What are some of the rarest para wings?

[rhodesianmilitaria]

Just out of curiosity I'm looking for opinions as to what are some of the rarest para wings from any country in the world.

For example I would imagine that the RhSAS officers mess dress para wing would probably be one of them considering the regiment was only around 200-250 men most of the time.

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[GregN]

Hi all, from a Canadian perspective I think these are rare. I'm concerned though as with anything that is hand-made it can be repro'd very easily in India and China. Once a decent book identifies it as "rare" it rapidly becomes not rare.

Greg

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ictureid=25883

[Bill A]

A number of Canadian Parachute qualification wings were procured from shops in Japan during the Korean War. Any of these are rare. They are one offs.

[Tonomachi]

In my opinion there are actually two that can be considered the rarest paratrooper wing ever. The first is the WW2 Hungarian Master paratrooper wing of which only 23 were ever issued during WW2. Below is a photo of a copy as I've never come across a real one. The second would be the Spanish Republican Air Force parachute rigger badge supposedly worn during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 through 1939. The below photo is of a copy as I've never come across a real one.

Hungarian Master Para Badge Fake 23 Issued.jpg

Spanish Copy.jpg

[rhodesianmilitaria]

Thank you. Interesting, I will have to try and find out more.

[rhodesianmilitaria]

Originally Posted by GregN

Hi all, from a Canadian perspective I think these are rare. I'm concerned though as with anything that is hand-made it can be repro'd very easily in India and China. Once a decent book identifies it as "rare" it rapidly becomes not rare.

Greg

Yes I partly agree with the last statement but the originals will always be rare. I spoke to a jeweller years ago about bullion thread (French wire) and showed him some of the samples I have in my collection. He told me that countries like the UK, Europe and some of the colonies like Rhodesia, Australia, NZ etc used bullion wire with higher amounts of gold and silver in it than countries like India and Pakistan and that's why they maintained an 'nicer' looking patina over time. I don't know if it's true, just what I was told.

[castagain]

I'd say Tonomachi is spot on. Les Hughes' website has a good article on the Hungarian master para badges, at http://www.insigne.org/Fakes-I-Hung.htm.

The Spanish Republican para rigger wing was first described by Harry Pugh on page 4 of Chute & Dagger (US) newsletter issue #4, 25 August 1973. There is a brief description of the wing, a request for more info from C&D members, and a rough line drawing of the wing. A few years later, a color illustration of the wing appeared on plate 22 in Bragg and Turner's first book "Parachute Badges and Insignia of the World," published in the UK in 1979. Somewhere I have some notes from a Spanish collector; if I find them, I'll summarize in a later post.

I would maybe add a third rare para wing to this list: the pre-war Polish para wing. First described on pages 14-15 of C&D (US) issue #14, 15 June 1975. Quoting from the newsletter, the first military airborne course was in 1937 at Legionowo near Warsaw, to qualify a platoon of military instructors, who took part in the autumn maneuvers of the Polish Army in 1938. As a result of this exercise, the Military Airborne Center was established in May 1939 at Bydgoszcz. In June, a two-month course was conducted for 40 officers and 40 NCOs. In August 1939, a second course was started for 80 officers and NCOs, but this course was not completed due to the outbreak of the war. In C&D #14, there is a line drawing of the wing, taken from a single pre-war photo of the badge worn on the left arm of a Polish lieutenant colonel.

I have copies of the Spanish and Polish wings, shown here. I've not run across an original of either, in 30 years of diligently looking for both.

Regards,
Donovan

[rhodesianmilitaria]

Excellent info as well Donovan, thanks.

[rhodesianmilitaria]

This has also been suggested to me by Julian Tennant, co-author of 'ANZAC Elite'.
"I think that cloth wings would be more rare because they deteriorate much faster over time and in environments that don't support their longevity. That said, i think the list could include insignia such as the pre war German Army (not Air Force) para badge in cloth. Pre war French cloth parachutist badges, plus some of the post war stuff that is attributed to units that operate in the tropics, eg early post war Dutch SF in the East Indies, some African stuff etc. Plus pre 59 cuban."