Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition multi-piece construction German WWII Swas (hook cross) vehicle-identification or aerial-recognition flag of the type used on armored and other military vehicles. It measures approximately 32 x 38 inches and has the standard NSDAP Swas (Hook Cross) dyed / printed onto a circular white field. This was then sewn onto the red cotton body of the flag. This flag is single sided with plated steel grommets located in each corner. Period photographs show these flags secured flat across the rear or upper surfaces of Panzer tanks with tension lines attached through the corner grommets, making the emblem visible primarily from the air. Thereby the flag was only visible to persons located above the tank. Generally these flags were intended to be seen by German airplanes so as not to be struck by friendly fire.

Overall condition is excellent, showing very light wear to the fabric from storage and possible light use. The colors are still vibrant, with almost no age toning, and there is just a bit of staining visible. Most German tanks were destroyed during combat, so very few of these flags remained at the end of the war and most known examples were directly removed from tanks by USGIs in the field, resulting in them being quite worn.

This German WWII vehicle-identification flag retains its multi-piece construction, single-sided design, and all four plated-steel corner grommets used to secure it flat across a vehicle. The red cotton field, applied white roundel, and central printed emblem remain strongly colored, with only light staining and minor storage wear. Its configuration is consistent with recognition flags displayed horizontally on armored and other military vehicles for identification from the air. Although no documentation links this example to a particular vehicle, unit, battlefield, or combat use, it remains a notably well-preserved example of a German wartime aerial-recognition flag.