Last modified: 2005-10-22 by santiago dotor
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I have an authentic German Nazi eagle flag that I am trying to identify. The middle of the flag is a white circle with the eagle (looking right) in black on it. There is a swastika covering the middle of the eagle (back in the color white). The flag is red on both sides of the circle with a large thick sown black patch in the upper right. The stitched writing on the patch is in German and I cannot translate it. It goes like something as follows: Gau XI / Schutzenges. / St. Hubertus / e.D.Frechen gegr.1913.
James Bohanek, 3 June 2002
I can only attempt a reconstitution and translation, as follows:
Gau XI = district XITherefore, I guess the flag was used by a shooting or hunting society. St. Hubert is the saint patron of hunters.
Schützenges[ellschaft] = shooting society
St. Hubertus = St. Hubert
e.D. Frechen = a city called Frechen south-west of Cologne?
gegr[ündet] 1913 = founded 1913
Ivan Sache, 8 June 2002
This flag must be a composite; the Nazi party did not exist in 1913. The description is garbled, but it sounds as if the flag of a St. Hubert shooting club was sewn onto a Nazi flag (...) and "Gau XI" was then embroidered onto it.
John Ayer, 8 June 2002
The inscription would suggest a rifle club formed in 1913 and nazified probably around 1933. The flag seems a little like that of the German National League for Physical Education, but the fit is only approximate and besides I do not think rifle clubs were in that outfit.
Norman Martin, 9 June 2002
Firstly it must be pointed out —as John Ayer did— that this flag certainly does not date from 1913. It seems to be a flag of the St. Hubertus shooting club at Frechen, as already suggested. There still exists a shooting club of this name at Frechen (near Cologne). See their website. It is common practice for many different kinds of associations and clubs (Vereine) here in Germany to have a flag, usually embroidered. Originally something like the "regimental colours" of especially shooting clubs, later other clubs (voluntary fire brigade; traditional custom club; veterans' club; sports club etc.) also adopted this practice. Nowadays there are probably tens of thousands of these (different) flags in clubs in Germany. A whole terra incognita for vexillology!
Every now and then either the old, traditional flag has to be restored, or a new flag has to be bought. This seems to be the case for this particular flag, as the swastika implies that either they made a new flag (after 1933) instead of the old one, or this was their first flag anyway. I think it is quite improbable that they just charged their old flag with a swastika.
The Gau XI in the inscription is probably not a Nazi Gau, but the Schützengau, the district of a higher level shooting association).
Marcus Schmöger, 14 June 2002
I guess the "e.D." is actually "e.V." —Fraktur letters V and D are rather similar—, such as their website suggests. The German abbreviation "e.V." stands for "eingetragener Verein", which means "registered association".
Ole Andersen, 14 June 2002
My grandfather brought back a Nazi flag from WWII. It is the typical red flag with a black swastika outlined in white and a eagle holding a smaller swastika in the upper left hand corner. There is a stamp "R.D.F 80 X 130 and then a name "Curt Brautigam" - "Plauen, Vogtland" on the flag as well.
Todd E. Crowell, 3 June 2002
Though the white disc is not explicitly mentioned in the description, this is probably a Reichsdienstflagge.
Santiago Dotor, 7 October 2005