Blood banner

[hawksy]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me, does the Blood Banner ( Blutfahne ) still exist or has it long been destroyed or is it in some private collection somewhere in the world.
All i Know is that it is said that the banner disappeared at the end of the war, there is never any mention of it being destroyed.

I would a appreciate any help on this subject don't matter how small.

Thank's

lee.

[Dave Suter]

I had some contact with a guy in Canada several years ago who was asking the same question, although he knew more about it than I did. He told me that he suspects that it is hidden away somewhere, as after the war Grimminger's widow was aked about it and she just smiled. (Hope I got the name right. He was the skinny little guy you see in some of the early news reel footage wearing the helmet that was too big for him. He was apparently the 'keeper' of the Blood Flag.) At any rate, as far as I know it either no longer exists or is in the possession of someone who isn't talking.

[hawksy]

Thank's Dave,

Is there any way of contacting the person you spoke to about the banner, he may of learn't more since.

If the banner still exist what could the people who are in possession of this Truely Historical Item want to keep it hidden for.

lee.

[Angel Farré]

Think about how neo-nazi parties used this flag, it's the same problem as we have when we say we collect Third Reich items, automatically you are catalogued as a neo-nazi and you must explain why you are doing this. Several veterans ans his families still want to keep in secret his service in the Wehrmacht or in the Waffen SS and no crime conmitted with it, but they don't want to be signaled as nazis, even more than half century later. Only solution will be an anonimous donation to a well known museum to be displayed as what it is, an historical artifac of undoubtely valour as so.

Cheers

Angel

[Ralph A]

Here is an original print of a Hoffman photo of Hitler and the BlutFahne. The back is printed: "Der Fuehrer weiht die Standarten auf dem Paretitag der Freiheit".

He is grasping the Blood Flag with one hand, while he grasps the SA banners in the other, "consecrating" them one-by-one.

KKK has a similar ceremony, but how would I know that?

I am NOT nor ever have been a member of the Klan, but have happened to have been around during certain goings-on like a rally or a march or two in SC and GA. I have some Klan memorabilia maybe I'll share one day (membership badges, patches, leaflets). You think the NAZI stuff is creepy...

[hawksy]

I know it may seem abit morbid but i would like to see it in the flesh so to speak, i have seen it on various documentaries but it is not the same.

As for creepy stuff, the black museum in london police station scottland yard have got some right nasty items.

I just think things like the blood Banner are so interesting, you know hitler actualy handled the thing.

lee.

[Ken Jasper]

To my knowledge no one knows for sure what happened to the Blutfanhe. Jacob Grimminger reportedly ended up as a streetsweeper in Munich where he died poor and unknown in circa January 1970.

[Ralph A]

OK...just one...

KKK "blood flag"

[Dez H]

Blutfahne

Interesting tale, one I think we will never truly know the answer to.

The Blutfahne was last seen in public at the funeral of Adolf Wagner, Gauleiter of München-Oberbayern, Apr 1944. It was kept at the headquarters of the NSDAP, the Braunes Haus (Brown House) in Munich, and is believed to have been destroyed during the allied bombings of Munich.
Jakob Grimminger died poor and completly forgotten in 1969.

Source:

Third Reich Factbook
http://www.skalman.nu/third-reich/index.htm



Dez

[hawksy]

It look's like the banner may be gone then.
But having said this there does not seem to be any solid evidence to be certain that it has been destroyed, so i would say it could still be out there somewhere and it could still turn up some day.

Thank's to all who posted replies.

lee.

[gefreiter]

Correct me if I am wrong....

But I think the Russians still have it, unless it was sold by them. George Peterson almost bought it when he was traveling over there right after the wall came down, but they figured out what it was before that could occur. That is the story that I have heard from numerous people...if so it is still around. For what it is worth....

Brian

[Dez H]

Blutfahne - Facts Please

Well this is getting interesting.....

In my opinion, if the Russians ever got their evil hands on the Blutfahne it would have been burnt at the feet of Stalin in the Russian Victory celebrations in Red Squire shortly after the war. They burnt Division Standarte’s so why not the blood banner?

I have heard various wild unfounded stories surrounding the fate of the Blutfahne, including the one that parts of the flag were recoved by an American soldier upon the "occupation" of Munich in 1945. Correct me if I am wrong but didn't the U.S. 8th Air Force bomb the s**t out of Munich? Wasn't only 10% of the city left intact after the war? So it is very unlikely that the flag ever survived the hellish conditions that were "1945." I would love to hear further comments from Frank (Munich) on this. He is a local and might have some further insight. Still the question remains, where are the facts? Where is the evidence. Without it, these are all wild pub stories that only fuel the fire of speculation and uncertainty.


Dez

[Angel Farré]

Acording to an article in a Spanish military magazine, no flag and/or standart was burned after the Victory Parade in Moscu, they rest in the Army Museum in a display full of the standarts and flags surrender to the soviets and with several decorations over them, they rest flat in the floor as surrender and you can see mixed Heer, LW, KM and SS flags incluiding the rest of the LSSAH one and several EK II, I and RK. Also is a picture of the display in the article.

Cheers

Angel

[gefreiter]

None were burned I think....

Despite the appearance of them being thrown down Stalin countermanded the order to have them destroyed (from what I remember reading). I would take George's word, he did alot of great work over there and he brought back some great stuff (250, give or take I think, Panzer wrappers) and he saw lots of great stuff. Weren't they all taken out fo the depot in Berlin at the very end?