National Liberation Front (NLF) or Viet Cong Flag.
This National Liberation front Flag is part of an extraordinary grouping of Viet Cong flags, memorabilia and soldier personal items acquired in Vietnam by Mr. Jean Phillipe Martinet from Viet Cong veteran Dao Van Duc. In addition to two Viet Cong (VC) flags, the grouping contained many of the ephemeral personal items a VC soldier would have for use in the field, including: a enameled metal eating bowl with an attachment ring; two sets of chopsticks (one aluminum the other ebony), a belt knife, a utility camp knife' a homemade web equipment belt, an oil lamp, two lighters, a woven pith helmet, a VC insignia, a selection of VC medals, a VC newspaper dated September 2, 1968 and a VC propaganda booklet about the Battle of Keh Sanh also dated 1968.
While both trophy and GI Bringback VC flags are common in the US; such flags accompanied by such groupings of personal equipment rarely leave Vietnam and are uncommon in the West. They reveal a great deal about the life of the average VC soldier, most of the equipment being homemade field expedients. The knives are interesting; both are believed to have been made in the field, the handles of the camp knife seem to be made of Plexiglas, possible salvaged from an American aircraft. Similarly for the aluminum chopsticks, they are also likely salvaged from aircraft aluminum.
This Viet Cong flag is typical of the flags of the era; it is made of locally available silk, with a small sleeve it could be either displayed flat against a wall or carried on a staff. This flag, unlike the majority of flags in collections and institutions in the U.S., was neither captured nor taken as either a trophy or booty, but rather a gift from a veteran who survived the war and kept it with his belongings.
Mr. Martinet acquired these artifacts while he was employed by the venerable French water company Lyonnaise des Eaux. From 1989 to 1998 Mr. Martinet traveled often in the Ty Ninh area, and befriended the Viet Cong veteran Dao Van Duc and his family from Trai Bi, between Tay Ninh and the Cambodian Border.
The town of Ty Ninh is located about 54 miles northwest of Hồ Ch Minh City, Vietnam's capital and largest city. Ty Ninh is famous for being the home of the Cao Äi religion; an indigenous Vietnamese faith that includes the teachings of the major world religions. The Cao Äi religions Holy See, built between 1933 and 1955, is located around 5 km to the east of Ty Ninhs town center.
It is not known where Dao Van Duc served while he was with the VC; but during the Vietnam War, Ty Ninh was the site of large semi-permanent U.S. hospital, the 45th Surgical Hospital. The 45th was a Medical Unit Self-Contained Transportable (MUST) unit, established in 1966 the hospital was the site of numerous VC mortar and rocket attacks throughout its existence.
After the war Dao Van Duc became a municipal official of the city council of Cu Chi, a suburb of Hồ Ch Minh City and the nexus of the Viet Cong's Cu Chi tunnel complex, which was a major base of operations from which the Viet Cong participated in the Tet Offensive in January & February 1968.
The National Front for the Liberation (NLF) of South Vietnam or Viet Cong was a political group and army in Cambodia and South Vietnam that during the Vietnam War fought the U.S and the government of South Vietnam. It consisted of both guerrilla and regular army units, in addition to a network of forces that organized civilians in the territory it controlled.
In 1960, the NLF adopted a horizontally red over blue flag with a yellow star in the center based on the 1955 flag of North Vietnam, a single golden yellow five point star on a red field.
This flag adopted on June 8, 1969 was additionally the flag of the Republic of South Vietnam; on April 30, 1975 it became the only flag of South Vietnam (when the anti-communist regime collapsed) and 2 July 1975 (when North and South Vietnam were united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).
The "Vietcong" flag was just a Communist flag with a blue half. Contrary to the official version of July 2, 1975; The blue half dissolved on May 1, 1975 at the "reunification speech" of former Communist Party's Secretary, General Le Duan.
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Wetherington Barry, Captain Barth Von Heer1st provost new Marechausee Corps, Rootsweb, May 29,2012, From: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/HEER/2003-01/1043475290
Air Police History Pages, United States Air Force's, Law Enforcement & Security, May 29,2012, From: http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/AirPoliceHistory/
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
