Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous piece of Luftwaffe history, a wooden Luftwaffe Flak Artillery Officer’s staff pennant, which has been painted to resemble a cloth variant, with a Battery insignia painted on both sides depicting a wolf’s head with an L for Luftwaffe painted over it. The pennant is signed on both sides, likely by members of the Battery, as a commemorative piece. The Pennant measures 8 ¾” x 13”.
The pennant features a painted Battery insignia on both sides with a wolf’s head inside a moon with an L for Luftwaffe. There isn’t any major damage to the piece but it is still very fragile and has been kept in phenomenal condition for several decades. The very tip at the end of the wooden pennant has broken off as shown, probably ⅛” worth. There are two holes at the long ends for mounting and three small holes in the swas for unknown reasons.
Luftwaffe Officer’s Fahrzeug Stabsflagge (Vehicle staff flag) were used for the vehicles of high ranking officers and their staff. This type of pennant was utilized by commanding Officer’s of Battalion sized units and was flown from the left front fender of the Officer’s official or personal vehicle, when the Officer was uniformed and in the vehicle. These were normally constructed of fabric covering a rigid metal frame that would appear prominently on the front of the vehicle, so this is either another variation of painted wood instead of fabric covered cloth, or it’s a custom done commemoration piece for the Battery it is meant to represent. The Deep Red (Tiefrot) / Black / Deep Red stripes indicate that it is for a Luftwaffe Flak Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion.
The condition of this piece is very good, especially considering the age, and the colors are still extremely vibrant. The period signatures and patina really cement this piece as both period and very unique. You won’t ever see a pennant like this again. This will become one of the centerpieces of any Luftwaffe collection. Comes ready for further research and display, and with some period reference and research you could likely figure out the exact unit. Don’t miss it!
Personal and Unit command pennants were an old German Army tradition which was continued and expanded during the Third Reich and included new designs and patterns for the fledgling Luftwaffe. Regulations concerning Luftwaffe Personal and Unit command pennants can be found dated as early as January 1935, before the formation of the Luftwaffe was officially announced. The Personal and Unit command pennants underwent numerous minor alterations at various times through-out the war.