English: Items from Wehrmacht Luftwaffe, the Air Force of Nazi Germany, on display in the World War II exhibition at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. Photo taken by Logan Rickert in January 2022, originally published on Flickr.

Deadly Skies Over Europe

The Luftwaffe (German Air Force) built a sophisticated defense system to counter the USAAF strategic bombing offensive. Enemy fighters and aircraft guns (also called "flak") took a devastating toll. The USAAF lost more than 8,000 heavy bombers – each of which typically carried ten crewmen – in combat during the strategic bombing campaign over Europe.

• BF 109 tail section with painted Nazi swastika

The Messerschmitt Bf 109, known as the Me 109 to bomber crews, was Nazi Germany's most numerous fighter.

• Helmet for the German air raid warning service (German: Luftschutzdienst, Luftwarndienst); WWII Luftschutz gladiator helmet.

Volunteer Luftschutzwarndienst civilians notified the population of imminent bomber attacks. This duty became mandatory for all citizens as bomber attacks increased.

• Luftwaffe Antiaircraft gunner uniform badges

Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge

ovcollection.eu: Flakartillerie Tätigkeitsabzeichen (Luftwaffe antiaircraft artillery personnel's trade badge uniform insignia); 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.

For further information, see uniforms and rank insignia of the Luftwaffe (1935–1945), etc. at English Wikipedia