All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.
"Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne
Hello!
Few months my friend had this badge for sell, but i don't remember how much he wanted.
Regards
Actually, I was already well into my collecting madness when one day my father showed me his award document for the 65th Battalion badge. He’d forgotten about it and found it amongst some old papers. As you can imagine, it was a very nice surprise – all the more so because he also gave the document to me! I’ll also add that up until that time I had yet to see the award document for this badge. They are quite rare.
I’ve related the story on the 65th Battalion badge elsewhere, so apologies for repeating this:
Only award documents were issued to qualifying members of the 65th battalion, no badges. As you know, this was not unusual in the Polish military. One earned the right to wear the badge, which was confirmed on paper, but that didn’t always mean the badge was included. My father recalls that there was an expectation that badges eventually were to be issued or made available (the badge pictured is one I purchased several years ago). Within several weeks of the issuance of the award document the 65th battalion was packed up and relocated to England where the unit was eventually disbanded. The plans for formal badge production were evidently dropped.
My research has not produced any documented records. What little I obtained was from correspondence with collectors and laymen historians. One account was that an order deadline for an Italian based maker was not placed in time, either an oversight or possibly due to the impending departure as the unit. I suppose the reasoning would have been why place an order if you weren’t going to be around to collect it?
At some point a talented soldier of the battalion was commissioned to produce a limited quantity of badges for the officer corps only. One of these badges is pictured below. There are two other variants I have seen, one of which is likely from the same maker judging by the similarities in construction. It is entirely possible, and indeed likely by virtue of the existence of the other variant, that someone else made badges for this unit at some point.
Were these to be temporary badges until a proper production run could be organized, or perhaps it was decided that the expense of hiring an ‘outside’ producer was not warranted? Questions that remain unanswered.
The badge measures 40mm x 40mm. 3mm metric threaded post. ~17mm spinner. Three part construction. The red center backing along with the blue fill in the cross arms is plastic, which as we all know was a popular material used by the crafty and resourceful Poles of the 2nd Corps.
Regards,
Tony
All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.
"Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne
Fellows
This is my recent acquisition “Black Eagle “ and I would very much appreciate your opinions.
We all know the Guant’s Polish Pilot’s wings.
However, I have small dilemma that is worth clarifying – I think
I have just noticed an interesting detail looking at my new acquisition.
1. Look at the picture of the “Black Eagle” – the Badge appear to a “scare across” suggesting that the stamp was broken (please see the specific enlargement)
2. Look at the picture of the “Silver Eagle” – it comes from the relatively new stock – 7-8 years ago, as You may know, it was easy in London to by the Polish Wings – the badges had been sold in the auction after Mr Sliwerski at Bonham’s (who had bought them from Pilot’s association in the 80ts)– my Silver Eagle comes form this lot.
So my questions are the following
- Can You please post the picture of the Polish Wings?
- Do your Badges have the “scare”?
- Given the fact that the Silver one is the post-war re-strike, can it be that the Black one the War-time made one?
- Was Guant making badges during the war? Or was that only Firmin?
- Any pictures of Firmin one?
Ooops !
Col Grudzinski badge and legitymacja !
My poor heart !
THANK YOU Tony for this post !
Ze-Pole
Beautiful set and thank you for sheering with us your collection.
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