Luftwaffe Flying clasp question.

[Dave B]

Hello all,

I have a question for you Luftwaffe experts! Lets say a pilot of a bomber earned the bomber clasp in gold but then transferred to night fighters.Would he carry on wearing his gold bomber clasp until he had the required number of nightfighter missions for a nightfighter bronze clasp or would his bomber clasp be exchanged straightaway for a gold nightfighter clasp?

Cheers

Dave

[François SAEZ]

Very good point Dave, will try to explain in english

Regulations from April 22th 1941 (L.V.Bl.,Ziff 455)

When one was moving, let say from a fighter unit (call it A) to a reco. one (call it B, the total flights from A stay for the acquisition of the next upper clasp from B.

i.e

He had 58 operational flight when he was with the fighter unit so he had a bronze clasp. He moved to a reco. unit, he keep its flights #er and when he add 2 more operational flights, he received the clasp for reco in silver.

But, on Nov. 1943, the 4th (L.V.Bl., Ziff 2076) the rules are changed as it was now the greater number of operational flights (where the recipiant was affected) which decide the kind of clasp received.

The regulation text take the example of a bomber crew, who has the silver clasp + 30 additional operational flights (as bomber), he is later affected to a transport unit where he make 20 new flights as transport, so he receives the gold clasp .......... for bomber even if he is with a transport unit (90 flights with bomber Vs 20 with transport).

to answer your question, well it depends on the time it happened versus the above regulations. In all cases, wherever he is affected he keeps (at least in the begining) the clasp he had won, in your example, a bomber clasp - and then depending on when (see the date of regulations), he change his clasp

[François SAEZ]

Only reco., bomber and day fighter ONLY had the official blue case for the 3 classes: bronze,silver, gold

* It is said that that some special cases were made for clasps with pendant, but if true, they were private purchase

[François SAEZ]

Operatinal flights from Spain in the Legion Condor (Spanish civil war 1936-1939) are NOT counted in WWII for the attribution of clasps.

[Dave B]

Thank you Francois for your detailed explanation,it has answered my question perfectly! :food-smiley-004:

Cheers

Dave

[François SAEZ]

another info: based on regulations, when one received an upper class clasp, he had normally (again according to the regulations) to give back his old clasp - i.e when he received a silver clasp, he had to give back his bronze one etc, etc .................., it is my opinion that this regulation was NOT respected at all.