History

The flags of the Wehrmacht were initially the old tradition flags of the Imperial Army, which had also been the flags of the Reichswehr. New Wehrmacht flags were introduced on March 16, 1936. All individual colours of units were replaced by the Reich War Flag on August 28, 1944.

Flags and pennants were not only used for individual units, but also to identify high-ranking officers or command posts. Staff flags for commanding officers of units usually showed numbers and (Latin) letters, at least in times of peace, to help identify units more accurately.

There are also National Insignia Pennants (Hoheitszeichen) for officers that were used exclusively on motor vehicles.

The Flag of the Chief of the General Staff of the Army (Chef des Generalstabs des Heeres) was introduced on September 1, 1944 and used for vehicles only. It is very similar to the Flag of the Chief of the Army High Command: it shows a black Iron Cross on a square white field with a thick red border. The Iron Cross shows a white swastika in the middle, and in each corner of the flag there is a gold-coloured national eagle.