BACKGROUND: Although there had been a civilian flying organization, entitled, DLV, Deutscher Luftfahrt Verband, (German Aviation Association), formed in Bremen in 1902 it wasn’t until March 25TH 1933 that the DLV, Deutscher Luftsport Verband, (German Air Sports League), was established by incorporating all civilian flying clubs into the one organization. In September 1933 the DLV was further enlarged by incorporating the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), and SS, Schutz Staffel, (Protection Squad), Fliegersturm, (Assault Flight), groups. The DLV was utilized as a camouflage, civilian organization to train personnel for the future Luftwaffe, (Air-{Weapon}, Force). As a civilian organization it was able to circumvent the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, which prohibited a German military air service. The DLV was divided into two distinct groups with the main group consisting of civilians commanded by Hauptmann a.D. Bruno Loerzer with Hermann Göring as honorary president and the Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), the clandestine core of the newly forming Luftwaffe under control of the RLM, Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium (National Ministry of Aviation). With the official unveiling of the Luftwaffe on February 26TH 1935, the DLV lost a substantial amount of its manpower and its previous function as a secret training ground for future pilots was rendered redundant. As a result the DLV was disbanded on April 17TH 1937 with its remaining membership being absorbed into the newly re-constituted NSFK, National Sozialistisches Flieger Korps, (National Socialist Flying Corps). Of Note: Originally established in January 1932 the NSFK had been absorbed into the DLV in March 1933. The NSFK was mainly a voluntary organization with a small cadre of paid personnel. The NSFK’s mandate covered all aspects of civilian flight and the organization was divided into three main sections consisting of aircraft, balloons and glider flight. DLV uniform regulations were first addressed on November 4TH 1933 and included a visor cap with two, distinctly, different forms of insignia that were worn simultaneously. Original the uniform regulations only applied to DLV personnel but they were extended to include the Fliegerschaft personnel in August 1934. One style of the cap insignia featured a canted swastika superimposed on a vertical propeller, encompassed by a circular border and flanked by stylized, horizontally extended, wings, (Type "A"), while the other featured an opened, topped, circular, oak-leave wreath, encompassing a national tri-color cockade and flanked by stylized, horizontally extended, wings, (Type "B"). It is believed that the type "A" insignia was utilized by regular DLV personnel while the type "B" insignia was utilized by cadre member’s of the DLV and Fliegerschaft personnel. Both versions of DLV cap insignia also utilized a separate, NSDAP Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), style national eagle and came in embroidered patterns for Officer’s ranks.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Two piece, silver washed, stamped aluminum construction, type "B", DLV cadre/Fliegerschaft EM/NCO’s visor cap insignia features a roughly, 1 5/8" (4.2 cm), tall, opened, topped, circular, oak-leave wreath flanked by stylized, horizontally extended, wings with a roughly, 4 1/8" wide, (10.4 cm), wide, wingspan. The oak-leave wreath encompasses a separate, roughly, 1 1/8", (2.8 cm), diameter, national tri-color cockade with a simulated, twisted rope field and red, black and silver finishes. The frosty silver wash is fully retained to both the wreath/wings and the silver and red finishes to the cockade are fully retained while the black wash to the cockade is retained about 75%. Both pieces of insignia have small punched holes with one to either wing tip on the wreath/wings and four to the cockade. The punched holes were intended to stitch the insignia to the cap. The reverse of both pieces are mirror images of their obverses. Scarce!