Blutfahne
Encyclopedia
The Blutfahne was a Nazi
Swastika
flag
which was used in the attempted Nazi Beer Hall Putsch
in Munich
, Germany
on 9 November 1923 and one of the most revered objects of the German Nazi Party. The flag was actually that of the 5th SA
Sturm that was covered in blood from members of the Nazi Party who had been shot by the Munich Police (primarily from party member Andreas Bauriedl
who fell on top of the flag when he was shot and killed).
There were two stories about what happened to the flag in the aftermath of the putsch: One was that Heinrich Trambauer (the flagbearer) took the flag to a friend where he removed the flag from the staff and left with it hidden inside his jacket. Later, Traumbauer gave the flag to a Karl Eggers, who kept the flag safe. The other story was that the flag was confiscated by the Munich authorities and was later returned to the Nazis, Eggers being the recipient.
Regardless of which story was the correct one, after Adolf Hitler
was released from Landsberg prison
(after serving nine months of a five year prison sentence for his part in the putsch), Eggers gave the flag to him. It was then fitted to a new staff and finial
and just below the finial was a silver dedication sleeve which bore the names of the three dead participants of the putsch. Bauriedl was one of the three honorees. In addition, the flag was no longer attached to the staff by its original sewn-in sleeve, but by a red-white-black intertwined cord which ran through the sleeve instead.
The flag was thereafter treated as a sacred object by the Nazi Party, and it was carried by SS Sturmbannführer
Jakob Grimminger
at various Nazi party ceremonies. One of the most visible uses of the flag was by Adolf Hitler, who at the annual party rallies at Nuremberg
, touched other Nazi banners with the Blutfahne, thus 'sanctifying' the new flags with the old.
When not in use, the Blutfahne was kept at the headquarters of the Nazi Party (the Brown House
) in Munich, with an SS guard of honor. The flag had a small tear in it that went unrepaired for a number of years. The tear was believed to have occurred during the putsch.
The Blutfahne was last seen in public at the Induction Ceremony of the Volkssturm on 18 October 1944 (not at Gauleiter Adolf Wagner's
funeral six months earlier, as has frequently been reported). This ceremony was conducted by Heinrich Himmler
and attended by Keitel, Guderian, Lammers, Bormann, Fiehler, Schepmann and Kraus.
After this last public display, the Blutfahne vanished into history. Its current whereabouts are unknown, and it is not even certain whether the flag still exists.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
Swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
which was used in the attempted Nazi Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 9 November 1923 and one of the most revered objects of the German Nazi Party. The flag was actually that of the 5th SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
Sturm that was covered in blood from members of the Nazi Party who had been shot by the Munich Police (primarily from party member Andreas Bauriedl
Andreas Bauriedl
Andreas Bauriedl was an early member of the Nazi Party. He worked as a hatter. He was a participant in the unsuccessful Nazi Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, Bavaria, on 9 November 1923....
who fell on top of the flag when he was shot and killed).
There were two stories about what happened to the flag in the aftermath of the putsch: One was that Heinrich Trambauer (the flagbearer) took the flag to a friend where he removed the flag from the staff and left with it hidden inside his jacket. Later, Traumbauer gave the flag to a Karl Eggers, who kept the flag safe. The other story was that the flag was confiscated by the Munich authorities and was later returned to the Nazis, Eggers being the recipient.
Regardless of which story was the correct one, after Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
was released from Landsberg prison
Landsberg Prison
Landsberg Prison is a penal facility located in the town of Landsberg am Lech in the southwest of the German state of Bavaria, about west of Munich and south of Augsburg....
(after serving nine months of a five year prison sentence for his part in the putsch), Eggers gave the flag to him. It was then fitted to a new staff and finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
and just below the finial was a silver dedication sleeve which bore the names of the three dead participants of the putsch. Bauriedl was one of the three honorees. In addition, the flag was no longer attached to the staff by its original sewn-in sleeve, but by a red-white-black intertwined cord which ran through the sleeve instead.
The flag was thereafter treated as a sacred object by the Nazi Party, and it was carried by SS Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
Jakob Grimminger
Jakob Grimminger
Jakob Grimminger was a member of the Schutzstaffel who was famous for carrying the Blutfahne, the ceremonial Nazi flag....
at various Nazi party ceremonies. One of the most visible uses of the flag was by Adolf Hitler, who at the annual party rallies at Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, touched other Nazi banners with the Blutfahne, thus 'sanctifying' the new flags with the old.
Brown House, Munich, Germany
The Brown House was the national headquarters of the Nazi Party in Germany.A large impressive stone structure, it was located at 45 Brienner Straße in Munich, Bavaria...
) in Munich, with an SS guard of honor. The flag had a small tear in it that went unrepaired for a number of years. The tear was believed to have occurred during the putsch.
The Blutfahne was last seen in public at the Induction Ceremony of the Volkssturm on 18 October 1944 (not at Gauleiter Adolf Wagner's
Adolf Wagner
Adolf Wagner was a German soldier and high-ranking Nazi Party official born in Algrange, Alsace-Lorraine.He served in World War I as an officer in the German Army...
funeral six months earlier, as has frequently been reported). This ceremony was conducted by Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
and attended by Keitel, Guderian, Lammers, Bormann, Fiehler, Schepmann and Kraus.
After this last public display, the Blutfahne vanished into history. Its current whereabouts are unknown, and it is not even certain whether the flag still exists.