US ARMY POSITIONAL COLORS & RANK FLAGS

1944 REGULATIONS

The US Army's 1944 flags regulation specified positional colors for the President of the United States; the Secretary, Under Secretary and Assistant Secretaries of War; the Chief of Staff of the Army; the Commanding Generals, Army Ground Forces and Army Service Forces; and Generals of the Army. They were made of silk and and were ornamented with 2 1/2-inch knotted silk fringe. Dimensions were 4 feet 4 inches at the hoist by 5 feet 6 inches on the fly (plus fringe). These colors were always displayed or carried with a silk National Color of the same dimensions. Also specified for the President and the Secretary, Under Secretary and Assistant Secretaries of War of War were flags for outdoor display and combination field and boat flags of the same design, both made of wool bunting. Dimensions were 6 feet 8 inches at the hoist by 12 inches on the fly for flags and 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly for combination field and boat flags. The Chief of Staff, the Commanding Generals, Army Ground Forces, and Generals of the Army were authorized colors and combination field and boat flags only. Other general officers were authorized combination field and boat flags only. For general officers of the staff, the field of the flag was in the first-named branch color, with the appropriate branch insignia in the second-named branch color, centered, with stars according to rank. For general officers of the line, the flag was scarlet with frome one to four stars. For general officers of the Army Medical Department and the Chaplains Corps the field of the flag was dark maroon or purple respectively. 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.

COMMANDING GENERAL, ARMY GROUND FORCES	COMMANDING GENERAL, ARMY SERVICE FORCES
GENERAL OF THE ARMY
THE ADJUTANT GENERAL	MAJOR GENERAL, GENERAL STAFF
GENERAL	LIEUTENANT GENERAL
MAJOR GENERAL	BRIGADER GENERAL
MAJOR GENERAL, CHAPLAINS CORPS	BRIGADER GENERAL, ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT

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