flakbadges

THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT COMBAT BADGE WAS AUTHORIZED ON JANUARY 10, 1941, BY THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE AIRFORCE. THE DESIGN OF THE BADGE WAS DONE BY THE BADGE DESIGNER WILHELM PEEKHAUS. INITIALLY THIS AWARD WAS GIVEN IN RECOGNITION OF DESTRUCTION OF AIR AS WELL AS GROUND TARGETS. LATER IN THE WAR (1942) IT WAS AWARDED FOR DESTRUCTION OF AIR TARGETS ONLY. THIS BADGE FEATURED THE FAMED GERMAN 88MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN SURROUNDED BY OAK LEAVES WITH THE LUFTWAFFE EAGLE ATTACHED AT TOP. THE AWARD WAS TO BE WORN ON THE LEFT BREAST.

THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT-BADGE WAS AN INDIVIDUAL AWARD. GENERALLY IT WAS AWARDED TO CREW MEMBERS OF A FLAK BATTERY OR SEARCHLIGHT BATTERY WHO DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES IN COMBAT BY ACCUMULATING A TOTAL OF 16 POINTS ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE:

1) participation in downing of enemy aircraft.......2 points

2) being the sole battery involved in the

downing of enemy aircraft..........................4 points

3) detecting enemy aircraft by either searchlight or

acoustical means and tracking enemy to another searchlight....1 point

THE BADGE COULD ALSO BE AWARDED FOR A SINGLE ACT OF BRAVERY IN THE SERVICE OF THE FLAK DEFENSES OR TO A UNIT COMMANDER ONCE MORE THAN HALF OF HIS PERSONNEL WERE AWARDED THE BADGE. THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT BADGE COULD ALSO BE AWARDED (PRIOR TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GROUND COMBAT BADGE...1942) FOR THREE SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENTS AGAINST LAND OR SEA TARGETS. FLAK BATTERIES WERE USED WITH GREAT EFFECT AGAINST ARMORED TARGETS THROUGHOUT THE WAR.

THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT OR FLAK BADGE WAS ISSUED IN ONLY ONE GRADE, UNLIKE MANY OTHER 3RD REICH AWARDS. IT WAS A SILVER COLORED(MANY WERE ACTUALLY ISSUED IN 800 SILVER AND NICKEL SILVER MATERIAL) AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 47MMx58MM (widthxheight, wreath only) IN SIZE. THE ACTUAL MATERIALS USED WERE AS VARIED AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT IN WAR-TIME GERMANY. INITIALLY THEY WERE MADE OF SUPERIOR METALS, SILVER.NICKEL SILVER, AND PLATED TOMBAK (BUNT METAL) TYPE MATERIALS. AS THE WAR PROGRESSED LATER VERSIONS WERE MADE OF VARYING QUALITIES OF ZINC AND POT METAL THAT HAD BEEN DIPPED IN SILVER LACQUER TYPES OF FINISHES. THE GENERAL MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES WERE A DIE CASTING TECHNIQUE WHERE THE METAL TO BE FORMED IS HEATED TO A LIQUID STATE AND PRESSED INTO A MOLD.

KNOWN MANUFACTURORS OF THIS AWARD ARE THE FOLLOWING FIRMS:

ASSMANN- F.W. ASSMANN AND SOHNE OF LUDENSCHEID. THIS FIRM MARKED THEIR BADGES WITH A LARGE "A" ON THE REVERSE.

GUSTAV BREHMER- OF MARKNEUKIRCHEN. THIS FIRM MARKED THEIR BADGES TWO WAYS. THE EARLY QUALITY PIECES WERE MARKED "BREHMER MARKNEUKIRCHEN" ON THREE LINES OF TEXT. THEIR LATTER WAR BADGES WERE SIMPLY MARKED "G.B.".

WALTER & HENLEIN - OF GABLONZ. THIS FIRM MARKED THEIR BADGES WITH THEIR INITIALS "W.H.". ANY BADGES MARKED WITH THESE INITIALS AND THE CITY "WEIN" ARE CONSIDERED FAKES BY MOST COLLECTORS.

C.E. JUNCKER- OF BERLIN. FLAK BADGES BY THIS FIRM WERE EITHER UNMARKED OR IMPRINTED WITH TWO LINES OF TEXT "C.E. JUNKER BERLIN S W".

GEBRUDER WEGERHOFF- OF LUDENSCHEID. BADGES BY THIS FIRM WERE MARKED WITH THEIR FAMOUS "GWL" IN A CIRCLE.

HERMANN WERNSTEIN- OF JENA-JOBERSTADT. THE WERNSTEIN FIRM MARKED THEIR BADGES WITH THEIR TRADEMARK "W" IN A CIRCLE.

THE ARMY FLAK BADGE WAS AUTHORIZED ON JULY 18, 1941 BY THE ARMY COMMANDER IN CHIEF. THIS BADGE WAS TO BE AWARDED TO INDIVIDUALS IN ARMY (HEER) ANTI-AIRCRAFT UNITS. LIKE THE AIRFORCE (LUFTWAFFE) FLAK BADGE DESCRIBED ABOVE THERE WAS ONLY ONE LEVEL TO THIS AWARD. THE AWARD WAS WORN ON THE LEFT BREAST AND WAS SILVER IN COLOR. THIS AWARD ALSO FEATURED THE 88MM GUN WITH THE ARMY EAGLE ON TOP.

UNLIKE THE LUFTWAFFE AWARD THIS BADGE WAS AWARDED FOR SHOOTING DOWN AIRCRAFT ONLY. SINCE MOST FLAK BATTERIES WERE LUFTWAFFE CONTROLLED THIS WAS A FAIRLY RARE WAR BADGE TO BE ISSUED. WHEN ENGAGED AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, THE CREW OF AN ARMY FLAK BATTERY WOULD BE AWARDED THE GENERAL ASSAULT BADGE. TO RECEIVE THE ARMY ANTI-AIRCRAFT BADGE THE CREW HAD TO GET CREDIT FOR TAKING PART IN THE SHOOTING DOWN OF FIVE ENEMY AIRCRAFT. BATTERY COMMANDERS WERE ALSO AUTHORIZED THE AWARD ONCE HALF OF HIS SUBORDINATES HAD QUALIFIED FOR THE BADGE.