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As an external sign of fulfilling of duties in the service for people and state I present army colours in the colours black-red-gold with the federal eagle for bataillons and equivalent units.
§ 1
The army colour is the federal service flag in a square form (100 ×
100 cm) made of heavy silk bunting. The federal eagle is embroidered. The
flag field is edged by a black-red-gold cord and golden fringe.
§ 2
(1) The flag field is fixed to a black carrying staff. A metal ring
around the staff carries the designation of the military unit.
(2) The finial of the staff is formed as an oval wreath of oak leaves
with the Iron Cross in the centre.
§ 3
(1) The cravat in the colour of the army branch, edged with narrow
golden stripes, is fixed to the staff.
(2) On the cravat the emblem of the service [army, navy or airforce]
and the designation of the respective military unit is embroidered.
§ 4
The Federal Minister of Defence is authorized to regulate the necessary
implementation regulations to this instruction.
Bonn, 18 September 1964
The Federal President - Lübke
The Federal Chancellor - Ludwig Erhard
The Federal Minister of Defence - von Hassel
Marcus Schmöger, 25 Nov 2001
1. Meaning of the federal flag
The federal flag represents, like every other national flag, the actual
state as a political unit. Therefore the national flag has to be held in
high honour.
2. Who is entitled to use flags or banners?
Apart from the obligation to flag on regular general flag days, every
national citizen is free to use the flags of the nation, of federal states
or of cities, as long as they are no service flags. Furthermore banners
in church-colors with or without emblem or combined with colors of associations
may be flown. Every private citizen may use outside, or as a desk flag,
flags or banners of friendly nations.
3. Time to use flags
Flags must be hoisted at daybreak and taken down at sunset. In special
circumstances flags may be used after sunset as long as they are illuminated.
4. When should flags be used?
a) regular, general flag days (for officials, obligation to use flags)
- 1 Jan: New Year's Day
- 1 May: Labour Day
- 3 Oct: German National Holiday [German unification remembrance day]
- November: National Mourning Day (2nd Sunday before 1st Advent Sunday)
b) on special occasions:
- on state visits of heads of government and heads of state
- on visits of foreign industrial and mercantile delegations
- on mourning days of the Nation and of the federal states, as well
as local mourning occasions
- at fairs and exhibitions
- on religious holidays
- at local festivals and jubilees
- at sporting exhibitions, especially those with an international character
5. Order in rank of the federal flag
In national flag displays, the federal service
flag, the federal postal flag and the
federal flag have the privileged position, when displayed
beside other flags (e.g. of federal states,
cities or associations).
In international flag displays, the national flags are ranked right to left according to the French alphabet. Next the federal service flag, then the federal postal flag or the federal flag; after these, flags of federal states, cities, associations, etcetera. Ranking is always from right to left (as viewed from outside the building). The same rules apply for indoor flag displays.
6. Mourning flag usage
Flags shall be firstly hoisted to the top of the flag pole, then slowly
brought down to a "half-mast" position. The bottom side of the flag shall
then be at half the height of the mast. Hanging
flags, banners and tall
format hoisting flags shall not half-masted. A mourning band shall
be put on the pole-top of hanging flags,
and one mourning band on both the left and right ends of banners'
cross-beams, each as long as about one third of the flag's length. On tall
format hoisting flags the mourning band shall be fastened to the top
of the mast and its length shall not exceed the short side of the flag.
7. Draping with the federal flag
The federal flag or federal
service flag must never be used to adorn the podium or desk of a speaker.
In this case the federal flag must be displayed either
behind the podium or to its right.
8. Usage of national colors.
The national colours shall not be used together with association or
company emblems on a flag. Association or company flags shall be used in
these cases.
9. Damaged and used up flags
Flags shall always be checked on their condition, which can be improved
by periodical cleaning and resting. When they are no longer presentable
they must not be used anymore and be replaced by new ones.
Dieter Reintjes, 6 Feb 2002
German federal regulations prescribe the following order (from the viewer's
left), at least for federal installations (the German states have their
own rules, but generally tend to follow the federal pattern):
- UN and/or other international or supra-national flag(s)
- EU flag
- National flag of a visiting international dignitary (with a rank
of minister or above)
- (German) federal flag
- State flag
- Municipal flag
This strictly hierarchical order (from larger to smaller entities) appears
to reflect Germany's anti-nationalist, pro-Euro-federalist, pro-UN post-war
world view.
Thorsten, 8 Oct 2004
A detailed account is given by Jörg Karaschewski on this (German-language) page.
When I was in the (American) Boy Scouts in Germany in the 1960s, our
summer camp near Giessen flew both US and German flags, and we were taught
when lowering the German flag to fold it so that only black was on the
outside. They never told us why, and we were all kids from military
families, so I guess we knew that was the kind of thing you didn't question.
Joe McMillan, 20 Aug 2003