Original German WWII Luftwaffe Pilot’s Badge by Berg and Nolte – Missing Attachment Pin – Flugzeugführerabzeichen Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice condition Luftwaffe Pilot’s Badge, which looks to be of early war Tombak alloy construction. The “swooping eagle” is held on by the usual two rivets, and may originally have been blacked in finish, however it looks to have been painted gold a long time ago. It was produced with a vertical pinback, bent wire catch, and barrel hinge, however the pin for the hinge must have fallen out, and the pin was lost.

Condition is very good, with the detail still very well retained on the eagle as well as the wreath. Unfortunately the wreath was repainted as well, using gold and black paint. This could probably be removed easily, but it is part of the history of the piece, so we have left it intact.

The back of the eagle is maker marked with the B & N / L trademark for Berg & Nolte of Lüdenscheid, a city with a very large garment accessories industry. This company designed and made many badges and insignia during WWII, and are a known manufacturer of the Luftwaffe Pilot’s badge, as well as other Luftwaffe awards.

A good chance to pick up a very nice example of a classic Luftwaffe badge!

The Luftwaffe Aviator / Pilot Badge (Flugzeugführerabzeichen or Pilotenabzeichen) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to Luftwaffe service personnel who completed flight training, receiving their flying license and citation. It was instituted on 26 March 1936 by the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring. It came in distinct types; nickel silver (changed to zinc during the war) and a variant made of gold. It depicts a silver eagle (Silberner Adler) perched atop a swas (hook cross), wings open in a landing pose, and surrounded by a wreath with laurel (Lorbeer) on the right side and oak leaf (Eichenlaub) branches on the left side, respectively. It was worn on the lower part of the left breast pocket of the service tunic, underneath the Iron Cross 1st Class if awarded.

The design is two part, with the eagle attached to the wreath by two rivets. The badge can be distinguished from the very similar Pilot/Observer Badge by the wreath; the Pilot’s Badge has a silver wreath, while the Pilot/Observer badge has a gold wreath.