Royal Yugoslavia (1918-1941)

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918-1929) - Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929-1941)

Last modified: 2005-06-17 by ivan sache
Keywords: yugoslavia | kingdom of serbs croats and slovenes | law | civil ensign |
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by Željko Heimer

• Historical background - The 1922 and 1937 laws
• Merchant ensign
• Half-staffing for Eastern

See also:

• Serbia and Montenegro
• Royal Yugoslavia (1918-1941)
  • Coats of arms
  • Royal standard
  • Ensigns
  • Command flags
  • Official flags
  • Army rank flags
  • Standards
  • Pennants
  • Signal flags
  • Law on the flags at sea, 1922
  • Law on the flags at sea, 1937
  • Aircraft markings

Historical background - The 1922 and 1937 laws

In late 1918 a new state was formed by the just united Kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro and the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs that encompassed the southern Slavic lands of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. The local legislation was kept in use regionally, and it was not until 1922 that the question of the ensigns was resolved by the adoption of a legislation.

To the best of my knowledge, there are two laws passed on the ensigns and flags for use at sea during the existence of Yugoslavia before the Second World War. The first law was adopted in 1922 and the second law, less kown until now, was adopted in 1937. When the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in 1929 to replace the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, there was apparently no change in the 1922 flag law.

I suspect, however, that there must have been some other regulations that were adopted between 1922 and 1937, although I have not found reference to them anywhere. All the sources refer to the 1922 law only, and even the source that I have for the 1937 law does not mention anything else but the 1922 law. I suspect that there must have been some other egulation for the following reasons:

• the 1922 law determines rank flag only for a rear admiral; at least two independant sources from the mid-1930s (reprints in Isaić [isa01] and Flaggenbuch [neu39]) show rank flags for three admirals ranks and a number of additional flags not included in 1922 law (e.g. the generals' flags)
• the 1937 law include those flags, but has too many differences in other flags to make it possible that the two sources above w