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Flags of the Cold War Era

        During World War II, the Allies cooperated despite mutual distrust and conflicting ideologies, but after the war ended things fell apart. In the next 40 years the world would see a state of tension and hostility without actual armed conflict directly between the major powers. This became known as "The Cold War."

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The Superpowers

Image from World Flags Collection website
United Nations

The United Nations Flag (UN) 1945

At a meeting held in San Francisco in 1945, fifty nations met to draft a charter for a "world peace organization," named the United Nations. It was hoped to make a forum for settling international disputes without armed conflict, to help prevent disease, improve education, protect refugees, and to aid poor nations developing economically.

Click here to learn more about the Organizational Flags of the United Nations and its various Agencies.


Image by Joe McMillan
United States of America
(48 Stars)

The United States of America Flag (USA) 1912-1959

The United States emerged from World War II as one of the most powerful nations in the world. Only the USSR could compare and these two nations, known as the "Superpowers," began the 40 year long Cold War. United States President Harry Truman, who viewed communism as an "evil force," established the Truman Doctrine in 1947. This policy of containment attempted to stop the expansion of communism into new areas and resulted in the many "police actions" of the Cold War.


Image by António Martins
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Flag (USSR) 1923-1990

The Soviet Union emerged from World War II paranoid and fearful of the Western Powers, whose policies had resulted in two disastrous wars for Russia. Joseph Stalin led them on a policy designed to spread Communism and create a buffer zone of friendly nations around Russia to protect them from future German attacks and western ideologies. Soon the USSR created the "Iron Curtain," as Churchill named it, across Europe and the Cold War was on.


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The Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948

Image by Jaume Ollé
Communist East Germany

The German Democratic Republic Flag 1949-1990

At the end of World War II, the USSR set up friendly buffer nations in Eastern Europe. The German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, was one of those "satellite" nations, with East Berlin as its capital. The Soviet Union then basically dismantled East German factories and shipped them back to Russia along with any other resources they could take, then setup a puppet communist government in charge of what remained.


Image by António Martins
West Germany Civil Flag

Image by Marcus Schmöger
West German War Flag

The Federal Republic of Germany Flag 1949-1990

The Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany, was formed from the Western Allies part of conquered Germany, with Bonn as its capitol. The city of Berlin, located 30 miles inside of East Germany, was divided into West and East Berlin. West Berlin, located on the Soviet side of Germany, was still part of West Germany. Stalin tried to starve the West Berliners into submission during the "Berlin Blockade" in 1948, but the United States successful flew supplies into the beleaguered city in the "Berlin Airlift" until Stalin backed down and lifted the blockade. The Communists built the "Berlin Wall" across the city and it became a symbol of the Cold War.


Image from World Flags Collection website
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Flag (NATO) 1949

In 1949, the United States, Canada, and nine other Western European countries pledged to help one another if any of them were attacked. This was the start of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which formed because of fears of further Soviet Union aggression.

In 1955 the USSR formed the Warsaw Pact (no flag) with seven of its satellite nations in Eastern Europe as a response. As the arms race began between east and west these organizations faced each other in the Cold War standoff.

The NATO Military Command structure has become fairly large, with many Headquarters and special rapid response units stationed in strategic locations today. Each have special unit flags, some of which can be seen if you (click here).


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The Chinese Civil War 1926-1949

Image by Zejlko Heimer
Red China

The People's Republic of China Flag 1949

Ever since 1926 a civil war had raged between the Communist forces of Mao Zedong and the Nationalist Chinese government. After World War II, the leadership of the Nationalist government was given to General Jlang Jieshi.

In 1949, Mao took Peking (Beijing) and proclaimed the People's Republic of China (Red China). The Nationalist forces retreated to the Island of Taiwan. Mao instituted a series of popular political, social, and economic reforms.


Image by Zachary Harden
CPC Flag

Communist Party of China (CPC) 1996

This is the current Chinese Communist Party flag. The Communist Party of China (CPC), is the ruling political party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is the world's largest Communist political party. While not the official governing body of China under their constitution, it is the de facto supreme political power in the PRC through its control of all state departments and the legislative process.

The Communist Party of China was founded in May 1921 in Shanghai, and came to rule all of mainland China in 1949 after defeating the rival the Kuomintang (KMT) leadership in the Chinese Civil War.


Image by Željko Heimer
Nationalist China

The Republic of China Flag 1928

With their defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Nationalist Chinese retreated to Taiwan, establishing an authoritarian one-party state that declared itself to still be the legitimate government of China. However, since that time the Republic of China has transformed itself into a multi-party representative democracy, although relations with mainland China still remain stressed.


Image from World Flags Collection website
South East Asia Treaty Organization

The South East Asia Treaty Organization Flag (SEATO) 1955

The South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was established at a meeting in Bangkok in February of 1955. Like NATO in Europe, it was primarily created to block further Communist aggression in Southeast Asia. The organization's headquarters was located in Bangkok. Unlike NATO, the SEATO members did not agree to help each other militarily and after the first Vietnam conflict further separated them, SEATO was dissolved in 1977.


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Korean War 1950-1953

Image by Željko Heimer
South Korea

The Republic of Korea Flag (ROK) 1949

Following World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided in two along the 38th Parallel. The southern half became "Democratic" South Korea, and the northern half became "Communist" North Korea. South Korea, known as the "Land of the Morning Calm,", had its capital in Seoul.


Image by Željko Heimer
North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea Flag (DPRK) 1949

Communist North Korea had its capital in the City of Pyongyang. To their south was South Korea which had once been united with the north. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, starting what became known as the Korean War, causing the first United Nations military action against an aggressor.

The Korean War lasted three years, and finally ended with a cease fire, but no peace treaty. To this very day the United Nations still stations troops along the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) to keep it from flaring up again.


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Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

Image by Željko Heimer
Cuba

The Republic of Cuba Flag 1959

Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba in February of 1959. He had been supported by the US government before they discovered that he was a communist. In 1959, at the end of his last term, President Eisenhower had authorized CIA support of exiled Cubans that resulted in the Bay of Pigs disaster. President John Kennedy took the blame, thus encouraging Nikita Khrushchev, Premier of the Soviet Union, to send military equipment, advisors, and missiles to Cuba. The stage was set for the crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was basically a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba during the Cold War. In most of Europe, it is called the "Caribbean Crisis," while in Cuba it is called the "October Crisis." The crisis ranks with the Berlin Blockade as one of the major confrontations of the Cold War, and is often regarded as the moment in which the Cold War came closest to a nuclear war.


Image by Joe McMillan
United States of America

Image by Joe McMillan
United States Naval Jack

The United States of America Flag (USA) 1960

This is the current flag of the United States. This flag became the official United States flag in 1960 when a star was added for the State of Hawaii. It replaced the short-lived 49-star flag (July 4, 1959 – July 3, 1960) honoring the State of Alaska. An Executive Order by President Eisenhower provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine staggered horizontal rows.

The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 15, 1962, when United States reconnaissance photographs taken by an American U-2 spy plane revealed atomic missile bases being built in Cuba. It ended two weeks later on October 28, when the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, with help from United Nations Secretary-General U Thant reached an agreement with the Soviets to dismantle the missiles bases in Cuba. In exchange, the US promised that they would not invade Cuba and would secretly remove US missiles from Turkey. The fourteen day long crisis brought the two Superpowers closer to conflict than at any other time during the Cold War.

A jack is a flag that looks like the union or canton of a national flag. For ships of the United States Navy, it is a blue flag containing a star for each state. On warships, the jack is flown from a flag pole (jack-staff) located on the vessel's front end (bow) when at anchor or in port.


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Arab-Israeli War (Six Days War) 1967

Image by Željko Heimer
Israel

The State of Israel Flag 1947

In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Arab League rejected the plan, but in May of 1948, the Jewish provisional government declared Israel's independence. The new country's victory in the subsequent Arab-Israeli War expanded the borders of the Jewish state beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. Since then, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence that continue to this day.

One such conflict was the Six Days War of 1967, fought between Israel and Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. At the war's end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.


Image by Željko Heimer
United Arab Republic

The United Arab Republic Flag (UAR) 1958—1961

The United Arab Republic (UAR) was a former union between the current-day republics of Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961 when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt (which stayed in the union) continued to be known as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971.

In May of 1967, Egypt expelled the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) from the Sinai Peninsula, which had been stationed there since 1957 (following the 1956 Suez Crisis) to provide a peace-keeping buffer zone. Egypt amassed 1,000 tanks and 100,000 soldiers on their border, closed the Straits of Tiran to all ships flying Israeli flags or carrying strategic materials, and called for unified Arab action against Israel. The nations of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. In June of 1967, Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Egypt's air force. Jordan, which had signed a mutual defense treaty with Egypt in May, then attacked western Jerusalem and Netanya. The Israeli response was overwhelming and in six days the Arabs were completely defeated.


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The Vietnam War

Image by Željko Heimer and Phil Nelson
Viet Quoc Party Flag

The Viet Quoc Flag 1927-1975

Viet Quoc is the shortened form of VietNam Quoc Dan Dang (Vietnamese National Party) which was first formed in 1927. Its primary objective was an armed uprising aimed at toppling the French rule of Vietnam, which was part of French Indochina. In 1930, the Viet Quoc were involved in a unsuccessful uprising in Hanoi. The leaders were sentenced to death by the French government.

In 1941, the communists, led by Ho Chi Minh, took control of the government of North Vietnam, expelling non-communist parties and executing members of the political opposition. The Viet Quoc took refuge in South Vietnam, and joined the armed forces of South Vietnam from 1954-1975. The party is presently in exile.


Image by Željko Heimer
Dien Bien Phu Flag

Image by Željko Heimer
North Vietnam Flag 1945-1955

The Viet Minh/North Vietnam Flag 1941-1955

The Viet Minh were communist freedom fighters seeking the liberation of Vietnam from the French who ruled all of Indochina. The movement started in 1941, first to fight the French, and later to opposed the Japanese occupation.

The Viet Minh leader was Ho Chí Minh who successful defeated the French Foreign Legion at Dien Bien Phu. The first Viet Minh flag shown to the left is the flag that flew in triumph over Dien Bien Phu when the French garrison capitulated in May of 1954. The text on the flag translates as "Determined to Fight, Determined to Win." This flag, minus the written text, was the first national flag of North Vietnam.

French public opinion turned against a continuation of the fighting in Indochina after Dien Bien Phu and the French decided to withdraw their troops. They turned the problem over to the United Nations. As a result of peace accords worked out at the Geneva Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel as a temporary measure until unifying elections would take place in 1956.


Image by Željko Heimer
Laos

The Lao People's Democratic Republic Flag 1950-present

In 1950 Laos was granted semi-autonomy as an "associated state" within the French Union. However, the French remained in de facto control until 1954, when Laos gained full independence as a constitutional monarchy. A long Laotian Civil War between the Royal Laotian government and the communist Pathet Lao ended officially when the communists won in 1975, removing the king from power (he died in captivity), and forming a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws has taken place in recent years.


Image by P. Mattew and Eugene Ipavec
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia Flag 1954-present

Cambodia gained independence from France in 1954, when the United Nations divided up French IndoChina. It became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk. In 1975, the Communist Khmer Rouge rebels took power and approximately one to three million people were killed by them. Violence and warfare continued throughout the 1980s. United Nations Peace efforts began in 1989, culminating two years later in 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a cease fire, and deal with refugees and disarmament. The stability thus established has mostly remained in place. Money raised in schools and community groups in more developed nations like Japan, France, West-Germany, Canada, Australia and the United States, has gone toward the rebuilding of infrastructure and housing.


Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider
North Vietnam Vertical Banner

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) Flag 1955-1975
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) 1975-present

Following the partition of Vietnam in 1954, Communists led by Ho Chí Minh gained control of North Vietnam, and thousands of Vietnamese began migrating either north or south. Those moving north aligned with Ho Chí Minh in Hanoi (Hŕ Noi), while those moving south joined the Saigon government of the Catholic leader Ngo Dinh Diem. Warfare broke out between the two new countries, and the United States soon became involved. With the fall of Saigon in 1975, South Vietnam merged with North Vietnam to form a single nation officially called the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or more commonly simply called Vietnam.

Image by Željko Heimer
North Vietnam Flag 1955

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) Vertical Banner between 1955-1975 (The Socialist Republic of Vietnam SRV Banner 1975-present) was and is used as a decorative hanging on walls during ceremonies and official events. The ratio is approximately 2:1, the star’s center is more or less at the bottom of the first quarter.


Image by Jaume Ollé
Viet Cong Flag
(Type #1)

Image by Peter Loeser
Viet Cong Flag
(Type #2)

Image by Peter Loeser
Viet Cong Flag
(Type #3)

Image by Peter Loeser
Viet Cong Flag
(Type #4)

The National Liberation Front Flags 1955-1976

The Viet Cong, or National Liberation Front, was the patriot/rebel army based in South Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government and the supporting United States troops during the Vietnam War (1959-75). They fought mainly as guerrilla units and rarely as regular army units. They also provided a network of cadre who organized the peasants against the government in the territory they controlled.

The Viet Cong were closely allied with the government of North Vietnam. The group was formed in the 1950s by former members of the Viet Minh acting on orders from Hanoi. They proved highly effective against both ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and later against the better equipped American troops.

There were at least four types of flags, probably more, seen being carried by the Viet Cong. Type #1 had a small yellow star centered over a red and blue striped background, Type #2 had a larger white star centered on the red and blue striped background, Type #3 had either a large or small yellow star centered on a red and white striped background, and Type #4 had three vertical stripes of red/white/red with a small gold star centered on the white stripe. Like the early flags of the American Revolution, most flags were hand-made and each flag was a little different. Some examples of these variant flags also had Vietnamese text added to them.

The Viet Cong's best-known action was the Tet Offensive, a massive assault on more than 100 South Vietnamese urban centers in 1968. The offensive riveted the attention of the world's media for weeks, but also overextended the Viet Cong who won a propaganda victory while suffering a military defeat against the forces of the United States. The Viet Cong never completely recovered and later communist offensives were conducted primarily by the North Vietnamese army. The Viet Cong was dissolved in 1976 when North and South Vietnam were officially unified.

An interesting story about the Type #3 Viet Cong Flag shown here was that it probably is the only flag ever captured by a hovering helicopter in a combat zone. In 1969, the flag was snatched by a helicopter crew about 100 yards from Firebase Barbara by the door gunner as the helicopter hovered above the flag left on a pole by Viet Cong soldiers. Fearing the flag to be booby trapped, the helicopter crew first exploded a hand grenade near the flag before swooping down to grab it. The pilot was Warrant Officer Harry Oberg of the First Brigade, First Air Calvary, stationed near Tay Ninh, Vietnam. Apparently, some people will do anything to get a souvenir flag.

The Type #4 flag was seen occasionally in the northern part of South Vietnam, especially around the old imperial capitol of Hue, where one was captured by marines involved in the fighting there during the Tet Offensive. It was unusual because it had three, rather than two stripes, and versions of this flag have also been reported with a light pale-blue stripe (similar to the future National Democratic and Peaceful Forces of Vietnam flag of 1968) instead of the white striped version shown here. "Charley" (the nickname used by US troops for the Viet Cong), like the "Yankees" of an earlier fight for freedom, had yet to develop any design standards for their early flags.


Image by Vincent Morley and Santiago Dotor
South Vietnam

Image by Mario Fabretto
President´s Standard

The Republic of Vietnam Flag 1955–1975

Until 1975, South Vietnam was the part of Vietnam south of the 17th parallel. Although, in the popular press, the Republic of Vietnam was called "South Vietnam" and the People´s Republic of Vietnam called "North Vietnam," both governments actually claimed all of Vietnam as their territory. The Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed in 1954 and led by Catholic leader Ngô Đěnh Diem. It soon was under attack from the North Vietnamese in the north and the Viet Cong from within. American support began in 1954 and then escalated into the Vietnam War in 1958. After Diem was deposed in a military coup in 1963, there was a series of short-lived military governments, ending with General Nguyen Van Thieu leading the country from 1967 until 1975.

The second flag shown here was not as well-known as the national flag of South Vietnam. It was officially known as the "Republic of Vietnam Presidential Flag." It acted as the South Vietnamese President's official flag and acted as a personal standard for President Ngô Đěnh Diem between 1955 and 1963. The Vietnamese inscription on the flag means "duty and sacrifice."

During the Military Coup of 1963, President Diem was killed, and the President´s flag fell into disuse, and was apparently never used by any of his successors after the coups.


Image by Joe McMillan
United States of America

Image by Željko Heimer
Republic of Korea

Image by António Martins
Australia

Image by P. Mathew and Marcus Schmöger
Khmer Republic
Allies of South Vietnam

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to 1975. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and others.

U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search-and-destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery and air strikes.

Image by Sam Lockton
     
image by Željko Heimer
New Zealand
     
Republic of the Philippines

Image by Miles Li
     
Image by Vincent Morley and Antonio Martins
Thailand
     
Kingdom of Laos

The Vietnam War, America's longest modern war, ended in 1973 with the United States withdrawing their troops and abandoning their allies to the northern forces. Fighting continued until 1975 when North Vietnamese forces overran Saigon and gained control of all of Vietnam. Before long, all of Indochina was under Communist rule.

It should be noted that without the backing of the Soviet Union, and especially the Red Chinese, the logistical superiority of the United States would probably have led to a South Vietnamese victory in this struggle. But the Communist north had a consistent resupply of much needed men and supplies, and in the end, the inability of the South Vietnamese and their allies to cut off that supply determined the war's outcome.


Image by Zejlko Heimer
Red China

Image by António Martins
USSR

Image by Željko Heimer
North Korea

Allies of North Vietnam

The Viet Cong, the lightly armed South Vietnamese communist insurgency, largely fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region. The North Vietnamese Army engaged in a more conventional war, at times committing large-sized units into battle. Usually, conventional tactics led to American and South Vietnamese victories.

Image by Željko Heimer
     
Image by Željko Heimer
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Pathet Lao
     
People's Republic of Kampuchea
Khmer Rouge

This struggle proved once again that determination to persevere no matter how long it takes or costs, will always prevail over government policy without popular public support. The British learn this in the American Revolution, the Spanish learned it in the Netherlands, the French learned it in Spain, the USSR learned it in Afghanistan, and the Americans learned it in Vietnam. In the end, the dissatisfaction of the American people with their governments policies and leaders led to the American withdrawal and North Vietnam's victory. It is unfortunate that the results for the Vietnamese people would be so costly.


Image by by Albert S. Kirsch
NDPFV Flag 1968-1970

Image from Wikipedia
VCP Flag

National Democratic and Peaceful Forces of Vietnam
Parti des Forcees nationales democratiques et pacifiques
Vietnamese Communist Party
Viet Nam Cong San Dang

In 1968, the Party of National Democratic and Peaceful Forces (NDPFV - Parti des Forcees nationales democratiques et pacifiques), created under sponsorship of the Viet Cong, was formed for propaganda purposes as a temporary government in Hue. It became part of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, founded in 1977, and merged with several other smaller communist labor type groups. A flag with three stripes (red/light blue/red) and a yellow/gold star centered on the light blue stripe was used by the National Democratic and Peaceful Forces of Vietnam for a short time between 1968 and 1970.

At the Vietnamese Communist Party's Sixth National Party Congress held in 1986, a candid acknowledgment of existing economic problems, and a willingness to change in order to solve them, resulted in a newly reorganized Vietnamese Fatherland Front that eventually became the nucleus of today's Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP - Viet Nam Cong San Dang). Vietnam remains a single-party state where only one political party is legally allowed to hold effective power. That party is, of course, the Viet Nam Cong San Dang, or VCP Party. Currently, the VCP uses a fairly standard Communist Party flag based on the USSR's classic design of a gold hammer and sickle on a red field.

- My thanks to Dean Thomas for all his valuable input on this section -

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