Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting Italian made German WWII NSDAP National Political banner, measuring an impressive but still highly displayable 54 1/2" x 91", or approximately 4.5 x 7.6ft. It is double sided and carries both a rectangular P. G. S. / Unione Militare maker marking and a circular MUNICIPIO DI NAPOLI / ECONOMATO stamp from the City of Naples. Its unusual Italian manufacture, large size, double sided construction, and surviving municipal marking make this a particularly distinctive example.

The banner appears to be constructed from either cotton or a cotton and wool blend. The red field is made in two sections, and the design is fully double sided.

Rather than simply applying white roundels over the red field, the red fabric was cut away and matching two piece white circles were sewn into the opening from both sides. Each side was then completed with a single piece black fabric hook cross stitched to the white field. We have previously encountered other Italian made NSDAP flags attributed to Naples that use this same construction method, with the red field cut away beneath the white roundel.

There is no conventional header along the hoist. Instead, three pairs of fabric hanging ties are attached to one of the narrow sides. The white roundel is positioned noticeably closer to this edge rather than centered within the entire field, which suggests that the piece was intended primarily for hanging as a banner.

Near one of the corners adjacent to a hanging tie is a rectangular maker marking:

P. G. S.
Unione Militare

We have unfortunately not been able to find any information about this manufacturer or distributor. The opposite corner on the reverse carries a circular municipal inspection or administrative stamp surrounding a central star:

MUNICIPIO DI NAPOLI
ECONOMATO

This identifies the Municipio di Napoli, or City of Naples, with Economato referring to the municipal office responsible for supplies, purchasing, and administrative material. The stamp strongly associates the banner with Naples and gives the piece an especially interesting Italian provenance, although the exact circumstances of its production and intended recipient cannot be established from the stamp alone.

Political flags and banners of this general type were used throughout the Third Reich period on public buildings, at political events, during speeches and ceremonies, and in a wide variety of official and semi-official displays. Depending on their fittings and proportions, they could be displayed vertically or horizontally.

Overall condition is very good. The red, white, and black colors remain vibrant, with only minimal age toning to the white roundels. There is localized wear and fraying approximately halfway down one side, together with similar wear near a corner on the opposite edge.

The nature of the wear suggests that the fabric repeatedly rubbed against another surface over an extended period of time. Despite this, the banner remains structurally impressive and highly presentable, with its large double sided insignia, hanging ties, maker marking, and Naples municipal stamp all still clearly visible.

For the collector of German WWII political flags, Italian made occupation era material, or unusual locally produced textiles, this is a particularly compelling display piece. The substantial 54 1/2" x 91" size, double sided cut-out roundel construction, P. G. S. maker marking, MUNICIPIO DI NAPOLI / ECONOMATO stamp, and strong surviving colors give it far more character and research interest than a standard unmarked political flag.

NSDAP Party

The NSDAP, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of N**ism. Its precursor, the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; DAP), existed from 1919 to 1920. The Party emerged from the extremist German nationalist, racist and populist Freikorps paramilitary culture, which fought against the communist uprisings in post–World War I Germany. The party was created to draw workers away from communism and into völkisch nationalism. Initially, N**i political strategy focused on anti–big business, anti‑bourgeois, and anti‑capitalist rhetoric. This was later downplayed to gain the support of business leaders, and in the 1930s the party's main focus shifted to antisemitic and anti‑Marxist themes.

Ad**f Hi**er, the party's leader since 1921, was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg on 30 January 1933. Hitl** rapidly established a totalitarian regime known as the Third Reich. Following the defeat of the Third Reich at the end of World War II in Europe, the party was "declared to be illegal" by the Allied powers, who carried out denazification in the years after the war both in Germany and in territories occupied by NSDAP forces. The use of any symbols associated with the party is now outlawed in many European countries, including Germany and Austria.