Article about: This is not my normal field of collecting so you think I would know better than to rush in and buy a ‘RARE GERMAN RED CROSS FLAG’ that I stumbled across some weeks ago. Disappointingly ( and
This is not my normal field of collecting so you think I would know better than to rush in and buy a ‘RARE GERMAN RED CROSS FLAG’ that I stumbled across some weeks ago. Disappointingly ( and not surprisingly ) now I have it in hand it is plain to see it is not from the era …… very well made but definitely NOT a second world war artifact – more fool me….
However, the more I looked at it, the more the quality of its construction stood out with the size stampings and stitched makers tag so I researched the name and all is not lost because a redeeming aspect of this flag is that it was made ( around 40 years ago ) by a legitimate flag manufacturer in Germany and not the fake Asian knock-off I had feared.....and 40 euro is not too bad for a 1.2m x 1.2m flag
It was in fact made by Bonner Fahnenfabrik ( Bofa ) which was founded by Josef Meyer in 1866 and was ( and still is ) based in Bonn on the Rhine river. The family owned company focus is on the manufacture of flags for indoor and outdoor use and was a prominent manufacturer during the Third Reich period.
Despite the pounding Cologne took only 25km to the north, Bonn escaped the carpet bombing relatively unscathed …… urban legend has it that it was because Beethoven was born there nobody wanted it destroyed? – and because of that, the main Bofa factory remains ( except for modern windows & paint ) as it would have appeared back in the war years. ( see attached images )
The Wikipedia entry for the DRK mentions the following ….. After Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II, the Allied Military Government issued a special law outlawing the Nazi party and all of its branches. Known as "Law number five", this denazification decree disbanded the DRK, like all organizations linked to the Nazi Party. Social welfare organizations, including the German Red Cross, had to be established anew during the postwar reconstruction of both West Germany and the DDR. The German Red Cross in the Federal Republic was recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross on 25 June 1952 and in the German Democratic Republic it was re-established on 23 October 1952 and recognized by the International Red Cross on the 9 November 1954.
One can assume that after 1952 Bonner Fahnenfabrik recommenced flag manufacture for the German Red Cross and this is just a nice example of their later product, made ( possibly ) on the same looms and machines as those wartime examples were.
A small slice of German history after all – just not TR history ….
Cheers, Dan
" I'm putting off procrastination until next week "
Hi Dan , well researched thread. I guess as long as it didn't cost you to much money you have got yourself an unusual cold war period flag for your collection! Leon.
Thanks Leon & Gunny,
I have not really been duped, looking back at the listing it did not say ww2, I just assumed which as we know means to "make an ASS out of U and ME" :-)
" I'm putting off procrastination until next week "
That number on it is a NATO stock number, the 2 digit numbers ( the second group) are the Country, 12 is Germany ( 21 is Canada, the US is 00 and 01 ect)
AS it has a NATO stock number on it, it was made after 1965.
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