History

The German Wehrmacht was composed of three main branches, the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe. The Heer and Kriegsmarine uniforms were based upon the designs utilized by their predecessor organizations, the Deutsches Heer and the Kaiserliche Marine. Conversely, the Luftwaffe uniforms were based upon the uniforms worn in the sports and para-military organizations that were the forerunners of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe uniforms were specifically designed to deviate from the designs of the other Wehrmacht service branches. It was also necessary that the uniforms differentiate between military and civilian pilots.

The flags and pennants employed by the Luftwaffe during the Third Reich were used as markers for headquarters, vehicles, units, and divisions.

The design of Luftwaffe flags and pennants was based upon those used in the Army (Heer). Vehicle pennants were generally attached to the fender of Luftwaffe vehicles.

The pennants were predominantly used to identify Air Division Commanders through the incorporation of the branch of service colours (waffenfarbe). The only time pennants were used as rank identifiers was on the vehicles of Commanding Generals and Officers.

The pennants were often covered with a celluloid cover to provide them with protection against the elements, often referred to as the “foul weather cover.”

The lower command pennants were flown to indicate the leader of the Luftwaffe battalion. They have two main models, the 1st models were used from 1935-1942, and the 2nd models were used from 1942-1945. Both models of pennant have a triangular shape that is divided into three sections, and a left facing Luftwaffe pattern nation emblem eagle in the centre of the pennant.

The 1st model pennants feature a central black bar that is flanked by sections of colour that indicate the type of battalion (waffenfarbe).

The creation of Luftwaffe field divisions in 1942 necessitated the redesign of these command pennants as a means of creating a stark differentiation between the pennants of Luftwaffe versus Heer field combat divisions. Thus the colour design was flipped, and the 2nd model pennants feature the battalion waffenfarbe colour as the centre bar that is flanked by black sections.

From 1935 to 1945, the known Luftwaffe waffenfarbe pennant colours include, but are not limited to:

White (for Infantry),
Red (for Anti-Aircraft Troop/Luftwaffe Artillery),
Pink (for Panzer Divisions),
Golden Yellow (for Armoured Reconnaissance),
Meadow Green (for Motorized Infantry),
Light Green (for Light Infantry),
Light Blue (for Transport Units),
Black (for Construction Engineer Corp).