Reichsluftschutzbund Standarte

[Sir Payne]

Here is an interesting Reichsluftschutzbund Standarte. Looks to me to be about 4X4. I believe it is original, correct materials, age, etc. With a quick search on the internet I found another one here: RARE "RLB" STANDARTE (4X4) VERY RARE, German Reich Military Treasures I'd like to get as much information as I can before bidding on it. Is the inscription the location or the group designation? Also, where would have these standards been used, parades? Thanks

Corey

[BOB COLEMAN]

A nice unusual piece. The corner patch is the unit. It is identified as being in Koblenz. The name under it would be the factory at which the unit was based. The flag would have been trooped at any official functions in Koblenz or at the plant.

[Sir Payne]

Thanks Mr. Coleman, it is a nice flag. I'm sure if I dug deep enough I could find an original period photo of the flag being carried. That is if only one standard was designated to each unit. I can't seem to find any information on the G.G. Winningen factory, but I'm sure it was bombed heavily like the rest of the city. It must have been an important plant since it had its own personal defenses. I bet this RLB unit saw loads of action (no pun intended).

Corey

[big ned]

Hi Corey,

Winningen isn't a factory, it's a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Western Germany. The only real industry there is winemaking, the area is surrounded by vinyards.

However, there is a not insubstantial airport there that was used by the RLB for training luftwaffe ground crews and other non flying bod's prior to (maybe during as well?) WW2 with the secret massive expansion of the airforce; perhaps the standarte is associated with this? When the area was captured in 1945 the airport became a large supply hub for American transport aircraft shipping in vital supplies. Today it is a busy non commercial flight outfit that offers pilot training, gliding facilities and aerial photography courses.

What 'G.G.' is an abbreviation of, I have no idea. A bit sketchy I'm afraid, but it may give you something to get started.

Regards, Ned.

[Sir Payne]

Well that explains why I couldn't find any information. Thank you Ned.

Corey

[pjm]

Here's mine from Hildesheim. The corner patch indicates the administrative command. I've researched the abbreviations. "LGr" stands for Landesgruppe and "OKG" is for Ortskreisgruppe." The G.G. on the Koblenz flag illustrated above would be for "Gemeinde Gruppe."

My flag seems to be for the larger, regional administrative group, the Landesgruppe. Then the local group would be the city of Hildesheim.

The Koblenz flag would be for the administrative group in the city of Koblenz. The smaller area sub-group would be Winningen, a town near Koblenz.


See http://gsb.download.bva.bund.de/BBK/..._S_430_451.pdf

[drmessimer]

I don't want to be a nay-sayer and I'm certainly not an expert, but I have never seen a Reichsluftschutzbund emblem in any form that did not have RLB superimposed on the sun burst. Below is an RLB emblem that my inlaws had on their apartment door in Berlin--my father-in-law was a block warden. I will defer to the real experts on this, but without the RLB letters on the flag, what identifies it a a RLB flag? More than one organization used the sun burst in its emblem. Dwight

[pjm]

The RLB insignia on the disk is the first pattern used as of 1935. The first pattern Standarte is blue with this design. The second pattern Standarte, circa 1938, is red with the starburst and swastika insignia. Here's another disk with the second pattern insignia as well as an image of the RLB cap eagle.

The RLB officer's dagger also reflects this change. The first model has the RLB on the starburst, the second has the swastika.

Also see https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/photo...-notice-27522/

Regarding the air campaign, here's information about the destruction of Hildesheim Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No doubt Winnigen was bombed as well. Mayen, a city nearby, was attacked twice in Dec 44 and again in Feb 45. Here's an interesting youtube video about WW2 bombs found in Koblenz and diffused. Huge WWII bomb made safe in Koblenz - YouTube

Here's info on the Standarte for St. Goarshausen, the town indicated on the linked RLB Standarte above. It's another wine town near Koblenz, coincidentally enough. There's no military or historical significance cited but it's a nice, complete example of the RLB Standarte: Sankt Goarshausen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[drmessimer]

PJM: Thanks for that information, which goes to show that just because I never saw it doesn't mean it didn't happen. That's why I'm no expert. Dwight