Luftwaffe Helferin Officer Rank-Confused!!

[greyeagle]

You are a Diamond!

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

glad you liked it. The next changes occured in a Luftwaffe decree on June 17th, 1942 (LV 42, Nr. 1639)(Schlicht & Angolia, p.528) which abolished the blitz patch of the Luftnachrichtenbetriebspersonal. Instead five new specialist patches were introduced indicating what kind of signals speciality the respective woman had:
- Telephone operator
- Telex operator
- Radio operator
- Radio evasdropping operator
- Radio direction finding operator

While the symbol changed material and make of the patches were like that of the blitz patch.
The patch for the plane spotters remained unaffected from this change.

Additionally to all these now six specialist patches a second level was added. After passing a so-called B-Prüfung ('Test B') about which I've nowhere seen any datails so far, a grey cord 3 mm wide was attached on the rim of the individual specialist patch.

[Heimatschuss]

Another specialist patch is known to have been introduced with a Luftwaffe decree Nov. 30th, 1942 (LV 42, Nr. 3018) (Schlicht & Angolia, p.528), that for administration personnel. Dimensions and make were like that of previous specialist patches. There was no version with the grey rim cord.

Two further patches were introduced at unknown points of time before June 1944, that for female personnel of the weather service and that for female medics. Again the circular base cloth was blue-grey and the embroidery in white-grey. The weather service patch was worn like the other specialist patches. In contrast to that the medic patch was to worn on the lower left sleeve with another specialist patch occupying the upper sleeve position.
Despite that I know a photo where a female medic wears it just the way like the other specialist patches (Schlicht & Angolia, p.528).

The last patch to be mentioned is that of the females in the Luftschutzwarndienst(Air raid alarm service) which was incorporated into the Luftwaffe in 1944. The patch was introduced some time between April 1942 and June 1944, details are unknown (Schlicht & Angolia, p.528, 532). It had an oval base cloth of dark green colour. The embroidery was silver-grey (Williamson, p.21). After completing the training course at an Air raid alarm school a cord of similar colour was added to the patch rim ((Schlicht & Angolia, p.528).

References:

A. Schlicht; J.R. Angolia
Die deutsche Wehrmacht. Uniformierung und Ausrüstung 1933 - 1945
Band 3: Die Luftwaffe
Motorbuch Verlag; Stuttgart; 1999

G. Williamson
World War II German Women's Auxiliary Services.
Men-at-Arms Series No.393; Osprey Publishing; Botley; 2003

Best regards
Torsten

[greyeagle]

Hi Torsten,
I must Thank You for your time and effort on this for me,it is very much appreciated(And Julie thanks you as well).I can see now why the confusion,it certainly is a new field for me.
Again,many Thanks

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

time to continue the saga of Luftwaffe Helferinnen uniforms.

Sometime between July 1941 and summer 1943 some additional ranks were introduced for the Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Helferinnen. The exact date is unknown, there's no official decree known.
According to Schlicht & Angolia (1999, p.523) three ranks were introduced but there's no mention in their book of a rank insignium for the additional rank Oberstabsführerin. On the other hand Davis (2001, p.248) says it was just two additional ranks and the introduction of Oberstabsführerin only occured during the next reform in summer 1944. Sigh.

So the descending order of ranks was now something like:

- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Oberstabsführerin (Lt.Col.) [introduction insecure]
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Stabsführerin (Major)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Hauptführerin (Captain)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Oberführerin (1st Lieutenant)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Führerin (Lieutenant)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Haupthelferin (major plane spotter auxiliary)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Oberhelferin (senior plane spotter auxiliary)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Helferin (plane spotter auxiliary)
- Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Anwärterin (applicant)

[Heimatschuss]

On Oct 29th, 1943 another Luftwaffe decree (LV 43, Nr. 2015) brought further change for the uniforms. The Führerinnen now received silver piping around the collar of their uniform jackets and around the crown of their caps (Schlicht & Angolia, 1999, p.523, 530, 534). Obviously this was an attempt to get the Führerinnen uniforms into line with the general design of German officer uniforms to avoid confusion what they represented.

References:

Davis, Brian L.
Uniformen und Abzeichen der Luftwaffe 1940-1945
Motorbuch Verlag; Stuttgart; 2001

Schlicht, Adolf; Angolia, John R.
Die deutsche Wehrmacht. Uniformierung und Ausrüstung 1933 - 1945
Band 3: Die Luftwaffe
Motorbuch Verlag; Stuttgart; 1999

Best regards
Torsten

[Gertrud26]

Well thank you very much Torstenfor I now know as a fact, looking at the uniform of my grandmother that she was a plane spotter indeed. Thanks for being so thourough with this topic, Torsten! Cheers!

[ElsaMannesser]

This has been so very informative. Thanks!

I have the basic 1943 uniform (the last pic on the page), but need to find a specialist patch (flak and/or signals), sleeve braiding, and the rank insignia. Can anyone help me or steer me in the right direction? I'm a stabsfuhrerin.