NSFK Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa Sweetheart Badge

A rare, private-purchase German Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps (NSFK) glider lapel pin badge. While British and Allied forces commonly produced official and custom "sweetheart" brooches for loved ones to wear on civilian clothing during WWII, Nazi paramilitary organizations like the NSFK did not issue traditional "sweetheart" variants. This example is the first we have seen in over 20 years of trading and was sourced as photographed from France. It came complete with a paper backer on which is finely written in French : "Souvenir de Guerre Allemande 1939-1945" which literally translates to "German War Souvenir 1939-1945" or "German War Memento 1939-1945". We can only presume this little badge was found in France during or after the occupation and at some stage crossed the English Channel or as the French call it "La Manche".

The NSFK was formed on 15th April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the former had been active during the years when a German air force was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. The primary functions of the NSFK were to organise the pre-military training of civilians destined for the Luftwaffe, in particular the members of the flying section of the Hitler Youth, and to continue to promote airmindedness among the civilian population and enabled fixed wing training though gliding. The glider featured on our pin is a Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa, of which 110 were built by the manufacturer Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth between 1935 and 1939. This was a high-performance sailplane, instantly recognised by its swept back gull-wing configuration, with a thick wing root which gradually thinned down to a symmetrical profile at the tips, to prevent aerodynamic stalls, as illustrated in the period photographs attached in our listing.

The miniature glider is mounted in front of a finely embroidered fabric roundel, with the glider wingspan just 1.4" (3.5 cm) and the fabric roundel measures 1.5" (4 cm). Small, but beautifully formed, this is a rare survivor and would make a significant addition to an NSFK collection or a more general gliding display. Almost certainly a one off that seems unlikely to ever be repeated.