A war flag (or military flag) is a variant of a national flag for use by the nation's military forces on land. (The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign.) Under this strict sense of the term, few nations currently have war flags, most preferring to use instead their state flag or standard national flag for this purpose. A national flag is a flag that symbolises a country and that can usually be flown by citizens of that country. ... A naval ensign is the flag used by a countrys navy on their ships. ... The flags of the U.S. states exhibit a wide variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as widely different styles and design principles. ...

Current war flags

Land use only ( )

War Flag of Bolivia	War Flag of Brunei	War Flag of the People's Republic of China	War Flag of the Republic of China
War Flag of Hungary	War Flag of Japan	War Flag of Portugal	War Flag of the United Kingdom (note 3:5 ratio)

Image File history File links FIAV_001000. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bolivia_(militar). ... Civil flag and ensign, ratio: 15:22 State and war flag, ratio: 15:22 The current flag of Bolivia was originally adopted by Bolivia in 1851. ... Image File history File links Naval_Flag_of_Brunei. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The national flag of Brunei was adopted on September 29, 1959 when the country was a British protectorate, and was retained when the country gained full independence on January 1, 1984, as Brunei Darussalam (State of Brunei, Abode of Peace). ... Image File history File links Peoples_Liberation_Army_Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Civil and state flag and ensign. ... Image File history File links Republic_of_China_Army_Flag. ... The Republic of China Army (中華民國陸軍; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó Lùjūn) is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of China (Taiwan). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 Hungarian flag 1957-1989 Flag used during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_JSDF.svg ファイルの概要 Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Flag of Japan Japan Self-Defense Forces ... Civil and state flag and ensign (Aug 13, 1999. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Flag Ratio: 2:3 The flag of the Portuguese Republic is a 2:3 green and red rectangle divided vertically into green at the hoist (2/5 of the flag’s length) and red at the fly (3/5). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom_(3-5). ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 Flag Ratio: 3:5 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the Royal Banner commonly known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack (although officially this title should only be given to the flag when it is flown...

War flags that are also naval ensigns ( )

War Flag and Naval Ensign of Finland	War Flag and Naval Ensign of Peru	War Flag and Naval Ensign of Serbia (obverse)	War Flag and Naval Ensign of Serbia (reverse)
War Flag and Naval Ensign of Sweden

Image File history File links FIAV_001001. ... Image File history File links Naval_Ensign_of_Finland. ... Flag ratio: 11:18 Flag ratio: 11:18 Flag ratio: 11:19 The flag of Finland, also called Siniristilippu (The Blue-Cross Flag), dates from the beginning of the 20th century, and is modelled on the Danish flag, the Dannebrog. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Peru_(war). ... The flag of Peru was created by José de San Martín and adopted by the government of Peru in 1825. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The flag of Serbia is a tricolour with Pan-Slavic colours. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (682 × 682 pixel, file size: 71 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Flag of Serbia... The flag of Serbia is a tricolour with Pan-Slavic colours. ... Image File history File links Naval_Ensign_of_Sweden. ... The flag of Sweden. ...

Other war flags

State and War Flag and State Ensign of Denmark

State and War Flag and State Ensign of Germany

State/War Flag and State/Naval Ensign of Iceland

State/War Flag and State/Naval Ensign of Norway

Image File history File links Flag_of_Denmark_(state). ... The Dannebrog. ... Image File history File links FIAV_011010. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_(state). ... The flag of Germany was adopted in its present form in 1919. ... Image File history File links FIAV_011010. ... Image File history File links Icstateflag. ... The civil flag of Iceland. ... Image File history File links FIAV_011011. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway,_state. ... The national flag and merchant ensign The state-, war flag and government-, naval ensign The flag of Norway is red with a blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the... Image File history File links FIAV_011011. ...

Former war flags

Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America (1861–1865)	War Flag of East Germany (1960–1990)	Reichskriegsflagge of the German Kriegsmarine (1935–1945)	Battle flag and house flag of the SS
Battle flag of Wehrmacht and house flag 1933-1945	War Flag of the Italian Social Republic (1943–1945)	War Flag of Prussia (1816)	War Flag of the Roman Republic of 1849

Image File history File links Battle_flag_of_the_US_Confederacy. ... The Confederate States of America used several flags during its existence from 1861 to 1865. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_NVA_(East_Germany). ... Flag ratio: 3:5 From the establishment of East Germany in 1949 to 1959, the flag of East Germany was the same as the Flag of West Germany, and the current Flag of Germany. ... Image File history File links War_Ensign_of_Germany_1938-1945. ... The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... Image File history File links Flag_Schutzstaffel. ... The double-Sig Rune SS insignia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Image:Wehrmacht 20 April 1939 Birthday Parade. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_RSI.svg‎ File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Axis powers of World War II Flag of Italy Italian Social Republic Il Cuore nel Pozzo Kingdom of Italy (Savoy) ... War flag of the Italian Social Republic. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the flag of the former German state of Prussia. ... Image File history File links Military_flag_of_the_Roman_Republic_(19th_century). ... Military flag of the Roman Republic. ... Image File history File links Red_Army_flag. ...

See also

More broadly, any flag used by armed forces to represent themselves or the nation they serve can be considered a war or military flag. The armed forces of a state are its government sponsored defense and fighting forces and organizations. ...

• Colours, standards and guidons
• Ensign
• Gallery of armed forces flags

// Origins The practice of carrying standards, to act both as a rallying point for troops, and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Egypt some 5,000 years ago. ... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... This is a gallery of flags of the branches of the armed forces of various countries. ...

External link

• FIAV Flag Information Symbols at Flags of the World