Original German WWII Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Paratrooper Embroidered Cloth Badge – Parachutist Badge Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Parachutist Badge (Fallschirmschützenabzeichen) was a badge awarded to qualified parachutists of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS of NSDAP Germany. The badge was first established by order of Hermann Göring on 5 November 1936. It was originally awarded to Luftwaffe personnel after completion of the required number of six jumps. After this they were eligible to become a Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper).

The badge depicted a diving eagle with a swas (hook cross) in its claws surrounded by a silver wreath. The original construction was made of “gold-finished bronze” for the eagle and “oxidized silver plate” for the laurel leaves. In 1937, the construction of the badge changed to aluminum. In late 1942, the construction was changed again to a metal alloy. A cloth version of the badge was also authorized in 1937, to be worn on a flight jacket. A recipient had to re-qualify for the badge each year.

This is a great example of the Luftwaffe jacket version, made of blue-gray wool with gold and silver embroidery. The badge measures 2.5″H x 2″W, and is in very good service used condition. It has no moth damage that we can see, however it definitely has discoloration on the outer side, so we believe it was at one point attached to a flight jacket, now removed. This has given it a lovely “broken in” look that simply cannot be duplicated. If you were looking for a badge to fit on a nice used Luftwaffe jacket, this is it!

Fallschirmjäger (often written Fallschirmjaeger in English; is from the German Fallschirm “parachute” and Jäger, the light elite infantry of the Prussian army) were German paratroopers. Fallschirmjäger of Germany in World War II, were the first to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They came to be known as the “Green Devils” by the Allied forces they fought against and were some of the best trained most lethal troops of the German war machine.