Help Identifying Rank Insignia

[DouglasDwight]

Hello Gents,

I'd like to EStand this item, and am try to figure out what rank it is for, and a value range. My research tells me that it is rank insignia, I believe for like flight suits or heavy flying coats. That is about all that I know.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

--Doug

[DouglasDwight]

Reverse...

[Gene]

It is for the rank of Major. The gray wool backing was for use on the sports jacket and I'd say it's worth about $80

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks, Gene. But that opens up another question...What is a sports jacket? Like a light-weight coat for athletics or calistentics? I wasn't aware they were such uniforms, per se.

[Gene]

Yep, kind of like a track suit. You'll find this type of insignia on various backings, like blue and tan examples for wear on flightsuits and flight jackets, a greenish backing known as Grünmeliert which was often used on paratrooper jump smocks, and gray for sports use. The rank was designated as follows with white gulls and bars:

One gull- Unteroffizier
Two gulls- Unterfeldwebel
Three gulls- Feldwebel
Four gulls- Oberfeldwebel
Four gulls with embroidered pip- Stabsfeldwebel

One gull and one horizontal bar- Leutnant
Two gulls and one horizontal bar- Oberleutnant
Three gulls and one horizontal bar- Hauptmann

One gull and two horizontal bars- Major
Two gulls and two horizontal bars- Oberstleutnant
Three gulls and two horizontal bars- Oberst

One gold gull and one horizontal gold bar- Generalmajor
Two gold gulls and one horizontal gold bar- Generalleutnant
Three gold gulls and one horizontal gold bar- General der Flieger

[Gary B]

Hio,

They were worn in pairs in the early part of the war and later on were only worn on one sleeve.

Gary B

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks for the good info. Gene & Gary. I appreciate it!

[Pitomnik]

Hi !
Please tell me - what size this rank chevron ?
Thanks !

[DouglasDwight]

Sorry, I don't know Piomnik...this patch sold on EStand recently. No way for me to measure it now.

[NickG]

Old thread but wanted to bring this back to the top.

These rank bars were worn on flight suits (tan) and channel jackets (blue-gray).

What about the use on (private purchase) leather jackets?
The majority of leather jackets pretty much always have added shoulder straps...

Were these rank bars ever used on leather flight jackets as well? Would be practical!
Any examples? Period mages to show?

[Gene]

Can't recall seeing wartime pics of sleeve rank on leather jackets; it would require a lot of stitching which can be a bitch with leather. Shoulder boards are a lot simpler plus you could add pips as you gained rank

[pablo10]

ive also never seen rank on p.p leather jackets but theirs a cool picture in the book luft vs raf by mick prodger of a captured irvin acket with rank attached of a hauptmann zerstorer me110 pilot (page 82)
cheers-pablo

[NickG]

ive also never seen rank on p.p leather jackets but theirs a cool picture in the book luft vs raf by mick prodger of a captured irvin acket with rank attached of a hauptmann zerstorer me110 pilot (page 82)
cheers-pablo

Thanks so it was done occasionally, but still very rare to see such rank insignia on leather garments!

[NickG]

Can't recall seeing wartime pics of sleeve rank on leather jackets; it would require a lot of stitching which can be a bitch with leather. Shoulder boards are a lot simpler plus you could add pips as you gained rank

True but USAAF A2 leather jackets had all kinds of patches stitched on these...
and in case of the LW such rank bar insignia could be attached with prym snap buttons, which you occasionally see on cotton flight jackets...
So a promotion is easy to accomplish with that method.

[NickG]

Can't recall seeing wartime pics of sleeve rank on leather jackets; it would require a lot of stitching which can be a bitch with leather. Shoulder boards are a lot simpler plus you could add pips as you gained rank

Here's a solution for the issues that you pointed out Gene (less stitching and promotion possibility).
Because of these issues, they also used "Prym" snaps to apply these rank bars ! (here shown on a channel jacket that's being offered on the web!)
but I agree its probably also a pain to add snap buttons to a leather sleeve!


Was it perhaps done MOSTLY on softer shearling flight garments?
(note: the example is a real, a web offer from Sweden listed at $2760 USD!!!)

and link (private purchase real one shown, at least the poster claims...I have my doubts):

http://www.militarytrader.co.uk/foru...ead.php?t=5287


Any other opinions on such rank insignia (also) appearing on LEATHER flight jackets? Photos? examples?




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