Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice condition WWII German National Banner Flag, which measures a very displayable 30 inches wide by 56 inches long, or about 2 1/2 x 4.6 ft. These were used inside buildings, usually hung vertically as a banner. It is of all cotton construction, and is double sided with a single piece cotton white circles with printed black Swasses (Hook Crosses) sewn onto both sides.

Condition is very good, but does show wear from use in service and possibly afterwards, with some light staining and holes, which look to be on the corners when it was folded up during long storage. The colors are very well retained, with only light age toning to the white circles, and a vibrant red field.

The most notable aspect of this flag is the writing on the flag which indicates when and where it was captured during the war:

BOLLENDORF, GERMANY
FEB, 13, 1945
J.V. CARELLI
1303 ENG, REGT. CO. F.

We assume that J.V. Carelli was the soldier that captured the flag, and then had other members of his unit sign the flag. This is a very clear attribution to the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment, one of many "Engineer General Service" regiments raised to support the Normandy Landings and march across Europe. There are numerous other signatures on the flag, in various different handwriting styles, so this definitely looks to have been signed directly by the soldiers. Most use black pen, which unfortunately did degrade the fabric in areas, with one soldier signing it with a laundry marker. Really some fantastic research potential here!

The 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment saw action in both major theaters of  World War II. The regiment was orginally activated on 15 July 1943 at Camp Ellis, Illinois. It was deployed to the European Theatre where it participated in the Battle of Normandy and subsequent invasion of Germany before being transferred to the Pacific after V-E Day. The 1303rd received campaign streamers for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe, and the Asian-Pacific theatre. It was deactivated in Japan on 31 January 1946, however its history is continued today by the 130th Engineer Brigade.

A very nice USGI bring back NSDAP banner, a great research project which would also make a great part of a WWII wall display.

The NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), was originally founded in Munich as the DAP, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (German Worker’s Party), on January 5TH 1919. When Adolf AH joined the DAP in the autumn of 1919 he was to reform what was basically a debating society into an active political party. Appointed as the first chairman of the party on July 29TH 1921 AH was to restructure it along para-military lines in a hierarchy of four levels of government.