Deumer Pilot Badge Case

Product Description: This Deumer Pilot Badge Case is a nice example of a rare item. It’s a high quality, early production piece, originally used for a badge made by the firm of Wilhelm Deumer in Lüdenscheid. The exterior retains full original color and virtually all of the original surface to the artificial leather. There is some light wear to edges, and light scattered marks throughout. The lid of the case is embossed with the German word for “pilot,” Flugzeugführer, in gold leaf. This inscription is completely intact. The round pushbutton and hinge function flawlessly. Inside, this Deumer Pilot Badge Case has a beautiful velvet insert. The outline of a badge on the insert is visible. The lid lining and hinge cover are made of dark blue rayon, with no issues. This very hard-to-find case displays very nicely, and remains in excellent condition.

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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