The National Socialist Flyers Corps (german: Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps; NSFK) was a paramilitary

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

organization of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

History

NSFK was founded 15 April 1937 as a successor to the

German Air Sports Association The German Air Sports Association (''Deutscher Luftsportverband'', or DLV e. V.) was an organisation set up by the Nazi Party in March 1933 to establish a uniform basis for the training of military pilots. Its chairman was Hermann Göring and its v ...

; the latter had been active during the years when a German air force was forbidden by the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

. The NSFK organization was based closely on the para-military organization of the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi ral ...

'' (SA). A similar group was the

National Socialist Motor Corps The National Socialist Motor Corps (german: Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps, NSKK) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that officially existed from May 1931 to 1945. The group was a successor organisation to the old ...

(NSKK). During the early years of its existence, the NSFK conducted military aviation training in gliders and private

airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...

Leadership

Friedrich Christiansen Friedrich Christiansen (12 December 1879 – 3 December 1972) was a German general who served as commander of the German ''Wehrmacht'' in the occupied Netherlands during World War II. Christiansen was a World War I flying ace and the only seap ...

, originally a ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

'' then later a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

General der Flieger ''General der Flieger'' ( en, General of the aviators) was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (air force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), e ...

'', was NSFK ''

Korpsführer ''Korpsführer'' was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was the highest rank used by the National Socialist Motor Corps and the National Socialist Flyers Corps. Translated as "Corps Leader", the rank of ''Korpsführer'' was held by the single o ...

'' from 15 April 1937 until 26 June 1943, followed by ''

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East Germany, East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. ...

Alfred Keller Alfred Keller (19 September 1882 – 11 February 1974) was a general in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during the Second World War who commanded the ''Luftflotte 1''. His career in the Imperial German Armed Forces began in 1897; he served a ...

until 8 May 1945.

Ranks, uniforms and other insignia

The paramilitary rank system was in use by the NSFK between the years of 1933 and 1945. The ranks were designed after paramilitary rank titles of the ''

''. Most ranks of the NSFK were also used by the

which maintained its own paramilitary rank system. As with most Nazi paramilitary groups, rank patches were worn on a single collar opposite a badge of unit membership. The exception was for the ranks '' Standartenführer'' and above which displayed rank insignia on both collars.

Rank insignia

As of 1934, the final rank pattern of the National Socialist Flyer Corps was as follows:

Uniforms

Organisationsbuc00nati 0 orig 0711 ORGANISATIONSBUCH DER NSDAP 1943 Tafel 70 Das Nationalsozialistische Fliegerkorps NSFK. Standarte Sturmfahne Public domain CROPPED.jpg Organisationsbuc00nati 0 orig 0712 ORGANISATIONSBUCH DER NSDAP 1943 Tafel 71 Das Nationalsozialistische Fliegerkorps NSFK. Rottenführer im grosse Dienstanzug, Standartenführer im kleinen Dienstanzug Public domain CROPPED.jpg Organisationsbuc00nati 0 orig 0713 ORGANISATIONSBUCH DER NSDAP 1943 Tafel 72 Das Nationalsozialistische Fliegerkorps NSFK. Standartenführer im Ausgehanzug, Sturmbannführer im Abendanzug Public domain CROPPED.jpg Organisationsbuc00nati 0 orig 0714 ORGANISATIONSBUCH DER NSDAP 1943 Tafel 73 Das Nationalsozialistische Fliegerkorps NSFK. Dienstgradabzeichen (Kragenspiegeln u. Schulterklappen) etc. Public domain CROPPED.jpg Source:

Rank flags

File:Standarte Korpsführer NSFK.svg, NSFK Korpsführer File:Standarte Stabsführer NSFK.svg, NSFK Stabsführer File:Standarte Gruppenführer NSFK.svg, NSFK Gruppenführer File:Standarte Standartenführer NSFK.svg, NSFK Standartenführer File:Wimpel Sturmangehörige NSFK.svg, NSFK Sturmangehörige File:Wimpel Sturmführer NSFK.svg, NSFK Sturmführer File:NSFK.jpg, NSFK Standarte File:NSFK Wimpel Fördernde Mitglieder.svg, NSFK Vehicle pennant File:NSFK white vehicle pennant.png, NSFK White vehicle pennant File:NSFK blue vehicle pennant.png, NSFK Blue vehicle pennant Source:Herzfeld, Andreas (2013). ''Die Riemann'sche Sammlung deutscher Autoflaggen und Kfz-Stander'', vol. 1. p. 170, and image 71.

NSFK badges

* The Free Balloon Pilot Badge (''Das Abzeichen für Freiballonführer''). This was authorized on 10 March 1938 by NSFK ''Korpsführer'', Christiansen. * The Motor Aircraft Pilot Badge (''Das Abzeichen für Motorflugzeugführer''). This was authorized on 12 July 1938 by Christiansen. * The Large Glider Flyer Badge (''Das Große Segelfliegerabzeichen''). This was authorized on 26 January 1942 by Christiansen.