WWII German Banner captured from the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) in Nantes on October of 1941.
On June 19th, 1940, German troops entered the city of Nantes. As the Germans invaded France their systematic tactic was to humiliate the population, taking over City Halls and turning them into command posts was very effective in that respect.
On October of 1941 the city hall of Nantes was used as a "Kommandantur" and two (2) German Flags were placed on each side of the entrance. This banner is a perfect example of a well-made painstakingly precise stitched symbol of domination, which was to endure both time and the elements. A source of aggravation to the French, two members of La Resistance decided to steal one of the banners to exacerbate the German and boost morale within the French. They would not stand for the humiliation and as one distracted the guards the other attempted to take the flag and succeeded in taking it with him. The flag went from being a symbol of shame to a symbol of pride as it was later used for small meetings of activist.
This German Banner grabbed from the Hotel de Ville in 1941 is associated with two items from the Nazis occupation of France in WWII. Other items are a medal for "Officer de la Légion d'honneur" medal (ZFC 1884) and certificate (ZFC1885)
This flag was kept by the son and grandson of the two brave men who took the German Flag from Hotel De Ville in 1941. Following is his account of the provenance of the flag.
I was born in Nice, France during the war. Through my formative years there was much talk about what the war had done to France and the side that different Frenchmen chose at the time. The collaborators of course were hounded mercilessly and the banner has to be carefully hidden for a number of years as anyone owning it would be in danger of being categorized as a sympathizer. My father showed it to me in 1959 but I was not deemed mature enough to receive it until 1967.
I never could get passed the true meaning of this banner which further explains its wonderful condition. It was always in a pouch and never taken out. I had to hang on to it in memory as who gave it to me and the risks taken to get it but now it is time to let it resume its course as a piece of history, pleasant or not.
La Resistance was a well-organized civilian underground operation, operating under military protocol. There were no documents, no records kept of any sort because of the mobile nature of the enterprise.
Both my father and grandfather were recognized for their activities. My father was decorated amongst other medals with the "Medaille de Guerre avec Palme". My grandfather received among others the "Croix de Guerre", "Croix de Grands Mutiles", etc. He also received from General Charles de Gaulle the medal of "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" and then the most prestigious military commendation in France of "Officer de la Legion d'Honneur".
Provenance:
• Displayed at the Hotel de Ville, Nantes, France, in 1941.
• Captured by Maurice Pierre de Montforte Sr., in 1941.
• By descent to by Maurice Pierre de Montforte Jr., until 1957.
• By descent to Jean Claude Mousse' de Montforte, until 1999.
• Acquired by purchase by Carl Zaricor through eBay Internet Auction, 1999.
Sources:
Davis, Brian Leigh, Flags & Standards of the Third Reich Army, Navy & Air Force 1933-1945, New York, Arco Publishing Company, Inc. 1975.
Origins of the Swastika Flag, Hakenkreuzflagge, Flags of the World, from:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de%7Dns_or.html
War Trophy, Wikipedia, 22 August 2012, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_trophy
Acquisition Documents in ZFC Archives
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
