Very Rare Spanish Civil War Flag-This is an exquisite flag and one full of history. This flag commemorates the bombing of the German heavy cruiser Deutschland during 1937. This historical two sided pennant from the Spanish civil war measures approximately 36 inches (3 feet) (91.44cm) long by 23 inches (1.9ft) (58.42 cm) wide. It is made of a silk like material that has exquisite embroidery on both sides. One side is red silk with an embroidered black swastika in the center of a separately applied white silk disc. Below this is seen the infamous date of May 29th 1937. At the top, near the hoist end, in black embroidery is the name Deutschland and on top of the swastika is a HEIL HITLER also in black embroidery. The other side of the banner is also made of red silk but has a partial black triangle that shows an exquisite bundle of arrows with a yoke. The symbol of the yoke and arrows, known in Spanish as the "yugo and flechas", was a symbol of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain during the late 15th and early 16th century, but was also used as a symbol of Falangism. This is in bright red embroidery. Below this in a stylized red script is “!Arriba Espana!” or "Spain Arise" which was a phrase of the Franconian movement similar to "Deutschland Erwacht" or "Germany Awake". This banner is trimmed in a twisted red cord on all sides but the hoist end. This piping is a bit loose, but in place. The hoist end of this flag is quite frayed as it appeared that it may have been torn down from where it was hanging. It should be noted that the red color is quite faded and there are spots of heavy wear and fraying so please be sure to look closely at the photos. Below if you are interested you could read the history of the heavy cruiser Deutschland and the bombing that took place by the Soviets on that May 29th 1937. Overall, this flag is in good condition, but you are buying it for its history.
History: On 24 May 1937, the heavy cruiser Deutschland was docked in the port of Palma on the island of Majorca, along with several other neutral warships, including vessels from the British and Italian navies. The port was attacked by Soviet aircraft, though anti-aircraft fire from the warships drove them off. The torpedo boats Seeadler and Albatross escorted Deutschland to the island of Ibiza on 26 May. While moored in port there, she was again attacked on the 29th of May by a pair of Soviet-built SB-2 bombers, secretly flown by Soviet Air Force pilots. At the same time four Republican destroyers shelled the port with inaccurate fire. Two bombs struck the ship; the first penetrated the upper deck near the bridge and exploded above the main armored deck while the second hit near the third starboard 15 cm gun. Splinters from this hit perforated the seaplane fuel tanks and set it on fire, the burning fuel igniting the munitions for the starboard 15 cm guns. The first hit caused serious fires below decks. The attack killed 31 German sailors and wounded 74.
Deutschland quickly weighed anchor and left port. She rendezvoused with Admiral Scheer to take on additional doctors before proceeding to Gibraltar where the dead were buried with full military honors. Ten days later, however, Hitler ordered the men be exhumed and returned for burial in Germany. The ship's wounded men were also evacuated in Gibraltar for treatment. Hitler, furious over the attack, ordered Admiral Scheer to bombard the port of Almería in retaliation for the so-called "Deutschland incident". Stalin subsequently issued orders that further attacks on German and Italian warships were strictly prohibited.