Pilot Badge Controversy?

[Brian S]

This has been described by some as the 'enlisted' version of the pilot badge.

I disagree.

Yes, bullion on eagles on caps and breast eagles.

But a different award for a pilot badge? Can someone point to an official decree?

If this is the enlisted and the bullion the officer, why are the metal versions of all the flight badges the same?

Why is Oberst Josef "Pips" Priller Kommodore of JG 26 wearing this badge and not a bullion example?

My humble theory...If you had to wear a life preserver and parachute and other flight equipment over your flight jacket, would you want a bullion eagle getting shredded by your equipment? IMHO, no.

Thoughts please!

[Jos L C]

I guess the cloth versions were used all purpose just like the breast and cap eagles.
Many officers side caps have the cloth eagle mounted.

Priller also wears a cloth breast eagle on his leather jacket..

Jos.

[Joe D]

I totally agree with you Brian. If you would like to get rid of that enlisted pilot's badge, just let me know?

[Brian S]

Nein matey, that 'uns in the locker 6 fathoms below for safe keeping

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hello Brian,

Very good point that would seem logical, but I prefer to adopt that the cloth badges in bullion were for or specified for officers. The cloth variation were introduced in 1935 for flight jackets and would be consistant with the bulllion piping found on over seas cap , officers visors and breast eagles.

As indicated in James Benders book "The Luftwaffe" where the publisher clearly staets on page 226 that the aluminum thread or silver wire (bullion) version was specified for officers.

John Angolia's book for Fuhrer and Fatherland " page 165
States that the bullion pattern was for officers whilethe embroidered pattern was for EM and noncoms were of thread .

Detlev catalog page 512 also states the two grades.

I guess that an officer could get away with wearing a non-bullion piece, but not the other way around. I also feel as the war progressed ,say late 192 early 1943 some of the regulations were compromised.

But , in the creation of the badge I feel the bullion example was meant to be worn by officers and was not a freedom of preference.


Just my thoughts,
JD

[Brian S]

And yet seems odd that enlisted 'pilots', 'observers', etc., could wear the normal metal badge?

[John T]

That piece talks to you!!!

Were all pilot's officers?

John

[Luftm40]

John, to answer your question...no. In fact I believe, the majority of Luftwaffe pilots were NCOs. The German used a different approach than the US, where most pilots were officers....

[Jos L C]

Is there someone who can show a clear picture of Priller's cloth NCO badge ?


Jos.

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hello Brian,

Can you post a pic of an EM or NCO wearing one ?

Best,
JD

[Brian S]

Lots of pics in Angolia's Volume 1 of NCO's wearing the metal and the cloth version of the badge.

From Angolia's book Vol. 3 page 501;

"Wear of embroidered badges was permitted on the flyer's blouse of officers only. By an order date 18 Nov. 1937 wear of machine embroidered badges was prescribed on the flyer's blouses of NCOs and privates. However, wear of the metal versions frequently continued. The officer pattern was hand-embroidered in relief and made of aluminum... "

So here's the thing, before 18 Nov. 1937 officers would have worn the embroidered version. Then the prescribed version changes to an officer/non-officer version.

But...

NCOs and privates continue to wear the metal version as can be seen in Angolia's book you see more metal versions on NCOs than cloth versions!

But...



Based on the date, 1937, I'll defer to the vernacular of the hand-embroidered version for officers and the machine embroidered version for non-officers.

[Sly]

Dragging this up six years later...

The photos I have seen of Priller's leather jacket look like a bullion version, or perhaps a very defined weave and padded cloth version.

Is there someone who can show a clear picture of Priller's cloth NCO badge ?


Jos.