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Flags of the World

Page created: 9th October 2003
Last updated: 19th December 2015
[The FAME - Flag and Arms of the Modern Era]

The FAME is a site devoted to the systematic and scientific study of flags and coats of arms. Such symbols often bear strong political and other messages. Inclusion of those symbols here does not mean that the author supports or approves of the ideas they may stand for.
[NSK - Digital Archives] This site is harvested for the NSK digital archives.

Yugoslavia in World War II


The Axis powers lounched attack on Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941 and she was defeated within few weeks. The royal family and government fled to London, and the country was dissolved. Parts were annexed directly by the attacking countries, the puppet Independent State of Croatia was formed and Serbia and Montenegro was under occupational government. The Communist Party lead by Tito organized struggle against occupations consolidating all the forces that opposed the Axis forming the National Liberation Movement. The symbol of their struggle was five-pointed red star. Since the very beginning the symbol was also used on the national tricolours carried by the partisan units.


See also:

Yugoslav partisans' tricolour, 1941

[Yugoslav partisans' tricolour, 1941] [Normal] 1:2~ [War Flag] [Yugoslav partisans' tricolour, 1941]
In use: since 1941
Descriptions of flag: I. Naređuje se svim štabovima i komandantima partizanskih odreda na teritoriji Jugoslavije da se u najkraćem roku pobrinu da partizani budu, po mogućnosti, podjednako obučeni i sa odgovarajućim oznakama na kapama.
1. Na čitavoj teritoriji Jugoslavije partizani nose na kapama antifašistički znak — crvenu petokraku zvezdu.
2. Na teritoriji Srbije partizani moraju, osim zvezde, imati i traku srpske trobojke 3 sm duge i 1,5 široke. Traka stoji vodoravno ispod zvezde.
3. Na teritoriji Bosne i Hercegovine partizani moraju imati na kapi, osim zvezde, srpsku i hrvatsku trobojku u obliku trougla, i to iznad zvezde.
4. Na teritoriji Hrvatske, partizani u čisto hrvatskim krajevima moraju imati, osim zvezde, i hrvatsku trobojku, koja stoji vodoravno ispod zvezde. Na teritoriji gde se nalazi srpsko i hrvatsko stanovništvo, partizani moraju imati, osim zvezde, srpsku i hrvatsku trobojku u istom obliku kao i u Bosni.
5. Na teritoriji Slovenije partizani moraju imati, osim zvezde, i slovenačku trobojku. Trobojka se stavlja ispod zvezde vodoravno.
6. Na teritoriji Crne Gore partizani moraju imati, osim zvezde, i crnogorsku trobojku koja dođe vodoravno ispod zvezde.
II. Svi štabovi i komandanti partizanskih odreda moraju se u najkraćem roku pobrinuti za odgovarajuće nacionalne zastave na svojoj teritoriji. Na sredini zastave, preko cele širine, treba da stoji petokraka crvena zvezda.
Vrhovni štab narodnooslobodilačkih partizanskih odreda Jugoslavije ima zastavu: na desnom kraju crvenog polja jugoslovenska trobojka sa petokrakom zvezdom u sredini.
III. Pozdrav boraca Narodnooslobodilačkog pokreta je stisnuta desna pesnica kod slepoočnice.
ZA VRHOVNI ŠTAV NARODNOOSLOBODILAČKIH PARTIZANSKIH ODREDA JUGOSLAVIJE
TITO

Abandoned: 1946
Sources: Savjetovanje u Stolicama, 26. IX. 1941.
Pomorska enciklopedija VII: Zastava, Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, Zagreb, 1964.

The red five-pointed star was initially used by the partisan fighters as the symbol of the liberation movement and the communist revolution. The first official adoption of the symbol on the flags was in the Stolice meeting 26 September 1941 where it was decided that the partisan units shall carry their national tricolour according to the ethnic composition of the units, with a five-pointed red star in the centre ("overall", although this was mostly understood as high as the central stripe). The general staff was to use a red flag with a yellow bordered red five-pointed star near the hoist. The shape, size and the exact placement of the star was never specified in more details until the end of the war, and there where numerous variations. The "fat" star was one of the most commonly used variations.
The coat of arms for the new state was devised by the Belgrade artist Đorđe Andrejević-Kun around 1943, with the date of the Jajce conference added after it. It was officially adopted only in 1946 Constitution in slightly different artistic representation.



First Partisan Ensign, 1942

[First Partisan Ensign, 1942] [Normal] 1:2~ [War Ensign]
In use: since 1942
Abandoned: 1943
Sources: Pomorski muzej Jugoslavenske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti, Split
Pomorska enciklopedija VII: Zastava, Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, Zagreb, 1964.

The first ensigns hoisted on the partisan boats and ships in 1942 consisted of the Yugoslav tricolour in the first two thirds of the flag length while the remaining third consisted of the three national tricolours of Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. The Yugoslav tricolour was defaced with a red five-pointed star and a white anchor. Several flags of this type were preserved in the museum in Split. They were gradually replaced with the latter prescribed flags.



Naval Ensign, 1943 – 1949

Zastava ratne mornarice

[Naval Ensign, 1943 – 1949] [Normal] 2:3~ [War Ensign]
Adopted: 14th December 1943
Abandoned: 6th June 1949
Sources: Naredba o zastavi ratne i trgovačke mornarice, Glavni štab NOVJ, 14.XII.1943
Pomorska enciklopedija VII: Zastava, Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, Zagreb, 1964.

After the Jajce conference on which the new Yugoslav state was born on 29 November 1943, the General Staff of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia issued a command signed by Marshal Tito on the naval and merchant ensigns to be used by the ships of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. The naval ensign was adopted to be the Yugoslav tricolour with the red five-pointed star in the middle of the white stripe ensigned with a white anchor.



Merchant Ensign, 1943 – 1950

Zastava trgovačke mornarice

[Merchant Ensign, 1943 – 1950] [Normal] 2:3~ [Civil and State Ensign]
Adopted: 14th December 1943
Abandoned: 21st March 1950
Sources: Naredba o zastavi ratne i trgovačke mornarice, Glavni štab NOVJ, 14.XII.1943
Pomorska enciklopedija VII: Zastava, Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, Zagreb, 1964.

At the same time as the previous flag, the merchant flag was adopted to be equal, but without the anchor, that is, the Yugoslav tricolour with the five-pointed red star in the middle of the white stripe.



National flag, 1945 – 1946

[National flag, 1945 – 1946] [Variant] [National Flag]
In use: since 1942
Adopted: 26th May 1945
Description of flag: U svim prigodama kada se izvjese ili nose nacionalne i jugoslavenska zastava, moraju to biti samo zastave s petokrakom zvijezdom na srednjem polju položenom na način da vrhovi krakova petokrake zvijezde zahvataju ostala polja. To je jedini oblik naših državnih zastava i druge se zastave tj. one bez petokrake ne smiju izvjesiti. (Čl. 1, Naredba, 1945.)
Source: Naredba o vješanju zastava, 26.05.1945, Zbornik zakona, uredaba i naredaba - Službeni list Federalne Države Hrvatske, Zagreb, br. 30/1945, 25.09.1945.

The order issued by the Minister of Interior of the Federal State of Croatia Vicko Krstulović was valid for Croatia only, but indicate the interpretation of the flag by the end of World War II. It specifies that the red star in the centre should be so large as to enter by the point of its rays into the other stripes. The manner of differentiation of the red of the star from the red stripe was not prescribed, and it was done by sawing of layer of material upon the tricolour background or by making void (i.e. white) fimbriation on printed flags. The practical solution of fimbriating the star with yellow was prescribed only in the 1946 Constitution. The order considered both Yugoslav and Croatian tricolours as well as any other national tricolour (Serbian, Slovenian...), while the first two are explicitly prescribed to be hoisted on the govrernment buildings.



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Flags of the World

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