Description
This is a single shoulder board that is larger than normal for a tunic and may have been worn on a great coat. It measures an impressive 2 ¼” x 5 ½.” It was worn by a General der Infanterie or Kavallerie. It is likely that this would have been a.D., which indicated that the man was in retirement. It was customary for an officer to be advanced one rank when he retired from service.
The shoulder board has the pattern that was used by generals and displays two gilt stars. The rank that the man held is equivalent to a Lieutenant General (three stars) in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or USMC. It sports black chevrons on the roping for Prussia. Its reverse displays red felt backing. The strap for attaching the shoulder board to a garment is missing from the reverse. That said, the appearance on the obverse is first-rate.
