Coat of Arms of Nazi Germany and NSDAP

Other names:

The Nazi eagle.

Origin:

The eagle is a very common heraldic symbol worldwide. It symbolizes immortality, courage, foresight, and strength.

Uses:

Various images of eagles appear on the coats of arms of modern-day Austria, Albania, Iceland, Romania, the Czech Republic, and other countries, as well as on the coat of arms of the pre-war German Empire. An eagle looking over its left wing with a swastika in its claws was the emblem of the Nazi Party that ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler (the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei — NSDAP). In Ukrainian, the Nazi Party is known as the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (Natisonal-sotsialistychna robitnicha partiia Nimechchyny), and is abbreviated as NSRPN.

Under Nazi rule, beginning in 1935, the NSDAP’s symbol became the German state’s emblem, though they changed it slightly. In the Nazi state symbol, the eagle looks over its right wing.

Use as a hate symbol:

Modern neo-Nazis in various countries use the Nazi eagle as a symbol of continuity with the Third Reich.

In Ukraine, it is commonly used to demonstrate Nazi views. Often the eagle holds another symbol in its claws instead of a swastika. For example, the eagle might hold the emblem of a football club.

It is extremely rare for the Nazi eagle to be used mistakenly, but the eagle itself is a very commonly used symbol.

Due to the prevalence of eagles as a symbol, it is important to clearly match the image with the coat of arms of Nazi Germany (or the emblem of the NSDAP) and to look for the presence of other hate symbols or inscriptions.