LUFTWAFFE HISTORY
The German Luftwaffe, or air force, was formed in May of 1935. It was formed after the passing of the “Law for the Reconstruction of the National Defense Forces”. This law brought back into existence a free standing German army, navy and air force, something that had been essentially banned after the end of World War I. With the end of World War I and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the Weimar Republic – the successor to Imperial Germany – was allowed only a small defensive military force known as the Reichswehr. The Reichswehr’s size and composition was strictly controlled by the Allies in the hope that by restricting its constitution they could prevent future German military aggression. The Reichswehr consisted of 100,000 men divided between a small standing army, the Reichsheer, and a small defensive navy, the Reichsmarine. There was no provision for an air force of any sort. In 1933 the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) came to power and the infamous Third Reich was born. Two years later in 1935 the Treaty of Versailles was renounced and the Reichswehr became the Wehrmacht. The newly formed Wehrmacht would still consist of an army and a navy – the renamed Heer and Kriegsmarine, but a new air force was born as well – the Luftwaffe.Although officially announced in 1935, the Luftwaffe had existed in one form or another practically since the day the treaty banning it had been signed. Initially there were Freikorps air units, then later glider and sail plane formations tasked with finding ways around the rigid restrictions of Versailles, a secret training base in the Soviet Union, and various cover organizations for the initial forming of the new German air force. The Luftwaffe consisted of air units that made up the majority of the German air force, as well as Fallschrimjäger units, Luftwaffe Field Divisions, the elite Herman Göring ground formations, thousands of smaller anti-aircraft, engineer, communications and security units, and a fair number of Luftwaffe naval vessels and formations as well. Between 1939 and 1945 over 3.4 million served in the Luftwaffe. Over 165,000 were killed, over 155,000 went missing and over 192,000 were wounded. Of the 7361 men awarded the initial grade of the highest German combat honor of WWII, the Knights Cross, 1785 were from the Luftwaffe making up 24% of the total awarded. Initially the Luftwaffe ruled the skies but thereafter fought an increasingly futile war of attrition which when combined with vital mistakes in aircraft production and utilization, was its death knoll. In the face of this the Luftwaffe produced the most successful air aces of all time. As well, the feats of the Fallschirmjäger in the first airborne operations in history are as heroic as they are tragic. German paratroops suffered appalling losses on Crete and essentially never saw large scale airborne operations again. Some Luftwaffe ground units fought well during WWII, such as certain Luftwaffe field divisions and the elite Hermann Göring formations, while other units simply served. Ultimately the structure of the Luftwaffe was a grand reflection of its commander, Hermann Göring. He strove more so than any other branch to create a personal army with responsibilities as far reaching as possible. It was partly due to this that the Wehrmacht was ultimately defeated. The strain on resources and man power such political maneuvering had was far reaching. The Luftwaffe was officially disbanded in August of 1946 by the Allied Control Commission.
Short description of watch
I bring to your attention to this rare vintage 1939-1945 Swiss Military collectables, mechanical men’s wrist watch INVICTA LACO AVIATOR service wristwatches of the German Army Luftwaffe Pilots WWII. This vintage watch is originally very rare and collectable, therefore remains the preference of the Officers Luftwaffe WWII. This watch from pocket was altered in wrist watch. The watch has beautiful original pure nickel case. This watch has the beautiful original movement which signed: SWISS MADE and 15 JEWELS. The dial is original but only professionally repainted and beautifully restored. On the dial, hours markers and watch hands are fluorescent (luminous in dark). On face side, dome glass is plastic. To the watch a watchband is added in a gift. The watch has been restored, checked and calibrated by a master watchmaker and is in good running condition. This unique watch was kept till our time in good condition. Any defects not mentioned but visible in the pictures will be considered as described. Photos are of the actual watch. Getting such thing you do good capital investment. Every year the price for them will increase only! This watch is a stylish acquisition for collectors, 100% satisfaction, and good present or for everyday use!
All antique and vintage watches – are very delicate and I always pack them in a good packing for high degree preventing of damage. High altitude flights, jolting, atmospheric pressure, extreme temperature changes, frequent loading and frequent carrying in delivery time to You; can be hard on watch. This can cause the oil viscosity to decrease (gumming), the watch-hands can dropped down and prevent the ticking of watch (the balance can’t rotate freely etc.). For this reason I can’t guarantee a perfect working of watch. It may need to be oiled when it arrive – regardless of its recent servicing. Although this is only a very slight possibility it can occasionally happen. Please bear in mind that you are buying used watch – which already more than 60 years old and it will require service, cleaning, lubrication and calibration etc.
Technical information:
* Diameter of the case with crown: 52 mm
* Diameter of the case: 49 mm
* Diameter of the dial: 42 mm
* Thickness: 10 mm
* Band size: 22 mm
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Recommendations for the owner of antiquarian watches:
All Antique and vintage watches are mechanical. Many repairs will not be cheap, as most likely they will require replacement of non-standard parts (unlike most late model watches).
– Antique and vintage watches should not be beaten or dropped – because repairs may be expensive.
– Antique and vintage watches are generally NOT waterproof. This is because waterproofing was not in general production until the middle of the 20th century for most watches. Therefore you should protect your antique watch from exposure to moisture.
– If your watch becomes wet it should be dried off quickly. Carefully open all covers and use a hair drier to blow dry the movement, dial, covers, crown. This will reduce the amount of rust.
– If your watch becomes wet with any kind of salt water you should immediately immerse or spray your watch with fresh (no-salt) water to remove all the salt from the works before drying the watch completely. Any salt left in the watch will combine with moisture in the air to rust metal components of the movement, case etc.
– Winding any mechanical watch tight may break the mainspring. If you can avoid it do not wind the watch hard.
– When adjusting the hands of your watch, move them in a clockwise direction only. Counter-clockwise adjustments may damage the movement.
– If you must adjust counter-clockwise make it for small adjustments only (i.e. for minutes, NOT hours).
– Be careful and gentle when adjusting the movement speed (faster or slower). Don’t make sharp movements, and don’t touch other components in the movement especially the pendulum mechanism.
– Every 2-3 years it is necessary to service and oil vintage watches.
– IF the watch is dirty – allow the watch to run down, don’t wind it again until you have it serviced by a qualified watch repair expert. Dust will absorb and remove important lubricants and cause the movement pieces to wear down.
– To clean the case, dial and crystal you should use a cloth that does NOT leave fibers as these may get caught up in the movement. Check with your Watch repair expert to get an appropriate cloth.
– Keep your antiques watch away from magnets. Strong magnetic fields may affect the accuracy of your watch since some vintage watches were made with iron based components in the movement.
– Most Cases and Covers are fine components and will not handle abuse well. The watch should not be shaken, beaten, or stressed.
– Antique watches generally experience an error of up to 5-10 minutes a day. Any accuracy of +- 5 minutes is very good.
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I will send all items to Worldwide.
All Items, will be shipped via standard International Airmail. Item reach most countries within 11-17 business days, in rare cases up to 30 business days. Italian, French, Brazil and Mexican buyers need to know that – delivery to these countries sometimes will take up to 30 business days. Be ready for these terms.
When you rate the shipping time part, please, take into consideration – international transit Items sent via standard or special courier.
All items will pack very securely, to fully ensure that – the item arrives safely.
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