Description
Product Description:A very nice factory made J3 Juncker Screwback Pilot Observer Badge. These factory Juncker Screwback Pilot Observer Badge versions are extremely rare to find on the market. The badge is produced of early tombak with excellent silver electroplating to the eagle and very nice fire-gilding to the wreath. This Juncker Screwback Pilot Observer Badge is maker marked on the reverse of the eagle for the firm of “CE Juncker”. The maker mark is partially covered from the soldering of the center stud. Absolutely no evidence of any other hardware being applied can be seen. The factory textbook Juncker rivets remain tight and untouched. The central disc stud, disc plate, and disc screw remain in excellent condition with no repairs, and are original to the badge. This is a very rare and very nice J3 Juncker Screwback Pilot Observer Badge that is one of the hardest configurations to find on the market today.
Historical Description: The Luftwaffe Pilot Observer Badge was instituted by head of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring on January 19, 1935 to replace the earlier Pilot Observer Badge known to most collectors as the “Air Crew” badge. It was among the earliest qualification badges introduced in the German Wehrmacht and was worn by all qualified pilots in the German Luftwaffe. The design of the badge featured a large, swooping silvered eagle clutching a large German national swastika emblem, surrounded by a wreath of golden oak and laurel leaves. The badge was normally presented in a blue hinged case, but later in the war was issued in paper packets and boxes. It was worn on the upper left uniform pocket. 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 subtle changes to the features of the designs. Some companies, like Juncker, Assmann, and Deumer, had early first pattern badges which looked completely different from their later produced pieces. 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 these changes, over time, opened up a large spectrum of variation collecting for Luftwaffe badge collectors. Early variations of this badge can appear much like that of jewelry. The quality and craftsmanship for these military awards can arguably be the finest produced by any military in history. This is part of the allure for many collectors.
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