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.”

This Luftwaffe pennant was flown on the vehicle of Generals and Officers to indicate rank from 1941-1945.

The pennants for Generals feature a gold-coloured Luftwaffe pattern national emblem and gold-coloured tress, while the pennants for Officers feature a silver/white Luftwaffe pattern national emblem and no tress.