Description
Product Description: This Luftwaffe Air to Ground Clasp in Gold is a great example of a very tough award to find. It’s made of die stamped zinc. It still has most of the original gold finish remaining, with some small losses in high relief areas on the obverse from very slight wear. The beautiful finish is unmistakably gold, with strong color and shine, as well as some of the light bubbling typical with zinc awards. The central crossed swords device retains all of its dark finish, contrasting nicely with the bright gold. The reverse of this clasp is flat and smooth. It’s nicely maker marked in stamped letters with the name of the firm of G. H. Osang, Dresden. The hardware setup features a block hinge and flat wire “C” catch, and a functional banjo pin. The hardware is all-original and without repairs. The swords device remains secured tightly with a typical single rivet visible on the reverse. This Air to Ground Clasp is a rare original and very desirable clasp. The condition rates as excellent plus.
Historical Description: In 1941 the Luftwaffe introduced a series of flight clasps to recognize the achievements of Luftwaffe flight personnel who had taken part in missions against the enemy. The German term for this clasp was “Frontflugspange,” which translates literally to “Front Flight Clasp”. The clasps took the form of a specific central emblem, surrounded by a laurel wreath, and flanked on both sides by oak leaves. Most designs featured the German national swastika emblem at the bottom of the laurel wreath. The central emblem varied depending on the type of missions for which the clasp was awarded. An upward-pointed winged arrow was for Short Range Day Fighters, while a downward pointing winged arrow was for Long Range Day Fighters and Air to Ground Support (support crews later had their own crossed swords emblem). Bomber crews had a winged bomb emblem, a flying Luftwaffe eagle was chosen to represent Transport and Glider Squadrons, and an Eagle Head with Large Eye was used to symbolize Reconnaissance, Air-Sea Rescue and Meteorological Squadrons. The clasps were produced in various grades to indicate the number of missions flown- Bronze for 20 flights, Silver for 60 flights and Gold for 100 flights. For personnel who surpassed the number of missions required for the Gold clasp, small pendants were produced, starting in 1942, to recognize the greater and greater numbers of missions being flown. There was a “star” pendant, that was given for certain numbers of flights beyond 100 missions (depending on the type of clasp, between 250 and 500 missions were required to earn the star). There were also numbered pendants, beginning with 200 missions, and increasing in increments of 100. As with all Third Reich military awards, Luftwaffe flight clasps are highly sought-after collectibles today.
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