Last modified: 2008-07-26 by dov gutterman
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The Colombian Military Army is divided into 7 Divisions, each
with a flag and a Coat of Arms. Each Army Division flag is based
on the Colombian Army Flag Without Arms,
but with the Division's Coat of Arms on the middle. Coat of Arms
are at <www.ejercito.mil.co>.
Pennants are based on <www.mindefensa.gov.co>.
E.R., 12 and 30 October 2005
The pennants are flown on Colombian Independence Day (July
20), and also whenever there are Military Parades. The pennants
are not displayed as car flags. They are used usually by a
designated Officer or NCO, mostly for mertiorious deeds (usually
the highest decorated soldier of a given military unit). The
pennant is at the top of a small pole, and the standard bearer
goes in front of the unit that his pennant represents. Not only
the Army Divisions have Pennants, but also other units. The
pennants are part of the military unit. The honor for the bearer
is the opportunity to lead his unit carrying the pennant. Thus,
the pennant IS NOT an award like the US CommendationRibbons.
E.R., 2 November 2005
There is also an additional flag for each one of the Seven
Army Divisions that Colombia currently has. This is the Colombian
official flag plus the name of the Division below. So that means
that all seven should have the same pattern. This is a general
rule for all Colombian Military flags.
Source: Capture from Colombian TV news channel RCN.
E.R., 6 January 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 October 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 June 2006
Official website of Primera División (First Division) at <www.primeradivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 8 June 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 October 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 June 2006
Official website of Segunda División (Second Division) at
<www.segundadivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 8 June 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 October 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 9 June 2006
Official website of Tercera División (Third Division) at <www.terceradivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 8 June 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 October 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 9 June 2006
Official website of Cuarta División (Fourth Division) at <www.cuartadivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 8 June 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 October 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 11 June 2006
Official website of Quinta División (Fifth Division) at <www.quintadivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 8 June 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 12 October 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 11 June 2006
Official website of Sexta División (Sixth Division) at <www.sextadivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 8 June 2006
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 June 2006
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 26 December 2005
Official website of Séptima División (Seventh Division- HQ
in Medellin, Department of Antioquia) at <www.septimadivision.mil.co>.
E.R., 12 October 2005 and 8 June 2006
image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 March 2006
All the additional official flags have the same plain
beckground.
E.R.,
obverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 9 August 2005
reverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 March 2006
The flag of the Decimotercera Brigada (Thirteenth Brigade)
based on patch of this Army Brigade at Colombian Army's official
website and photo of flag seen during a parade at the
Brigade's HQ in Bogotá at CAMBIO magazine.
E.R., 9 August 2005
image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 July 2006
The 17th Brigade belongs to the Seventh Division. The official
website of the 17th Brigade is at <www.ejercito.mil.co>.
E.R., 2 July 2006
image by Eugene Ipavec,
This flag was spotted on February 24, 2008 during a military
fair. It is the flag of the Grupo de Caballería Mecanizada
No. 4 "Juan del Corral" (Mechanized Cavalry Group No. 4
'Juan del Corral'). It is part of the Cuarta Brigada (Fourth
Brigade), Séptima División (Seventh Division).
The flag is on yellow background symbolizing Mechanized Cavalry
Units and it has the Cavalry Coat of Arms, seen on the website of the ESCAB (Escuela
de Caballería, Cavalry School).
It is likely that the colors of the Arms (i.e. Cavalry, Infantry,
etc.) of the Army have been taken based upon US Army standards.
E.R., 17 April 2008
image by Eugene Ipavec, 3 November 2005
.jpg)
Coat of Arms
image contributed by E.R., 15 June 2005
The MFO is an indpendent "task force", created after
the Camp David Accords (1978). It is an independent international
organization (non-UN peacekeeping force) and it is made up of
different countries. The Multinational Force & Observers is
responsible for supervising implementation of the security
provisions of the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel.
The "Batallón de Infantería Colombia" No. 3 (Infantry
Battalion No. 3 "Colombia"), abbreviated BICOL, is
attached to the MFO. Official website at <bicol3.galeon.com>.
Here is a photo of the
pennant of Infantry Battalion No. 3 "Colombia".
E.R., 15 June and 3 November 2005
See: Major - Commanding Officer of the Batallón Colombia
See also: Sinai Multinational Force & Observers Flag
official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 20 November 2005
Additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 14 September 2006
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 20 November 2005
.gif)
coat of arms
image by Eugene Ipavec, 14 September 2006
The AFEAU (Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas
Urbanas, Urban Special Antiterrorist Forces Group) are an elite
force depending directly from the Comando General de las Fuerzas
Militares (General Command of Military
Forces).
The Additional official flag should be the official flag of
Colombia with the same ratio with Coat of Arms, but the
inscription on the upper red fringe of the Coat of Arms reads
"REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA" and the bottom inscription
hould read AFEAU. The image is based on photo from Colombia's
Independence Day, July 20th, 2002. taken from the Ministry of
National Defense official website.
The Pennant is based on photo taken from TV channel Canal A. The
photo is from Colombia's Independence Day, July 20th, 2003.
Homepages of AFEAU at <www.ejercito.mil.co>
and <www.cgfm.mil.co>.
E.R., 20 November 2005
The difference between the Brigada de Fuerzas Especiales (Special Forces Brigade) and the AFEAU (Urban
Special Antiterrorist Forces Group), is that the Brigade is made
up of Battallions that operate temporarily attached to any given
Army Battalion or Army Brigade, with national jurisdiction, while
the AFEAU units are platoon-sized elements that are permanently
based on the Headquarters of each Army Division, so they only
have operational jurisdiction over the area in which their
Division operates. Now, there are five AFEAU groups even though
there are seven Army Divisions in existence: the Colombian
government is getting the funds and its men trained in order to
create two more AFEAU groups.
Source: <www.ejercito.mil.co>.
E.R., 25 December 2005
Information on the AFEAU: Fuerzas Especiales Anti-Terroristas
Urbanas (AFEAU) <www.specialoperations.com>
- Urban Counterterrorist Special Forces. The national hostage
rescue/counterterrorist unit is the Fuerzas Especiales
Anti-Terroristas Urbanas (AFEAU). It is made up of between 70 and
100 personnel from all branches of the Armed Forces as well as
the National Police and is under the overall command of the
Comandante de las Fuerzas Armadas (Commander of the Armed
Forces). The unit is divided into four 15-man sub-units, one each
from the Colombian Army, Navy, Marine Corps and National. Each
sub-unit is comprised of two officers and 13 enlisted ranks, all
of whom are volunteers. AFEAU is commanded by an Army major who
heads a headquarters section comprised of an executive officer,
first sergeant, communications operator. It was created as a
direct result of the failed assault on the Palace of Justice in
Bogota on November 5 and 6, 1985, which resulted in the deaths of
not only the M-19 terrorists, but
also some 80 soldiers, policemen and hostages as well. In
addition to the assault teams, the AFEAU has dedicated sniper
teams, a crisis management team, and a hostage negotiation
element.
Training is carried out primarily at a facility in Facatativa,
north of Bogota. Members are schooled in a wide variety of
disciplines, including close-quarters combat, short and longs
range marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and even air assault
operations. Specific hostage rescue skills are developed for the
major transportation scenarios including trains, busses, and a
wide variety of airplanes.
The ring of the coat of arms contains the inscription
"COMANDO FUERZAS ESPECIALES". The acronym spell AFEUR.
Concering AFEAU v. AFEUR - AFEAU stands for Agrupación de
Fuerzas Antiterroristas Urbanas... and AFEUR stands for
Agrupación de Fuerzas Antiterroristas Urbanas y Rurales.
Both are exactly the same thing: that is, there is no
difference because those are two ways to refer to them (The
emblem and the flag say AFEUR but for example, the pennant reads
AFEAU, and the official website on the internet also says AFEAU).
After several months of research on this subject, I have come to
the conclusion that they are the same thing: however their
uniforms are different when it comes to rural operaions
(bascially army jungle camouflage pattern) and urban operations
(a kind of snow environment camouflage, in different shades of
gray). The gear is the same for all groups and there are AFEAU
Police units and AFEAU military units.
E.R., 14 & 18 September 2006
Additional official flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 December 2005
Pennant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 December 2005
All Colombian Military Units have an official flag and also an
official pennant (usually having the initials of the unit). This
is the Pennant of this military unit called Brigada de Fuerzas
Especiales, or Special Forces Brigade. It's abbreviation is
BRFER.
It is directly below the General Command
of Military Forces in the structure on the military
organization. The difference between the Brigada de Fuerzas
Especiales (Special Forces Brigade) and the AFEAU
(Urban Special Antiterrorist Forces Group), is that the Brigade
is made up of Battallions that operate temporarily attached to
any given Army Battalion or Army Brigade, with national
jurisdiction, while the AFEAU units are platoon-sized elements
that are permanently based on the Headquarters of each Army
Division, so they only have operational jurisdiction over the
area in which their Division operates. Now, there are five AFEAU
groups even though there are seven Army Divisions in existence:
the Colombian government is getting the funds and its men trained
in order to create two more AFEAU groups.
Source: <www.ejercito.mil.co>.
E.R., 25 December 2005
obverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 3 October 2005
reverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 March 2006
Flag description from the
official
website (translated from Spanish):
"The flag of the Criminal Military Justice (Justicia Penal
Militar) has a white background and four stripes, from top to
bottom red, dark blue, light blue and green. On the center a
circled Coat of Arms, on dark yellow background, bearing a sword
with the tip facing upwards, superimpossed on the balance of
justice, both with golden ends, with the Coats of Arms of the
Army, Navy, Air Force and National Police [hence the colors
mentioned before], and with the motto around reading 'CRIMINAL
MILITARY JUSTICE' written in black letters.
Coat of Arms (translated
from Spanish):
"White represents transparency, trust, honesty; the colors
red, dark blue, light blue and green, as well as their
corresponding Coats of Arms, represent each one of the Forces in
which the Criminal Military Justice serves which are: National
Army, Navy, Air Force, an National Police; the yellow and gold
colors stand for commitment and wisdom. The balance featured on
the flag is the universal symbol of justice".
E.R., 27 June 2005
.jpg)
Aviation Brigade Emblem
image contributed by E.R., 10 July 2005
The Brigada de Aviación (Aviation Brigade) or 25th Brigade is
located in Tolemaida, Tolima. This unit was activated on August
23, 1997. It has national jurisdiction as a support brigade and
it comprises two Battalions (which several companies each):
1. Batallón de Transporte Aéreo (Air Transport Battalion),
fixed wing aircraft
2. Batallón de Helicópteros (Helicopters Battalion), rotary
wing aircraft.
Note the blue background plus the Battalion's Coat of Arms.
E.R., 10 July 2005
The Military Aviation branch of the Colombian Army, currently,
has three Battalions and one School:
- Batallón de Transporte Aéreo (Air Transport Battalion) was
inaugurated on October 24, 1997 on the Air Base Teniente General
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (Lt. Gral. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla) in
Tolemaida, Cundinamarca.
- Batallón de Helicópteros (Helicopters Battalion, official
abbreviation BAHEL). It was inaugurated on May 28, 1997 on the
Air Base Teniente General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (Lt. Gral.
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla) in Tolemaida, Cundinamarca. It comprises
the following companies: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Foxtrot,
Gulf and Mike. Each one with its pennant and the
initial of each company's name (i.e. Alpha Company's Pennant has
a white A, Bravo Company's Pennant has a white B, and so on).
- Batallón de Aviones (Aircraft Battalion, official abbreviation
BATAV): It was inaugurated on September 25, 1996 on
the Air Base Teniente General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (Lt. Gral.
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla) in Tolemaida, Cundinamarca. It comprises
the following Companies: Alpha, Bravo (Air Intelligence), Charlie
(Mobility and Air Assistance) and Delta (MEDEVAC), each one with
its pennant and the initial of each company's name (i.e. Alpha
Company's Pennant has a white A, Bravo Company's Pennant has a
white B, and so on). It's located in Bogota, with several
detachments in Tolemaida.
- Escuela de Aviación del Ejército (Army's Flight School,
official abreviation ESAVE): It was inaugurated on December 22,
1999 on the Air Base Teniente General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (Lt.
Gral. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla) in Tolemaida, Cundinamarca.
Also, the Coat of Arms of the Aviation Brigade has changed. The
new version can be located at <www.aviacionejercito.mil.co>.
E.R., 25 July 2007
Helicopters Battalion
image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 October 2005
The Batallón de Helicópteros (Helicopters Battalion) flag is
based on a photo. This
Battalion is part of the Brigada de Aviación (Aviation Brigade),
a newly created Colombian Army Branch.
E.R., 10 July 2005
images by Eugene Ipavec, 25 July 2007
Those pennants are based on photos (here
and here).
Supposedly, the first three Pennant carry the letter of a
company. I don't know what CAPINT 18 and BAT 2 (battalion?
battery?) stands for.
E.R., 25 July 2007
Pennants (A, D, G, and BAT 2) are for sure part of the Army
Aviation, thus are part of the Army Aviation branch. Since the
Army Aviation Branch is a Brigade (in fact it was first
established as the 25th Brigade), hence it is divided into
Battalions. The BAT 2 Pennant refers to the Second Battalion,
which is dividedn into companies, and the A, D, and G Pennants
are flying companies, that is, are comprised of aircrafts. The
technicality here is to speak in terms of Companies since we are
talking about an Army unit, and not Squadrons because they are
not part of the Air Force.
E.R., 29 August 2007
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