BACKGROUND: The German Army Flak, (Anti-aircraft Artillery), Badge was instituted by Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch, on July 18^TH 1941, for bestowal to army anti-aircraft battery crews, with the award of the badge based on a point structure basis. Of Note: Although Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe was the ultimate authority of all things concerned with flight including anti-aircraft defence most division within the German army had a subordinate Flak battalion that usually contained three 88mm caliber batteries and an additional two 20mm caliber batteries to provide internal air defence.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Die struck, alloy construction badge with a burnished silver wash, features an embossed, vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath with a Wehrmacht style eagle, with down-swept wings, clutching a canted swastika in its talons, superimpose to the top center, encompassing the likeness of a nicely detailed, cut-out, 88mm anti-aircraft artillery piece with the barrel extending beyond the outer edge of the wreath. The badge retains about 90% of its dark, burnished silver wash. The reverse has a crimped, soldered, hinge on a rectangular base plate, a thin, round, vertical pin and a heavy, soldered catch on a raised, circular base plate all intact. The reverse of the badge is well marked with the embossed manufacturer’s initials, "R.S.", indicating manufacture by Rudolf Souval of Wien, (Vienna).

GRADE ****                             PRICE $714.00