Luft badges design

[Alex Bolotnikov]

I'm wondering if there is any information who was the designer of luft badges (Pilots and Observers for example)? And why the design changed so significantly when the production switched from early thin types to thick badges?

[Thomas Bendixen]

Hi Alex

I can't comment on the designer, but concerning the change of design I think it's perfectly in consistence with early NS stuff being more naturalistic and later turns more stylized. You can see this in western and Russian functionalist architecture as well. Today we tend to overlook that the Nazis were quite modern in their appearance.

Cheers Thomas

[Alex Bolotnikov]

Hi Thomas.

Thank you! A very interesting idea!

Hi Alex

I can't comment on the designer, but concerning the change of design I think it's perfectly in consistence with early NS stuff being more naturalistic and later turns more stylized. You can see this in western and Russian functionalist architecture as well. Today we tend to overlook that the Nazis were quite modern in their appearance.

Cheers Thomas

[Jean-Claude]

Also interesting to note that the change from the thin/delicate/naturalistic eagles (seen on A1, D1 and J1 badges) to their thicker, meaner looking, more stylized versions occured pretty much at the same time for these makers and coincides (more or less) with the outbreak of the war I beleive...

JC

[George L]

One guess I heard was it was an attempt to make the aluminum badges stronger by making them heavier, but it's just a guess.