Luftwaffe Unqualified Air Gunners and Flight Engineers Badge.

Luftwaffe Unqualified Air Gunners and Flight Engineers Badge.

Instituted on. 25th April 1944

Rarity – Very Rare
Known Makers. GWL,

Luftwaffe Unqualified Air Gunners and Flight Engineers Badge - Obverse.

Luftwaffe Unqualified Air Gunners and Flight Engineers Badge - Reverse.

The badge was identical to the Air Gunners and Flight Engineers Badge, but the colours were reversed, so that the wreath was darkened and the eagle was silver. It was constructed as an oval metal badge, comprising a wreath, the right half of laurel leaves and the left of oak leaves, which was slightly convex, at the bottom, was a Swastika all of which were blacked.

In the centre of the wreath is an eagle in flight, flying from right to left of the badge, in a downward direction.  The reverse is flat, with a vertical pin the eagle being held on to the wreath by two rivets, one coming from each wing tip.

The cloth insignia for N.C.O.'s has been seen but the officers has not been encountered, but it is logical to assume that they were produced in both bullion and cotton thread. 

Luftwaffe Unqualified Air Gunners and Flight Engineers Badge - Cloth for N.C.O.'s .

On the 25th April 1944 a badge was introduced for anyone who had taken part in at least ten operations, or had been wounded in the course of his duty in these operations.  The badge was to reward personnel who had been flying due to the casualties in the closing stages of the war, who had not qualified for the aforesaid badge. 

The box for the badge is very rare and it is assumed that it took the form of the Luftwaffe presentation boxes. 

The CITATION for this badge is unknown, but as the badge was a retrospective award, that is to say one completed the combat experience before the badge was awarded; it seems unlikely that anything more than an entry in his Soldbuck was occasioned.