Luftwaffe collar tab rank gulls / wings opinions and info, please

[RamJet]

Hi,

I have a question about the rank gulls/wings for Luft EM/NCO collar tabs.


I have three kind of them:








The right ones are zinc with an attached wire, the other ones are aluminium (I believe) with three (left) and two prongs.

I think they all are okay and genuine (please correct me, if I am wrong, I have no idea where I got the alu ones, I have them for years and forget the source).

But is there a time table for the use of them? I suppose the massive zinc ones are early types and the other ones wartime, but I don't know.

Would be glad for any infos.

Have a nice day,
Steve

[Vet44]

Hi Steve

The aluminium type was made in the early ww2 years,
which were later replaced by other types because the pins often was broken.

Greetings Andi

[WEISNER]

Aluminum early with Zinc being later. Nice examples! Aluminum was discontinued for use on badges, rank insignia etc due to scarcity and it being needed for Aircraft and armament industries production, therefore these items were switched over to zinc.
Kevin

[RamJet]

Thanks, Andi and Kevin!

Does anybody know, when exactly the zinc ones came into use? 1942?

[RamJet]

I think I found the answer for my question by myself:

Germany experienced an aluminium crisis in the summer of 1941, which eventually led to the confiscation of industrial stocks. In 1941/42 aluminium was the main bottleneck of the aircraft and ammunition production. From 1941 on the war industry started scrap processing in large scale, including the re-use of the aluminium of enemy aircraft shot down.

So it would make sense if the zinc gulls started to replace the alu ones as early as in the second half of 1941.

[WEISNER]

Yep... You found the answer ramjet! Exactly!!!! well, you have three very nice examples with all being possibly found on one tunic with promotions spanning a couple years!
Thanks for shareing!
Kevin