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WW2 Polish Unique Pilot Badge “Gapa” – Morocco Rabat Silver

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61mm x 38mm , silver ,  Morocco 1940

Description
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The Moroccan Polish Pilot Badge from 1940 is associated with a small group of pilots who, after the defeat of the 1939 September Campaign and evacuation to France, were not positively verified and were sent to French colonies, including Morocco.

According to the memoirs of cadet pilot Stanisław Socha (303 Squadron), he did not pass the positive verification due to the lack of confirmation from the command of the Training Squadron in Dęblin. Among the more than twenty individuals sent to Morocco were also aviators with German-sounding names.

The Gapa was made in Rabat by a jeweler based on the pre-war badge of Jan Knedler.The order included more than twenty pieces for all the pilots (the Rabat assignment included 21 pilots). The emblem was made of silver using the casting method and was hand-chiseled and finished. The reverse of the badge has a Moroccan silver hallmark of 800 purity and is engraved with the date 1940 and the Arabic inscription “Mabruk” (May God Protect You / Godspeed), written in a rare dialect used by Saharan Berbers.

This specimen is the only known one without an engraved number. According to Stanisław Socha’s account, he remembers taking the badge with the number 18, which was a matter of chance, so it is unknown if there was any principle for assigning badges and who was given the unnumbered badge. This example is published in Bartłomiej Belcarz’s book “Under the Skies of the Maghreb,” p. 289. Quoting Mr. Belcarz – “due to the small number of pieces made, the place of production, and original markings, the Gapa from Rabat should undoubtedly be considered a very interesting and rare collectible item.” One of the rarest versions of the Pilot Badge.