Unacceptable awards from the Air Force

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The dish of honor for outstanding combat performance by the Air Force

Probably unique in the German award system during the Nazi era was the creation of so - called non - acceptable awards for the Luftwaffe within the Luftwaffe . Although a large part of these plaques and medals were only donated in the course of the Second World War , the first new creations can be dubbed in 1937. The only exceptions are the Seewart Medal , which was donated back in 1872, and the Hellmann Medal from 1929.

Medals and plaques of honor

Other plaques of honor

Badge of honor of the General Aircraft Master Motor Vehicle Disposal Department

Corresponding background information that led to the creation of these badges is not yet available. They were awarded from 1941 to 1943. The only known general aviation masters were Ernst Udet (1939 to 1941) and, after his suicide, from the end of November 1941 to 1943 Erhard Milch . The plaque made from blackened cast iron is square and measures 148 mm × 148 mm. It shows in the middle a round raised "stamp print " with the inscription: KRAFTFAHR-VER AVAILABLE DEPARTMENT (above) and GENERALLUFTZEUGMEISTER below. Inside this inscription is the Luftwaffe national emblem, flanked by the years 1941 (left) and 1943 (right), which flies over a four-bladed propeller. The letters G (left) and L (right) ( G eneral l uftzeugmeister) can be read between the propeller hubs. This is followed by two open and semicircular laurel branches that are crossed at the bottom and bent upwards and are connected by a loop at their lower intersection.

Badge of the Flak Headlight Regiment 2

The Flak Headlight Regiment 2 was formed in January 1942 by simply renaming the former Flak Headlight Regiment 114. Initially , the commanding officer was Colonel Hans Simon , who was in command until February 8, 1942, only to be replaced by his successor Colonel Edmund Stiller , who managed the regiment until it was dissolved. The plaque's foundation goes back to Hans Simon. The round bronze medal shows on its obverse within the inscription: FOR SPECIAL ABOVE and MERIT below, in the center a shield with the regimental badge or a symbol of the night hunt, an eagle falling in front of a lightning bolt and two crossed flak headlights below. Inside the shield you can find the number 2 on the left and top right, the latter being shown reversed on the right. The reverse of the medal, on the other hand, shows a flattened hill with the sky above, decorated with clouds, as well as two enemy planes (bombers). This sky is broken up by four intersecting anti-aircraft headlights, two of which can be seen in the foreground (left and right of the medal edge). At the bottom of the medal, the year 1941 can be read in the middle , under which the manufacturer of the medal Hoffstätter Bonn can be read.

Badge of Honor of the Air Fleet 3

Although the existence of Luftflotte 3 , which was established as Luftkreis V in Munich on April 1, 1934 , is undisputed, there has never been a plaque of honor for Luftflotte 3 . The only indication of such an award is a pure name designation without illustration or further background information.

Honor plaque of the Luftflotte 4

The command staff of Luftflotte 4 was certified on March 16, 1939 and subsequently took part in the attack on Poland . No background information is known about the honor plaque of Luftflotte 4 , but there is an illustration of such a plaque in a publication. The honor plaque therefore shows an iron cross within a border of laurel leaves in the upper 2/3 of the plaque, in front of which the Luftwaffe emblem is embossed in the middle. A blank line is inserted under the Iron Cross, on which the name of the borrower was subsequently engraved. Then the three-line inscription: IN.ANERKENNUNG / SEINER.VERDIENSTE / LUFTFLOTTE 4 can be read.

Honor plaque of the Air Fleet 5

The command staff of Luftflotte 5 was set up on April 12, 1940 as part of the preliminary planning of the Weser Exercise company and was moved to Finland in 1941 , where it remained until October 1944. It was not until November 1944 that it was returned to the German Air Force in Norway and remained there until the end of the war. A corresponding reality from that time has not yet become known. However, there is a corresponding publication of the name, but without going into further background information or its appearance.

Honor plaque of the XXX. Air Corps

The existence of such a badge of honor cannot be proven, although an evaluation exists. The XXX. Flieger-Korps was never planned or set up. For this reason, no plaque of honor could have been created.

Plaque of honor of the Luftgaukommando Holland

The honor plaque of the Luftgaukommando Holland , about which no other background information is available, is upright rectangular, silver-plated and shows in its center the geographical representation of the Netherlands in front of which an 88 flak cannon is depicted. Above it is the national badge of the Luftwaffe and under the flak cannon the coat of arms of Amsterdam , which separates the inscription: NIDER (coat of arms) LANDE . Below, also separated by the coat of arms, the year 1940 (coat of arms) 1941 can be read. The plaque was probably only awarded between 1940 and 1941 under their commanders, Lieutenant General Karl Alfred Haubold and General der Flieger Hans Siburg .

Plaque of honor of the Luftgau region XII / XIII

So far, no real objects or images of this honor plaque have become known, but a mention in a specialist publication. It can therefore be assumed that it is a fantasy product.

literature

  • Kurt-Gerhard Klietmann : German Awards. A history of the decorations and medals, commemorative and merit badges of the German Reich, the German states as well as government agencies, organizations, associations, etc. from 18-20. Century. Volume 2: German Empire 1871–1945. Publishing house “die Ordens-Sammlung”, Berlin 1971.
  • Klaus D. Patzwall : The non-wearable medals and plaques of the air force. 1935–1945 (= Studies on the History of Awards. Vol. 5). Patzwall, Norderstedt 2008, ISBN 978-3-931533-04-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Klaus D. Patzwall: The non-wearable medals and plaques of the air force. 1935-1945. 2008, pp. 27/28.
  2. ↑ Klaus D. Patzwall: The non-wearable medals and plaques of the air force. 1935-1945. 2008, pp. 157/158.
  3. ^ A b c André Hüsken : Orders and decorations of the German Empire 1871–1945. Hauschild Verlag, Bremen 1999, ISBN 3-89757-028-9 , p. 359.
  4. ↑ Klaus D. Patzwall: The non-wearable medals and plaques of the air force. 1935-1945. 2008, pp. 57/58.
  5. ↑ Klaus D. Patzwall: The non-wearable medals and plaques of the air force. 1935-1945. 2008, p. 173.