BACKGROUND: Following an age old military tradition the German armed forces of the Third Reich utilized a wide variety of identifying flags and pennants to distinguish Officers and Headquarters and included specific flags and pennants for use by Officers who command units as varied in size as the Army High Command to Battalion sized units. Generally the flags and pennants were designed utilizing the basic, unit size, tactical map symbols and the appropriate waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color). The different branches of service within the German army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, with black being chosen for Pionier, (Combat Engineer), personnel. The staff of a Combat Engineer Battalion flew the Combat Engineer Battalion Command staff pennant on their vehicles and at their command post. Of Note: Each Division in the German army and the Waffen-SS, had an organic Combat Engineer battalion that consisted of personnel specially trained in destroying enemy obstacles, creating forward defensive positions, bridging and assault tactics. As the spearhead troops personnel serving with a Combat Engineer unit generally experienced higher casualties then standard field units. Also Of Note: the 33^RD Combat Engineer Battalion was originally a component of the 33^RD Infantry Division, (Circa1936-1940), before being reorganized and upgraded to the 15^TH Panzer Division in August 1940. In April 1941 the 15^TH Panzer Division was transferred to the DAK, Deutsches Afrika Korps, (German Africa Corps), under the command of Generalleutnant, (Later Generalfeldmarschall), Erwin Rommel. The 15^TH Panzer Division fought in almost all the major engagements of the North African campaign before being virtually destroyed in Tunisia in May 1943.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The multi-piece, woven black and white cotton construction horizontal, isosceles triangle pennant is roughly, 8 1/2" tall at the hoist edge and 13 1/2" long. The pennant features a white cotton base field with a machine stitched on, roughly, 2 3/4" wide, central, black cotton cross. The top corner of the hoist edge of the pennant has the hand embroidered, battalion numeral, "33", in black cotton threads. The pennant comes in a roughly, 9 1/2" tall, 14 1/2" long, external, nickel/silver plated, triangular, tooled alloy frame. The frame has a closed loop at all the corner points and the pennant is secured to the frame by dual, nickel/silver plated, tooled alloy, screwed on retaining clips to the hoist edge and a nickel/silver plated, tooled alloy friction clip to the pointed tip edge. The pennant shows light to moderate age and usage toning, a couple of small picks and pulls and a couple of small tears to the hoist edge.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $1,045.00