Paul R

Any data or militaria related to Luftwaffe General Staff will be greatly appreciated. This could include: period photos, insignia, uniforms, documents, and stories from actual veterans.

Luftwaffe Fire Fighting Officials There were two different fire fighting organizations within the control of the Luftwaffe. This is a confusing topic, as the two organizations work so closely together, it is difficult to say if they are two organizations or one with a definite border in regard to ranking/responsibility. The first one was the "Air Base Fire Departments" (Fleigerhorstfeuerwehr). These personnel were civilian employees of the Luftwaffe and were paid an hourly wage. Their job was to provide fire protection duties on Luftwaffe air bases and other Luftwaffe assets. Fire Departments were organized into "Extinguishing Groups" which had about 14-18 members. The designated branch color was Carmine. These men held a special status. They were not considered to be Soldiers or Officials. They had the title of "Luftwaffe Members". During the war, men who were physically fit were mobilized as soldiers for foreign based Luftwaffe Bases. These men were given LW standard uniforms with their insignia applied in 1940, these men were officially transferred to the Luftwaffe and give the standard yellow flight piped insignia. There were three ranking titles: 1. Feuerwehrman 2. Obereuerwehrman 3. Loschmeister In Jun1944, when parts of the Air Base Fire Departments were transfered to the Luftwaffe under a soldiers status, Oberfeuerwehrmen and Loschmeister level personnel needed to possess a military rank. These men were afforded the ranking of Sonderfuhrer-F (Feuerwehr) and given specialist leaders ranks of Sonderfuhrer- G(Unteroffizier) or Sonderfuhrer-O(Oberfeldwebel). The branch color was Golden Yellow. The second formation were the Officials of the Fire Protection Branch. These officials were placed in leadership postions of the local fire departments as well as administrative postions within the RLM and other major command centers. The officials who provided the leadership in the Fire Departments were at a Medium Grade career level while the Officials filling the Administrative postions held a High Grade Career. The High Grade Career was established in early December 1939 and were under the General Construction and Administrative Branch. These men wore the standard LW Official's uniform with the bright red Nebenfarbe and the gold piping around the collar tabs. These men used the same insignia configuration as the Luftwaffe Administrative Officials, with a dark green branch color and agolden brown designation color (nebenfarbe) Most of the initial staffing of these two organizations cme directly from civilian and volunteer fire departments. * For more details on the career levels, please see the Administrative Officials thread http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18055 Here is an example of a Sonderfuhrer F Tab, Elevated ranking.

Shoulder Boards: This branch used the standard Luftwaffe ranking structure and boards, with a black underlay. In the case of a reserve officer, an additional layer of blue was added to the bottom of the board, beneath the black. This slip on board belonged to a Major.

Collar Tabs: These men used the mirrored collar tabs, as used through out the Luftwaffe. The collar insignia for these men were black in color. The Officer's tabs with the blue secondary outer piping designate Reserve Officers. Here are some tabs from my collection.

Luftwaffe's Black Branches: Waffenfarbe-Black There were several uses of the black waffenfarbe within the luftwaffe. These men wore the standard Luftwaffe uniform patterns, with their specific insignia. Reich's Air Ministry The Reich's Air Ministry of the Luftwaffe was established on 01March1935. The RLM was the nerve center and hub for the Luftwaffe, as the Headquarters. On 30Jun1939, the RLM staff wore the waffenfarbe of their basic branch instead of black. Construction Units Construction units were assigned the black waffenfarbe on 22Dec1939. These men were responsible for the construction of Luftwaffe facilities and fortifications. Members attached to the Luftschutz 10March1942, all LW members assigned to Luftschutz units wore a black waffenfarbe with LS cyphers on the shoulder straps. These men acted as a liason between the Luftwaffe and the Luftschutz. These men were also responsible for training of the LS.

Shoulder Boards: On the left, a closeup of the Oberst board from the tunic above. On the right are two General Staff boards. One for a Leutnant and the other is for an Oberst.

Collar Tabs Here is a closeup of some General Staff collar tabs. The set on the left is for an Oberleutnant and the photo on the right is a closeup from the tunic above.

Uniforms Members of the Luftwaffe General Staff wore the blue-gray uniforms of the Luftwaffe Officer. The trousers of Luftwaffe General Staff Officers featured the distinctive double-wide crimson trouser stripes. The stripes were identical to the design worn by Generals, except for the color. Toward the end of the war, many General Staff Officers removed their trouser stripes to avoid unwanted enemy attention. Below is an example from my collection. It is ranked for an Oberst.

Luftwaffe General Staff Officers: The General Staff has been considered the best instruments of Germany's ability to wage war since about 1806. Germany's General Staff was officially established in 1814. Since it's inception, this body of officers was responsible for the study and development of all aspects of warfare as well as creating plans for deployment or even an entire campaign. The German General Staff selected it's members by means of a formal board based upon proven merit on the field. This position was one that was earned... not bought. Officers selected for the General Staff underwent intensive training to produce a pool of strategic and tactical experts as well as weed out the weaker and less motivated officers. The duties of the General Staff Officer would most likely alternate between line and staff duties, however, once an officer passed the initiation, he was a member of the organization for life. The Chief of Staff of a military formation in the battlefield had the right to disagree, in writing, with the plans or orders of the commander of the unit, as well as to appeal to the commander at the next highest level. In the old days, they used to credit victories to the General Staff versus the unit commander. The Luftwaffe established its general staff academy in 1935. It's purpose was to focus on the operational side of aerial warfare. Oddly enough, Hermann Goering was not a fan of the General Staff, as he saw them as a threat for the direction he wanted to take the Luftwaffe. As a result, the power once alloted to the General Staff before the Third Reich took power was whittled down to a small personal staff for Hitler and his top generals. There were only about 360 positions for Luftwaffe General Staff Officers, with the ranks of Major through Oberst. The Luftwaffe General Staff was given the waffenfarbe of Carmine on 07Jul1943

Bob, Thank you for posting that beautiful EM visor here! It is the only truly legitimate one I have seen! Remember everyone... Any data or militaria related to Luftwaffe Administrative Officials will be greatly appreciated. This could include: period photos, insignia, uniforms, documents. Basically, anything pertinent to the topic!

I understand what you guys are saying. My interest in IJ medals is very new and I have so much to learn. I am surprised to see how relatively inexpensive Japanese militaria is. Beautiful tunics are being sold at high end WW2 militaria dealers for around 150 dollars! Talk about under-appreciated!

Is the price range you quoted(30-45 dollars) include the case and condition seen here? This one looks like a pristine example.

Great works of art! Are these actually post cards? Paul

Unless I am wrong, there is gold finish still remaining on the "worn" area. I tend to think that it is a worn die.

Thanks you for your experienced assessment, Jos I still want to see additional photos of the hat, if this is possible! Kind regards Paul

I am not accustomed to seeing the the type backing material on which the embroidery is placed. Can you please provide some photos of the entire cap, inside and out? Again, I am not too experienced on Officer M43's so someone with more experience on these should make some more comments. Paul

I agree! Leave it as is. It looks to be an issued and worn veteran piece! I love it.

Here is a scan of Luftwaffe Justice Official with the ranking of Amtsrat beim Reichskriegsgericht (Major) Notice the green Highest Grade Career level tabs. As per post two, it seems as if both the green and redish tabs were used. I do not know if one was replaced by the other, or if there was some sort of organizational significance between the tabs. The photo is courtasy of "Airborne Steve"

Great additions Steve!! I love both tunics. The Green tabbed Judicial tunic is a first for me, yet according to Bender, they existed. Do the Judicial boards have the dark green branch color as well?

Happy VE day!

The man on the far left in this photo is wearing an East German Air Force Officer's jacket, without insignia.

Thanks Chris! I look forward to ANYTHING you can add here!!! Even translated personal letters!!!

Any data or militiaria related to Luftwaffe Field Divisions will be greatly appreciated. As usual, anything pertinent to the topic is welcome... period photos, insignia, uniforms, instruments, documents... anything goes!

This bundle of Field Division tabs is from the collection of Jerry B(last name withheld)! Thank you for allowing their use here.

And Finally, and Administrative NCO trade badge. I am not sure of the exact qualifications to earn this, yet the badge was only for NCOs. As with all trade badges, this one was worn on the lower left sleeve.