Could you identify these please

[Hennig]

Hello fellow forum users , could you please help me here and identify these assorted items , these are from a work friend who's grandfather was in the Luftwaffe , he sadly lost his life early on in the ost front when his plane was involved in a accident , all on board lost their lives so i have been told . These are all my dear friend has of his late grandfathers past and wants to know if possible what these items are and if they could give any clues as to what unit ect he might of been in . Long shot i know but you never know He said he knows the rank and that the iron crosses are 1st and 2nd class the rest he has no idea , so please can any kind member point us in the right direction with these wonderfull items which my friend treasures most dearly , many thanks in advance


mike

[Hennig]

Sorry for the pic quallity


mike

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

Medal is th 4 year long service award and should have a small metal Luftwaffe eagle attached to the ribbon.

The Bar on the left appears to be the Combat flying clasp for attack and pursuit units (assuming it is the correct way up) if it is upside down then it is the Fighter unit version, difficult to tell from the photo if it is Silver or Gold, if Silver for 60 combat missions if gold for 110 combat missions.

The centre award seems to be the Aerial gunner badge (radio operator, flight engineer and Aerial gunner). If there are lightning bolts clasped in the Eagles talons that is certain.

As you say the top two are the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, the shoulder boards are for Oberfeldwebel or equal.

Cheers
Dave

[LAH650]

The Oval one is: The Wireless-Operator / Air Gunner Badge (Fliegerschutenabzeichen fur Bordfunker) was an aircrew qualification badge introduced in March 1936.
To qualify for the badge, the recipient was required to have successfully completed two months flying service with a non-operational unit, or to have undertaken a minimum of five operational missions as an air gunner or radio operator.

Qualification was automatic if the recipient was wounded in the course of any of these flights.


The bar/clasp is the:The Long Range Day-Fighter Clasp was one of a series of flying clasps (frontflugspange) originally instituted at the beginning of 1941 to reward aircrew who had flown a large number of operational sorties. All varieties consisted of a circular laurel wreath, with a spray of oak-leaves on either side, the symbol in the centre of the wreath and the colour of the badge indicating the arm of the service and the number of operations flown. A bronze clasp was awarded for 20 missions, silver for 60 and gold for 110. The following year, a pendant device of a gold star with sprays of laurel leaves on either side, was instituted to recognise larger numbers of operational flights completed - 250, 300, 400 or 500 depending upon the branch of service. By mid 1944, this pendant had been replaced by a new variety containing a boxed numeral marked in increments of 100 from 200 to 2000, indicative of the greater pressure now being placed upon Luftwaffe aircrew. The central symbols of the clasps were: a winged arrow pointing upwards for day- or short range fighters, and downwards for long-range and ground attack fighters (ground attack units later received a distinct badge with a pair of crossed swords). A winged bomb pointing downwards indicated heavy-, medium-, or dive-bombers, an eagle's head facing left showed reconnaissance, air/sea rescue and meteorological crews, and an eagle holding a swastika, and flying to the right, was the symbol of transport and glider crews. Long-range night fighters and night intruders featured a winged arrow pointing downwards with the surrounding wreath oxidised black, and short-range night fighters a winged arrow pointing upwards within the black oxidised wreath.

So M110 is a possibilty... Long range, a fighter, carries an air gunner radioman....

or......

[Hennig]

Many thanks Dave and Andrew your answers will give my friend a valuable insight into his late grandfathers past as a part of the Luftwaffe , i will ask him tomorrow about the colour of the awards , wether the 4 year service medal has the other part to it , and last if the bar / clasp is the correct way up in the pictures .
Gentlemen you have been most helpfull

mike

[LAH650]

Looking closer...

Short Range Day Fighter...



Arrow points away from the swastika on the S/R Day Fighter, Long Range down



Iamges via http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-med ... twaffe.htm

Night Fighter has the darker wreath.....

Think that's right.... long time since I had them in my collection... all sold now....

[Hennig]

Top man Andrew thanks for that info will send him the link a bit off topic but did we not speak at detling this year ? was it not you that came over to our SBG display as one of your chaps had some bits for me ? you also had a cannister of some type as well which some one duley took off your hands


mike

[LAH650]

Was not me but was part of TFH, Ian had the bits and Rob had the Pac ammo tin...

We are not unknown to the SBG...

We also have done....

[Hennig]

Thats his name Rob , nice chap to speak to so looks like a big thank you to you in TFH from me then sirs



mike