ERIC

My Signed Photo Of Wilke -

Great FLL Bunt Flaks Guys! Only A Handful (it seems!) around!

ERIC

Sorry for the confusion Steve - the first is my badge and the second does indeed belong to you!

ERIC

Always a pleasure Johann! You have some beautiful pieces my friend!

ERIC :cheers:

I had some luck tracing it back! The man who sold it to me, got it years ago from another collector whom I know! And that other collector told me, that he got it directly from the family of the original owner. It was given to the person when he traveled to Germany, he went there for the delivery of Junkers aircraft, he was a technician in the Air Force. From here on, I will try to find out what exactly was the position in the Air Force of that man, possibly when he went to Germany.

Please keep us posted Theodor!

ERIC

Very nice Theodor! I don't recall seeing a cased 'wing' as you will, like that before. No doubt at all that it is from the Juncker factory, 1930's. Do you have any other other information about it?

ERIC

Sweet ROAG Darrell! I don't think I saw that one before!

ERIC

Gee, that bird seems to have a little bit of many different makers meshed together, doesn't it! :o

Both very nice original cases. I believe the Pilot case is early wartime -

ERIC

Flipside Hardware:

Goes well with my, for lack of a better word, 'rarer', Juncker 3rd Pattern with the Navy style wide pin with flatwire catch! On the lookout for a 3rd pattern roundwire now!! :speechless:

Reverse:

"Back in the saddle again.. " My latest addition - a relatively 'rare' unmarked 3rd Pattern Juncker Flak in zinc with the flatwire style catch/catchplate. The 3rd is the least encountered pattern of the Juncker series of Flak Badges and is always found in zinc with no hole at the base of the guns' breach. Presenting......

LDO Marked L/5? - This would fool many IMO.

Paul Meybauer, primarily zinc badges

Late war Assmann "A" and LDO number

Wilhelm Hobacher (Flak Badges)

Brehmer maker mark often encountered on their zinc examples - "G.B."

Hi Eric

Great to find a soul-mate of these ROAG and AG´s

Ditto! There are so few of us around! Hey K, regarding the FLL's - ever seen or heard about one of their buntmetal wreath ROAGs WITHOUT an aluminum or aluminum/cupal combination eagle? Every FLL ROAG example with a buntmetal wreath that I've come across has an aluminum eagle. Same goes for their Observer Badge - always seems to be buntmetal wreath/aluminum eagle combination!

ERIC

Interesting. I tend to suspect that by the time the badge was formally instituted, the tooling already existed as the announcements often carried a picture of the badge, so probably the "lead firm" chosen to manufacture the badge had already created the tools from which the sample badge which became the "sealed pattern" was produced.

I would think that firms would have some sort of advance notice that a new badge was about to be announced and with an amendment as simple as cutting the bolts off as an interim measure pending new tooling, could have altered examples available almost immediately.

I tend to agree with you on both accounts Gordon - Firms the size of Juncker, Assmann, and other major badge manufacturers were sure to have their contacts within the hierarchy of the Reich, therefore obtaining 'first dibs'on any forthcoming information leading up to its eventual production. Good analysis my friend!

ERIC

Hello Gordon,

I really don't know either the lenth of time a firm had from approval/institution to actual production, but I can't imagine it was very long. A clue can be found regarding this timeline, if his research is correct, in Angolas 'For Fuhrer and Fatherland' Military Awards reference on page 204 under the heading "ANTI-AIRCRAFT WAR BADGE OF THE AIR FORCE" - In the first paragraph it states " The badge was approved and instituted on 10 January 1941, and went into full production by the Juncker firm in Berlin on 31 January." Three weeks according to Angola!

ERIC

Hello Gordon,

Could very well be a good fit for the document, but it would have to have been quick work by the factory! The Air Gunner Badge was instituted I believe on June 22nd of '42 and your document is dated in the first days of July '42. I don't know if they could have gotten one modified and awarded in such a short period, but anything is possible! Nonetheless, a sweet badge G!

ERIC

You bet! ;)

Thanks Karsten! Does your cupal example have an aluminum eagle? Looks to be by the rivits and would explain its light weight.

ERIC

A most rare Luftwaffe Badge when original - most encountered are reproductions. Here's one to start -