East German Navy Shoulder Board Buttons

Volksmarine Anchor Buttons

These are East German Navy shoulder board buttons, the small brass buttons that hold a rank shoulder board in place on a Volksmarine uniform. The Volksmarine was the People's Navy of the German Democratic Republic. Collectors use these buttons to complete or restore an original tunic, reenactors use them to finish a period-correct naval impression, and insignia collectors keep them as genuine pieces of Cold War naval uniform hardware.

Features

• Brass Construction — Each button is made of brass with a gold-toned finish that matches the metal fittings on East German naval dress.
• Fouled Anchor Design — The face carries a raised anchor with a rope twisted around its shank and crossbar, the traditional naval device known as a fouled anchor.
• Rope Twist Border — A raised braided rope pattern runs around the outer edge and frames the central design.
• Lined Background Field — Fine horizontal lines are struck into the field behind the anchor, so the raised design stands out clearly.
• Domed Face — The front is gently domed in the usual profile of a military uniform button.
• Wire Loop Shank — A brass wire loop on the back passes through the shoulder strap or eyelet, so the button mounts without sewing through its face.
• Shoulder Board Sized — These are the small-pattern buttons used at the shoulder, not the larger buttons that close the front of a tunic.
• Genuine Issue Insignia — These are original East German government-issue buttons, not later copies made for the collector market.

Issued By The Volksmarine

The fouled anchor inside a rope border was the standard device on Volksmarine uniform buttons, which separated naval hardware from the plain buttons worn by the East German land forces. Shoulder board buttons secure the inner end of the board to the uniform shoulder, and a correct pair is often the detail missing from a tunic or a loose set of boards. Because these came from East German stock, the material, strike and shank construction match what was fitted to uniforms in service.