BSW Pilot Observer Badge

Product Description: This very rare BSW Pilot Observer Badge in nickel silver is a mega badge. This exact badge is featured in Sebastien Talbot’s excellent book “The German Luftwaffe Pilot and Combined Pilot and Observer Badges”. If you don’t already own a copy, you should! This early, top quality badge is made of two pieces of die struck nickel silver, which are held together by two rivets that are visible on the reverse. The obverse design of the eagle is classic BSW. The wreath has a muted gold finish, that covers both the obverse and reverse. The silver eagle also has the same dull, muted appearance as that of the gold wreath. The badge shows only light wear, with crisp detail remaining. The reverse of the badge features textbook BSW hardware, with an elongated barrel hinge, straight needle pin, and round wire catch. The BSW “clover leaf” maker mark (an abbreviation for Gebrüder Schneider AG, in Vienna) is neatly stamped behind the eagle. The two rivets which securely hold the eagle to the wreath are also textbook BSW, with the same muted silver finish as that of the eagle. The pin is functional, and there are absolutely no signs that the badge has ever been disassembled or tampered with. To date, we know of only one other BSW Pilot Observer Badge in existence. The condition of this piece rates as a very strong excellent plus.

Historical Description: The Luftwaffe Combined Pilot Observer Badge was instituted by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring on January 19, 1935. It was among the earliest badges introduced in the German Wehrmacht and was worn by all qualified pilots in the German Air Force, similar to the “wings” worn by some other armies. The design of the badge featured a large, silver swooping eagle clutching the German national swastika emblem, surrounded by a golden wreath of oak and laurel leaves. The badge was normally presented in a blue hinged case. It was worn on the upper left uniform pocket, and a cloth version was also authorized for field use. In the nearly ten years from the introduction of this badge, to the end of WWII, the manufacturers of these awards made many changes in the features of the designs. Some companies, like Juncker, Assmann, and Deumer, had early first pattern badges which looked completely different from later pieces by the same manufacturers. Pilot Observer badges were made of aluminum, nickel silver, plated Tombak, and later on in zinc. The eagle was always a separate piece, riveted to the wreath, with different manufacturers using different rivet designs. As the war progressed, and dies wore out, many makers produced badges with subtle changes. All of these changes over time open up a large spectrum of variation collecting for Luftwaffe badge collectors.

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