Osprey Men-at-Arms 278 : Flags of the Third Reich (3) : Party and Police Units

In his book, Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler claims that he made the decision to use the swastika as the emblem for his fledgling movement. He was responsible for the shape the swastika finally took, and for the choice of colours used, which set the pattern for all subsequent flags. Hitler devoted almost four pages of his book to this matter. He felt that the new flag 'should prove effective as a large poster.' Hitler mentioned the colours that were considered, but rejected, for the flags. White was 'not a colour capable of attracting and focusing public attention. Black was also suggested and rejected; it too was felt to be incapable of attracting attention. Blue and white was discarded as being the colours of an individual German Federal State (Bavaria). Black and white were also rejected. The colours of black, red and gold used the by the Weimar Republic were out of the question. The colours of black, white and red when used in their old format were also felt inappropriate, as 'they represented the old Reich that had been ruined by its own blunders'. However, Hitler felt these three colours to be 'far superior to all the others', and 'the most strikingly harmonious combination to be found'. In this third of a series of texts [MAA 270 & MAA 274], Brian L. Davis investigates the flags of the Third Reich party and police units, accompanied by numerous contemporary photographs, and eight full page colour plates by Malcolm McGregor.

Contents

• Origins of the Swastika Flag
• NSDAP Kreis & Ortsgruppen
• The Sturm-Abteilungen
• The NSKK
• The Hitlerjugend
• The Reichsarbeitsdienst
• The Plates