History

On March 25, 1933 the DLV (Deutscher Luftsportverband = German Air Sports Association) was created as a civilian sports organisation, the umbrella organisation of all air-related sports. However, from the very beginning, the DLV was used to secretly train its members for future roles in the newly emerging Luftwaffe, a breach of the terms of the Versailles Treaty.
The organisation should not be confused with the Deutscher Luftfahrtverband (also abbreviated DLV), which was formed in 1902, but disbanded in favour of the new DLV under Third Reich rule.

The DLV was split into two groups, the civilian section and the secret military section, known as the “Fliegerschaft” (air crew). The organisation eventually became obsolete after the official unveiling of the Luftwaffe in 1935, and it was disbanded and replaced by the National Socialist Flyers Corps (NSFK or Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps) in 1937.

DLV-specific uniforms were introduced on November 4, 1933. Initially they were only intended for the regular full-time members. Uniforms for the Fliegerschaft were introduced after August 1934. Gradually, all members were allowed to wear the uniform, but the process took time, because every member had to pay for their own uniforms themselves.

Female members of the DLV wore a blue-grey woolen skirt instead of trousers. It was described as reaching down to the ankles in official publications, but this may have varied according to prevailing fashion trends.