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Flemish Lion Shields – Waffen SS
16/05/2025
As with other foreign volunteer units, the Germans designed and produced, sometimes locally, special insignia for these soldiers. Flemish volunteers who served in the Flemish Legion, the Stormbrigade, or the Langemarck Division were permitted to wear a distinctive lion shield, which was placed just below the SS eagle on the upper left sleeve of the uniform.
It is important to note that Flemings assigned to regular German Waffen-SS units such as 'Das Reich' or 'Germania' were not authorized to wear this lion shield.
The shield-shaped patch, made of black wool, features a machine-embroidered black Flemish lion on a yellow background.
The overview below shows the different types of lion shields worn by Flemish volunteers within the SS. Each type is discussed in more detail further down on this page.
Langemarck lion shield
This type, along with the Legion shield, is among the most iconic insignia worn by Flemings within the Waffen-SS. It was worn by Flemish volunteers in the Langemarck Storm Brigade and Division. In a few rare photographs, this type of shield can also be seen worn by Flemish DRK nurses.
These shields are of German manufacture and were produced in or near the Dachau concentration camp.
The SS-BW (Bekleidungswerke) was responsible for the production of uniforms and insignia for the SS, with workshops spread across locations including Bayreuth, Oranienburg, Posen, Ravensbrück, and Dachau itself. The produced garments and insignia were centrally stored at the depot in Dachau.
Bevo lion shield
This type is of German manufacture and produced in the typical Bevo style (machine-woven). It was worn in the Flemish Legion.
There is a well-known photograph showing this shield worn by a Fleming in the 'Das Reich' unit, but it is merely a wedding photograph. In practice, the Flemish lion shield was not permitted for Flemings serving in regular German Waffen-SS units.
NSKK/DRK/Flemish Legion Lion Shield
This type of lion shield is of Flemish manufacture and was worn by volunteers of the Flemish Legion, but especially by Flemings within the NSKK and by Flemish DRK nurses.
Flemish Legion Lion Shield
Flemish Legion lion shield of German manufacture. After the formation of the Langemarck Storm Brigade, this lion shield was sometimes still worn by veterans of the Flemish Legion on their Langemarck uniforms. This was logical, as many already had their uniforms and only needed to change their cuff title from "Legion Flandern" to "Langemarck."
This type was also worn by Flemish DRK nurses (see photo).
Flemish Hitler Youth Lion Shield
This type is of Flemish manufacture and was primarily worn by members of the Flemish Hitler Youth. There exists one extremely rare photograph in which Jef Desseyn, a Flemish war correspondent, is seen wearing this shield—presumably because no other type was available at the time. Nonetheless, it can be concluded that this type was originally intended for the Flemish Hitler Youth.