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German flag WWII ??

Phantomfixer

Practically Family
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819
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Mid East coast USA
Not sure if this a WWII German flag or not....anyone seen anything like it? if neo nazi please advise /remove
IMG_0017.JPG

I think it looks like a moose...

IMG_0018.JPG
 

Phhhpt

New in Town
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4
Location
Texas
Phantomfixer - maybe it's me but this looks like a modified Jolly-Roger (silhouette). If you were to flip your second photo upside down, you have the crossed bones at the bottom and a stylized skull on top (big forehead, narrow chin). I believe that Jolly-Rogers were in use during WWII, but I'm not recognizing where this might be from. That's just my take on it...
 
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Otter

One Too Many
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1,445
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Directly above the center of the Earth.
My gut feeling is that this is some kind of guidon or maybe a squadron pennant. Any provenance for this ? Commonly used in naval images, but also used extensively by the Prussian army. How cool would it be if it was from a U-Boat or S-Boat Squadron.
 

Smithy

I'll Lock Up
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5,139
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Norway
How cool would it be if it was from a U-Boat or S-Boat Squadron.

Unfortunately, it more than likely isn't from a U-boat. Individual U-boat , flotilla, and tonnage victory pennants were triangular.

Could it be some kind of staff car guidon for an officer(s) commanding a particular unit? The colours obviously shout Third Reich. Maybe pre-war as well?
 

Fastuni

Call Me a Cab
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2,277
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Germany
I also don't think this is any sort of official Third Reich item...
could be from some youth gang (1930's to 60's?) or for post-war theatrical purposes (to avoid using the swastika or sig-runes or for a fictionalized dictatorship).

The obvious question: what's the provenance - where did you get this?
 

Phantomfixer

Practically Family
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819
Location
Mid East coast USA
Thanks all...to me it looks like a moose...but I am sure it was meant to be a skull and cross bones...flag was found in a vet clean out with his WWII uniforms and WWII medals... no unit identification...standard WWII types medals and ribbons...and most likely not a flag but a banner or pennant,,,has three tie strings along the top, so when suspened the skull would be at 45 degress in top left corner..weird..dual sided..

Thanks for the help all...
 

Phantomfixer

Practically Family
Messages
819
Location
Mid East coast USA
several had thought maybe a mine field flag...but usually the colors are not red black and white...mine seems to be made with decent materials but lacks detail in the skull and crossbones...dunno...as I have found no suitable matches...could be something made up years ago and not German at all...


Thanks for looking and researching this item folks...it is going back in the locker...
 

Stearmen

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,202
several had thought maybe a mine field flag...but usually the colors are not red black and white...mine seems to be made with decent materials but lacks detail in the skull and crossbones...dunno...as I have found no suitable matches...could be something made up years ago and not German at all...


Thanks for looking and researching this item folks...it is going back in the locker...

There was a thriving counterfeit operations going on in all the branches, to pawn off fake war souvenirs to other GIs!
 

Edward

Bartender
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24,789
Location
London, UK
There was a thriving counterfeit operations going on in all the branches, to pawn off fake war souvenirs to other GIs!

There was some discussion of this a while back, sparked by a debate about whether a metal panel was really part of a German warplane or not. I find it a fascinating subject - to my mind, such period-fakes have a genuine historical value all of their own. There's probably a fascinating history phd thesis to be written about the 'war souvenirs' market c1940-1949.
 

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