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The "Blutfahne"
The Nazis had a standard which had been involved in Hitler's 1923 putsch
and had been stained with the blood of Nazis killed during the coup
attempt. They called it the Blutfahne and used it in ceremonies to impart
"virtue" on other standards by touching them with it. Source: William
Crampton's World of Flags (1991) p. 141.
Roy Stilling, 1995-11-21
After the failed Munich putsch attempt of 1923, one of the Nazi flags
used by the would-be revolutionaries was recovered and found to be stained
with blood - presumably that of one of the Nazi 'martyrs'. This became
die Blutfahne and was used to consecrate future Nazi flags. Die Blutfahne
was physically held again the flag to be so blessed at a Party rally
or similar occasion. There is extant film of Hitler performing this
ritual.
Stuart Notholt, 1995-11-22 From Brian Davis, Flags of the Third Reich:
Party & Police Units, Osprey, 1994.":
"On all ceremonial parades and gatherings the Blutfahne was always borne
by Jakob Grimminger. ... Jakob Grimminger...was born on 25 April 1892.
He served in the German Army during the Great War with sufficient distinction
to be awarded the Imperial Iron Cross, 2nd Class. After the war [he]
joined the Nazi Party and was an early member of the SS. He participated
in the Munich Putsch of 9 November 1923. Later he was appointed to be
the official bearer of the 'Blutfahne', and attained the rand of SS-Standartenfuhrer;
he was also appointed a Councillor for the City of Munich. He survived
the Second World War and the period of post-war Allied occupation, after
which, it is believed, he managed to obtain work as a street sweeper.
Grimminger died in Munich in obscurity and poverty on 28 January 1969,
at the age of seventy-seven."
Jon Radel, 1995-11-22
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Neonazist flags
Nazist movements from different parts of the world have quite similar
flags. They usually are red, white and black, that are the "Bismark
colors" upon which was also based the Hitler's flag. The scheme is always
the same: red background, a white circle in the middle and a black symbol.
As in many countries (in Italy too) it is forbidden to use fascist or
nazist symbols, they use new symbols reminescent of swastika.
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The "cross and circle" symbol
In a nazi demonstration happened at Vicenza they fluttered the following
flag (shown here are two variants, one with fimbriation, one without):
It has the classic nazi scheme (red-white-black, red background with
white circle and a black symbol). I remember that the "cross and circle"
symbol was also used by some neofascist groups.
This was used by neo-nazi groups in the UK in the early sixties (and
probably still is). I suspect that the present users care less for the
actual symbolism involved than they value its similarity to the swastika
design, and substitute it for a swastika when such a design is illegal.
The circle/cross design has (like the swastika) a long and honourable
usage before it was associated with modern nazism. The circle/cross
is another variation of the solar disk, and is found in ancient American,
Asian, and European cultures. It was also associated with Celtic Christianity.
The symbol also has various meanings in alchemy and hermetic studies.
The celtic cross is probably the most popular symbol among (seemingly
not only) european neonazis, even more than the traditional swastika
(but that's maybe because the swastika is banned as its use is "protected"
in many countries). They base it in that Celts are "true" Europeans,
etc., etc. -- failing to explain why exactly the Celts become nearly
extinct by assimilation and anihilation policies defended by several
established nation-states neo-nazis usually support...
The Spanish red-yellow-red flag with a Celtic cross on the yellow is
the flag of CEDADE (Centro Español de Amigos de Europa), a Spanish group,
probably the first of "modern" neonazi organization:
Another neonazi flag is Magyar Nepjoleti Szovetseg's (there should be
an accent mark here somewhere), Hungary -- name meaning Hungarian Welfare
Association (!). The photo in page hu-mns.html shows some skinheads
and a lot of flags like this:
Some neonazi flags employ emblems based on Viking runes. Below is one
consisting of what seems to be an inverted digraph of runes nauthiz
("n") and eiwaz ("ae"), black, on the usual white circle on red background.
I've never actually seen this one on real flags or other neonazi symbols.
Sent along it as
Another popular rune among neonazi organizations is the odal ("O") rune.
It was widely discussed in FOTW-ml in 1997.09, and was settled that
it was used by ethnic Germans in Croatia during the WWII Nazi Germany
sponsored State of Croatia (FlagMaster 073 ; maybe used by ethnic Germans
in other countries), by the (South?) Africa Student Federation (shouldn't
it be orange instead of red?), and by the SS (at least by the 7. SS
Freiwillingen-Gebirgs--Division Prinz Eugen):
Clearly based (also) on the swastika motive, is the three "7"s of South
Africa's neonazi party Afrikaner Weerstangsbeweging (AWB). Notice the
white disk is closer to the hoist (like the national flag of Nazi Germany
and unlike most modern neonazi flags, which have centered discs). I
would have expected this flag to be orange, not red...)
Another neonazi symbol is a capital letter "N" with a sword vertically
on it, used AFAIK by north american white supremacists. I've no info
about flags with it.
The portuguese traditional seafaring symbol, the cross of the Order
of Christ, did not escape to this tendency, although not black of red
background: The Ordem Nova (New Order), a "National Socialist" style
movement operating in Portugal in 1978-1982 used a blue flag with this
cross (red) on a white disc:
Unlike the above flag, the Movimento de Acção Nacional (MAN) is a "classical"
euro-neonazi style movement, which operated from 1986 to 1992. They
used a white lined celtic cross on black flag:
A british neonazi flag was seen in Newsweek (1997-02-24): a Union Jack
defaced by a circle and swastika in the center. I tried to match the
exact diameter of the circle, which touches the upper hoist and lower
fly angles of the visible portions of the St. Patrick's cross.
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The swastika and the origin of nazist flag
One version of the origin of the Nazi flag is given by Francis King
in "Satan and Swastika: The Occult and the Nazi Party", Mayflower Books,
1976. On p.117 it is stated that in early 1920 various designs for National
Socialist flags were submitted to Hitler.
"The one finally adopted ... was designed by Dr. Friedrich Krohn, a
dentist from Sternberg, .... . Krohn's design, the swastika on a white
disk against a red background, was intended to symbolize the ideology
of the movement, - in red its social ideal, in white its nationalism,
and in the swastika 'the struggle for the victory of Aryan man'. But
Krohn's flag featured a right-handed swastika, traditional symbol of
good fortune, spiritual evalution and the triumph of spirit over matter.
Hitler insisted on it being replaced by the left-handed swastika, regarded
by occultists as the equivalent of a reversed crucifix, an evocation
of evil, spiritual devolution and black magic!"
King is a well reputed author on the history of modern occult organizations.
In this instance, however, he does not give sources. In "The Occult
Reich" by J.H. Brennan, Signet, 1974, the same basic story regarding
Krohn's participation is related (p. 86); Brennan also quotes from "Mein
Kampf" where Hitler wrote:
"A symbol it really is! In red we see the social ideal of the movement,
in white the nationalist idea, in the swastika is the mission of the
struggle for the victory of the Aryan man."
Peter Cawley
Although this claim occurs quite regularly, there is in fact very little
evidence for it (which probably accounts for the lack of sources). In
fact, the swastika, including the so-called left handed version, is
an ancient sun-wheel symbol used by peoples across the world, ranging
from the American Indians to the Tibetans. They would hardly be likely
to use the left-handed swastika if it was associated with evil. Similarly,
the left-handed swastika appeared on the pre-war national symbols of
Latvia and Finland, before there was any association with Nazism. The
Manx (Isle of Man) flag is also a variation on this theme. I suspect
that the story about the left-handed swastika, like the allegation of
Hitler's illegitimacy, was simply Allied wartime propaganda. It is a
shame that this very powerful and ancient symbol was debased by the
Nazis, so that afterwards most people view it with horror.
Stuart Notholt
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A Peculiar Combination
Here is a flag I viewed on a TV reportage two days ago about a nazi
demonstration at Moscow. The flag is based on the nazi scheme (red,
a centered white disk with a black symbol); instead of the swastika
there is the sickle-and-hammer device. This flag impressed me because
of the merging of two well known and opposite symbols; it is an vexillological
oxymoron.
Is the Swastika flag banned?
Isn't the Nazi flag banned in Germany? - Rick Wyatt, 1997-12-05
Oh, most definitely! - Edward Mooney, 1997-12-05
I would imagine that it probably is in Israel as well. If not, it would
be in extremely poor taste to use it there. - James Dignan, 1997-12-05
Actually, it's not specifically banned in Israel. I checked a legal
CD that I have and found no mention of the word Nazi in Israeli laws.
I guess that there was no need for it here! But if it does happen, I'm
sure that there are other laws that cover the case such as "offending
the public sentiement".
It should be noted that the swastika is often used here by vandalist
protestors of all sorts. Arabs against Jews obviously, but also Jews
against Jews. "Nazi" is a favorite call by ultra-orthodox Jews towards
police when the latter try to control their riots. This is also their
favorite symbol to write on archaeologists' graves when they desecrate
them. And we are talking about religious people who came from Eastern
Europe and were victims of the Nazis themselves.
Another thing about using Nazi symbols here: in 1995, in a demonstration
against Rabin in Jerusalem right-wing extrimists carried a photo-montage
poster of Rabin in SS uniform. Aside from criticising the act itself,
there was a lot of criticism against Netanyahu, who was present there,
for not denouncing the posters. The end we all know.
Also, you can find a lot of Nazi propaganda material in philatelic public
auctions under "anti-semitism". I think that this kind of material is
illegal to sell in Germany itself. We Jews are funny people!
Nahum Shereshevsky, 1997-12-09
The swastika flag is banned in France by an explicit text in the anti-racist
law. - Philippe Bondurand, 1997-12-06
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