WWII, GERMANY, LUFTWAFFE, FLAK BADGE, (Flak-Kampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe)

Military aviation underwent a large number of advancements during WWII. The invention of better engines, materials and engineering witnessed the birth of some of the most interesting aircraft in the history of war.

The new role enjoyed by aviation brought about changes to the way wars were fought. hundreads of aircraft took to the air at one time to perform bombing missions and fight one another in the skies. The troops in the ground saw the need to respond to the new threat from above by developing guns that could shoot very high and deliver an explosive round. The Anti-aircraft forces are born.

Hitler realized that fighting incoming aricraft from the ground was a tough assignment. As such, he wanted to create an award to recognize the troops that undertook this assignment. This came in the form of the anti-aircraft badge, also known as the Flak badge.

The design of the badge consists of an oval shaped wreath with a Luftwaffe eagle placed in the upper portion. The wreath branches meet in the lower portion to the left and right of a rectangular shape. Inside the wreath is the profile of the venerable 88 Anti-Aircraft gun. It is mounted on a base that shows the gears and mechanism required to change its angle.

The eagle is portrayed in flight. The wings are fully extended. It is flying to the right. A swastika is clutched with a single claw while the other claw is being held up in the air. The tail is facing down. This style is known as the "droop" tail eagle and it was employed in the early years of the Luftwaffe.
The back of the badge is flat and it features a Vertical pin (with some rust) which is hinged at the top with a catch soldered at the opposite end. The sample featured here does not have any manufacturer markings. Some of the badges were stamped at the point of production. However, that did not occur in every case.

The award was worn on the cheat area of the tunic . It was attached by running the pin through a series of loops (two or more) that were sewn to the jacket. The badge was worn during normal duties.