Last modified: 2003-06-14 by dov gutterman
Keywords: krajina | republika srpska krajina | croatia | balkans | serbia | cross | firestalker | slavonia | istocnja slavonia | eastern slavonia |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
Other names of Serb 'states' in Croatia: Serb Autonomous
Region of Krayina (Srpska Autonomna Oblast Krajina) 1991,
Serb Region of Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem (Srpska
Oblast Slavonija, Baranja i Zapadni Srem) 1991, Serb
Autonomous Region of Western Slavonia (Srpska Autonomna Oblast
Zapadna Slavonija) 1991, Region of Srijem and Baranja
1995-1996 (Sremsko-baranjska Oblast), Region of Srijem,
Baranja and Eastern Slavonia 1996 (Oblast Srema, Baranje i
Istocne Slavonije).
While the official flag was the simple Serb tricolour only, in
practice many variations of the flag defaced with various central
emblems. Various sources claim that some of those flags are are
for specific use only or that they are of limited purpose, but in
most cases there was no diferentiation among them nor the
emblemless flag and they could have been intechanged at whim of
the user.
Zeljko Heimer
Such a flag was used in RSK, and is still used by Bosnian
Serbs together with many other variations. I don't think there is
really an official version, and all are treated the same. This
flag is, in fact, used by Serbs all over the world, not the
official flag of Serbia - that is red blue white without the arms
(note the difference Serbs - ethnicaly # Serbians - those that
live in Serbia).
Zeljko Heimer, 27 November 1995
Official flag was plain tricolor (cf. Srpska
in B&H).
Zeljko Heimer, 16 September 1999
I have seen a representation of a supposed Krajina flag which
was like that of Serbia in that it was a red-blue-white
tricolour. In the middle were two crossed yellow swords.
Stuart Notholt, 23 August 1995
"Krajina (State of Serbian Croatia) - War flag" -
Serbian tricolor charged with two golden crossed swords.
This flag is listed under number 41 at the chart Flags of
Aspirant Peoples [eba94].
Ivan Sache, 10 September 1999
I still haven't found out what this flag exactly was for sure,
but war flag it could easily be.English name here "Serbian
Croatia" is rather contradictory (and nither Serbs nor
Croats would use it
Zeljko Heimer, 16 September 1999
In the last number of Limes (an Italian magazine about geopolitics) is enclosed a reproduction of the "official map of Serbian Republic of Krajina" (don't have it here so I cannot quote the original title in Serbian). On the top there are:
The coats-of-arms are typically Serbain (gules, a cross argent
between four "C" argent, over all a two-headed eagle
argent; I will send details in a future message) and just
presented as coats-of-arms of the Republic and Army; the flag is
not presented at all, only shown so I am not totally sure that it
is the official flag. If it is the official flag it confirms the
will to join Serbia.
Giuseppe Bottasini, 10 August 1995
I have seen a representation of a supposed Krajina flag which
was like that of Serbia (no surprise there!) in that it was a
red-blue-white tricolour. In the middle were two crossed yellow
swords. The other, perhaps more likely alternative, for Krajina
is the flag used by the Bosnian Serbs. This is the tricolour with
a white (sometimes yellow) cross in the middle. In each quarter a
'C' facing outwards. The four 'Cs' (actually, they are Cyrillic
'Ss' stand for 'Only Unity Saves the Serbs' in Serbian - a slogan
used by supporters of greater Serbia.
Stuart Notholt, 23 August 1995
The Croatian state never recognized any Serb state in Croatia, so it didn't recognize any flag or currency. The fact is that while it was occupied there were several "Serb Krayina" flags in use, all based on the Serbian flag: horizontal tricolour red, blue, white with some symbols in the middle. From the beginning of the rebelion the usual design was a yellow cross streching both up into the red and down into the white stripes, with four letters C (beeing letter S in cyrillic) two of them flipped vertically:
| ) | C ---+--- ) | C |
This is a simplification of the serbian coat of arms. Letters
C are in fact the lights used to hang before an icon, but they
are long ago interpreted also as abbreviation for: Samo sloga
Srbina spasava - Only concord saves the Serbs. Sometimes this
flag is interpreted as a flag of the Serbian orthodox church.
After they proclamed the "Republic of Serbian Krajina",
they took a coat-of arms slightly different from the Serbian: A
two headed white eagle holding a blue shield with white cross and
four Cs (in fact beeing a light to hang before an icon). Beneath
the word "KRAJINA". That coat of arms was then used as
a symbol in the middle of the flag. Design was quite changable.
On the stamps from 1993 of "Republic of Serbian
Krajina" the shield is red (as it is in proper Serbian coat
of arms.)
They were using money printed in Belgrade the same in design as
the money used by Bosnian Serbs, except the name of the state.
The coat of arms seen there has the same design without the word
Krajina, and with two fleurs-de-lis between the eagle's legs. On
some of banknotes there is a crown above. (by the way the biggest
nomination I heve seen on this money is 50 000 000 000 i.e.
5E+10).
After the breakdown of the "state" only the Croatian
flag and currency are used. In the part of Croatia still
occupied, Eastern Slavonia and Baranya, they still use similar
Serb flags, as I have seen on TV. If they are using any currency
other than "Yugoslav" dinars, I don't now.
Zeljko Heimer, 7 September 1995
In news from TV Vukovar (Croatian town in far east of the
country, last 5 years held by Serbs) there was a comment on
recent peace negotiations. On the table beside the journalist
there was a flag (of size as it is usual on tables or hotel
receptions) of, I suppose, Republic of Serb Krajina, I am not
sure of how do they call the remaining occupied teritories of
Croatia (some 4.6%). The flag was, as one could expect, a red
blue white horizontal tricolour, with a golden eagle in the
middle. I am going to describe the eagle, since this is the first
like this I saw here. It was a golden two headed eagle bearing no
escutcheon, and it was on a transparent shield bordered gold.
I don't know if this is an official flag, but since it was in
main news, on a comment on the future of the "state",
one can supose it is.
Zeljko Heimer, 27 November 1995
with Serb cross in the middle
with Serb cross in the hoist
with white eagle
with swords (see also "War Flag" of Krajina)
with coat of arms
This one is scanned from the card of Minister of physical
culture and sport of Republic of Serbian Krajina (a trophy from
the "Storm" operation of a friend of mine). But there
is nothing to distinguish it from the arms of Serbia, unless it
is its colour. This one was blue (as was everything on the card),
and I saw sometimes the blue shield insead of a red one to be
coat of RSK.
Zeljko Heimer, 27 November 1995
According to the chart: "Flags of Aspirant Peoples"
:
"Istocnja Slavonia (Serbian state of Eastern
Slavonia.)" - Plain Serbian tricolor.
IMHO Probably used when Eastern Slavonia was annexed by Serbia.
Was it really a "separate" state as Krajina or
Republika Srpska?
This flag is listed under number 42 at the chart Flags of
Aspirant Peoples [eba94].
Ivan Sache, 16 September 1999
Eastern Slavonia was part of Krajina. However, it was formed
somewhat before karjina proper, so during some short time it
might have been considered as such (there would be some more such
short lived Serb entities in Croatia and B&H, of no major
vex- importance). But, after the western part of Krajina (Krajina
was made of two unconnected parts of Croatian territory) was
returned under Croatian rule in 1995, the eastern part remained
officially under UN mandate, and internally the "state"
changed the name (something that was universally reflected in
stamps) to Sremsko-Baranjska Oblast or Oblast Istocne Slavonije,
Baranje i Zapadnog Srema. The official flag was plain Serb
tricolour. One of most often used flags (as far as I have
noticed) was tricolour with blue shield with white eagle. As the
situation was so fluent, especially in the beggining (ca. 1990-
91) and end (1995-97) of the Serb proclaimed states.
Zeljko Heimer, 16 September 1999
Slavonia is NOT in Slovenia but it is the upper east part of
Croatia.
Romain Darbellay, 4 October 1999