Wings

[Ferg 1]

Just wondered if anyone has come across this device before . Made from stamped 800 silver with fine details and almost twice the size of a normal shoulderboard device . I just wondered if it could be a commemorative 1917-1921 Jungflieger abzeichen ? Any clues .
Ferg

[RonR]

Perhaps DLV....


....

[Ferg 1]

Thanks Ron, but I think I have answered my own question . Found this last night in my reference ‘ library ‘ . The question is what was the jungflieger association .This is clearly a commemorative award from 1921 on, but why and who were given them ?

[phild]

Of course the one that you posted and the one illustrated in the catalogue vary quite lot from each other in details.

I know nothing of the jungflieger or even if it was an organization or just a trinket for kids.
I know that wings roughly if not identical to the two types that you posted were worn on boards in WWI. In good photographs both the size scale and thickness of the devices can be recognized.
I have long wondered why the different size and thickness as well as slight design differences (wings and the prop), but I can not answer that.

I thought that there may have been a difference between Bavarian and Prussian designs, but my study of the photos do not show this 100% of the time.

[Ferg 1]

Yes it differs slightly from picture but refers to the fact it’s silver and oversize seems to indicate they must be the same. Variations in all these winged prop devices would indicate to me more than one maker , as we see with pilot badges etc.
The jungflieger was certainly not a kids trinket as ther are also award certificates ,rare but they do exist.
Ferg

[Ferg 1]

Said award document

[Ferg 1]

I imagine it was some sort of sports flying or training . A way of training Jung flyers for the war effort and then later covert training after the war had finished , a sort of precursor to the ‘secret Air Force ‘ that trained at places like Lipetsk in Russia in the later 20s .
Ferg

[phild]

I imagine it was some sort of sports flying or training . A way of training Jung flyers for the war effort and then later covert training after the war had finished , a sort of precursor to the ‘secret Air Force ‘ that trained at places like Lipetsk in Russia in the later 20s .
Ferg

I think you may be right, certainly an organization to promote aviation activity and interest with (probably) pre-military aged teens.

You are probably aware of the existence of similar wings, maybe even the same, that surfaced in the later 1970s(or perhaps even earlier) in large quantities in Germany. Those examples were attached to cardboard stock, apparently of some age, and consisted of 3 pairs of these insignia. Each pair was finished in either gold, silver or bronze and marked on the card accordingly. The card was labeled something like “flyers insignia” in German.
Examples of these cards with insignia have been published in at least one of the books on flight badges from the last 10 years, I think one of Pandas but not 100% on that. I would believe that examples or the cards have been posted here as well.

[Ferg 1]

Yes seen those sets on card backing, although they are the standard size for shoulderboards . I have seen quite a few of those over the past few years which worries me slightly.
Ferg