By François Saez and Paul Williams
The Unqualified Air Gunner Badge was instituted on the 25th April 1944 and is rarely seen in the collector market. Not surprisingly the document which accompanied this award is extremely rare. For an article on this badge please see the Air Gunner Badge which includes a section examining the Unqualified Air Gunner Badge.
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Certificate #169807 awarded to Oberleutnant Walter
Stipproweit in June 1944. Readers may pause
to reflect on the possible circumstances which led to this officer 'manning the
guns'! This document bears the facsimile signature of Generaloberst Bruno Loerzer who was Chief of the Luftwaffe Personnel Office from February 1943 to December 1944. Size: A5 Photo courtesy of Detlev Niemann
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| This 'field made'
certificate was awarded to Obergefreiten Peter Geiss in August
1944.
Note the place of issue ... "Bucharest". A fine example of a non-RLM document (refer to the Introduction). Geiss's document bears the signature of Generalleutnant Alfred Gerstenburg, the Luftwaffe Commander in Romania from 15 June 1942 to 27 August 1944. Size: A5
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Obergefreiten Peter Geiss is the second airman from the left, on the occasion of the award of the EK2. Geiss flew in the Ju87 towing gliders, and took part in the resupply of the pocket of Tarnopol. Photos courtesy of Chris Boonzaier
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An entry dated 5th September 1944 in the Soldbuch of Obergefreiter Horst Siegel, 1.Nachtschlacht Gr. 2.
Note the full title of the award: "Fliegerschützenabzeichen
ohne Blitzbündel mit schwartzem kranz" ....
"Air Gunner badge without lightning bundle with black wreath".
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Another example .... this Soldbuch belonged to an Unteroffizier from Transport
Fliegergruppe 20 who was awarded the Unqualified Air Gunner Badge on the 8th
February 1945. Photo: private collection
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