Interesting picture of a LW (Croatian?) Pilot in a private purchase leather jacket with baggy tropical pants. He is a candidate officer (warrant officer) based on his NCO shoulderboards, officer's cap cords and officer's pattern belt.
What makes this image even more interesting is the sleeve shield!
Foreign volunteers in the Luftwaffe usually wore their nationality shields on the RIGHT sleeve and the Kroat staffel usually wore a winged national shield.
HOWEVER here we see a Waffen SS style black bordered Croatian shield worn on the LEFT sleeve, so I have 2 theories:
-He is a Kroation national and liked the Waffen SS pattern patch because the black border matches his black (open neck) flight jacket (???)..Perhaps?
-He is a reconaisance pilot of a light observation plane (like a Fischler Storch)and in that capacity attached to a Waffen SS unit like Prinz Eugen or Handschar as their "eyes in the sky" during anti partisan operations. So he is not Kroatian at all, but was "awarded" this SS design Kroatian patch for anti partisan operations. This Kroatian shield unofficially became a "badge of honor" for anti partisan operations and as such worn by many Germans, indicating past "einsatzstaffel" service in the war against irregulars (bandenkampf). Basically used as a campaign sleeve shield award, like a Krim shield, but it was not an official practice... !
Based on the appearance of the civilians in the background and the mixed tropical and continental uniforms this could certainly be a picture taken somewhere in the Balkans, so my theory is not too far fetched!
Thoughts on this theory?
Nick
PS: To clarify, I am not the owner of this picture...It was posted on the web from Russia (or the Ukraine, I can't distinguish between the two...) but a fellow WAF member Sandro informed me that the owner of this image is Francois Saez who got it from E-bay so credit goes to him!!!
What makes this image even more interesting is the sleeve shield!
Foreign volunteers in the Luftwaffe usually wore their nationality shields on the RIGHT sleeve and the Kroat staffel usually wore a winged national shield.
HOWEVER here we see a Waffen SS style black bordered Croatian shield worn on the LEFT sleeve, so I have 2 theories:
-He is a Kroation national and liked the Waffen SS pattern patch because the black border matches his black (open neck) flight jacket (???)..Perhaps?
-He is a reconaisance pilot of a light observation plane (like a Fischler Storch)and in that capacity attached to a Waffen SS unit like Prinz Eugen or Handschar as their "eyes in the sky" during anti partisan operations. So he is not Kroatian at all, but was "awarded" this SS design Kroatian patch for anti partisan operations. This Kroatian shield unofficially became a "badge of honor" for anti partisan operations and as such worn by many Germans, indicating past "einsatzstaffel" service in the war against irregulars (bandenkampf). Basically used as a campaign sleeve shield award, like a Krim shield, but it was not an official practice... !
Based on the appearance of the civilians in the background and the mixed tropical and continental uniforms this could certainly be a picture taken somewhere in the Balkans, so my theory is not too far fetched!
Thoughts on this theory?
Nick
PS: To clarify, I am not the owner of this picture...It was posted on the web from Russia (or the Ukraine, I can't distinguish between the two...) but a fellow WAF member Sandro informed me that the owner of this image is Francois Saez who got it from E-bay so credit goes to him!!!
Comment