Unidentified flags (Germany)

Last modified: 2008-08-30 by jarig bakker
Keywords: ufe | uhlan |
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• German tank flag
• flag used on military vehicles with "Balken-cross"
• old German flag
• Uhlan-flag
• Prussian cuirasser NCO lance pennant
• German environment flag from poster
• Thüringen Corps
• Cannabis / Hemp flag
• German military pre-1919 UFE
• Unknown German colonial flag
• Red swallowtail with black eagle
• Unknown Luftwaffe (?) Flag
• Unknown B (house?)flag

• Germany

German tank flag

Maybe you can help me. I don't know what this is called. This flag was removed from a German Tank in Holland during WW11.
Any info you might have would be gratefully appreciated.
Mary Oldring, 11 Oct 2002

I believe that the yellow flag with a blue cross found on a German tank is Swedish. Soldiers from Sweden was fighting on both sides in WW2, so the crew on that tank propebly was from Sweden. I have seen that flag as an alternative flag in Sweden before.
Ted Nordin, 24 Aug 2007

flag used on military vehicles with "Balken-cross"

Attached you can find a flag that my wife asked me about (her rough sketch, so the proportions might be off). One of her colleagues brought it to work, thinking it was a Danish flag (I'm Norwegian with Danish mother. I'm currently living in the US).
I know it's a flag from the Third Reich, and that it was used on military vehicles and must come from the iron cross. Was this something that was scrapped when they adapted to new regulations in 1935? I was not able to find it anywhere on your web page, and was wondering if you had more information about it. The flag seems to be handmade, and my guess is that it's probably a souvenir brought back by an American soldier. (it was found after they cleaned out a house where her old aunt used to live).
Geir Stenshagen, 20 Aug 2004

I seem to recall that it was an identification flag to be placed over panzer tanks for identification from the air, so that they weren't targetted by 'friendly fire'.
James Dignan, 21 Aug 2004

I recently received a WWII flag from a US serviceman who obtained it while fighting in the Battle of the Bulge (in Patton's 3rd army). It's approx. 5'x7', a thin
cotton, and the black cross is printed on white cloth. One side of the flag has an eyelet on each corner. The pattern is on one side only. I have had no success in
finding any likenesses on the web or in books. Would you have any idea as to the history and use of this design?
Grant Olson

My father was a B-17 pilot for the 351st Bomb Group out of Polebrook, England. He was shot down on 22 June, 1944, over Rouen, France and became a POW
at Stalag Luft III. As the allied forces advanced, they were marched to Mooseberg. In April, they were liberated by Patton's 3rd army. During this time in Germany,
he obtained a flag, that I have not been able to identify. It is approx. 3'x6' with a white circle with a black cross in the middle. The cross is similar to the marking
found on Me109 and Fw190 German fighters.
Rob, 7 Dec 2002

This flag was a typical WWII German airplane recognition symbol for tanks. This item was never used as flag, it was only used to save German tanks from friendly
fire. During the war there was also the "normal" swastika flag in use for airplane recognition on tanks.
Jörg M. Karaschewski, 23 Mar 2004

It appears that the long recurring mystery about this flag is solved, or starting to be. Up to now, we have had several reports of similar flag specimens, mostly from
the US. The fact that this flag is not documented in any source - at least none has been reported in FOTW - and that most reports came from people browsing or
moreover selling such an item in Internet (e.g., eBay) raised suspicion that it was a modern concoction of a flag which was never produced before 1945.

I came across the following in Roger James Bender and Warren W. Odegard, "Uniforms, Organization and History of the Panzertruppe", R. James Bender
Publishing, San Jose CA, 1980, p. 284:

     "In anticipation of recognition problems between the Army and Luftwaffe support units during the upcoming invasion of France and the Netherlands,
     the German General Staff issued the following order in March 1940 (3). "A swastika flag and orange smoke are to be utilized by all troops for
     recognition purposes when in a combat zone. The swastika flag is, according to circumstances, to be spread out on the ground, to be waved to and fro,
     or to be stretched across a vehicle. (...)
     "The swastika flag discussed above was either a standard national flag or a special issue flag with a metal grommet at each corner for tying down
     purposes. Later in the war, the use of the Balken cross flag (white circle with a Balken cross in its center rather than a swastika, on a red field)
     gradually replaced the swastika flag. It should be noted that these flags were rarely used in the final stages of the war because the Allies held undisputed
     air superiority over most fronts."

     Footnote (3) says: "(3) Ob.d.H./Gen.St.d.H./Ausb.Abt. (Ia) Nr. 450/40g vom 8.3.1940. This order was altered slightly by Order #363, dated April 2,
     1941, in AHM, April 21, 1941"

So it appears that the so-called Balken cross flag (a) actually did exist, though it was never hoisted as a proper flag, (b) its use started after the 1940 campaign in
France, possibly during or after the 1941 invasion of Russia and (c) was not used after, say, mid 1944. (This is probably a reason why Allied veterans could not
spot it after Normandy, except for those held as POWs at Stalag Luft camps.)
Santiago Dotor, 25 Mar 2004

[See also the discussion on this FOTW-page - Ed.]

old German flag

I have a particular flag (3`x5`) that was given to me by a friend in the military who served in Germany, where he bought the flag. Neither he nor I know what it is but upon researching the FOTW site we have found that the black, white, red was the old German flag and the flag perhaps could be a reference to old Germany. The flag has a cross on it. I have recreated the flag, and enclosed in the email an image of it. I would be grateful of any help.
Michael Skowitz, 13 Feb 2003

It might be a proposal for a warflag of the North German Federation (Norddeutscher Bund) drawn by prince Adalbert. You can see five similar examples on p.65 of source but not this one.
source: Jörg-M. Hormann; Dominik Plaschke: "Deutsche Flaggen Geschichte, Tradition, Verwendung", Bielefeld/Hamburg 2006; ISBN 3-89255-555-5
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 June 2007

Uhlan-flag

This is an original rare Prussian Royal Uhlan Flag as spotted on Ebay. There is written:
Original rare Prussian Royal Uhlan Flag (Unteroffiziersfahne) from 1917, the motiv on the flag shows the royal Eagle.
Soldiers on horseback from the Royal Uhlan Regiment (2nd Hannover) already carried this banner in the  time period from 1871 - 1920. The condition of the Uhlan-flag is very good, size approx. 70 x 35 cm with four fixing-eyes on the flag.
Bill Garrison, 24 Mar 2003

Prussian cuirasser NCO lance pennant

Looking for lance pennants (Polish vs. US cavalry) I found this website: "The Kürassier NCO's lance pennant is made from white linen with a printed Preußen [Prussian] Eagle. Enlisted lance pennants were made in the state colors. Only NCO pennants utilized the state Wappen [arms].
Bill Garrison, 24 Mar 2003

German environment flag from poster

I found this flag on a poster in the German consulate of Guangzhou/PR China. I only know, that it was about a competition about environment.
J. Patrick Fischer, 29 Apr 2003

Thüringen Corps

I have been in Heidelberg Germany for over 15 years and just last week I saw a flag like the one attached. I thought it was the old Northern German Empire Flag but then it's just the same as the Kamchatka Territory (Russia) upside-down. It was displayed on a flagpole projecting from the building (ratio 3:2) and also banner style from a freestanding pole (ratio 5:2). The building had the sign: Thüringen Corps. I still am trying to find out what that is or who they are. It doesn't seem to be a new organization. What do you know?
David C Curran, 16 Jun 2003

There is most probably a totally different solution, and the four-coloured flag (yellow-red-black-yellow) was the one that pointed to that for me. These are flags of Burschenschaften/Studentenverbindungen (students' associations). As Heidelberg is an important university town, there are also a lot of these Burschenschaften around. Each of these have their colour combinations (two, three or four colours), including rare colours such as pink in many cases. These colour combinations are
displayed as sashes mainly, but also as striped flags on the buildings belonging to the Burschenschaft. The Burschenschaften had been playing an important role in German history (and the German flag's history) around 200 years ago. Nowadays they are basically small, unsignificant groups with (mostly) right-conservative, in some cases even right-radical, political opinion. There had been several scandals here in Munich and the rest of Bavaria with NPD members being also member of one of the Burschenschaften. Although most of them are just conservative and not radical, the distinction is not always easy.

The Studentenverbindung in this case is the "Corps Thuringia" (names are traditionally latinized, i.e. not "Thüringen" but "Thuringia"). see this website. On the website you see their coat-of-arms, that displays the colours black-red-white (bendwise) in one quarter, as well as in a pennant.
Marcus E.V. Schmöger, 16 Jun 2003

Flag on a painting

This could be the Naval Reserve Ensign (flown by merchant vessels commanded by Naval Reserve officers). It was a horizontal black-white-red tricolour with an Iron Cross at the hoist.
Miles Li, 19 Jun 2003

Cannabis / Hemp flag

In yesterday's newspaper (Süddeutsche Zeitung 1 Sep 2003, p. 39) there was a photo of a demonstration here in Munich (mainly organised by the Green party and its youth organization), pleading for the legalization of Cannabis / Hemp. The photo showed an interesting flag: on a field of interwoven green hemp leaves on white, a red disk with a bigger green hemp leave. Anybody knows this flag (inscription is "hemp", so I guess it might have appeared in some English-speaking countries).
Marcus Schmöger, 2 Sep 2003

German military pre-1919 UFE

I've attached a JPEG of a flag that I believe to be from the German military pre-1919. I was wondering if anyone there recognizes this flag and/or its history. Besides the cover of a predominant yellow field with a Black Cross with a circle in the middle and a hard to see design there is a black E in the upper right hand corner. Marked underneath the flag is 2.A.E.K.
Shawn Tabor, 3 Dec 2003

I have the original file (60 kB), if you want to try to see the "hard to see design". I am afraid on my laptop I cannot make out much of the design - perhaps a sheaf of wheat???
Rob Raeside, 4 Dec 2003

The flag might not be a military flag, although it slightly resembles the black cross on a silver background of a German military war ensign. I would rather suggest it might be the flag of a civil German shipping company, probably the name of the company starting with the letter E.
Nahne Bienk, 24 May 2008

We do not even know if it is German at all. We just have the guess of the original contributor.
Although the idea of it being some shipping company flag is not too far-fetched (and certainly more convincing than the "military flag" idea), I am a bit distracted by the inscription beneath the flag drawing (2.A.E.K.). The numbering certainly points in the military direction, the whole design not really, but rather in the shipping company or yacht club direction.
So unless someone comes up with a convincing idea, what 2.A.E.K. means, I'd suggest to move this UFE to a generic UFE page instead of the German one (we don't know if it is German, nor if it is military, nor if it is pre-1919).
Marcus E.V. Schmöger, 25 May 2008

Unknown German colonial flag

At first it would be useful to know, whether a photo or a painting would be the primary source. If it's a painting, it might show a fantasy flag created by the artist, who is granted his special freedom.
Though having problems with the resolution, I think that I have recognized the following elements: black centred cross, red canton with 5 white stars, in the centre within a black edged roundel the base of the badge of Togo (palm tree with two snakes).
According to Hormann/Plaschke and Schurdel the German colonial flags were just a bit more than proposals made by Dr. Wilhelm Solf (1862-1936) together with Johann Albrecht Duke of Mecklenburg (1857-1920). As Germany lost WWI it also lost its protectorates and the colonial flags had nearly no chance of ever being hoisted. The colonial flags however were black over white over red tricolours with the base of badges in the middle of the white stripe.
An (official) flag like that being depicted here seemed to have never existed.
According to both sources from above the depicted flag without the roundel was the flag of the German East Africa Company, according to Hormann/PLASCHKE also called "Petersflagge". These authors also claim, that there existed a German colonial movement after WWI targeting the regain of German protectorates. So that flag may be a propaganda flag of a section of this movement. If there were 4-point stars within the canton, the flag could be dated between 1933 and 1945. The NSDAP ordered 4-point stars for some reasons I don't know. I believe however that the image shows an example with 5-point stars.
source:
Jörg-M. Hormann; Dominik Plaschke: "Deutsche Flaggen Geschichte, Tradition, Verwendung", Bielefeld/Hamburg 2006; ISBN 3-89255-555-5
Harry D. Schurdel: "Flaggen & Wappen Deutschland", Augsburg 1995; ISBN 3-89441-136-8; p.225ff.
Hormann /Plaschke also depict a coloured version of badge of Togo (white background, green elements). The description of the chiefs on p.87 however doesn't match the images on p.85. So this information might be doubtful.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 June 2007

Red swallowtail with black eagle

A friend of mine just came back from a trip to Germany, and brought a couple of small handwaves back with him for my collection.
One of them has me puzzled. it may well be simply a mock "pseudo-flag" rather than being a replica of a real flag, but I thought I'd run it past the experts :). It's a red swallowtail with a very German-looking black eagle in the centre (imagine a Scandinavian-style state flag for German Albania, and you'll get the idea!).
James Dignan, 6 Nov 2005

This image of eagle is identical (only black and reversed) to a polish coat of arms of communist era (1945-90).
It's origin is from 1927. (Second Republic: crowned eagle); in 1945-90 period (People's Republic of Poland) eagle lost his crown; since 1990 (Third Republic) the crown has been restored.
The 1927 grafic form (as it's used today) author is professor Zygmunt Kaminski. I have no idea why polish-style (but black) eagle had been put on red flag (turned to fly-end) in Germany, but this grafic form of eagle is not used elswhere but only in Poland.
Maciej Borowski, 1 Dec 2007

Unknown Luftwaffe (?) Flag

I have a flag that I cannot identify and it doesn’t seem to be on your website, at least anywhere I could find.  Its colors suggest German Air Force, but I couldn’t find anything that looked like it.
Obviously, it is some sort of Nazi flag.  It has been suggested to me that it is a Slavic Officer’s flag, or an Italian Nazi flag, but these were just guesses.  I haven’t had much luck identifying it.  Do you have anybody knowledgeable who might recognize it?
Pete Loeser, 12 May 2008

This is a complete guess, but the colours suggest Ukraine - possibly a Nazi occupation flag of some kind from the Ukraine or Carpatho-Ukraine? Or - perhaps more plausible - a flag of one of the Waffen-SS units made up of pro-Nazi (or, rather, anti-Soviet) Ukrainians?
James Dignan, 13 May 2008

...or Sweden.
Marc Pasquin, 14 May 2008

Unknown B (house?)flag

It is a celestial blue flag with a white rhomb in its centre, containing a black capital “B”.
Source: I spotted this flag as jack of a ship of Dettmer  company  passing by at Billwerder Bucht on 13 April 2007. Another skipper told me, that flag belonged to a former member of Dettmer Reederei Bremen, who had established his own subsidiary. (The flag hoisted on top of the mast was that one of Dettmer).. But he didn’t know the name of that guy.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Aug 2008