Original Item: Only One Available. This an lovely example of a WWII German Kriegsmarine Navy Vehicle Command Pennant Flag, officially termed a Kraftwagen Kommandoflagge (Motor Vehicle Command Flag). These were used on small vehicles such as cars to denote the presence of the commander, much as the "command pennant" used on ships. This would be someone in a command position but below "flag officer" rank. It feels like it is made from a cotton or cotton rayon blend body, with a canvas header surrounding a metal support, which has spring clips on both ends for attachment to a vehicle mount. It features sturdy stitching around the perimeter, with reinforcement stitches on the corners.

The design features an Admiral's black Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) with a chain stitched white border, with no other dots or devices, and has is a "swallowtail" style, with long streamers at the top and bottom. It measures 8 1/2" in hoist by 21" in fly, and is in very good condition, showing age toning overall, along with a bit of light staining. There is a bit more age toning on the header, which was made from a different material. This has given it a fantastic "been there" look.

Most impressive and ready to display!

WWII Kriegsmarine
In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine grew rapidly during German naval rearmament in the 1930s. The 1919 treaty had limited the size of the German navy and prohibited the building of submarines.

Kriegsmarine ships were deployed to the waters around Spain during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) under the guise of enforcing non-intervention, but in reality supported the Nationalists against the Spanish Republicans.

In January 1939, Plan Z, a massive ship-building program, was ordered, calling for surface naval parity with the British Royal Navy by 1944. When World War II broke out in September 1939, Plan Z was shelved in favour of a crash building program for submarines (U-boats) instead of capital surface warships, and land and air forces were given priority of strategic resources.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (as for all branches of armed forces during the period of absolute NSDAP power) was AH, who exercised his authority through the Oberkommando der Marine ("High Command of the Navy").

The Kriegsmarine's most significant ships were the U-boats, most of which were constructed after Plan Z was abandoned at the beginning of World War II. Wolfpacks were rapidly assembled groups of submarines which attacked British convoys during the first half of the Battle of the Atlantic but this tactic was largely abandoned by May 1943 when U-boat losses mounted. Along with the U-boats, surface commerce raiders (including auxiliary cruisers) were used to disrupt Allied shipping in the early years of the war, the most famous of these being the heavy cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Admiral Scheer and the battleship Bismarck. However, the adoption of convoy escorts, especially in the Atlantic, greatly reduced the effectiveness of surface commerce raiders against convoys.

Following the end of World War II in 1945, the Kriegsmarine's remaining ships were divided up among the Allied powers and were used for various purposes including minesweeping. Some were loaded with superfluous chemical weapons and scuttled.