The combined "Wehrmacht" military forces of Nazi Germany consisted of the "Heer" (army), the "Kriegsmarine" (navy), and the "Luftwaffe" (air force). While not technically part of the Wehrmacht, the "Waffen-SS" ("Armed-SS") tactically operated as such and was considered part of Germany's armed forces during the war. The same was true of some "Sturmabteilung" (SA) units, along with other subsidiary organizations, which functioned as part of the armed forces particularly towards the end of the war. Wehrmacht branches typically displayed distinctive emblems in the form of decals on their helmets. The Heer, or army, displayed a black shield bearing the frontal view of a silver-colored German eagle holding a swastika in its talons (known as the "Reichsadler"), while the navy used the same eagle emblem in gold. Luftwaffe decals displayed the side view of an eagle in flight, also holding a swastika. The SS was both a paramilitary and a political organization, and its black runic initials on a silver-colored shield (normally applied to the right side of the shell) looked like twin lightning bolts. Other military, political, and civil or defense organizations used similar decal insignia to distinguish their helmets. Such visible identification devices were gradually abandoned as the war progressed, however, so that by war's end most Wehrmacht helmet insignia had been eliminated to reduce the wearer's visibility in combat.