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, solid backed, alloy construction badge with a 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 only retains hints of its original silver wash and has mostly reverted to the flat matte grey of the base alloy. The reverse has a soldered, barrel type hinge on a rectangular base plate, a thin, round, vertical pin and a soldered catch on an elongated oval base plate all intact. The badge has no visible manufacturer’s marks.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $585.00