On 23/7/1937 a new trade badge for Flak
personel was introduced, less then a year after the 1st one.
Next to succesfully completing training, soldiers would need to be with
a Flak unit for atleast 9 months to be eligable.
On 2/4/1942 this trade badge was introduced specificly for
sound location troops (Hörcher).
[Entfernungsmesser in France, 1944]
Crucial to the succes of Flak operations, these soldiers were
eligable for the Flak kampfabzeichen (from its introduction in 1941)
once acquiring enough points.
Like the gun crews, who scored points by destroying aircraft, sound
locators / range finders could earn points by succesfully detecting /
ranging enemies.
These collar tabs &
shoulderboards would have been worn by a Leutnant ( 2nd lieutenant )
serving with a Luftwaffe Flak unit.
Production
of collar tabs was discontinued by regulations of 12/10/1944, but on
hand stocks were to be issued and already issued ones continued to be
worn.
Battery commanders could not reveive the Flak kampfabzeichen before atleast 50% of his gun crews had been awarded one.
A large range finder and
smaller example on a tripod in the back, many other models in
intermediate sizes were in use.This picture was taken in the north of
France, 1944.