Cased BSW Pilot Badge

Product Description: This cased BSW Pilot Badge is an outstanding and extremely desirable set. The badge itself is exquisite, and is in very close to mint condition. It’s a beautiful, early production version, made of nickel silver. The wreath retains virtually all of the original nickel plating, with attractive original luster. The textbook BSW style eagle retains the original, factory applied, dark burnished finish, with nice highlights. The reverse of the badge shows only very slight age toning. It’s neatly marked behind the eagle with the stamped “clover leaf” manufacturer logo of the firm of BSW (Brüder Schneider, Wien). The two rivets used to affix the eagle to the wreath are typical BSW style, and are nice and tight. The hardware setup is intact and functional, with a “question mark” catch and barrel hinge applied directly to the wreath. There is no damage and no sign of repair. This choice badge is housed in a beautiful case. The exterior of the case retains virtually all of the original finish, and strong original color. The wording “Luftwaffenflugzeugführerabzeichen” is emblazoned on the lid. The hinge and push button function flawlessly. Inside, the badge rests on a medium blue flocked insert, showing very light wear. The blue flocked hinge cover and lid lining are intact. This cased BSW Pilot Badge is an extraordinary set, that would be hard to upgrade.

Historical Description: The Luftwaffe Pilot Badge was instituted by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring on August 12, 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, swooping eagle clutching the German national swastika emblem, surrounded by a 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 badges were made of aluminum, nickel silver, plated Tombak, and 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, opened up a large spectrum of variation collecting for Luftwaffe badge collectors.

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