The details are almost identical to the solid version as above, indicating possibly the same firm made these, but produced in late war years as aluminum and other metals became more scarce. This would have been fabricated using a stamping process where a high pressure metalworking machine tool was used to shape and cut a sheet metal and then deforming it with a die block. From author's own collection.

Well-Detailed Bronze Eagle Emblem

NSDAP eagle emblem, made from bronze. This was probably once mounted onto a plaque or as part of a decorative item, and then removed with triangular hooks being soldered and added on. The details of this piece are very well sculpted and the proportions symmetrically reproduced. The outlines of this piece are not perfect, indicated that an amount of manual handwork was involved in the manufacturing process after this piece was cast from bronze. From author's own collection.

Nürnberg Desk Eagle Smooth-Back Variant

Classic Nürnberg styled desk eagle made of aluminum and mounted onto a cream coloured marble based. This variant is known as having a 'smooth back' where there are no feathered details on the reverse of the eagle. The original silver-gilt finish is still present on some parts of this eagle. Below the tail near the swastika shows the maker mark, HB which also shares the RZM code list of M3/28 - H.H. van Beusekom (Gladbeck). From author's own collection.

Nürnberg Desk Eagle on Customised Wood Base

This is a Nürnberg style desk eagle mounted onto a customised wooden pith and remounted onto a post-war marble base. It was said that this was a vet bring back piece as a souvenir from the war spoils. Whether it was prised out from a trophy or was damaged, the Nürnberg eagle shows very good detail and this variant is the feathered-back version in contrast to the one above which has a smooth back. This version is harder to find and more sought after than the above. As this piece did not have the lower mounting part intact, it is unclear which firm made these. From author's own collection.

Classic Nürnberg Desk Eagle with Dedication

Of all desk eagles and trophy pieces, this would be the most recognised form of Nürnberg eagle, identified by the sharp details and with a less rounded chest than the other style shown above. This piece shows some of the original gilt-wash still present and mounted onto a cream coloured marble base. This piece is unmarked and has a dedication plaque for the Flughafen-Betriebs-Kompanie (airfield works company) dated 23 January 1940. From author's own collection.

Nürnberg Desk Eagle Swept-Wing Variant

Not officially a Nürnberg-style eagle, this is the third most commonly encountered variant of desk eagles recognised by collectors by its spread-out / swept wings and beautifully crafted head that looks in a different direction than it's feathered friends. There was a discussion once that said such eagles facing right indicated its affiliation with the NSDAP party, whereas those such as this below was for unofficial purposes. This piece still has its original silver wash intact with the edges now smoothed out. Mounted onto a black hard stone base, this variant has no foundry marks. From author's own collection.

Nürnberg Trophy Eagle on High Base

This Nürnberg-stylised trophy eagle is set mounted onto a high base made of cream marble with beautiful veins. A dedication plaque inscribes as this being awarded to Rudi Thoellden with an iron cross insignia inscribed above his name. Below the plaque is a laurel wreath made of aluminum affixed onto the marble. What is of great interest is that this eagle has a RZM marking of M3/100 as shown on the reverse, just below the tail. From author's own collection.

Glockenspiel "Jingling Johnny" Eagle

These eagles were mounted onto the top of a Glockenspiel (also called a "Jingling Johnny" or lyra), a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys similar to the xylophone but made of metal plates. These were displayed during military parades as part of a musical ensemble. A member of the unit’s band would hold the pole and shake it while marching with the rest of the band, usually behind the front of the drum line. It was originally carried as part of the military band to keep time synchronized between the music and marching. Today, both France and Germany still retain the use of these music pieces, but only during ceremonious occasions. From author's own collection.

History of the Nürnberg Eagle and this Blog

The Nürnberg eagle has its roots from the Kurt Schmid-Ehmen styled eagles displayed in the Luitpold Arena at the Nürnberg Rally Grounds. This image came from a postcard, serial numbered 1113 from the art publishing house of G. Michel based in Nürnberg. Many designs of such commemorative postcards were made available during the rallies and known as Reichsparteitag Nürnberg series.

The Reichszeugmeisterei (RZM) was the central government quartermaster that controlled the nations material production during the second world war Germany. The Procurement Office defined the design, production and quality standards of all equipment and products, serving for standardisation and quality control. There were 12 RZM codes (M1-badges and insignia (Metallabzeichen); M2-sub-contractors (Hilfsbetriebe); M3-symbols (Symbole); M4-belt buckles (Koppelschloss); M5-uniform fittings (Uniformeffeffekten); M6-aluminum products (Aluminiumwaren); M7-daggers (Dienstdolch u. fahrtenmesser); M8-metal accessories (Metallzubehorteile); M9-meeting badges (Fest-u. Tagesabzeichen); M10-musical instruments (Musikinstrumenten); M11-NSDAP Service Awards (NSDAP Dienstauszeichnungen); M12-Miniature NSDAP Service Awards (NSDAP Dienstauszeichnungen in Miniatur)), of which only M3 codes for symbolic artefacts will be investigated in this blog. M3 "Symbole Hersteller" thus included artefacts such as room decorations, honor prizes, table stands, auto plaques, radiator ornaments, vehicle pennant pole tops, flag pole tops, lyre and Schellenbaum crests, and office signs, etc. Further which this blog aims to look at eagle influenced symbols.