Third Reich Regalia - Luftwaffe Flying Badges

In recent months, interest in Luftwaffe flying badges has sky-rocketed. Consequently, this increase in demand has resulted in a sharp surge in the value of these pieces and unfortunately, a flood of reproductions. The most widely copied of the Luftwaffe flying badges are the pilot's badges. A true expose of the forgeries currently being circulated would require a massive amount of detailed information to be of any true value. Therefore an attempt is made here to supply the collector with several guidelines he may utilize to determine the originality of a pilot's badge. However, at the risk of sounding a bit trite, I feel it must be mentioned that the basic tool one must develope and cultivate is a keen eye to detail and workmanship. This asset must be fostered by the collector if he wishes to succeed in assembling a repro free representation of Third Reich regalia of any type. Even though the products of 1935 to 1945 Germany were not manufactured for the exacting eye of a collector, they do for the most part, reflect an earlier era of the machine age. Detail work was expected of the master engravers of prewar Germany and should be found on any product manufactured during the period. If one must make an excuse for the quality of a pilot's badge he is better off to pass, even if the piece is not a repro, the best investment is in better quality.

The Luftwaffe pilot's badge was awarded in two grades. The basic badge depicts a flying silver eagle imposed upon an oval silver wreath. The wreath is the distinctive feature of the badge. The higher grade or pilot—observer badge is the same essential design as the pilot, but the wreath is gold plated as opposed to the silver used in the basic grade. Therefore, when attempting to determine the originality of either grade, the points to examine are essentially the same.

To begin the appraisal of a pilot's badge, scan the front and back. Feel the metal in your hand, and the weight of the piece. The prewar badges were usually plated brass or zinc and are heavy. If the badge has excessive wear you may be able to detect the base metal, often the chest of the eagle and the swasticka are points to examine for these traces. Brass as a base metal can be considered a good sign, but this should be considered a guage of quality not originality. Certainly many wartime pieces were minted of lower grade metal. However, because brass is hard and takes an exceptionally good strike the better manufacturers depended upon it before the wartime shortages, and these, naturally make the best investment.

The eagle is the next stop in the examination. Look at the wings and check the detail of the feathers. They should be of fine quality and well executed. Each feather should be easily descernable from its counterpart. The fetching on the chest should also reflect the intricate detailing of a master die engraver. The wreath of a quality badge is usually fairly thick. The leaf
decoration should rise above the surface of the wreath giving the leaves dimension. The inside of the wreath should be smooth and well finished. Often the inside of the back of the wreath is beveled and all sharp edges removed. This was done to the higher quality pieces as they were finished off, just before they were plated. Very few period pieces exist that are not well finished on the inside, only those that are late war and of poor quality are unfinished.

Turning to the back of the badge look at the rivits. On a good quality specimen these should be relatively small and well formed. Do make sure they are rivits and not the cut off heads of straight pins. It is not unheard of for the more unscrupulous dealer to re-work a good fake and use pin heads to simulate rivits. Even if the period badge has had to be repaired in this manner, be sure an adjustment in price is allowed.

Now the last critical test, the metal. Pot metal strikes apparently were produced toward the end of the war. However, there are some excellent pot metal copies circulating throughout the country. It is believed they originate from England. The novice collector should therefore avoid pot metal until he developes the skill to differentiate between the new and the old. One key to identifying the fake is the rivits. They are usually large and flat. Occasionally they protrude through the badge too far and come very close to the front surface, if not through. when this
happens, there is damage to the wings and the feathers reflect a distinct lack of detail looking almost as if they had been smashed by a hammer.

The hallmark is no longer a good measure of originality. Many of the good repros now come complete with a hall mark. A good example is the marking GNL. This is a period mark that is now counterfeited. The difference between the copies and the original pieces are twofold. First is the mark. The L in the period monogram is slightly bowed on the horizontal. This gives it the appearance of “rocking". The copies utilize the standard L. The second difference is more critical, especially where these pieces bear a different mark. Inspect the area between the eagle's legs. The tail feathers should be evident. If this area has been completely cut away so that the bird has no tail between his legs be very careful. The period GWL badges are also on the heavy side, while the copies are very light. Recently a pewter based pot metal copy has been appearing on the market. The workmanship is overall of a poor nature, even as far as the stamping. The piece examined bore the club mark but lacked the traditional BSW lettering. The swastika in the eagle's grasp was much too thin and its arms were uneven. These pieces become dangerous when reworked and silverplated by the unscrupulous dealer or collector.

A thesis could be written, complete with measurements and exacting photos, showing the difference between the copies and the copied. However, this is only an article, not a book. If one is judicious and demanding during his examination, and follows the guidelines presented here, there is no reason to be taken by the phonies currently available. In fact, it is more likely that good pieces of lower quality will be bypassed. Bear in mind these are general rules and there are definitely exceptions, but unless a vet actually hands you a piece that does not conform to these guides do not invest in it, it is probably a fake.

Dan McCauley, "Third Reich Regalia, Luftwaffe Flying Badges, Military Collectors Association Journal, Vol. II, No. I, c. 1968

Collector Basics - The Nurnberg Badge of 1929

As far as Hitler was concerned, a Nazi member who had a Coburg
Badge and a Nurnberg Partei Tag (Party Day) 1929 Badge had it all. They were the top two badges anyone could wear on their uniforms.

The Coburg Badge is covered elsewhere. But what made this little
1929 Party Day Badge so special?

In 1928, the Nazi Party was “going to hell in a handbasket". The Party was in a steep decline . . . it took a spectacular beating at the pulls that year. Things were so bad that there was no rally in 1928, . . there really wasn't much to celebrate. The Weimar Republic, which Hitler had criticized so blatantly, was whipping the Nazis badly in one political victory after another. Hitler had ranted about the occupation of the Ruhr — the French left it and the Weimar officials got the credit. Hitler raged about law and order. lt was restored, temporarily, and the Weimar officials took the bows. Hitler screamed about inflation. The Weimar leaders got the currency fairly stable.

A forecaster in 1928 would have had to have predicted nothing but
gloom — and doom — for the Nazi Party, if he had read the results of
the voting in 1928.

The Social Democrats increased their vote from 7.8 million to 9 million, whereas the extreme right wing German National Party dropped from 6,2 million to 4.3 million. The Nazis? They managed to put together only 810,000 votes, giving them only 12 of the 491 seats in the Reichstag.

lt is almost impossible to believe that before 5 years had passed they had all of the seats in the Reichstag. But this was not 1933. This was 1928, and things were very bad.

But closer analysis reveals that this defeat, which was dragging down all right wingers, was by far the best thing that could happen to Hitler, considering the circumstances. As right wingers lost more and more positions and power through the elections, they began to search around for
another cause around which to rally.

And so by 1929, things began to change in favor of Hitler. Germany's big industry began to support him. Alfred Hugenberg, a millionaire, led the pack. But he was more than just a rich man. Hugenberg owned a huge propaganda empire that he had bought with his profits from inflation, which included a chain of newspapers, news agencies, and the leading film company in Germany. lt became largely through Hugenberg's propaganda machine that Hitler managed to gain power.

Following Hugenberg's lead were other important groups, not the least of which were the Stahlhelm, the Pan-German League, Alberg Voegler, president of the United Steel Corporation, and finally Hjalmar Schacht, president of the German Reichsbank.

So the things that whipped Hitler in 1928 backlashed in his favor in 1929.

And thus the Nazis deduced they could hold their rally after all. And they did. lt was held in August. And it beat all spectacles until that time.

There were 34 new standards, 60,000 men, 2000 Hitler Youth. The City of Nuremberg had completed a statue in honor of the dead of World War I in 1927; little did the city fathers know it would be used by the Nazis as the centerpiece of their rallies from thenceforth.

On August 2, 1929, the Nazi Party convened its rally and began the next cycle of its tumultuous life that was to collapse in ruins only sixteen summers later.

At 11 am on that day in the Kulturuereinshaus, Gregor Strasser convened the congress. Julius Streicher welcomed the delegates and Adolf Wagner read Hitler's opening statement as Hitler sat passively by — it rehashed all of the old lines, including the injustice shown to German soldiers by the home front during the first War, the Versailles Treaty injustices, and finally turned his tirade against the Communists and, of course, the Jews.

Gottfried Feder spoke during the afternoon, discussing the Young Plan which required Germany to pay reparations for 59 years. Historians have always felt this was an oppressive idea, even though the reparations were less than those imposed under the previous Dawes Plan, but they
were cannon fodder for the Nazis and were used to great advantage.

The highlight of August 3 was a fireworks display at night, preceded by a huge torchlight parade. . Nurenberg was seeing the first of the pageantry that it would watch in amazement over the next years. The most spectacular display featured a swastika surrounded by a circle of green leaves and topped with a huge eagle. This appeared as five bands accompanied the crowd in singing the national anthem.

The following day the spectators and participants took part in a memorial celebration for the dead of World War l. In front of the aforementioned War Memorial, a stone coffin was topped by a helmet and covered with hundreds of wreaths. Hitler arrived with dozens of flags and there
General von Epp made a short speech. Then the highest leaders of the Party and the standard bearers made their way onto the huge field while the band played a march. As new standards passed, Hitler touched each with the "Blood Flag" of the 1923 Putsch. This segment of the rally concluded with the huge crowd chanting in unison "Deutchland Erwache"
(Germany Awake!) which was to become its rallying cry for the years to follow.

This day was the occasion for Hitler`s major speech and though it sounds tired today, in 1929 he made it sound energetic as he recounted the history of the Party.

What made the spectacle impressive was the number of participants from all over Germany and even from other countries: Delegates marched from northen Germany and the middle and southern provinces . . . it took delegates from the south more than an hour just to march by! Many Hitler Youth marched. Delegates came from North and South America, Sudentenland, South Africa, Sweden and Austria.

That evening the participants met again in the Kulturuereinshaus and heard Alfred Rosenberg lash out against his favorite foe — Communism, to the roars of the crowd.

One of the most prophetic speeches came from Konstantin Hierl, who virtually proclaimed that the Nazis would cause the state to be ready — and willing — to resort to war, if necessary, once the Nazis had achieved power. This was strong talk at a time when the whole world was making an attempt to recover from the "War to End All Wars", but Hierl left no one in doubt when he said "As long as free nations exist that are willing to work toward their political goals, only war will be able to achieve the ultimate political aim."

Hitler closed the congress with a final address on the evening of August 5, when he spoke on the deterioration of German national power and said Germany’s leaders to date had turned a great nation into nothing more than a stale tourist country.

As he called his country to his version of greatness, which banished the weak, the political opposition, and the Jews from any role in society and included the resort to war if necessary to obtain what was rightfully Germany's, Hitler watched with pride as the audience roared its approval, One can assume that in his own mind he had no doubt that he had taken the first step toward superstardom. Little did he know this was his first giant step toward infamy.

And that brings us to the badge.

The badge measures 21mm wide by 48mm high and was worn on the left breast. The Nurnberg Watchtower is featured on the top, with the word NURNBERG in capital letters beneath the tower. An eagle stands on a helmet in the center of the badge. surrounded by the wording
19I4-1919 NSDAP PARTEITAG 1929.

lt was produced in bronze, zinc (silver) and gold.

Additionally, there was a non-portable award measuring 35mm wide by 80mm high in bronze, silver and gold. It was given to individuals who participated in events at the rally.

There are, in this writers opinion, fewer fakes of this badge on tables at shows than of many others. True, 60,000 were awarded, which would make them rather plentiful (as compared t0, say, the 436 Coburg Badges).

Collectors should remember that the Germans were fanatics for detail . Look for the highest quality you can find, Look for high relief of the details and unblemished backgrounds in the badges.

Mickey Huffman, Hitler's Favorite Political badges and decorations, vol.1, The Promethian Press, 1990

The "Party Day of Peace"

An Award for the Rally that never was.

Pictured with this article is one of the more unusual award medallions prepared by theThird Reich. It was never given to anyone. It celebrated a non-event.

This slver medallion weighs 7 ounces and is 9.5 cm in diameter. (Don't confuse this piece with the ''tinnys'' of similar design). It was found in a black, hinged case with gray velveteen interior and labeled ''Carl Poellath, Schrobenhausen''. Professor Klein's (the designer) trademark ''RK'' can be seen on the medallion just above the ankle of the reclining female fgure. This piece is now in my collection.

The story of the Nazi Party Rallies in Nuremberg has captured the imagination of all who witnessed them, and generations later, of those who read about them and experienced contemporarily footage including the classic ''Triumph of the Will''.

Each year in Nuremberg, for about ten days, tens of thousands of Nazi Party faithful gathered for a combination sports fest, Heer and Luftwaffe maneuvers and motivationional session, all rolled into one. The blood-red, white and black flags by the thousands, the martial music, the uniforms of practically everyone involved, left all present in a grand state of euphoria precisely the effect desired by Hitler and his comrades. Nine hundred and fifty thousand of Hitler's followers attended the 1938 Party Rally. They expected almost two million for 1939, the rally titled ''The Party Day of Peace''. It was scheduled to begin on September the second, and was to be a truly grand rally. By early August 2,500 participants had set out on an ''Adolf Hitler March'' to attend the rally. All summer thousands of laborers worked on the grounds, finishing a new concert hall and completing a wide avenue linking the Luitpold Arena and the Marzfeld to the great stadium.

Five large restaurants had been set up to feed the workers. According to the VOLKISCHERBEOBACHTER of August 15, 1939, a special force of 26,000 SS men had been delegated to keep order, help with traffic, and keep everyone in line.

More than a thouand streecar conductors were yanked from their jobs in Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin and Breslau to run the special streetcar lines in Nurmberg - they even went underground near the rally area. Four hundred flags were made, each bearing the heraldic figure of the city of Greater Germany.

In late August, special camp for a least 350,000 visitors were set up. Workers built a special train station and opened twenty-eight special post offices.

It could all have been happening on the moon, because just a little more than 500 kilomiters away World War II was about to start on September first.

In Nuremberg, however, everything was ready. But with only 6 day to go, the German news bureau abruptly announced: ''According to the press office of the NSDAP, the planned party rally from September 2 to 11 this year will not take place. Whether the meeting will be held later depends on political circumstances.

They folded the flags, struck the tents and as the streetcars stood silent Hitler crashed across the border into Poland. So much for the "Day of Peace".

The Nuremberg one sees on the films and in the pictures looks quite different today. The Luitpold hall and field were destroyed by Allied bombs; only the memorial to war dead survived and still looks almost exactly as it did when Hitler and his colleagues stood in front of its central flame and saluted. When you stand in the remaining field, as I did last year, you become disoriented, as most of the pictured landmarks are gone. The Luitpoldhain its most famous picture perhaps for the Standartenweihe) is only a smallish park, surrounded by shrubs and trees. In recent years, to help the confused visitor, a signboard has been erected near the site of the Luitpold hall (and those tall flags) explaining what happened there and orienting the viewer with a large map of the entire Party Rally area as it was in the 1930's.

The familiar Zeppelinwiese, of course, was changed at the end of the war. The long columns atop the stands were destroyed, along with the huge swastikas on top, leaving only the seating area and the reviewing stand. All are in poor condition. When I was there last year there were soft drink cans and trash lettering the stands. A schoolmaster stood where Hitler once reviewed his troops and instructed a class of about 30 high students, who were seated in the stands, on the history of the area. I stood for about 3o minutes listening in awe to his frankness. He pulled no punches. Where tanks had rumbled on the field fifty-five years earlier, several simi-trailers practiced parking between red pylons.

If you can and one of these medallions, obtain it if you can, as you will own a particularly unique item. It was designed by Professor Richard Klein and was produced in gold, silver and bronze and would have been awarded in the sports competition. As things turned out, it was never awarded to anyone.

Mickey Huffman, "The 'Party Day of Peace' ", Der Gauleiter, 1991

Political Badges of the NSDAP

Huffman's 10 Axioms On How To Examine A German Badge

1. ALWAYS COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES. You now have this book in your hands. Use its photos to help you study a badge you find at a show if you do not already have a real one with you. It is sometimes difficult even for experienced collectors to note discrepancies if one badge is standing alone, with nothing to compare it.

2. REMEMBER GERMAN CRAFTSMANSHIP. The badge must be well crafted with intricate details. The political badges were made in quieter times, before the War, and this was not "trench art", but deliberately planned and monitored craftsmanship at all levels.

3. EXAMINE THE OBVERSE FIRST. Obvious, but true. If the obverse of the badge doesn't look right, it doesn't matter whether it has the right pin on the back or not. Every badge has some tell-tale "roadsigns" (which are mentioned in this book). Examine them critically.

4. EXAMINE THE REVERSE A LITTLE MORE CASUALLY. Pins broke off during wear and were resoldered. Some wearers had their own types of "IDs" or numbers stamped in the back for personal identification. Not that the reverse isn't important. . . it is, but it is secondary to the obverse.

5. IF IT LOOKS RIGHT EXCEPT FOR "JUST ONE THING": Read the discussion on "Variations" on following pages.

6. DEALERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO. Be kind to the dealer selling you the badge. He doesn't know everything. No one does. This hobby is filled with honest collector/dealers. It also has some dishonest ones. Your dealer may honestly feel the badge is real, based on his own personal knowledge. The honest dealer will also tell you he's not certain, if indeed he is not, and will encourage you to check it out elsewhere. He should always offer you a money-back guarantee, at least for a short period of time while you do your research.

7. WHAT DOES VET-PURCHASED MEAN? It means someone bought it from a vet who may have bought it from someone else. A notarized letter from the American sergeant who took it off Dr. Ley in 1945 is something else, however.

8. USE COMMON SENSE. You find a Golden Party Badge in pristine condition, and it is numbered "8", and is offered for $350. I don't think this point needs to be belabored, do you?

9. IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO BUY. Take your time. Examine it carefully. Check it with others whom you believe might know about it (always remembering they could be dead wrong). Ask for a money-back guarantee for a short period of time. Buy it if you like it and don't lose any sleep over it.

10. IF YOU ALREADY OWN IT. You now check it over and it doesn't look right. Don't panic. Don't rush to sell or give it away. Continue the checking process. If you actually like the badge, if you feel good about it even though you now question it, keep it in your collection. The world will not end.

A Word About "Variations"

In all of the discussion about Third Reich badges and decorations - whether or not they are real or fake or "variations" - I think there is one person everyone is overlooking... Adolf Hitler.
Some historians say Hitler was the world's greatest orator. Some say he was the greatest politician. (The word "great" does not connote "good" but "exceptionally successful".)
I have a different thought. I believe he was the greatest "Rewarder of Men."
The children of the 1960s claim they founded the "me" generation. Adolf Hitler founded the "we" generation. He, alone, made the Nazi movement a "we" movement. In doing so, he discovered the idea of badges and decorations as rewards - as substitute religious objects - and he pinned them on the chest of everyone in sight: the big man (Goering), and the little man (the anonymous SA man in the rally.)

And like the lonelyheart who says to a lover "Whisper in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere," Hitler did just that to his followers. He pinned his badges on their chests and they followed him everywhere, even to Gotterdammerung. These badges and decorations were important to Hitler. He wanted them made with precision, with magnificent Germanic flair for exquisite detail. And, considering the fact that he thought of himself as one of the greatest artists of the world, he not only reserved to himself the right of veto on the design of most decorations, he actually personally designed some of them.

To further illustrate this point, an issue of ORDEN-MILITARIA-MAGAZIN, published in Germany and the authentic historical German medal and order journal, in 1982 presented the complete history of the creation of the Coburg Badge. It was originally designed by the Burgermeister of Coburg in 1932 and the design was submitted to Hitler for his "ideas" and "changes, if any". Hitler did make changes and notations and the design of the Coburg Badge you see today was his final version. This drawing has been preserved.

And that brings us to today's militaria collector or dealer in the U.S. who says he has a variation of any of these finely detailed badges. A variation? What can he mean? Does he mean some idiot in a manufacturing plant - a plant authorized by Hitler's regime to produce the badge to a specific design - decided, on his own, to change the design of the leaves on the Golden Party Badge? Perhaps to put a little ridge on them to make them fancier? Or is he thinking of some small-time Nazi politician, who, passed over for a Blood Order, has his jeweler brother-in-law design one for him - slightly different, of course- so he can wear it in the parade down the streets of Munich?

The above questions are not facetious! Where, we must ask, do today's collectors, 50 years after the events, think their "variations" come from? It is a very real question!

The collector today who insists his "variation" is correct, solely because he thinks it is so, reminds me of the Ugly American Tourist. (I was on a visit to Germany a few years ago and saw some of those types of American tourists. We arrived at the ancient and magnificent city of Worms, on the Rhine, and as we stood silently in awe, admiring the ancient architecture and thinking of the city's history, we heard one absurd cameraclad tourist make this statement: "Seems like they could have chosen a different name other than Worms. . . ugh.")
Americans sometimes think they have the only answer to language.

And sometimes they think they have the only answer to the Third Reich decorations. If they don't like what they hear, they invent a reason to differ. (One well-known [but sometimes not highly regarded] collector/dealer in the U.S. cleverly coined a new phrase for me when I questioned some of his badges. He called them "non authorized versions, but real, O.K.)

I think it is time for all militaria collectors to grow up in this hobby and admit that perhaps it is time to go back to basics. If we continue to insist on "variations" then we are only kidding ourselves.

This does not mean there were not different types of the same badge - it does mean that once a design was standardized for a Type, rarely, if ever, did it vary. (Yes, I'm aware the "variations" actually began in Europe as the War ended. I'm just disgusted with the fact that so many American collectors have blindly followed the "variation" path without taking the time and trouble to do any research on the subject.)

The only variations I agree to believe in are variations caused by wear. In the case of the Golden Party Badges, there is some justification in the fact that the silver may wear off of the border around the swastika revealing the brass underneath, but even in this instance I believe it is reaching to believe it happened often. And of course while on the GPBs, it is true that the pins broke on the back and were replaced with sturdier ones.

We must remember that the Nazis were so serious about order, discipline, and following the rules, that they invented the RZM (Reichszeugmeisterei) for that very purpose in 1934, to exercise strict controls over the manufacture and quality control of Party items. One must also remember that these political badges were not created during the War - they were not trench art - and were designed by careful artists (Hitler notwithstanding) and manufactured according to the most strict procedures.

So if no one approved of variations, where does one go to find out what the badges really looked like? I decided the best place to find out about the real Nazi badges were in the period books and documents of the time, where the badges were actually reproduced in detail.

Mickey Huffman "Hitler's Favorite Political Badges and Decorations", The Promethian Press, 1990