A communist partisan flag from Axis Albania.
In 1945, at the end of World War II, an American soldier traded two cartons of Lucky Strike cigarettes for this flag. This flag is partially made of damask material that once adorned the windows of a wealthy family in Eastern Europe. Originally used for drapes, the fabric must have been donated -- or taken -- for the purpose of providing a heading for this flag. The hems of the drapes are still evident.
In the 1970s, this flag was pawned by the former soldier's family; along with the story that a US soldier traded it for two cartons of Lucky Strike cigarettes. It was found stuffed in a brown paper bag, resting on the floor in a corner of a pawn shop in Santa Cruz, California. The bag was covered with years of dust.
Albania, under the king of Italy, was officially one of the Axis powers at the beginning of World War II. The local population, however, rose in revolt and expelled the Italians. When Albania was subsequently occupied by the Nazis, the local people again fought for independence. Partisan (Communist) militia units thus made significant contributions to the Allied cause. Their flag was the traditional Albanian banner -- red with a black double-headed eagle -- plus the gold-outlined red star of Communism.
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
History of the national flag of Albania, Albania, Flags of the World, 16 November 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/al.html#ori
National Liberation Movement (Albania), Wikipedia, 16 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_National_Liberation_Front
Albanian Resistance of World War II, Wikipedia, 16 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Resistance_of_World_War_II
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
