This was the flag of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party) or NSDAP. In 1935, after Hitler seized power, it also became the German State Flag, with one change, the white disk and swastika was slightly off-center (toward the hoist) on the National Flag. All centered-disk versions of the flag used after 1935 were Party flags of the NSDAP.

The SA was a paramilitary organization created to protect Nazi meetings and disrupt those of other parties. This standard usually hung from a wooden cross bar slipped through a cloth tunnel formed at the top of the standard which in turn was hung from the top of the flag staff (pole) and carried by Hitler's elite SA (Stormtroopers or Brown Shirts).

These are examples of flags used by the battalions and companies of the SA "Bodyguard" (Sturmabteilung or "Protection and Sport Division") Regiments. The small black, blue, green, or silver squares in the upper left hand corners contains the numerals which indicated battalions and companies (Roman numerals) and Regiments (Arabic numerals).

Storm Flag of a SA Mounted (Cavalry) Company

These SA unit were originally the bodyguards of Adolf Hitler before he replaced them with his SS bodyguards. The powerful SA leadership and most of Hitler's opposition were completely destroyed after the "Night of the Long Knives," or "Operation Hummingbird," a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934.

Storm Flag for the SA (naval section)		General "house" pennant for the SA (also used as a car pennant)

The Allgemeiner Wimpel der SA (General pennant for the SA) was used as a "generic" pennant for various reasons by the SA (Sturmabteilung), including on fenders of vehicles transporting SA leaders on their "official" business, the SA-Reitersturm (SA Riders/Mounted Cavalry) were mainly used for ceremonies and parades, and the Sturmfahne der Marine-SA (Storm Flag for a SA naval section) was naturally used afloat.

This is the flag that was used between 1938 and 1943 by the SA Chief-of-Staff Victor Lutze. Lutze's participation in the Night of the Long Knives in 1934 was very important to Adolf Hitler, as it was he who informed Hitler about Ernst Röhm's anti-regime activities. Lutze became the commander of the SA succeeding Ernst Röhm as Stabschef until his death in an automobile accident in 1943. Wilhelm Schepmann succeeded Viktor Lutze as Stabschef SA after Lutze was killed and continued in the postion until the end of the war.

Distorted Replica Flag

This was the Flag of the Old Guard of the NSDAP. The original name for the Nazi Party was the German Workers Party (DAP), but in February of 1920, the party added "National Socialist" to its official name, becoming the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). In the center of this flag is the Golden Honor Badge of the NSDAP. In general, this flag honored the old-guard Nazis and most fanatical of Hitler loyalists.

Distorted Replica Flag

This was the personal standard of Adolf Hitler between 1935 and 1945. Although officially called the "German National Chancellor's Standard," the only chancellor to ever use it was Hitler. It was normally carried with an upright staff on its left side at NSDAP party rallies and national ceremonies.

     
Distorted Replica Flags
It can also be found with both red and brown backgrounds

Pomp and Ceremony were near and dear to the NSDAP and the Third Reich. Because of this there was a huge variety of flags designed for use on podiums, balconies and walls at their NSDAP party rallies and national ceremonies. These examples are typical for these decorative flags and banners. A common element of their design was they usually had gold or silver borders and fringes on the bottom edge.

Podiumflagge HK (Gold)		Podiumflagge HK (Silver)
Podiumflagge Reichsadler		Podiumflagge Reichsadler

During the existence of Nazi Germany a Reichsleiter held the second highest political rank of the NSDAP. All Reichsleiters worked directly for Adolf Hitler and reported only directly to him. Many times they acted as his "troubleshooters" and were very powerful. These particular service standards were used as vehicle flags on official journeys and were flown from the right-front fender. The left fender was equipped with a swastika-standard.

Reichsleiter 1940-41		Reichsleiter 1941-45

In 1941, Adolf Hitler found out that "gothic" font letters originally used on these standards were fabricated by someone of Jewish descent, so he decided that the "gothic" letters should be replaced with "latin" font letters. After 1941, this order also required that all newspapers change their font styles from gothic, and naturally, all flags, posters, banners, and publications had to be changed also.

After 1936, it became compulsory for 10-18 year-old boys to join the "Hitlerjugend" (HJ - Hitler Youth). The task of the boys section was to prepare the boys for military service. By 1936, the membership was 4 million.

Some modern replicas of this flag incorrectly show a black frame around the diamond shape. See example below:

HJ General Flag
Incorrect Modern Replica

This is an example of a HJ Bannen (Hitler Youth platoon - boys 14 to 18) flag which used a horizontal striped background of red-white-red with a black eagle instead of white eagle of the DJ Jungbannfahne.

HJ School Pennant (obverse)		HJ School Pennant (reverse)

The "Deutsches Jungvolk" (DJ - German Youth) was a suborganization of the "Hitlerjugend" (HJ - Hitler Youth). It comprised boys aged from 10 to 14 years. The DJ was started in 1932 and received flags similar to the flags of the HJ.

The top unit of the DJ was called "Jungbann" (German Youth Platoon). They received a black colored flag on which was displayed a white eagle clasping a silver sword and a white hammer. The scroll above the eagle's head was in white with the Banne (platoon) number in black.

The inferior unit was the DJ "Fähnlein" (German Youth Group) The flag for the Fähnlein was of simple design: A single runic "S" on a black background with the Fähnlein-number in black, which appeared on a small white patch in the top left-hand corner of the flag. Prior to 1934 this flag had been used by the DJ "Banne," then it was downgraded to be used by the DJ "Fähnleins."

The flag cloth of the Junbann-flag was attached to a pole that was surmounted by a stylised eagle bearing on its breast the HJ diamond, while the Fähnlein Flags pole was surmounted by a finial that represented a metal unsheathed bayonet blade.

DJ Jungbannfahne 33		DJ Jungenschaftswimpel (German Youth Boyhood Pennant)

An equivalent to the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) was the BDM that was the female section of the German Youth organizations. All these units were equipped with pennants instead of flags, except the Beauty Society.

At first, the League consisted of two sections: the Jungmädel (JM - Young Girl's League), for girls ages 10 to 14, and the League proper (BDM - German Girl's League) for girls ages 14 to 18. In 1938, a third section was introduced, the Werk Glaube und Schönheit (Belief and Beauty Society), which was voluntary and open to girls between the ages of 17 and 21. The BDM used campfire romanticism, summer camps, folklorism, tradition, and sports to educate girls within the National Socialist belief system, and to train them for their roles in German society: wife, mother, and homemaker.

Corresponding to the male section, the girls also had their specific flags. However, girls only used pennants rather than true flags, if not using the general HJ House flag. The Beauty Society did not use any flags.

JM PENNANTS

JM Untergau Pennant (later JM Bann Pennant)		JM Gruppen Pennant
JM Mädelschafts Pennant		JM Mädelschafts Pennant ((Blank Reverse Side)

The BDM as well as the JM were divided in Untergaue (later Banne), Gruppen and Mädelschaften. Latter was the smallest unit. These expressions are specific German and could be translated as "battalions, platoons and groups," although the strength of these units was completely different to the military units.

The Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) was set up in Nazi Germany to combat unemployment through public works projects similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps of the United States. The RAD was formed in July of 1934 as the official state labor service. RAD members were to provide service for various civic, military and agricultural construction projects. Konstantin Hierl was its leader all through the organization's lifetime.

RAD House flag Female Youth Section		RAD Camp pennant Female Youth Section

The RAD was organized into divisions and sections with individual flags and banners for each unit (see below).

This is the flag of the "Andreas Bauriedl" Division, one of the units of the National Labor Service or RAD, which was the official national labor organization of the Third Reich. The purpose of the RAD was to foster national pride in German workers, German products, productivity, and workmanship. The original versions of these flags commonly had silver or gold fringes.

The "Horst Wessel" Division
Distorted Replica Flag

The German Labor Front (DAF - Deutsche Arbeitsfront) was the National Socialist trade union organization which replaced Weimar Republic trade unions that Adolf Hitler outlawed in 1933, after his rise to power. DAF membership was theoretically voluntary, but any workers in any area of German commerce or industry would have found it hard to get a job without being a member. Suborganizations of the DAF were the RAD (National Labor Service) and the "Strength Through Joy" (KdF - Kraft durch Freude) organization. The purpose of the DAF was to ensure the political control of German industry and commerce.

Flag for Exemplary National Socialist Factories 1936-1945

DAF units received flags following the usual pattern of NSDAP Party Flags. The difference consisted of an added black, white edged cog wheel that enclosed a black swastika. For those units located in an "Ortsgruppe" (local group) a patch was added in the upper left corner of the flag that was in light brown edged with light blue piping. The district name on the panels appeared in white Gothic letters. Below was the number of the factory. In order to motivate those factories, which did their work particularly well in accordance with the National Socialist ideology, special flags were issued to so-called "Exemplary National Socialist Factories." They were similar to the usual flags, but had a golden cog wheel as well as a golden fringed border. With the beginning of World War II the situation became more difficult. In 1941, a new competition was established to motivate the factories in excelling their output of war ammunition. This competition was called "Kriegs-Leistungswettkampf der Deutschen Betriebe" (War power competition of the German factories). Those factories which met the high expectations regarding performance were awarded a special flag on which a medal was displayed in the upper right corner. It was the "Kriegsverdienstkreuz" (War merit cross) without swords that was also awarded to individuals. The flag existed in two versions, depending on the amount of output, the highest being the version in gold. These special flags contained swastikas, which had an extra white and black fringe.

It might be of interest that the costs of these flags amounted to about 30 Reichsmark, which would equal about 300 Euros each today.

Robert Ley was a Nazi politician and head of the German Labor Front from 1933 to 1945. In 1931, Ley was brought to the Nazi Party's Munich headquarters to take over as head of the party organization (Reichsorganisationsleiter) following Hitler's dismissal of Gregor Strasser in an internal dispute. In 1933, when the trade union movement was taken over by the state, Hitler appointed him head of the German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF). With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, however, Ley's importance declined. The militarisation of the workforce and the diversion of resources to the war greatly reduced the role of the DAF, and the KdF was largely wound up. In November of 1941, he was given a new role, as Reich Commissioner for Social House-Building (Reichskommissar für den sozialen Wohnungsbau), later shortened to Reich Housing Commissioner (Reichswohnungskommissar). Here his job was to prepare for the effects on German housing of the expected Allied air attacks on German cities. As the Third Reich collapsed in early 1945, Ley was among the government figures who remained fanatically loyal to Hitler. On May 16, 1945, he was captured by American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division in a shoemaker's house in the village of Schleching. On October 25, 1945, four days after receiving the indictment at the Nuremberg war trials, Ley strangled himself in his cell.

Kraft durch Freude (KdF, literally "Strength through Joy") was a large state-controlled leisure organization in the Third Reich, a part of the German Labour Front (DAF - Deutsche Arbeitsfront), the national German labour organization at that time. Set up as a tool to promote the advantages of National Socialism to the people, it soon became the world's largest tourism operator of the 1930s.

The organization had the self-declared goal of creating "a National Socialist Volksgemeinschaft (people's community) and the perfection and refinement of the German people." It aimed to reach this goal by organizing tight and thoroughly structured recreational programs. Amongst a lot of leisure activities such as concerts, plays, libraries, day-trips and holidays it organized ship cruises. For this purpose special ships were built in order to take the guests to places all over Europe, especially to Norway.

KdF ship pennant

As a suborganization of the German Labour Front the KdF displayed on their flags a cog wheel from which black sunrays emanated. Of the general flag there existed variants displaying a red swastika or leaving the white circle. The flags used on ships were of white background with red sunrays, whereas those used during sport events had an additional red border as well as a red swastika. There also existed a special ship pennant, that was used at the top of the mainmast. It showed in red Gothic letters the name of the community.

Instituted in 1864 by Dr. Aaron Silverman of the Charité hospital of Berlin, the German Red Cross was a voluntary civil assistance organization that was officially acknowledged by the Geneva Convention in 1929.

The National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK), also known as the National Socialist Drivers Corps, was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It was headed by Adolf Hühnlein from 1934. After Hühnlein's death in 1942, Erwin Krauss took over his position as Korpsführer (Corpsleader). The primary aim of the NSKK was to educate its members in motoring skills. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the National Socialist Motor Corps became a target of the Wehrmacht for recruitment, since NSKK members possessed knowledge of motorized transport. In 1945, the NSKK was disbanded and the group was declared a "condemned organization" at the Nuremberg Trials.

The Reich Colonial League (Reichskolonialbund) was a Nazi Party organization devoted to the recovery of Germany's African colonies. The Nazi government considered their former colonies as German colonies occupied by the Allies. In 1939, they even claimed a piece of Antarctica as "German New Swabia" (Deutsch Neuschwabenland). With their motto of "Germany needs colonies" (Deutschland braucht Kolonien), the Reich Colonial League seemed to have gained support, particularly in much of those ex-German African colonies.

This was the German President's Standard used between the years 1933-1935. It was replaced by the "Standard of the Leader and National Chancellor" after Reich Chancellor Hitler ousted President Paul Hindenburg and assumed all important German leadership positions in 1935. It was similar to previous standards used during the Weimar Republic. Only the black-white-red border and the shape of the eagle differed from the Weimar standards. There existed two different versions of the standard. Apart from a generally different shape of the eagle one version displayed six feathers at each wing, whereas the other had only five. It is assumed that the five-feather version was only used as vehicle standard.

This black-white-red tricolor (Dienstflagge der Wehrmachtbehörden zur See) with the stylized national eagle in the center of the white stripe was only official for vessels of the armed forces not entitled to fly the miltary ensign from March 11 to April 20, 1933.

This was the German State flag and ensign, also called the Government Authorities flag, used between the years 1933-1935, replacing the short lived Armed Forces State Flag of March 1933. Its design was based on an earlier Imperial Foreign Office Flag used between 1892 and 1919.

These Reich Service flags (Seedienstflaggen) were used on public administrative buildings and vessels at sea for the coastal areas controlled by the emerging Third Reich from about 1933 to 1935, when they were all replaced by the Reichsdienstflagge in 1935.

Seedienstflagge Oldenburg 1933-1935		Seedienstflagge Lübeck 1934-1935
Seedienstflagge Hamburg 1934-1935		Seedienstflagge Prussia 1934-1935

Located within Germany was a small free state dating back to the Holy Roman Empire, the Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen). It was formed in 1920 from several smaller states, successors of former duchies and principalities that became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-led unification of Germany.

These states included Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, all being the successors of same-named monarchies; Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, split from former Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; and Republic of Reuss, successor to both Reuss Elder Line and Reuss Younger Line principalities. After World War I, these small states (except Saxe-Coburg, which became part of Bavaria) merged into one autonomous state, called the Free State of Thuringia, with Weimar as the capital.

The Reich Service Flag was to be used by all public administrative authorities, the German State railways, the Reichsautobahn (German Empire Highway Department) and Reichsbank (German Empire Bank) authorities. The flag had to be shown and hoisted on their administrative buildings, their service vessels on inland waterways and their service cars. The reverse side of the flag was a "through and through" image, i.e. it displayed the mirrored image.

In 1937, special regulations were issued regarding the use of the Reich Service flag as vehicle flag. According to these regulations a square version of Reich Service flag (25x25 cm) was allowed to be used by the highest representatives of the Reich, for example, the Ministers of the Reich.

Reich Service Flag as square vehicle flag		Reich Service Flag as rectangular vehicle flag

These regulations continued on to dictate that a rectangular vehicle version measuring 20x30cm of the Reich Service Flag was to be used, amongst others, by the Reich Ministers of the "Länder" (German countries), whereas a pennant measuring 20x30cm was allowed to be used by representatives of these subordinated authorities.

Postal flags usually were flown on ships, which transported mail and were entering the port of a country. This was a sign for a preferred unloading of these ships.

This variant of the German tricolored flag, with an Iron Cross in the canton (square area at the upper, inner quarter of a flag), was used as the merchant flag by all German non-military ships commanded by retired naval officers before 1935. This flag was flown as both a national and mercantile flag at sea.

A pilot, also know as maritime pilot or harbor pilot, is a specially trained helmsman who navigates ships through dangerous or congested waters in harbors and rivers. Pilot ensigns are flags used to request a pilot, on boats that deliver pilots, and on ships being maneuvered by a pilot.

This variant of the Nazi Party Flag with an Iron Cross in the upper corner was used as the merchant flag by all German non-military ships after 1935 replacing the earlier tricolored design.

The Ordnungspolizei (OrPo) was the name for the uniformed regular German police force in existence during the period of Nazi Germany, notably between 1936 and 1945. The Orpo was under the control of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, who was the Chef der Deutschen Polizei. (Chief of the German Police).

Between 1939 and 1945, the Ordnungspolizei maintained separate military formations, independent of the main police offices within Germany. The first such formations were the Police Battalions, established for law enforcement in occupied territories and anti-partisan duties, but roles from unit to unit varied widely within campaigns and from campaign to campaign during the war.

In 1937, the Orpo-members were equipped with special command flags, which were used as vehicle flags and pennants. The Chief of der Order Police got a silver bordered flag, diagonally quartered in white and green. Placed in the center of the flag there was the emblem of the Order Police in gold. This flag was to be used on the left fender of the vehicle, whereas on the right fender there was positioned the Reich Service Flag.

Special colors were commissioned for the Hamburg Order Police in 1933 (Hanseatic free State of Hamburg). The same year, colors were presented to the Oldenburg Order Police and the State Police of Thüringen. The Colors of both the Order Police and State Police were made of hand-woven silk, usually with a green background, overlaid with embroidered emblems. They were about 126cm square.

Colors of the Order Police of Hamburg		Colors of the State Police of Thuringia

At the close of the Second World War, the OrPo ceased to exist; but many of its personnel continued with business as usual, performing police services for the Allied occupation forces. The traditions of the OrPo also continued in East Germany, which maintained a state police force (GDR Volkspolizei) based on a centralized system. In West Germany, however, the police were first decentralized again and organized on a municipal level, but later reorganized into state police forces (Landespolizei), each of which survives to this day.

The Reich Voluntary Fire Service Command Flag resembled those of the Order Police, but instead of white-green color of the police, the fire service used flags of white-red colors. Because the fire service was the responsibility of Heinrich Himmler, who was also chief of the German police, in the center of the flag you can see the police badge in silver.

Civilian flag of the German Hunting Society between 1934-1945. It was led by the Reichsjägermeister Hermann Göring. A sanitized version of this flag replaces the swastika with a cross after 1945.

 after 1945

In December of 1938, Adolf Hitler placed all German Sports activities under the Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen (NSRL), meaning the "Sports Office for the Third Reich." It controlled all sports in the Third Reich. It's director was called the Reichssportführer (the leader of German Sports) and he controlled all sports events in Germany, including the German National Olympic Committee. All other German sport associations gradually lost their freedom and were co-opted into the NSRL. The NSRL's leaders were Hans von Tschammer und Osten (1933–1943), Arno Breitmeyer (1943–1944) and Karl Ritter von Halt (1944–1945).

These were the civilian flags or ensigns used at all civilian German Water Sports (Wassersportflagge) and boating activities. These flags were used by German yachtsmen and sports fishermen and only flown on privately owned civilian German yachts and non-commercial sports fishing boats.

The emblem in the center of this so-called flag is an enlargement of a German tracksuit patch issued at German sponsored games held in 1944, which is only noteworthy because the Olympic games scheduled to be held in London that year were cancelled. The "Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga" or German Sports Association as part of the NSRL probably held these games in Berlin's "Olympiastadion" or Olympic Stadium where these patches or badges were awarded for different sporting achievements. The use of a black background on this fantasy flag is curious because most NSRL sport flags featured red backgrounds.

In 1933, the National Socialist Motor Corps (NS-Kraftfahrerkorps) was placed incharge of all driver affairs in Germany. All private automobile clubs - ADAC (General German Automobile Club), AvD (Automobile Club of Germany), DTC (German Touring Car Club) and others - were forced by National Socialist government to merge. They all became the German Automobile Club (DDAC - Der Deutsche Automobil Club).

The German Christians (Deutsche Christen) were a group of fanatical Nazi Protestants who became active in 1931 under the leadership of Ludwig Müller. They claimed that the Jews had killed Christ, thus actively encouraging anti-Semitic sentiment among Christians in Germany. The group also fully supported the Nazi goal of combining all the Protestant churches into a single Reich church, and after a series of Nazi-directed political maneuvers, Müller was appointed the new Reichsbischof in 1933.