Original German Army (Heer) tropical sleeve rank badge for an Oberschütze (or equivalent Obergrenadier), issued for wear with Afrika Korps uniforms. This is the scarce circular tropical variant, fully documented in Bender & Law – “Uniforms, Organization and History of the Afrikakorps”.
The badge consists of a round field made from sand-khaki HBT (herringbone twill) cloth, reinforced with a machine-stitched khaki edging. At the center is the distinctive machine-embroidered sunburst pip, featuring four long points with sixteen smaller radiating points, rendered in bluish-grey thread typical of Heer tropical insignia.
The reverse shows textbook bobbin stitching and the expected lightweight cotton backing, with clear indications of uniform removal. These circular rank pips were used on tropical tunics and shirts when the standard continental insignia were not available in theatre—making them considerably scarcer than the common diamond-shaped type.
A desirable and well-preserved example of a hard-to-find DAK rank badge.
Branch: Heer (German Army)
Theatre: Afrika Korps / Tropical Service
Rank: Oberschütze / Obergrenadier
Construction: Machine-embroidered pip on circular HBT
Backing: Sand-khaki HBT with khaki edging
Notes: Rare circular tropical pattern documented in Bender & Law
