German WWII Fallschirmjäger Badge-This is an unmarked, early example in tombak with a nickel silver finish. The finish to the wreath is darkly toned and looks great against the gold finish to the eagle. The gold finish is mostly intact and there is no visible wear. The wreath and eagle feathers have great detail. The pin, hinge and the catch are all in place and functional. We think there is a piece of the pin broken off; this should have a small “stopper” that is missing. If this were in place, we believe this to be an unmarked badge made by FLL. It has all the other characteristics in place. This badge is in very good condition, and on everyone’s wish list.
History: The WWII German paratroopers, known as Fallschirmjäger, 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. Kurt Student was the commander of the forces during the entire duration of the war. In the spring of 1935, Herman Göring transformed the Landespolizei into Germany's first dedicated airborne regiment, giving it the military designation Regiment General Göring (RGG) on 1 April 1935. The unit was incorporated into the newly-formed Luftwaffe' on October 1st of the same year and training commenced at Altengrabow. Göring also ordered that a group of volunteers be drawn for parachute training. These volunteers would form a core Fallschirmschützen Bataillon, a cadre for future Fallschirmtruppe (parachute troops). In January 1936, 600 men and officers formed the 1st Jäger Battalion/RGG, commanded by Bruno Bräuer, and the 15th Engineer Company/RGG and were transferred to training area Döberitz for jump training while the rest of the regiment was sent to Altengrabow. Germany's parachute arm was officially inaugurated on 29 January 1936 with an Order of the Day calling for recruits for parachute training at the Stendal Parachute Training School located 96 km west of Berlin. The school was activated several months after the first parachute units were established in January 1936 and was open to active and reserve Luftwaffe personnel. NCOs, officers and other ranks of the Luftwaffe were required to successfully complete six jumps in order to receive the Luftwaffe Parachutist's Badge. A cloth version of the badge could also be obtained.