Flags of The Third Reich

The decision to reintroduce unit Colours for the armed forces of the new Wehrmacht involved many problems. No unit flags and standards had been produced since before 1914. Paul Casberg, the well-known master painter and illustrator, was commissioned to design the new Army Colours, a commission which, in his own words, he considered to be 'the most beautiful order I have ever received'. Packed with numerous contemporary photographs, and eight full page colour plates by Malcolm McGregor, Brian L. Davis's text examines the flags of the Wehrmacht, in this first of three volumes concerning flags of the Third Reich. Men-at-Arms 270, 274 and 278 are also available in a single volume special edition as ‘Flags of the Third Reich’.

An essential part of German propaganda was the raising of non-German volunteer contingents, variously named as 'Legions' and 'Free Corps'. These units were from their outset mere token forces, comparatively insignificant in numbers and maintained chiefly for their propaganda value. However, as the tide of battle turned relentlessly against the Germans, the appeal for volunteers became ever more desperate. In this second of three volumes examining the flags of the Third Reich [see Men-at-Arms 270 and 278] Brian L. Davis examines the flags of the Waffen-SS: those of Walloon, Flanders, Norway, Finland, Danzig, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, France, Spain and India.