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Identified Flags or Ensigns

Below is a series of images of flags that have been provided to FOTW that we have been able to recognise. See also our pages of Unidentified Flags to see flags we still don't know!

Yacht club flag on tie-clip

This burgee flag was found as an enamel tie-clip: a white triangular field, blue saltire, with a blue star in the hoist triangle.
Bob, 5 March 2003

This is almost certainly, the Manchester Yacht Club (Mass., US): http://www.manchesteryachtclub.org/flagetiquette150.html
Jan Mertens, 25 June 2005

German flag in swastika design

by Tom Gregg

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 December 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 March 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 grou