US ARMY COMMANDS & HEADQUARTERS
DISTINGUISHING FLAGS • 1944 REGULATIONS
The US Army's 1944 regulations specified distinguishing flags for US Army headquarters and higher commands. They were made of wool bunting, 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly, and in most cases displayed the authorized shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) in proper colors. (If no SSI was authorized, numerals or names were used instead.) For commands not oriented to branch the field of the flag was dark blue and the SSI was, if necessary, piped white. For branch-oriented commands, the field of the flag was in the primary branch color with the SSI piped white if necessary. Distinguishing flags were always carried or displayed with a National Standard, Service, made of wool bunting, 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly plus 2 1/2-inch yellow silk fringe.
Army groups had flags with horizontal stripes of white, scarlet, white and scarlet with their numerical designation in Arabic numerals centered and countercharged. Flags for field armies and defense commands were horizontally divided, white over scarlet. Flags for corps, departments and service commands were horizontally divided, national flag blue over white. Flags for corps artillery headquarters were horizontally divided, scarlet over white, with the number of the corps in Roman numerals centered and countercharged.
The regulations also specified distinguishing flags for cavalry corps: horizontally divided, yellow over white, with the number of the corps in blue Roman numerals centered. However, there were no cavalry corps in the wartime force structure and this flag was not used.
Credits: The drawings on these page are based on the specifications given in Army Regulation 260-10 dated 25 October 1944, a copy of which was kindly provided by FOTW Mailing List member Joseph McMillan.
