Bomber? Check! Snowflake? Check! Wing? NO! - What is it?

[Marksman]

Hello all,

 

today i got this badge - Snowflake back, "C" style hook - "AERIAL BOMBER" Clasp

 

Anyone know what i have here? Never saw that combination and Snowflake Back on the Expert Badge.

 

 

Greetings

Stefan

[Marksman]

Snowflake

[Marksman]

"C"

[Marksman]

"AERIAL BOMBER"

[LuftStalg1]

I got one just like it. The AAF qualification for "Ariel Bomber" and "Aerial Gunner" were worn on the qualification badge. Often you see them on the AAF Tech badge but those are just made up and not authorized. Snowflake is the same manufacture that makes wings and other insignia.

[Marksman]

Thank you - its the first one i ever saw here in germany. Just saw one or two on US Ebay - but the prices were to high for me.

 

I payed for this one 3€ (~3,34%)

 

 

Greetings

Stefan

[KurtA]

Nice pre- WW2 (based on snowflake reverse and open catch) variation.

[LuftStalg1]

Good point KurtA, I failed to mention that it is an early pre-war piece. Nice find and at a good price. Also I should have mentioned the Snowflake is one of the Amcraft identifying marks.

[Tim B]

I'm not sure we can positively say this "snowflake" pattern belongs to Amcraft.

 

There are actually two different patterns of snowflake designs. Amcraft have a roundel in the center of each snowflake and the majority of items with this pattern are usually marked with the Amcraft hallmark, but not always. The other pattern does not have this center roundel and the center is somewhat plain with the rays just meeting in the center.

 

I have seen this "other" pattern sometimes with a Gemsco hallmark and I have one CPO cap anchor marked "Rolled Gold" that is of the Robbins design utilizing this pattern on the reverse of the USN lettering only. Most of the time, this other pattern seems to be without any hallmarks.

 

Tim

[Tim B]

The other point I want to make, yet again, is that we cannot say with any certainty what timeframe a piece of insignia was manufactured based solely on hallmarks or ... hardware.

 

Hardware was used, based on what was on hand and in stock. I continually see early style hardware being used later on and imagine they used old stock until it was completely used up. The notion that a piece of insignia is early, based solely on having an open catch, is wrong.

 

Here is just one case in point; a WW2 CPO cap device that has the chain style fouling, which was a change circa 1942. Prior to this, the anchor design was also different. Two near identical Pancraft marked emblems and one uses the open catch, the other the top opening round safety catch. There are many more examples and I even have seen the open catch on items as late as 1943/44.

 

Tim

[LuftStalg1]

Well, I should no better then to try and help as it seems I am always wrong. Sorry for the bad information Marksman. All my stuff is in box's so trying to go by memory, and that is not so good anymore. I'll go back to just reading and not posting. Sorry!

[Tim B]

Sorry if my comments seemed to discourage you here, they certainly weren't meant in that way.

 

I think, years back and prior to computers and the internet, a lot of this old information was considered valid but with the advent of the internet and increase in forums such as this, the computer has allowed collectors to discuss these matters in more detail. We are also seeing more items come up for discussion and finding out that some of this dated information was in fact incomplete or incorrect all this time. We have made a lot of advancements in correctly identifying hallmarks just in the last couple of years.

 

So, nothing wrong with posting, even if the information might not be correct today. Its all in the interest of advancing knowledge and eliminating a lot of these old myths as new information comes to light.

 

Tim