Luftwaffe Silver Bomber Clasp – Juncker

Product Description: This Luftwaffe Silver Bomber Clasp – Juncker is a great, early quality badge. It is made of Tombak, a brass alloy. The obverse retains nearly all of the original finish. The dark color to the bomb emblem remains strong, with only minor wear, and the original silver finish on the wreath and oak leaves is extremely well-preserved, with beautiful age toning. The reverse of this Luftwaffe Silver Bomber Clasp – Juncker is unmarked, but this is a textbook product of the C. E. Juncker firm, a desirable maker. The wide pin is retained by a soldered, barrel hinge, and the round wire catch is likewise soldered in place. All of the hardware is functional and unrepaired, and the rivet holding the central emblem in place is intact and textbook. There is a minor and stable crack to the wreath. This is a really attractive piece, in excellent overall condition.

Historical Description: To acknowledge and recognize the achievements of Luftwaffe flight personnel who had taken part in missions against the enemy, the Luftwaffe in 1941 introduced a series of flight clasps, to be worn as awards on the uniform. The German term for this clasp was “Frontflugspange,” literally “Front Flight Clasp”; these are known to collectors as Flight Bars, Operational Flying Clasps or Squadron Clasps. The clasps took the form of a central emblem, set in a wreath of laurel leaves, and flanked on both sides by sprigs of oak leaves. On most designs, the German national swastika emblem was set at the bottom of the laurel wreath. The central emblem varied depending on the type of missions for which the clasp was awarded. An upward-pointed winged arrow was for Short Range Day Fighters, while a downward pointing winged arrow was for Long Range Day Fighters and Air to Ground Support (support crews later had their own crossed swords emblem). Bomber crews had a winged bomb emblem, a Luftwaffe eagle was chosen to represent Transport and Glider Squadrons, and an eagle head was worn by Reconnaisance, Air-Sea Rescue and Meteorological Squadrons. The clasps were produced in various grades to indicate the number of missions flown- Bronze for 20 flights, Silver for 60 flights and Gold for 100 flights. For personnel who surpassed the number of missions required for the Gold clasp, small pendants were produced, starting in 1942, to recognize the greater and greater numbers of missions being flown. There was a “star” pendant, that was given for certain numbers of flights beyond 100 missions (depending on the type of clasp, between 250 and 500 missions were required to earn the star). There were also numbered pendants, beginning with 200 missions, and increasing in increments of 100,. As with all Third Reich military awards, Luftwaffe flight clasps are highly sought after collectibles today.

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