DavidM

Hello It's all been said already, but just to chip my pennies worth in, very, very definately fake

Hello A good looking EK, and great catch

Hello No body at all got any views on this?

Hello No body at all got any views on these?

Hello No body at all got any views on these?

Side view

Hello I've just received this nice, early 57 new form version of the Luftwaffe Radio Operators / Air Gunners Badge. As usual, any comments or observations welcome.

Hello Now that really is a quality piece.

Side

Silver IAB Front & Rear view. Although it hasn't shown up on the photo, this has very nice polished highlights.

Hello I've just received these nice early 57 new form versions of the Infantry Assault badge in Bronze and Silver. As usual, any comments or observations welcomed. First up, the Bronze IAB.

Side

Silver WB Front & Rear view

Rear and side

Hello I've just received this nice early 57 new form Gold and Silver wound badges. As usual, any comments or observations welcomed.

Hello It looks like the balloon badges fall into the same category as the Luftwaffe Ground Assault badges, in that there are genuine wartime entries in soldbuchs, and a couple of award certificates known, but it is hotly debated whether the badges themselves ever reached the intended recipents. So again, we have an authorised WW2 award, (it seems most agree that a very small number were made in the dying stages of WW2, but whether prototypes or not is still debated), which probably never made it to the awardees. Again, it seems that the unproven, but logical theory applies to the balloon badge as well, in that these appear on the offical listings of 'new form' awards to allow those who should have recieved award in WW2, but didn't, could, via the 1957 'new form badges, finally have the badge that they had legitimately earned during the war.

Hello The numbered Luftwaffe Ground Assualt awards were instituted and authorised for award very late in WW2. Examples of them are apparently very rare, but, according to all my reference books, wartime manufactered numbered versions none the less do exist. Whether any were actually made it to intended recipenents is another matter, but because they were instituted, (something which I believe wouldn't have occured unless there were people who would be eligible for the award), this is why the numbered ones appear on the original 1957 list of 'new form' awards issued by the then West German government. As such they are a legitimate 57 new form badge of an authorised WW2 award. There is a theory (unproven, but which seems logical and reasonable), that these appear on the offical listings of 'new form' awards to allow those who should have recieved a numbered award in WW2, but didn't, to finally have the badge that they had legitimately earned during the war. I'll need to look into the balloon badge that you mention, but I believe I'm correct in saying that for a long time it was thought that they never existed in WW2 but that contemporary WW2 photos have been found showing army personnel wearing the balloon badge, hence why they appear on the original official list of new form badges.

Hello I'm not sure if these are wartime or post war, as shooting clubs and badges and medals for shooting are big in Germany. Either way, I agree, I don't think these are military awards. Have a look at S&Ls current website for example: http://www.steinlueck.de/index.php?rubrik=entsteht Whatever the period, it's a very nice set.

Rear and side views

Hello I have just received this early 57 version of the Luftwaffe Ground Combat badge, for 75 engagements. It is of three piece construction, (the eagle and the '75' plate being riveted to the wreath and cloud ligthning strike), and has the needle type pin to the rear, and still retains virtually all it's original frosting. This is one of the nicest ones of these I have seen, and hopefully you will agree. As usual, any comments or observations welcomed.

Hello A very nice texbook Zimmermann 'lightweight'.

Hello I don't believe that Gordon did declare these as genuine. He says about the one in his book, "....such pieces may be original to the period." The crucial word here, in my opinion is "may". This implies that there is still research to be done on them, which, given it is some five or six years since Gordons book was published may have been done by now. Either way, to me it is not a declaration of originality. Is yours a genuine period EK1? I don't know. My initial thoughts were that it lacks the crispness and definition that one would expect on an original EK, and I don't like the rim beading. If I saw this for sale I probably wouldn't buy it because of this, but obviously that in now way makes it a fake or indeed an original. As you point out, the one in Gordons book is a one piece EK, but it certainly seems to have the same reverse hardware as yours, but is yours one piece or three piece?

U Boat Badge

Minesweeper, (will redo photo of rear as it has gone somewhat peculiar and post tomorrow)

Side view of PAB 25