Original German WWII Cased Early Tombak Luftwaffe Paratrooper Fallschirmjäger Badge by C.E. Juncker - Parachutist Badge

Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a fantastic high quality manufactured early example of a Paratrooper Fallschrimjäger badge, complete with the original issue case! We have had several early examples of these awards, but never the original blue leatherette case! It is correctly marked Fallschirmschützen= / Abzeichen in gold on the top, and shows very little damage or wear. The interior is equally nice, with the color well retained and showing only light wear.

The badge itself has a lovely patinated finish overall, showing some wear to the original plating in areas, but still looking great. The basic design is a tombak alloy half Oak Leaf and half Laurel Leaf wreath, with a "Diving Eagle" clutching a Swas (hook cross) in the middle. The brass eagle is attached to the wreath with two fully intact brass rivets. It features a needle style vertical pinback with a barrel hinge, with a bent round wire pin catch.

The back of the eagle is maker marked C. E. JUNCKER / BERLIN S W, for the well known maker C.E. Juncker of Berlin. This company designed and made many badges and insignia during WWII, and are a known manufacturer of the Parachutist badge.

Really a great cased example which would make a very nice addition to any collection! Ready to display!

The Parachutist Badge (Fallschirmschützenabzeichen) was a badge awarded to qualified parachutists of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS of NSDAP Germany. The badge was first established by order of Hermann Göring on 5 November 1936. It was originally awarded to Luftwaffe personnel after completion of the required number of six jumps. After this they were eligible to become a Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper).

The badge depicted a diving eagle with a swas in its claws surrounded by a silver wreath. The original construction was made of "gold-finished bronze" for the eagle and "oxidized silver plate" for the laurel leaves. In 1937, the construction of the badge changed to aluminium. In late 1942, the construction was changed again to a metal alloy. A cloth version of the badge was also authorized in 1937, to be worn on a flight jacket. A recipient had to re-qualify for the badge each year.

The term Fallschirmjäger, often written Fallschirmjaeger in English, is from the German Fallschirm "parachute" and Jäger, the light elite infantry of the Prussian army. This term was then applied to all German paratroopers. Fallschirmjäger of Germany in World War II, were the first to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They came to be known as the "Green Devils" by the Allied forces they fought against and were some of the best trained most lethal troops of the German war machine.