Original Item: Only One Available. The Kyffhäuserbund (English: Kyffhäuser League) is an umbrella organization for war veterans' and reservists' associations in Germany, founded in 1900 to unify the various veteran's groups in Germany. It owes its name to the Kyffhäuser Monument (German: Kyffhäuserdenkmal), a memorial built on the summit of the 473 m high Kyffhäuser mountain near Bad Frankenhausen, in the state of Thuringia in central Germany. It was not a political affiliated organization, and was open to all German war veterans.
By 1913, this umbrella organization had already 2.8 million war veterans as its members and it had become one of the largest societies in Germany. During the time of the German Empire, the Kyffhäuserbund was instrumentalized against the growing social democratic movement in Germany. The difficult circumstances of World War I's postwar years led to a significant shrinking of the veterans' associations and their role. During the Weimar Republic in 1921, this organization shed its federal structure and centralized itself under a common leadership. Following this step, it changed its name to German Warriors Association Kyffhäuser (Deutscher Reichskriegerbund Kyffhäuser e.V.).
When the National Socialist party came into party however, as with all national organizations, the group was absorbed under the NSDAP umbrella. In the name of Gleichschaltung (Co-Ordination or NSDAPfication), the Kyffhäuserbund was after the NSDAP takeover of power in 1933. Five years later, its name was altered to NS-Reichskriegerbund ‘Kyffhäuser’ e.V. (National Socialist Reich Warriors Association ‘Kyffhäuser‘), becoming the sole and exclusive organization representing the Veterans´ interests in the Third Reich. The organization would then be disbanded in March of 1943 and its members would be drafted into Volksturm service in 1945, as the fall of WWII Germany approached.
The flag of the group, which previously had an Image of the Kyffhäuser Monument in the middle, had that replaced with a Swas (hook cross) in 1934. This would be displayed inside the Iron Cross emblem of the Kyffhäuserbund, displayed in the center on a red background.
This flag dates prior to the change, and we estimate it was made circa 1925-30. However it is also possible that it was made earlier. It is of dyed wool construction, and is marked Ges. Gesch., indicating it is a trademarked design. It has a black header on one side, which would normally be wrapped around a pole and tacked in place. There is definitely some age toning, as well as some mothing holes and other wear. Still, it presents quite nicely, and the red tones are quite vibrant. It measures approximately 52" x 47".
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