Description
WWII German Ordnungspolizei General der Polizei Collar Tabs – Original 1942 Pattern Pair
These WWII German Ordnungspolizei General der Polizei collar tabs are a 1942 pattern pair of German police general officer bullion collar tabs with two-pip rank. They retain the correct green backing, gold bullion oak-leaf embroidery, and gold twisted edge piping, all of which are consistent with police-general insignia rather than the black-backed SS versions. As a result, they stand as a strong and visually distinctive set of high-ranking German police insignia from the wartime period.
WWII German Ordnungspolizei General der Polizei Collar Tabs
The combination of green backing and gold bullion work is the key identifying feature here. These are not generic German general officer tabs, and they should not be confused with SS examples. The green field places them within the Ordnungspolizei system, while the rich gold oak-leaf embroidery and pip arrangement reflect senior general officer rank. That distinction matters because police-general insignia occupies a narrower and more specialized collecting category than more commonly encountered Heer or SS collar insignia.
Construction / Configuration / Pattern
This pair follows the 1942 pattern for German police general officer collar tabs. Each tab uses a green cloth backing with heavy gold bullion oak-leaf embroidery and gold twisted edge piping around the border. The tabs also retain the two-pip rank arrangement associated with General der Polizei. The bullion work gives the set its immediate visual impact, while the green underlay is the detail that anchors proper branch identification. Together, those features create the characteristic appearance expected from wartime Ordnungspolizei general officer insignia.
Historical Context / Provenance / Development
These tabs belong to the upper command structure of the Ordnungspolizei, the uniformed police arm of the German state during the Third Reich. That organization covered a broad range of police functions, including municipal police, rural police, and larger state-directed formations that became increasingly tied to the wartime security apparatus. By the war years, police insignia had developed its own distinct hierarchy and appearance, even while parts of the German uniform system overlapped in style and symbolism with other branches.
That is what makes this pair more interesting than a simple bullion insignia set. General officer tabs from the Ordnungspolizei reflect not just rank, but institutional position inside a very specific part of the German wartime system. The green backing is especially important in that respect. It separates police-general insignia from the black-backed SS forms that many collectors know more readily. For identification, that color difference is not a minor detail. It is central to branch attribution.
The 1942 pattern also places the pair in the mature wartime period, when German uniform insignia had largely settled into the forms most collectors now recognize. A two-pip General der Polizei pair represents high command rank within the police hierarchy, which gives these tabs a narrower and more specialized identity than lower-level police insignia. For collectors of German police militaria, that combination of branch-specific backing, high bullion content, and senior rank is where much of the appeal lies.
Condition
These tabs are in excellent condition throughout. They exhibit minimal wear, no loss in beads, no moth damage or fraying. The green backing shows minimal fading, and only the slightest signs of field use.
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