Last modified: 2016-03-24 by ivan sache
Keywords: rank flag |
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When used on a ship, the rank pennants are called marques distinctives (distinguishing pennants). Among them, the Navy distinguishes two sorts of pennants:
- the marques de commandement (command pennant) for the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defense, the Chief of the Defense Staff and the Chief of Staff of the Navy, and Navy officers;
- the marques honorifiques (honour pennants) for important visitors:
the Minister of Overseas Territories, Marshals of France, the General Delegate for Ordinance, the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, general officers of the Army and of the Air Force.
These pennants are all square, and their size shall vary according to the size of the ship flying them.
The marques de commandement shall be flown whenever an officer commanding a naval force gets on board of a ship (or is present in a building of the Navy). If the arriving authority has a higher rank or status than the officer already in place, the former's pennant is lowered in favor to the latter's one.
The marques honorifiques shall be flown only on ships, not on land, and only for official visits. They have no precedence over the marques de commandement, which remain in place.
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015
When used on a car, on in a plane, the rank flags are called fanions d'autorité (authority pennants). They are rectangular (35 cm x 40 cm) and must be flown on a 45 cm staff.
The pennant used by the Prime minister has a golden galon" (a braid or stripe, maybe a mistake for a fringe) of 2.4 cm of width; the Minister of Defense's pennant has a galon of 1.6 cm. The latter also has a golden symbol of the French military in the middle of the white stripe. There are three sorts of cravats fixed to the staff:
- tricolor with a golden fringe for the President and Minister of Defense;
- white with a golden fringe for Marshals of France, Admirals of France and Commanders in Chief with actual command;
- tricolor without fringe for Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary General for National Defense and Inspector Generals.
General officers' pennants are either a marque de commandement for Naval officers, or have in the white stripe the symbol of their military branch and / or the distinct marks of their ranks in the blue stripe. This last sentence is quite intriguing. Would that mean that general officers of the Army and of the Air Force have both a marque de commandement and a fanion d'autorité? Or is this only the unnoticed remains of older pennants?
People who can have a pennant everywhere are the President of the Republic, the Minister of Defense, the General Delegate for Ordinance,
Marshals of France and Admirals of France, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, the Chancellor of the Order of Liberation, the Chief of the Defense Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Army, of the Navy and of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff of overseas troops of the Army, the Secretary General for National Defense, Commanders in Chief with actual command, and
Inspector Generals.
People who can have a pennant on the territory under their command are
Commanders in Chief (appointed), Generals and Admirals commanding an army or an independant Naval force, general officers commanding an area, commanding general officers if they are the highest ranked person in an official ceremony.
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015
Gendarmerie nationale has different pennants. While their size is the same as the other fanions d'autorité (40 cm x 35 cm), they are :
- tricolor for généraux de corps d'armée (lieutenant general in other countries);
- scarlet with a thinner white stripe for généraux de division (major general);
- gendarme blue for généraux de brigade (brigadier general).
The obverse o the pennant bears an eight-flame silver grenade, the reverse bears the insignias of the main general staffs.
People who can have a pennant are the Inspector General of the Gendarmerie, the Major General, Deputy Directors of the General Direction of the Gendarmerie, the Technical Inspector, area commanders, commanders of Gendarmerie Schools, commanders of overseas Gendarmerie.
The gendarmerie pennants shall be flown during military ceremonies in military areas, or during public ceremonies but only with a tricolor pennant and independently of the actual rank. The Inspector General of the Gendarmerie can use it everywhere and also has a tricolor cravat without a fringe.
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015
Official texts
Navy websites
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015