The Army paratrooper badge was instituted on September 1st 1937 by the commander in chief of the German Army, Von Fritsch. This badge was offered to all members of the Army Parachutist group who accomplished five jumps and passed a qualification test. The offering came in a blue box with felt cover and gold letters on the top of the lid. This badge stopped being issued when the Parachutist troop's control was given to the air force. This badge is not considered to be a war time award. However, this piece is very hard to find and it is very expensive. The badge is a two piece construction attached by rivets. The eagle should be firmly attached to the rief. A picture of the badge in its presentation box follows;

Due to the high cost of this badge and the fact that is currently being reproduced, it is important for the buyer to pay attention to the details of how the badge is constructed to minimize the risks of purchasing a fake. Some of the pointers that should be kept in mind when inspecting an Army Paratrooper badge include:
The rivets should be conical and very well defined. Replicas often have rivets that are flat, damaged or very sloppy. The rivets on this particular piece have spacers under them, not every piece has this characteristic. The right type of hook is illustrated in the pictures below. the hook should be cleanly attached to the body of the badge. There should not be extra soldering or messy mounting.

The latch and pin are also very important in determining the authenticity of a piece. The following pictures are a prime example of how they should look. Just like in the case of the hook, it is extremely important that the mounting to the body be very clean.

Special attention should be paid to the definition on the wings, the head and the claws of the eagle. The lines should be sharp and precise. Smooth and rounded contours may be an indication of forgery.