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124. German Air Sports Associations: Fliegerkommandant 1935, Service Dress.
125. German Air Sports Associations: Aerodrome Supervisory Control Flugmeister 1935, Service Dress.
126. German Air Sports Associations: Flieger, 1933, Service Dress.
The DLV or German Air Sports Association was the forerunner of the Luftwaffe. Many aspects of its uniforms were similar to the uniforms introduced into the Luftwaffe from 1935. Both formations used the same basic blue-grey uniform colouring. Both had collar patch rank insignia of a similar basic design. The DLV collar patches were in four colours: white, black, yellow and blue which were four of the colours used by the Luftwaffe to distinguish certain of their personnel grades and branches. The Reichsluftaufsicht or Aerodrome Supervisory Control service used bright green as their distinguishing colour. Members of this organisation were responsible for controlling and observing the take-offs and landing of aircraft from airfields and aerodromes together with noting the performance and duration of individual flights. When on duty they wore a special gorget (No. 125).

127. 128. German Air Force Reichsmarschall des Grossdeutschen Reiches Hermann G�ring, 1941, 1943.
Hermann Wilhelm G�ring was the second most powerful personality in the National Socialist Movement. Born at Rosenheim in Bavaria on 12th January 1893 he was the son of a former governor of one of the German colonies in Africa. He was trained for service in the German Army and in 1912 he became a Lieutenant in the Infantry. He fought throughout the First World War first in the infantry, later with the German Air Arm. He had an exceptionally fine war record, being awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class and Imperial Germany's highest decoration for bravery the Pour le Merite - the 'Blue Max'. In the last months of the war he commanded Geschwader Nr. 1 the famous Richthofen Squadron. He left Germany after the war was over and in 1921 he returned from living in Sweden where he had met and married his first wife Karin von Fock-Kantzow, and settled in Munich. It was here that he first heard and met with Hitler. He joined the Nazi Party in November 1922 and two months later took over the command of the SA (Storm Troops) from its first commander Johann Ulrich Klintsch. G�ring took part in the abortive Munich Putsch of 9th November 1923 during which he suffered a dangerous wound which almost cost him his life. With help from his wife and friends he managed to flee to the Tyrol and later to Italy. He was eventually able to return to Germany under the amnesty of 1927. On his return to Germany G�ring became one of the first twelve National Socialist Deputies to enter the Reichstag (German Parliament). He was appointed President of the Reichstag on 30th August 1932 and after the Nazi 'Seizure of Power' on 30th January 1933 he became Minister-President of Prussia. He was also appointed Commander-in-Chief of Prussian Police and he was both the founder and head of the Gestapo, the State Secret Police, an appointment which, together with control over concentration camps, he relinquished to Himmler on 1st April 1934. In March 1933 G�ring founded the Deutsches Luftsports Verband, the DLV or German Air Sports Association, the forerunner of the Luftwaffe (Nos. 124, 125, 126). On 28 April 1933 he founded and was head of the Reich Air Defence LeagueReichsluftschutzbund-RLB-sec colour plates (Nos. 196, 197, 198). Five days later on 5th May he took on the appointment of Reich Minister for Aviation when the Keichskommissariat for Air, which he had headed since January 1933, was upgraded to a ministry. On 31st August 1933, G�ring, who held the First World War Air Arm rank of Captain, was created a General of infantry in the German Army by President Field Marshal von Hindenburg. G�ring also held the SS Honorary rank of SS-Obergruppenf�hrer, bestowed on him by Reichsf�hrer-SS Heinrich Himmler. In April 1935 Hermann G�ring now a widower married Emmy Sonnermann, his first wife Karin having died in Sweden in October 1931. On 26th February 1935 he became Commander-in-Chief of the newly constituted German Air Force with the rank of Luftwaffe General. On the 20th April 1936 Hitler promoted G�ring to Luftwaffe Generaloberst (Colonel General). In the same year G�ring became Chief Forester and Hunting Master of the German Reich (Nos. 220, 221, 222) and in September 1936 he was appointed Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan. He was also Chairman of the Council of Ministers for the Defence of the Reich and head of the 'Reichswerke Hermann G�ring'. On 28th April 1938 G�ring was once again promoted by Hitler from Generaloberst to Generalfeldmarshall. On the outbreak of war on 1st September 1939 Hitler appointed G�ring as his successor and after the fall of France on 19July 1940 G�ring was yet again promoted this time being elevated to the newly created and extraordinary rank of 'Reichsmarshall des Grossdeutschen Reiches' (Reich Marshal of the Greater (German Empire). In a nation that was besotted with the wearing of military and para-military uniforms of all kinds G�ring stood out from all others in his love of uniformed attire. To distinguish his elevation to the rank of Reichsmarshall, G�ring had a new uniform designed and tailored for himself in dove-grey material, the like of which had no equal within the German Armed Forces or the uniformed organisations of the Reich (Nos. 127 & 128). G�ring possessed at least six known versions of his Reich Marshal's jacket, all made from dove-grey materials but each with variations in cut and number of buttons, some of which were worn closed at the neck, others open to reveal white lapels. He had two versions of top coat, the full-length greatcoat (No. 128) and a short three-quarter length version. In addition to these he also wore a special cloak in a material matching his Reich Marshal's uniform. He possessed two forms of Reich Marshal peaked caps both illustrated here. No. 127 shows the less elaborate of the two and No. 128 has gold coloured laurel leaves embroidered into the material around the whole of the cap band. The collar patches shown in No. 127 were the second pattern Reichsmarshall patches. The original set featured a Wehrmacht eagle (right patch) and crossed batons (left patch) both within a surround of gold embroidered laurel leaves and all worked on to a base of white velvet. These were not to G�ring's liking. In March 1941 he had a second type made which are featured here and show both patches with crossed Marshal's batons. In No. 127 G�ring is shown carrying his Interim-Stab and in No. 128 he is saluting with his Marshal's baton.

129. German Air Force: Former Reichsmarshall Hermann G�ring, 1945.
In April 1945 Hermann G�ring fell completely from grace. He was expelled by Hitler from the National Socialist Party. He was stripped of his rank of Reich Marshal and he was dismissed from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. Hitler, living out his last remaining days in his Berlin bunker, had G�ring placed under arrest by the SS. In contravention of his 1st September 1939 decree, and before committing suicide, Hitler chose Grand Admiral D�nitz (No. 109) to be his successor and not G�ring. With Hitler dead G�ring, together with his family and members of his close staff, all of whom had been under SS arrest at Obersalzberg, managed to escape being shot by the SS and made their way towards the advancing American Forces in order to give themselves up. On 9th May 1945 at Kitzb�hel in Austria G�ring surrendered to First Lieutenant Jerome N. Shapiro the first American soldier he encountered and an officer from the US 36th infantry Division under the command of Brigadier-General Robert J. Stack. A few days later G�ring, accompanied by his Aide, Oberst Berndt von Brauschitsch, entered a detention camp at Augsberg dressed in yet another style of uniform that differed from any other he possessed (No. 129). He carried his Reich Marshal's baron inside its cloth cover. The jewelled encrusted decoration he wore, along with his favorite hunting dagger, his gold wrist watch, rings, pens, cigar cases, pill boxes and his many other personal effects were all taken from him. In the case of his decoration they were broken up for the value of their precious stones and metals.