French anti aircraft (???) enamel insignia, arthur bertrand, paris depose

[Milton]

Hello folks. I found this amongst the souvenirs of a local WWII medic. Safe to assume it's a French AA insignia of some sort from the pre-war days? The obverse depicts a plane silhouetted in white (a searchlight beam), flying between what I can only assume is three flak bursts. This is flanked by two AA guns in profile. Between them is the designation 402e / RCCA which I must assume denotes a particular regiment?? If anyone can positively ID this for me, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thank you.

[blinky]

Well, 402nd Regiment Defense Contre les Avions (RDCA) or 402nd Defense Against Aircraft Regiment (anti-aircraft regiment as you suspected). I think it was based in Metz and was dissolved after the French surrender to Germany in 1940.
Nice badge

[blinky]

ah, more info:

Formed in 1923 in Mainz, disestablished during the Armistice. Re-organized in 1947 and served until 2013.

Some neat pictures on this page:

http://museedesemuy.e-monsite.com/pa...a-de-metz.html

[Milton]

Thank you Blinky! Well, considering the source, I'm going to assume this badge pre-dates 1940. Thanks for the information!

[blinky]

pre-1940 is a safe bet. They dropped the "regiment" (DCA) I *think* either around the time of the invasion or possibly after it's reorganization. I know the modern insignia features a surface-to-air missile which they began using in the early 1960s.

Great find and again, a very nice badge.

[Milton]

Thanks again Blinky. Is this a "stand alone" badge, or rather, a cap or collar insignia, or part of a "pair"? Also, any idea where I might get some idea of its value? Thx again for the information!

[scotty1418]

It's a stand-alone . Manufactured in 1938 and used 38-1940 when the unit was dissolved with the armistice.

My website -French-Insignia.com focuses on them

I'll PM you more!

[Milton]

Thanks again to Scotty for id'ing this piece. Here's another one, sort of in the same vein, that came to me a while back w/ some other German WWII pieces. Similar style plane design, in enamel, w/ a radar dish. the backing pin is sadly missing, but I'm hoping this one can be id'd as well? Came with other WWII vintage items. An obverse and reverse pic below...

[scotty1418]

Hi Milton,

Too bad the pin is missing. As with the other, I would suggest it's a 'Land Defense against air forces' ("Defense Aerienne"). Many such badges feature a spotlight - here the symbolism suggests not just light - but more likely radar.

I'll keep looking for an exact match.

Scott

[Milton]

Thanks Scott. Appreciate your efforts.