The Deutsche Reichspost was the name of the postal service in the Third Reich Germany between 1866 and 1945. The Deutsche Reichspost used various vehicle types in the delivery of the postal service. This included Buses, Trucks, Cars and Trams. From the mid to late 1930’s many of the vehicles included the eagle and swastika symbol in various locations. The style of many of the Reichspost eagles are very similar to the Reichsbahn eagles, however there are differences, particularly the upper wing style and eagles head.
This section describes the aluminum, decal and painted versions of the Reichspost eagle that were attached to these vehicles. These eagles are commonly referred to as “Bus” or Trolley” eagles.
Types
The eagles were made in Aluminum and also in painted or decal form. The two pictures below link to more details.
Aluminum Makers
The aluminum eagle is 400mm wide by 260mm high (15.75″ by 10.25″). There were several makers of this version of eagle:
Note: “W*” maker(s). As can be seen above there are 4 makers styles that are very similar (in terms of makers marks)
Given the similarity it is possible:
- These 4 are the same maker
- The makers mark is a combination of maker and some designation (position/subsidiary, location or some other unknown variable)
- The makers mark is not a makers mark and some sort of other designation.
Without further information we have included them as separate makers for documentation, however suspect this may not be the case.
Mounting points
There are a number of different mount points for this style of eagle. Click here the image on the left for more details
Painted versions
There are a number of different painted versions for this style of eagle. Click here the image on the left for more details
Lettering and Signage
The Reichspost signage during the third reich period included several different styles. Click here for some examples of the various signage and letters used by the Deutsche Reichspost.
Fakes and Reproductions
A number of fake or reproduction eagles are available on the market. This page goes into some (limited) information on some examples.
Period Photos
For period photos of Deutsche Reichspost vehicles with the aluminum style of eagle click here or the image on the left.
Modern find
A more recent find in Russia
Note: Further picture of Reichspost Eagles can be found here
Points of note:
- In many known examples, the inner area behind the swastika is often painted red to match the color of the buses or coaches it has been attached to.
- The oak-leaf wreath runs upwards towards the feet of the eagle (in a similar way to the front facing Reichsbahn Eagle but the opposite of the normal flat Reichsbahn eagles)
- Many of these eagles had the accompanying “Deutsche Reichspost” gothic lettering attached below the eagle on the vehicles. There are examples where no lettering id present as well as examples of lettering with no eagles (potentially post 1945).
- The lettering is quite long in relation to the eagle and is always below the eagle (as distinct to the Reichsbahn lettering locations which were above the eagle, below or to the side of the swastika.
- There are examples where the gothic lettering spans two lines to fit in the size of the door frame of the vehicle.
- Some of these eagles have lines around the swastika on the back of the eagle – refer to the unmarked examples.
Additional Resources
Although this site contains some excellent information on Reichspost and Reichsbahn eagles, the most comprehensive guide on these eagles can be found in the excellent resource – “Third Reich Reichsbahn Eagles” by Wilhelm Saris.
The book contains far more in-depth information and contains over 700 photos collected over the years. A highly recommended resource should you want to dive deeper into the history of the Reichsbahn Eagles. The book can be found on Amazon here.