Night Fighters Gold & Silver Opinions

[realone]

Ok guys would your thoughts on these 2 zinc night fighters, the gold one is unmarked the silver one is mm G H Osang Dresden, both catches are missing too

Thanks
Greg

[realone]

#2

[realone]

#3

[realone]

#4 theres old glue on the back of both, thats what you seeing

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Greg,

Both are original clasps, but a bit messed with. The Osang looks to have had its catch glued back on, but then broke again.

The unmarked one also appears to have some glue on it in the center, perhaps the arrow fell off and was glued back on. The rivet looks correct and untouched, but the arrow might have popped off and was fixed. But this could also be a sign that the arrow was removed to add the black paint to the wreath.

Its always tricky with nightfighters, and determining if they are true nightfighters, or converted day fighters with black painted wreaths....

Tom

[realone]

Hi Tom,,, your right on, first off these came right from the vet, my father-in-law and he got then new in there packet in mid 1945 and the reason they look messed with is my mother in-law cut the catches off and then popped of the hinges so she could mount them in a shadow box for display.

Now then she did this back in the early 1960s and have been in this way till she gave them to me about 17 yrs ago,,I put the hinges back on, other than that there all original,,including the black paint and the rivets are how they came when made too, just some dried glue on the back to hold them in place.

He was stationed at a German air base just south of Dachau, where he was in charge of 60 SS POWs that did work details at the base. so I know there the real deal and so is the black paint.

Thanks
Greg

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the followup, always great to give some provenance to these clasps, especially the nightfighters like this, that may not be 100% accepted by everyone.

I also love hearing stories like this about your mother-in-law, its so interesting to see the difference of how these items were treated by by people over the years. Can you imagine taking a pair of tile cutters and snipping off the catch on a clasp nowadays!!??

Tom

[Rich G]

My only observation that has not been mentioned is that the gold class looks like the gold has been repainted. You can see it has splashed over to the reverse a bit and the swastika is complete void of gold.

Rich

[AFF96]

Hi Greg!
Wonderful provenance!! To bad they were messed with, but still great family heirlooms!

[realone]

Thanks guys,,,yes Items not to resell,,but they were never repainted, just as you see them is how they came back from the war,,I remember seeing them hanging on the wall almost 40 yrs ago while dating my wife and they have pics of them hanging on the wall back in the early 60s to boot,,,so these are the REAL night fighters, not bad shape for being zinc ones too. Yes my mother in-law remembers when she did that and didnt think of thing about cutting off the catch,,she now knows it wasnt the right thing to do, oh well GOD bless her, she 84 and still gets around,,hes 88 but has dementia,, he was in the 8th airforce and fixed all the bullet holes on the planes along with other duties as a sheet metal man, at Burtonwood airforce base in England.

Thanks
Greg