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**Stijn David** · 01-20-2009, 10:16 AM

Glider badge

Hello Dale,

Thank you posting your question. There is not a original known glider badge known at this point from any Gablonz company.

The only certain glider producers know as of this time are:

* C.E.Juncker
* Brüder Schneider / Wien

And then one type is also known as a private purchase type and produced y the company of M.F.P. Posen.

Besides the above known producers there are also the large eagle variant badge but for that one there is no producer known (as far as todays knowledge does go the producer should have been arround Königsberg).

The shown glide rpilots badge is a known fake and not one for your colelction. If the glider subject and its badge is of interest for you i can only advise you to obtain the book:

The glider pilot badge (published through B&D publishing). That is the todays most through reference on the subject wich will point you in the direction of wich badge to look for.

Cordial greetings,

**Leroy** · 01-20-2009, 10:20 AM

These badges have been controversial and are not included in the book by Stijn David. I personally like them and believe they are real.

P.S. Saw Stijn's comment after I posted initially. With all due respect, I still think they are real.

**Stepdale** · 01-20-2009, 12:37 PM

Thanks to both of you for your info. I am not interested in the glider badge per se, but generally like to collect medals and badges from Gablonz makers. If either of you knows of any threads where this particular style of glider badge is discussed, please post them so I can read them. My free time here is very limited, and with the slow internet it takes me an hour to do any kind of search on the forum.
Thank you,
Dale

**Leroy** · 01-20-2009, 12:59 PM

Here is a link: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...l-hinge+glider

**Thomas Durante** · 01-20-2009, 03:36 PM

Hi guys,

Just my 2 cents, but I have always found these to be quite believable, with period looking finish and hardware. I have also not really seen a good link between these and confirmed reproductions. The bubbling of the finish that is usually found on these is also quite believable IMO.

Tom

**Jeff V** · 01-20-2009, 04:34 PM

I also believe these to be original. The finish and construction points to a wartime made badge.
best wishes,
jeff

**all1knew** · 01-20-2009, 06:06 PM

Hello there,

I'd own this.

William Kramer

**Stijn David** · 01-21-2009, 03:43 AM

Glider badge Gablonz Maker

Hello,

That is exactly the point, believe => my pints are made clear in the thread shown by Leroy.

For me there is proof needed (such as pictures where such a badge is clearely shown and that can't be all that hard because the eagle is so distinctive).

But everybody must make up his own mind IMHO.

Cordial greetings,

**Jos L C** · 01-21-2009, 06:55 PM

Why is this a Gablonz maker ?

The badge looks rather convincing, it doesn't look like one of those attempts in the first place..

Concerning "proof" , the Flieger Erinnerungs abzeichen took 65 years to show up in pics, so, who knows ?

My bet is that there're millions of pictures we haven't seen plus many of those will never hit the internet..
I'm still enjoying many "new" pics I've never seen and some of those are still revealing some new facts I didn't know, my list of questions is still quite large though.

Jos.

**rfleming32** · 01-21-2009, 08:15 PM

I am on the fence with these badges. I have seen some very convincing examples. However, Stijn's research is excellent and is based upon extensive contact with the people who earned the awards. This badge, as shown in the thread, is not that hard to come by and I personally think that Stinjn would have surfaced an example of this badge given the number of glider personnel he has met with and given that they seem to be more common than the accepted examples. I remain skeptical and have stayed away from them. If this were an Knights Cross and I were Dietrich .......

**Stepdale** · 01-22-2009, 12:47 AM

Thank you to everyone for sharing their info and opinions. I didn't realize this was such a heavily debated badge, I just saw it and recognized the hardware as being typical for Gablonz makers. I don't have the expertise to make a final determination as to the originality of this badge, though based on my experience I have to say they look original to me.
Thanks,
Dale

**Stijn David** · 01-22-2009, 02:40 AM

Glider badge

Hello,

Indeed i is possible that pictural evidence does turn up with such a badge in wear but untill this very day that is not the case. I do not know iff you guys have read my book in wich there is qualifyed estimation based upon facts of howmuch glider pilots where trained during the period december 1940 and september 1944? Counting in numbers a qualifyed glider pilot is more rare then a KC.

However comparing it towards a bravery award is just plain wrong, because this is a qualification badge and with progres of war the possibility's of becoming a trained glider did get less untill the training was completely disbanded in september 1944.

It also has no use to compare a glider badge as has been done before towards Close combat clasps, panzer Assault badges, etc .... etc ... in order to justify extra producers. Because when you do that you simply neglect the reality of war and the nature of the badges in question.

SInce the last thread (wich Leroy does show us) i have had the luck to visit and intervieuw quite a few more glider pilots. This does bring the number of these soldiers wich i have interviewed and visited over the years over 100 persons and quite few of these extra's also did still had a original badge. (yes they are still out there)

Im am sorry to say but again nowwhere such a badge did surface. Once again C.E.Juncker, BSW and in a rare occasion the large eagle ones.

Neither did i find pictural proof for this very badge, I would love to expand my knowledge on these very badges and will be very happy to announce iff i encounter a new (untill this day) variant that can be accepted as 100 % certain. But untill this day this is dreaming with the eyes open.

The same is true iff anyone can show a picture where this one is shown (if the picture is clear this type of badge is easely identifyed because of the very distinctive look of the eagle) then we can go on with the discussion based upon what we see and not how we feel.

Always keep a open mind is needed and never say never, but with what we know as of this day => im sorry i am not a believer.

Cordial greetings,

**Leroy** · 01-22-2009, 08:12 AM

Stijn,
Were you able to determine, from the pilots you met, whether the badge they still had was their original, presented badge (not including the large eagle version), or whether it was a replacement badge from official sources after they had lost the original, or if it was private purchase?
Thanks,
Leroy

**Stijn David** · 01-22-2009, 10:34 AM

Glider badge

Hello Leroy,

That is hard offcoarse as one is always depending on what these glider pilots do say. But in almost all cases they did say me that it was there awarded badge. And in all of these cases there is always some kind of pictural proof that the badge they where is indeed of the type they have.

Besides that we also have the time of awarding, etc. .... wich also gives a indication if it true what they say, etc .... and untill today i have not found one cheat amongst these fellows.

I know of 3 cases in wich they had a badge from a former friend, and then i do see that as a secondary source but always have the name from the pilot etc .... who earned it originally etc ....

Hoping this does answer your question a bit, feel free to ask more iff interested.

Cordial greetings,

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