Luftwaffe Just thinking out loud

[Bob Lyons]

Just a thought rattling around in my head, what would be the most exciting find in amongst old photos that

a collector of Luftwaffe items could dig up that would cause us collectors to drool, some ideas of mine would

be:

1. Photo of Luftwaffe Panzer personnel wearing Panzer berets with Luftwaffe insignia,

2. The elusive 'GL' device actually being worn on a visor cap during the period,

3. Summer (mesh) flying helmet with a long comms cord,

4. One that I was reading over in the WAF, which would be good to find too, and that would be

tropical paras serving in North Africa with the blue LW 'Afrika' cuff title being worn.

5. Period colour photos of Paras wearing other coloured pipings apart from yellow being worn

Just to start the ball rolling.....

Bob

[François SAEZ]

Flying helmet with short cable ( )

Wartime photos showing honor goblets, honor roll of the LW, unit stick pins of the LW

Unit badges/emblems on flying suits (one example is shown in LiF)

Photos showing pilot/crew filling a logbook

Very good close up of both side insignas on tropical pith helmet of the LW

Pics of flying/survival equipment

.../...

[Paul R]

Portraits of LW Firefighters

Sonderfuhrer EM Level

Clear Bandmeister Photos. Both pre and post 1938.

[Gene]

Color photos of enlisted personnel wearing overseas caps with branch piping on them

[Bob Lyons]

I have an album that does show some form of unit (I presume) emblem being worn on a visor cap, but out of all of the

photos in the book, there are a couple of them that are printed on rough paper, and the image is pretty lousy, but I will

show them, courtesy of my digital camera, I might be able to get better scans once our scanner is working again, but here

are the photos I mean.

[Bob Lyons]

The actual page it is on...

[Bob Lyons]

A shame that this shot isn't clear, some others in the album are very interesting, here is another page....

[Bob Lyons]

and another...

[Bob Lyons]

This guy got around a bit....

[Bob Lyons]

Yes that was an army crusher being worn in the previous shot of the man wearing the flight overalls,

here is another showing a KG 26 He 111 with torpedoes...

Bob

[Scott]

Period photo of someone wearing one (or more) of the following:

- Numbered LW Ground Assault Badge

- LW Tank Badge

- LW Close Combat Clasp

That would stir things up a bit!

Scott

PS: Great photos by the way - who's the general (FM?) in the dark glasses in post #9?

Edited August 16, 2007 by Scott

[François SAEZ]

Just a thought rattling around in my head, what would be the most exciting find in amongst old photos that

a collector of Luftwaffe items could dig up that would cause us collectors to drool, some ideas of mine would

be:

1. Photo of Luftwaffe Panzer personnel wearing Panzer berets with Luftwaffe insignia,

.../...

Bob,

According to regulations, is it possible

[François SAEZ]

Period photo of someone wearing one (or more) of the following:

- Numbered LW Ground Assault Badge

- LW Tank Badge

- LW Close Combat Clasp

That would stir things up a bit!

Scott

PS: Great photos by the way - who's the general (FM?) in the dark glasses in post #9?

Scott,

I may be wrong here but it seems to me that we are touching the issue of the real late war badges and the usual question is

When were those badges institued

Were they ever be awarded (especially the numbered LW Ground Assault Badge)

Were they produced and awarded

In fact, we have been there many times and several forgeries have been highlighted (document for the numbered LW Ground Assault Badge)

To your list we should add balloon badge, von thoma with Spanish Cross in Gold with diamonds and all blabla ...

Only advice I can give is to understand that one of the best way to make a fake is to use something where you have few if no reference

[François SAEZ]

I have an album that does show some form of unit (I presume) emblem being worn on a visor cap, but out of all of the

photos in the book, there are a couple of them that are printed on rough paper, and the image is pretty lousy, but I will

show them, courtesy of my digital camera, I might be able to get better scans once our scanner is working again, but here

are the photos I mean.

Bob,

Can you, please, make a close up of the cap (when you can of course)

[Bob Lyons]

Hi Francois

Thanks for correcting me on the flight helmet, that was what I meant to say !!!

Re the Panzer beret, I recall a book I had years ago had photos of supposed Luftwaffe troops in

black uniforms with berets, but was taken from a heck of a distance, so they could have been Heer troops,

(and I can't recall the name of the book now), but probably too early for them to wear berets anyway, it was

just an interesting thought....

Yes I will try and get that photo scanned so it comes out a bit better, just have to fix the scanner,

it is sadly a poor quality print though, and not much more will come of it, I could send the photo over your

way if you like, for a better look, as it is just in the album by the 4 stick down photo holders.

Sorry Scott, I don't know who the guy with the glasses is.

Bob

[Scott]

Francois, I agree with you 100%. My post above was meant to be humorous - I guess I need work in that area

[ERIC]

I'd love to see a photo from an awards ceremony where the Honour Salver was presented. THAT would be awesome.

ERIC