-- -- Brigata Nera -- --

Front View

82. National Socialist Flying Corps: NSFK-Sturmmann, 1935, Service Dress.
83. National Socialist Flying Corps: NSFK-Standartenf�hrer, 1942.
84. National Socialist Flying Corps: NSFK-Truppf�hrer as Standard Bearer, 1940, Tradition Uniform.
The Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps (NSFK) was a para-military organisation that took the place of the Deutsche Luftsportverband (see Nos. 124, 126) when the latter was dissolved in 1935. The NSFK was a Stateregistered corporation subordinate to the Reich Minister for Air and Commander-in-Chief German Air Force; its Korpsf�hrer Generaloberst Alfred Keller was an active Luftwaffe General directly responsible to G�ring. The NSFK was not a Party formation as such but its members enjoyed the same privileges as those of the other para-military organisations, although its members were not permitted to have any other party affiliations. The NSFK was partly financed by voluntary contributions from private individuals. Its principal task was to make all Germans air-minded and to stress the role of air power in modern warfare. Its war-time functions were mainly as follows:
1) Maintaining schools to train pilots, wireless operators, glider troops and parachutists, as well as other specialised personnel.
2) Giving instruction to the Flieger-HJ.
3) Producing a constant flow of skilled personnel for the Luftwaffe thereby functioning as a reserve pool for them.
Not unexpectedly and no doubt due to its close association with the German Air Force, the NSFK wore uniforms produced in one of the 'protected uniform colours', namely Air Force blue-grey. However, it was very unlikely that members of the NSFK were ever mistaken, at least by Germans, for members of the Luftwaffe. Their badges of rank, shoulder straps and collar patches, were those patterned on the political fashion. They wore blue-grey kepis (Nos. 82, 83) and a yellow or silver piped blur-grey beret or 'Dienstm�tze' (No. 84). The facing colour used only as piping and underlay was bright yellow. The NSFK emblem consisting of Icarus the bird-man of Greek legend with outstretched arms holding wings and overlaid with a black swastika appeared on their uniforms, flags, standards and certain items of regalia. This emblem in cloth form was originally worn for a short time on the right upper arm of the NSFK Service Tunic (No. 82) but was later moved so as to be worn above the right breast pocket of the tunic and on the traditional brown shirt (Nos. 83, 84).

85. National Socialist Leadership Schools: NPEA Jungmann, 1943, Walking-Out Uniform.
86. National Socialist Leadership Schools: NPEA Instructor, 1935, Service Dress.
87. National Socialist Leadership Schools: NPEA Honour Guard, 1940, Guard Uniform.
German children, regardless of class, social origin or family background, other than those who were Jews or of Jewish origin, and who showed at an early age what the Nazis considered to be 'promising material' were selected to be trained in special schools as the future generation of German leaders. This training of the new elite was carried out on a three-tier system. First the 'Nationalpolitische Erziehungssanstalten' or NPEA, more commonly referred to as the NAPOLAS (which is the subject dealt with here) with entry at the age often, together with the 'AdolfHitler Schulen' or AHS, entrance age twelve. Secondly the 'Ordensburgen' or Castles Order of (see No. 13) entrance age of 24 to 27 and lastly the 'Hohe Schule' of the NSDAP, enrolment of students in their late 20's early 30's onwards. The NAPOLAS was designed to produce an elite of 'political Soldiers' capable of filling any post within all spheres of German life. The functioning of the NAPOLAS was based on the methods of the former imperial German Army Officer Cadet training institutes. The emphasis at these Kadettenanstalten was on soldierly behavior and military tradition and so it was with the NAPOLAS. The first three NPEAs were founded on 20th April 1933 on Hitler's forty-fourth birthday and by 1944 there was a total of forty-two in Greater Germany with two Reichsschulen the name given to the foreign NPEAs in Holland and one in Belgium. From 1936 on NPEA pupils had to be members of the HJ or DJ. The organisational structure of these schools was modeled on that of the Army. School forms were known as 'platoons', the pupils were called 'Jungm�nner'. Schools carried out military style drills (No. 87) and field exercises. Emphasis was placed on educational and scientific training, on character moulding and especially on physical education. From 1940 the NPEAs were becoming heavily influenced by the SS and by late in the war some of the schools were kitted out with Waffen-SS style uniforms (No. 85) bearing the SS sleeve eagle.