War Ensign and other Naval Flags 1960-1990 (East Germany)

Volksmarine

Last modified: 2010-10-08 by jarig bakker
Keywords: german democratic republic | volksmarine |
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3:5  image by Jaume Ollé
Flag adopted 1960, abolished 1990

• War Ensign 1960-1990 (Service Flag for Warships and Boats of the People's Navy / Dienstflagge der Kriegschiffe und Boote der Volksmarine)
• Auxiliary Navy Vessels' Ensign 1966-1990 (Dienstflagge der Rettungschiffe und Boote der Volksmarine)
• Coastal Frontier Brigade Ensign 1962-1990 (Dienstflagge der Schiffe und Boote der Grenzbrigade Küste)
• Ensign of the Hydrographic Service 1966-1990 (Flagge der Hydrographischendienst)  Alternate version
• Ensign of the Rescue Service 1966-1990 (Flagge der Rettungsdienst) Alternate ensign
• Jack (Gösch)
• Commissioning Pennant for Auxiliary Vessels (Wimpel eines Kommandanten (Hilfsschiffe))

• Naval Rank Flags 1960-1990 (East Germany)
• East Germany 1949-1990
• Ensigns and other Naval Flags (Federal Republic of Germany 1949-nowadays)

War Ensign 1960-1990

The date of adoption of the war ensign is 3 November 1960 according to Keubke and Kunz, Uniformen der nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986, Berlin, 1990. Pedersen 1979 and Smith 1975 both give the year without date.
Norman Martin, 21 Jun 2000

Auxiliary Navy Vessels' Ensign 1966-1990 / Dienstflagge der Rettungschiffe und Boote der Volksmarine

Like the war ensign except the top and bottom stripes are blue instead of red. In use 1966-1990. Illustrated in Oliver 1993, p. 3.
Norman Martin, Feb 1998

Coastal Frontier Brigade Ensign 1962-1990

Or Service Flag for Ships and Boats of the Coastal Frontier Brigade / Dienstflagge der Schiffe und Boote der Grenzbrigade Küste. Like the war ensign except with a vertical green stripe 1/5 of width of flag in the hoist. In use 1962-1990. Illustrated in Oliver 1993, p. 3, 27. See also the Frontier Police Ensign 1960-1961 (Dienstflagge der Grenzpolizei).
Norman Martin, Feb 1998

Ensign of the Hydrographic Service 1966-1990 / Flagge der Hydrographischendienst

Auxillary vessels ensign with a yellow lighthouse in the upper fly. Adopted 1966. Illustrated (in black and white) in Barraclough and Crampton, p.122.
Norman Martin, Febr 1998

Alternate ensign

A blue flag with the lighthouse emblem at the center. Illustrated (in black and white) in Pedersen 1980, p. 190. Relation between both is uncertain. Barraclough and Crampton and Pedersen 1970 gives the first, Pedersen 1980 gives the second, but without remarks as to date. See also the Rescue Service ensigns.
Norman Martin, Feb 1998

Alternate pennant

We show an alternate version of the Hydrographic Service ensign above, putting the yellow additional emblem on the auxiliary vessels ensign, a lighthouse, in the centre of a blue flag.

There is some doubt about its existence.  Now this page shows above blue flag as a pennant (see under ‘Weitere Flaggen und Symbole der DDR – Schifffahrt
/ ‘Seehydrografischer Dienst’): It is called a ‘Dienstwimpel’ i.e. service pennant.  Did it ever exist?
Note: the service was founded in 1950 and amalgamated with its West German counterpart in 1990.
Jan Mertens, 12 Sep 2009

Ensign of the Rescue Service 1966-1990 / Flagge der Rettungsdienst

Like the Hydrographic Service ensign, but with a yellow diver's helmet instead of lighthouse in upper fly. Adopted 1966.
Norman Martin, Feb 1998

Alternate ensign

Like the alternate Hydrographic Service ensign, but with a yellow diver's helmet instead of lighthouse in center. Illustrated (in black and white) Pedersen 1980, p. 190.Relation between both is uncertain. Barraclough and Crampton and Pedersen 1970 gives the first, Pedersen 1980 gives the second, but without remarks as to date.
Norman Martin, Feb 1998

Jack / Gösch

I didn't see any mention of a GDR Navy Jack anywhere in FOTW. I know there was one and I am pretty sure it was a 1:1 red flag with the GDR coat of arms in center - like the Standard of the Chairman of the State Council without the black/red/yellow fringe. Unfortunately right now I do not have a source to confirm it.
Volker Moerbitz Keith, 9 Feb 2001

I would like to inform you as follows:
"... Als Gösch ist die Staatsflagge der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik zu setzen".
Source: "Anordnung über das Führen von Flaggen, Standern und Wimpeln auf Schiffen und Booten der Volksmarine - Flaggenanordnung" vom 12. Juli 1979, § 2 (3)
That is: the state flag of the German Democratic Republic shall be used as jack.
Dr. Erhard Glier, 21 Mar 2004

This page of a site on GDR inland shipping shows a triangular jack (Gösch): It is shown twice, once under ‘Volksmarine / 1950 - 1990 / Binnen & Hilfsschiffe’ and repeated under ‘6. Grenzbrigade Küste’.
The few sources I have all state – as does FOTW-ws, of course – that the (rectangular) state flag also served as jack. Still, the picture in question is included here.
Such a pennant did exist but whether is was official or meant for patriotic display I do not know. This image was found in a German eBay offer (no. 110189158651, ended 14 Nov 2007, put up by “fraenkialero”).
Said to have been made from cotton, with emblem sewn on, and measuring 18 cm x 28 cm.
Jan Mertens, 5 Sep 2009

Commissioning Pennant for Auxiliary Vessels / Wimpel eines Kommandanten (Hilfsschiffe)

image by Jaume Ollé

Two patterns: with and without the Army emblem.
Norman Martin, 13 Jan 1998

I once bought an East German Volksmarine pennant after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Above we have two versions of a commissioning pennant, with and without the GDR emblem, both of them blue. The one I have at home is like the first one but red.
Marco Pribilla, 22 Nov 2001

The red version was for commanders of fighting ships and boats, and the blue for commanders of auxiliary vessels. In the Gesetzblatt der DDR, Sonderdruck nr. 1014 of 30 November 1979 labelled Wimpel eines Kommandanten (Kampfschiffe und -boote) and Wimpel eines Kommandanten (Hilfsschiffe) respectively.
Mark Sensen, 23 Nov 2001

Are the official proportions of the pennants known? Mine differs slightly from the above image, being 10 × 200 cm over all, of which the tricolour part at hoist is 19 cm long. The upper tail is clearly longer than the lower one (33 cm vs. 24 cm) but this could be a mistake as the entire pennant is rather rough work.
Marco Pribilla, 23 Nov 2001