Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a fine quality manufactured early example of a Paratrooper Fallschrimjäger badge, with a lovely patinated finish overall. 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 metal pin catch.

The back of the eagle is maker marked with the B&N / L trademark for Berg & Nolte of Lüdenscheid, a city with a very large garment accessories industry. This company designed and made many badges and insignia during WWII, and are a known manufacturer of the Parachutist badge.

Really a great 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.