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Royal Yugoslavia (1918-1941): Command flags

Minister of Army and Navy
Admiral
Vice Admiral
Rear Admiral

See also:

Royal Yugoslavia (1918-1941)

Minister of Army and Navy

Flag of the Minister of Army and Navy - Images by Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003
Left, first version (1922)
Right, second version (1937)

The standard of the Minister of Army and Navy (literally "standard of the Army and Naval Minister", steg ministra vojnog i mornarice) is prescribed in Article 5 of the 1922 law.
The flag is horizontally divided blue-white-red, with a border made of tricolour bars and the lesser national coat of arms in canton. The ratio of the flag is 1:1.
There are 43 bars on each side of the flag (i.e., 5 corner pieces + 33 bars + 5 corner pieces), and the border is 5 units wide. The height of the eagle and crown is 8 units, centered in the blue field, with the vertical axis 4.5 units from the left border of the blue field.
The tricolour bar border in this (and similar) flags has more bars than the equivalent flags designed after the Second World War and still in use (43 vs. 29)

The 1937 law introduced a different flag for the Minister of Army and Navy, although Flaggenbuch [neu39] still shows the 1922 version, with a somewhat bigger eagle.
The flag adopted in 1937 is a white square flag with a blue border (width: 1/10 of the flag width) and the national coat of arms (width: half the flag width) in the middle.

Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003

Admiral's flag

Flag of an Admiral - Images by Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003
Left, first version (undated)
Right, second version (1937)

There is no Admiral's flag prescribed in the 1922 law. However, an Admiral's flag is shown on the charts produced in the 1930s. This why I believe that there must have been some regulation between 1922 and 1937 prescribing such a flag. Main sources for the flag are Isaić [isa01] and Flaggenbuch [neu39].
The Admiral's flag is a square white flag with the tricolour bars border, similar to the Rear Admiral's flag prescribed in the 1922 law, but with a crown in the canton.

The Admiral's flag (komandna zastava admirala) prescribed in the 1937 law is a white square flag with a blue border (width: 1/10 of the flag width) and three blue six-pointed stars (diameter 1/5 of the flag width) placed along the descending diagonal of the flag.
Here again, Flaggenbuch [neu39] still shows the former version of the flag.

Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003

Vice Admiral

Flag of a Vice Admiral - Images by Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003
Left, first version (undated)
Right, second version (1937)

There is no Vice Admiral's flag prescribed in the 1922 law. However, a Vice Admiral's flag is shown on the charts produced in the 1930s. This why I believe that there must have been some regulation between 1922 and 1937 prescribing such a flag. Main sources for the flag are Isaić [isa01] and Flaggenbuch [neu39].
The Vice Admiral's flag is a square red flag with the tricolour bars border, similar to the Rear Admiral's flag prescribed in the 1922 law, but with a crown in the canton.

The Vice Admiral's flag (komandna zastava viceadmirala) prescribed in the 1937 law is similar to the Admiral's flag but with the central star omitted.
Here again, Flaggenbuch [neu39] still shows the former version of the flag.

Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003

Rear Admiral

Flag of a Rear Admiral - Images by Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003
Left, first version (1922)
Middle, second version (undated)
Right, third version (1937)

The standard of a Rear Admiral (steg kontraadmirala) is prescribed in Article 6 of the 1922 law. The flag is horizontally divided blue-white-red, with a border made of tricolour bars and the royal crown in full colours placed in the second quarters. The ratio of the flag is 1:1.
The law defines only this admiral rank flag, while latter sources (for instance Flaggenbuch [neu39]) give the crown in canton (first quarter) and include two higher admiral ranks (see above). The other admiral rank flags must have been added as the Navy grew, before 1937, when entirely different flags were introduced.
Setting the emblem in the fly top corner is indeed odd, but the law clearly states "in the second quarter". I have not found any logical interpretation that would allow "the second quarter" to be the canton.
The law states that the crown width shall be 8.5 units (unit being 1/43 of the flag side, i.e., the width of a bar in the border), however other dimensions of the crown are not specified. I understand that the crown is centered in the second quarter.

Latter sources (for instance Flaggenbuch [neu39]) show the crown in canton (first quarter).

The Rear Admiral's flag (komandna zastava kontraadmirala) prescribed in the 1937 law is similar to the Admiral's flag but with only one star in the middle of the flag.
Here again, Flaggenbuch [neu39] still shows the former version of the flag.

Željko Heimer, 20 November 2003