Balme

[triplecanopy]

Here are three different basic parachute wings that were made by J. Balme of FRANCE back in the late 1980's into the early 1990's for the US Military.

It may be hard to see, but these three wings are all different. Balme made one series of parachute badges with an all shiny silver finish similar to the 'Stay brite- no shine' style currently in use. Then there was the antique silver style with darker highlights in the wing feathers. They also manufactured both basic and master combat jump wings with a single star made into the suspension lines to denote the wearer's parachute jump into a hostile fire situation. There were no senior parachutist wings with a combat star made by Balme. Balme wings are rich with extra detail in the feathering similar to the look that Assmann & Sohn wings had during the Post WWII badges they made.

 

Balme also made parachute wings with a gold finish in all three grades. Some of these were serial numbered and presented to the surviving members of the 1941 Airborne Test Platoon at the 50th Anniversary in 1991. Currently I do not have an example to show you.

 

There is a rumor that because these badges were made in France and that their modified design was not approved by the IOH that they were/are unauthorized for wear. I have yet to see that officially written down, so if anyone has input on that, please come forth.

 

I will be adding more information as I can including other examples of J. Balme insignia.

[triplecanopy]

Here is a close up of the J. Balme FRANCE hallmark on the back of a US Basic parachute badge. Note the distinctive locking clutches that originally come with all Balme badges. Balme also manufactured both Expert and Combat Infantryman Badges (EIB's & CIB's) for the US Army. They too have a unique look that sets them apart from other insignia. I will post photos of the EIB's and CIB's at a later date. In addition to the badges mentioned above, Balme also made Air Assault wings, USAF Flight Wings and a few marksmanship badges. Some examples of these have previously been posted on this Forum.

 

Balme is still in business today and continues to manufacture very high quality medals and badges for the French military. Balme ceased production of US Military insignia in the early 1990's much to the regret of many admirers of their workmanship.

 

[triplecanopy]

 

[triplecanopy]

Here are the Master Parachutist Badges made by J. Balme. Top left is the gold colored wings for those 'Century' jumpers or parachutists having one hundred or more military parachute jumps and were otherwise rated as a master parachutist. Top right is the master parachutist badge with combat jump star. Note the antique silver highlights in the wing feathers.

Bottom left is the 'stay brite-no shine' style with bright silver over all finish. Bottom right is the master parachutist with the antique silver finish.

 

The gold wings in the upper left may be hard to distinguish from the silver wings, but they are gold colored with gold colored clutches.

 

In the next frame, I'll show the the backs of these badges.

[triplecanopy]

Here are the reverse sides of the four Balme Master Parachutist Badges in the same order as shown above. The gold color shows up a little better in this photo. Note that the Combat Jump star is not visible on the back side of the upper right wings. The star is actually made into the badge at the time of manufacture.

 

More to come later...

 

 

AIRBORNE!

[triplecanopy]

Here is a better photo showing the contrast of the all bright silver (on the left) and the antique silver finish (on the right) of these Balme Master Parachutist wings. For you collectors, Balme made all three levels in both styles: Basic, Senior and Master Parachutist. Balme also made them in gold in all three levels.

[triplecanopy]

Here are the Balme Air Assault Badges in both silver and gold finish. The gold Air Assault Badge signifies that the wearer has made a minimum of 100 successful Rappels or fast rope decents from a hovering helicopter. As far as I know, this gold badge is strictly unofficial and was made as a variation of the silver air assault badge which would signify graduation from one of the recognized Air Assault schools. The gold colored badge also came with gold locking clutches. Both are hallmarked J. Balme FRANCE.

[triplecanopy]

Here are the front and back views of the USAF Command Pilot Badge made by J. Balme. Balme paid much attention to the feather detail in these flight badges and the high quality of workmanship is very evident without question. These were made in very limited numbers, but they were made in all three levels of flight proficiency: Basic Pilot, senior and command pilot as shown here. Balme also made USAF flight crewman wings. This is another beautiful example of high quality insignia made by J. Balme. More to come...

[triplecanopy]

Here are the three Infantryman Badges produced by J. Balme. Starting at the bottom is the Expert Infantryman Badge or EIB that a US Army Infantry or Special Forces Soldier can earn by successfully completing a series of grueling tests over a period of days. The Balme EIB features the detailed and artfully embellished 1795 Springfield Musket and is hallmarked on the back J. BALME FRANCE. Above the EIB are two CIB's or Combat Infantryman Badges. The added oak leaf wreath signifies that the soldier wearing this award saw combat action against a hostile enemy force. In other words the recipient was actually engaged in a firefight with the enemy and did not just serve in a hostile fire area. The CIB award with the wreath signifies the recipient was in at least one recognized wartime combat action. The CIB and EIB were 1st authorized during WWII to honor Infantry Solders. The Korean War saw a star added to the CIB to recognize service in an additional wartime conflict. During the Vietnam era there were multiple combat actions such as Dom Rep, Grenada, Panama and Desert Storm. The ruling was that they were all considered in the same category for an additional or 1st Award of the CIB. Since the turn of the century, the 2nd Award has been authorized for the period starting with 9-11. The CIB with a single star added indicates that the recipient saw action in at least two recognized combat zones during different periods. I have no idea why that ruling was made since eight levels of this award have been created. There were NO 3rd Award CIB's produced by Balme. The 3rd Award CIB has two stars at the top. Only a few over 230 3rd Award CIB's were authorized and presented and that recognition was for combat seen in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

 

On the next frame I will show the backs of these badges.

[triplecanopy]

Here are the reverse sides of the Balme EIB and CIB's. The locking clutches and plastic packaging were shown earlier in this thread, so I will not repeat.

These Balme badges are among the most prized that they produced. Note that the rifle is a separately added piece and the rivets are visible on the back. I have information that some were also made in sterling silver, but have yet to see an example. The high quality of workmanship and precise detail are very clear when you actually hold one of these badges in your hand.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Here are the reverse sides of the Balme EIB and CIB's.  The locking clutches and plastic packaging were shown earlier in this thread, so I will not repeat.

These Balme badges are among the most prized that they produced.  Note that the rifle is a separately added piece and the rivets are visible on the back. I have information that some were also made in sterling silver, but have yet to see an example. The high quality of workmanship and precise detail are very clear when you actually hold one of these badges in your hand.

Wow, beautiful Badges, Triplecanopy!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jmd62]

Great looking badges and excellent information, thanks!!

[triplecanopy]

Here is a complete set of USAF Air Crew Flight badges: basic, senior and master grades. These are the same high quality level of manufacture and sharp detail as other Balme insignia. It is my understanding that Balme made very few USAF wings. It is interesting to note that the top two are marked STERLING 925 as will be shown in the next frame.

[triplecanopy]

Shown here are the reverse sides of the very same Balme Air crew wings as above. The top two wings are marked STERLING 925 with two other very small hallmarks. The top hallmark looks like a helmeted warrior and the bottom one looks like a diamond with four smaller round objects inside along with two other objects that I can not identify. These are the only two Sterling examples that this collector has seen. It is my understanding that Balme made only a very small number of Sterling marked insignia. As I obtain more information about these beautiful badges, I will post it here.

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Wow! Although I don't collect aviation wings, I could definitely make an exception for those. Thanks again for posting, Triplecanopy!

[patches]

Beautiful insignias, just a question on how obtainable are these for U.S. military personal? are their existence common knowledge among same?

[triplecanopy]

They are now rare as only a small number were produced and since they are no longer made since the late 1980's, they are getting harder to find each passing year. Look on eBay and perhaps another military insignia site and you might find what you are seeking.

[manayunkman]

As awesome as it is interesting.

 

And thank you for the time it took to put this all together for us.

[CNY Militaria]

On 8/30/2018 at 9:08 PM, ehines42 said:

Great info thanks! But to sell what would a fair price for a second award cib be?

I don't know if it's the "going rate" but I see only four for sale on ebay, all at $475 or above.

[triplecanopy]

Here are the Balme gold colored parachute badges. The basic parachutist badge is both hallmarked and serial numbered. It was one of a small number of gold jump wings presented to the Airborne Test Platoon in 1990 for the 50th Anniversary of the US Airborne. (1940-1990).