FG-040 — Reichskriegsflagge hoisted at La Rochelle

FG-040 — Surviving Reichskriegsflagge (original 150 × 250 cm; stamp). Full view with staged fly loss and reconstruction seam.

Introduction

La Rochelle—together with the U-boat base at La Pallice—was one of the German Atlantic “pockets”. From 1941 it served as a key naval strongpoint on the Bay of Biscay: a protected harbor, repair hub and logistics node supporting U-boat and coastal forces. After the 1944 breakout, the Allies chose to isolate rather than assault the fortress; the pocket was blockaded and finally surrendered in May 1945.

Unlike many occupation sites, the customs/harbor building at La Pallice still stands, giving a rare, concrete location for a wartime ensign on a surviving structure. This page links the photographed flag on that rooftop mast to the surviving specimen through a light technical review; full methods and calculations are provided in the PDF.

Flag ID: FG-040

Flag Facts

• Type: Reichskriegsflagge (war ensign)
• Original Size: 150 × 250 cm (specimen stamp; standard garrison ensign)
• Material: Wool bunting, multi-piece construction
• Date of Use: 1941–1945 (German occupation period)
• Site context: Rooftop mast on the La Pallice customs/harbor building, inside the wartime naval security zone—one of the few clearly documented cases where an occupier’s ensign flies on a still-extant building; important for harbor control and signaling during the blockade.
• Method (overview): Photo checked for compatibility using perspective/angle correction and pixel sampling (no façade size lock claimed). Specimen shows coherent hoist chafe/bleach and staged fly repairs typical of long service under blockade. These two lines of evidence are combined for the overall assessment; full details are in the PDF.

Section 1 — Photo review (short)

The archival image supports a large garrison ensign. We applied perspective/angle correction and pixel sampling, but with no fixed façade reference we do not claim a metric size from the photo itself. The scene is compatible with a 150 × 250 cm flag; detailed calculations remain in the PDF.

Archival view: La Pallice customs/harbor building with rooftop mast and ensign.

Archival crop: cloth spiraling around the mast; emblem mirrored by twist.

Key visual cues: cloth spirals around the mast (torsion) and parts of the emblem appear mirrored due to the wrap; hoist edge shows brighter chafe/bleach.

Section 2 — Wear & service (short)

The specimen shows hoist-side chafe/bleach and staged fly-end repairs—exactly what you expect from long service on an exposed Atlantic mast under blockade conditions. The spiral wrap seen in the photo explains the mirrored emblem and aligns with prolonged, windy service.

Specimen today (measurements & loss): Hoist 137 cm (original 150 cm → loss 13 cm). Fly measured along top/mid/bottom: 179 / 199 / 168 cm (mean ≈ 182 cm); vs original 250 cm → fly loss about 68 cm with multiple staged repairs.

Hoist detail: heading patch, original luff rope, chafe/bleach band; stamp Reichskriegsflagge 1,5 × 2,5.

Reconstruction seam across the black cross; staged repairs consistent with prolonged service.

Section 3 — Summary & probability

Overall assessment (same flag): 96–98% (conservative).
Photo size is treated as ordinal only; identification is led by wear/repair coherence plus the historical context of a blockaded naval fortress.

Likely objections (very brief)

• “Are you claiming size from the photo?” No — identification is not a pixel-size claim. It is led by the specimen’s wear signature and today’s dimensions (hoist 137 cm; staged fly loss ≈ 68 cm), which match the archival image’s torsion (wrap around mast) and fly truncation. The photo’s role is a compatibility cross-check only.
• “Could it be a different 150 × 250 flag?” Unlikely. The conjunction of hoist chafe/bleach zone, heading/rope details, reconstruction seam and multi-stage fly repairs forms a time-ordered pattern; reproducing the same sequence and extents by chance is very low. Our conservative overall assessment remains 96–98%.
• “Why don’t you give a precise size from the photo?” The façade reference is missing, so we avoid over-claiming. A future façade lock would raise confidence, but it is not required for the present identification.

Documentation & Analysis (PDF)

Download the full La Rochelle report (PDF)

Additional Images

Hoist corner patch with fraying; heading edge shows chafe and grime.

Reverse full view of the specimen; staged fly loss and pole damage in upper right corner clearly visible.

Hoist with ruler showing heading width and stamp position; original luff rope present.

Upper hoist quarter with Iron Cross canton; fabric wear and sun exposure gradient.

Sources and References

• Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-072-27901-20 — La Pallice customs/harbor building with rooftop mast and Reichskriegsflagge (Bundesarchiv Bild database).
• Kriegsmarine ensign size tables (1939–1945).
• Archival material on Atlantic pockets, blockade strategy, and the May 1945 surrender of La Rochelle.