Luftwaffe Bland IMME's

[Chris Boonzaier]

It may be just a bee in my bonnet.... but has anyone else noticed how IMMEs have very often lost all colour? The eagles have last the darkening...totally..

They are... well... colourless...

[Chris Boonzaier]

???

[J Temple-West]

We had a discussion on ?all silver? Luftwaffe awards some time ago.

Some collectors regard ?all silver? examples as merely having lost the finish or that they have been heavily cleaned, but there are just too many of these silver badges about, by various makers, for this to be always true.

I?m of the opinion that badges were factory produced in either ?all silver? or the traditional silver wreath/darkened eagle, this being proved, in part, by corresponding cloth badges which are also found in ?all silver? or traditional, and of course period photographs.

Normally, period photos are in B&W which, of course, will show a traditional (darkened eagle) pilot?s badge for what it is. However, the combined pilot/observer badge usually appears as being all one colour, silver, so hard to tell if it?s ?all silver? or P/O. But just occasionally period colour photos will give us that little more proof that these ?all silver? badges did inded exist.

This one from "Der Adler" magazine shows Hans Ulrich Rudel with two of his flight, both wearing what can only be 'all silver' badges.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Could it not be that the IMMEs just lost their darkened finish at the first sign of rain? I have seen a totally mint, darkened IMME... but the worn ones seem to no longer have the finish......

[J Temple-West]

Rain! You plum, Chris.

As said, I think the're factory produced.

Here are a few that have little wear..all silver.

Juncker 1st pattern

[J Temple-West]

JMME Radio Op/Air Gunner and Pilot's.

[Chris Boonzaier]

You could of course be right. I have always wondered why there was never a trace of darkening, even in the deepest recesses of the badges. if it had worn of there would still be SOME trace..... UNLESS they were cheap and had darkened them with water paint

[Richard Gordon]

I think it depends on the history of the badge. If it has been 'silver dipped' then the bluing will be completely stripped with absolutely no trace of bluing remaining. John, that's how I see the pilot badge you show, sorry.

As for the colour photo, I do not know for sure but it could be a black and white photo that has been colourised. I really have little knowledge of photography and the quality during the 2WW but quite often colour newsreel was original black&white and later coloured.

As for IMME/JMME, I never could work out if that's the colour they started or whether something, be it time or otherwise, has discoloured it.

For thing I can tell you... I have no IMME in my collection, simply for this reason. I think they look awful in this state.

Rich

[Chris Boonzaier]

As for the colour photo, I do not know for sure but it could be a black and white photo that has been colourised. I really have little knowledge of photography and the quality during the 2WW but quite often colour newsreel was original black&white and later coloured.

Hi,

there were indeed colour photos back then, a friend is bringing out a book about an Aufkl?rungs Abteilung in North Africa with all colour photos by one of the pilots.

[J Temple-West]

"As for the colour photo, I do not know for sure but it could be a black and white photo that has been colourised. I really have little knowledge of photography and the quality during the 2WW but quite often colour newsreel was original black&white and later coloured."

Rich,

The Rudel pic is in original colour, as are a lot of documentary films that abound on satellite history channels.

Have a look at this site http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/ww2incolor you may find it of interest.

As to the existence of 'all silver' badges, as with most things, there's always more than one school of thought. Imo, there's more evidence for than against.

[Jos Le Conté]

I've a somewhat bigger version of the Rudel pic and if you zoom in on that you'll see that Rudel's shoulderboards are kinda pale pink color instead of golden yellow,this and some other things in the pic makes me think the picture has been colored in.

The (orginal) Adler pic shows some much more blackened eagles than the pic here.

As for the IMME white eagles I do believe that this type of nickle badges never had any black/blue finnish.

I like them,the nickle is very tough/hard,that's why we probably hardly find them "worn with tombak shining through"...,kinda heavy duty badge..

Jos.