military aviation
Military aviation comprises military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift ( air cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a war the ...
. Also known as a Pilot's Badge, or Pilot Wings, the Aviator Badge was first conceived to recognize the training that military aviators receive, as well as provide a means to outwardly differentiate between military pilots and the “foot soldiers” of the regular ground forces.
United States
A Military Aviator badge existed from 1912-17 before being replaced by the predecessor of the "wings" badge.United Kingdom
The current aviator badge of theRoyal Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Royal Air Force March Past
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, eq ...
has been in use since the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—forming two opposing m ...
. The badge consists of a winged crown and wreath, beneath which are the letters "RAF". The Royal Air Force also uses a "half wing" version to denote Weapon System Officers (WSOs) and Weapon System Operators (WSOps) as well as various airborne roles such as Airborne Technician.
Belgium
The current aviator badge of the Belgian Air Force is:
Canada
The brevet badge for aRoyal Canadian Air Force
, image = Royal Canadian Air Force Badge.svg
, image_size = 250px
, caption = Badge of the Royal Canadian Air Force
, start_date =
, country ...
pilot is:
Denmark
The aviator badge of theRoyal Danish Air Force
The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...
is:
China
The emblem of the People's Liberation Army Air Force is:
France
The aviator badges of the French Air Force/ Armée de l'air française and French Navy/ Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale are:Germany
1913-1920
Several badges were donated to German aircrew prior, during or after theFirst World War
World War I or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI or WW1, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously known as the Great War or "The war to end war, the war ...
. The most notable were: Abzeichen Militär-Flugzeugführer
was donated on January 27, 1913 by Emperor Wilhelm II. It could be awarded to officers, NCOs and crews who, after completing the two required tests for pilots and after completing their training at a military air base, acquired the certificate as a military pilot issued by the military air and land transportation inspection (Inspektion des Militär-Luft- und Kraft-Fahrtwesens). A similar badge for military pilots was donated on 4 February 1913 by Prince Ludwig from Bavaria. The badge for navy pilots on seaplanes
was donated on 31 May 1913 by King and Emperor Wilhelm II, for all officers and soldiers, who successfully completed the training on a naval aircraft station and thus received a certificate of qualification as a naval pilot. The badge for navy pilots on land planes
was donated on 23 February 1915 by emperor Wilhelm II for pilots of the Navy, who completed their service in the war on land planes. The badge for observation officers from airplanes
was donated on January 27, 1914 by emperor Wilhelm II. Prerequisites for the award were: 1. a distance traveled of at least 1000 km in an aircraft, 2. a successfully completed technical assistance examination on an aircraft, 3. pass of at least one retake, 4. accomplished exploration missions, and 5. a certification as an observation officer. A similar badge was donated by King Ludwig III. on 3 March 1914 for the Bavarian army. The airgunner badge
was founded on January 27, 1918 by emperor Wilhelm II. The soldiers had to demonstrate in-depth knowledge in engine construction and operation, in flight training, in map reading, in the tactics of aerial combat, in theory of bombing, and skills in the operation of machine guns on the ground and in aerial combat. The commemorative badge for airship crews
was donated in 1920 by Reichswehr Minister Otto Gessler. There were two versions for Army and Navy airships. Upon request, it was awarded to officers, deck officers, NCOs and crews of former airship crews, who during the war had at least one year of activity on front aircraft.
1935-1945
The ''Pilotenabzeichen'' (Pilot's Badge) of the formerLuftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial warfare branch of the '' Wehrmacht'' during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a World war, global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It ...
had been instituted by Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German political and military leader and a convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officiall ...
on 12 August 1935. It came in distinct types; nickel silver (changed to zinc during the war) and a variant made of gold. It depicts a silver eagle perched atop a swastika
The swastika symbol, 卐 (''right-facing'' or ''clockwise'') or 卍 (''left-facing'', ''counterclockwise'', or sauwastika), is an ancient religious icon in the cultures of Eurasia
Eurasia () is the largest continental area on Earth, co ...
, wings open in a landing pose, and surrounded by a wreath with laurel on the right side and oak branches on the left side, respectively. It was worn in the center of the left breast pocket of the service tunic, underneath the Iron Cross
Reverse side of the above cross showing eight metal loops for stitching the award to the left side of the uniform breast.
The Iron Cross (german: Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and la ...
1st Class if awarded. The badge was awarded after one completed flight training and the flying licence and citation were received.
After 1955
In the ''Bundeswehr'' the aviation badge (''Tätigkeitsabzeichen Militärluftfahrzeugführer'') comes in three grades: bronze (Standard Pilot), silver (Senior Pilot) after 1200 flight hours and gold (Command Pilot) after 1800 flight hours. It depicts the ''Coat of arms of Germany, Bundesadler'' surrounded by an oak leaf wreath between two wings. It is worn above the right breast pocket. A total of two ''Tätigkeitsabzeichen'' may be worn, one of which can be foreign in which case the foreign one would be worn below the German one.
Hungary
1938-1945
Pilots and navigators of the Royal Hungarian Air Force wore their aviator rating badge sewn on their uniforms right breast above the pocketflap. The Observers Badge was the same, except without the Holy Crown of Hungary. A smaller version of the pilot's badge which was worn on the lower left sleeve of the overcoat - observers also worn a small insignia without the crown on their sleeve.http://members.shaw.ca/czink/index_files/images/MARCH%20APRIL%202003.pdf During World War II a gilded bronze pilot and observer badge was also introduced.After 1990
After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Hungary a new Hungarian Air Force was created. It took on the traditions of the Royal Hungarian Air Force. There are 4 classes of pilots badges. Gold laurel 1st class aviator; 1st class aviator, 2nd class aviator, and 3rd class aviator.
Israel
The current badge of a pilot in the Israeli Air Force, Israeli defense forces is:
Namibia
The aviator badge of the Namibian Air Force is:The Netherlands
The aviator badge of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Navy is:
Poland
South Africa
The current aviator badge of the South African Air Force has been in use since 2002, when South Africa adopted a new coat of arms. Like the RAF, the SAAF also has a half-wing version of the badge, in this case for navigators. The aviator and navigator badges comes in three grades: bronze, silver and gold. Reserve force aviator badges have a light blue inlay around the coat of arms as appose to the dark blue of permanent air force aviators.Spain
Turkey
Notes
References
* *{{cite book , last = Angolia , first = John , title = For Führer and Fatherland: Military Awards of the Third Reich , publisher = R. James Bender Publishing , year = 1987 , isbn = 0912138149 Military awards and decorations of Nazi Germany Military aviation