Captured Viet Cong Flags

[VMI88]

A few months ago I picked up three Viet Cong flags that came from the estate of a brigade commander -- a full colonel -- in the Mobile Riverine Force. I suspect they were flags presented to him after operations by units under his command but unfortunately there is no documentation of the circumstances of their capture.

 

Here's the best one, actually more of a banner than a flag:

 

 

It has a sleeve running the length of the top edge for hanging. This thing is huge: to give you an idea of the scale it's sitting on an army blanket and that's a yardstick in front of it.

[VMI88]

This one's a little unusual in that the bottom half is green rather than the usual blue. It doesn't show any signs of fading so I don't know if there's any significance to the color, or if it's just what was available at the time. It's still pretty good-sized, about 32" wide.

 

[VMI88]

Finally, this is the smallest flag of the lot. It's made of a very lightweight silk or rayon material and shows a lot of fading:

 

[RedLegGI]

Very cool stuff, thanks for sharing it. I've seen more VC stuff popping up locally than I've ever seen before, so its rather interesting.

[airbornemedals]

Great flags. Well done!

[badash5946]

Those are nice flags. The red/green combo is uncommon but I have seen them before. I just can't recall the significance, if any. The large banner is really unusual by its size - that's huge! I sure wish that the Colonel had kept some notes on their history; that's really a shame.

[mhk]

Last one is a killer look, nice fade and shows some use

[gwb123]

This one's a little unusual in that the bottom half is green rather than the usual blue. It doesn't show any signs of fading so I don't know if there's any significance to the color, or if it's just what was available at the time. It's still pretty good-sized, about 32" wide.

 

 

Interesting item. There were efforts by the Communists to sew discontent with some of the ethnic minorities in Vietnam and other countries. It's possible that this flag is from one of these short lived rebellions. Sometimes these revolts were quelled by US Special Forces officers mediating between the local groups and the Saigon government.

 

Notice that the star is offset vs. the standard flag above it. This might have been intentional, or perhaps instead of being a flag it was meant to hang as a banner.

[VMI88]

Interesting item. There were efforts by the Communists to sew discontent with some of the ethnic minorities in Vietnam and other countries. It's possible that this flag is from one of these short lived rebellions. Sometimes these revolts were quelled by US Special Forces officers mediating between the local groups and the Saigon government.

 

Notice that the star is offset vs. the standard flag above it. This might have been intentional, or perhaps instead of being a flag it was meant to hang as a banner.

 

Thanks for the information. I also failed to note that the star is white rather than yellow like the other two.

 

Thanks to all for the comments on these flags!

[william kennington]

could you tell me who was the brigade commander was?

thanks william

[jguy1986]

Notice that the star is offset vs. the standard flag above it. This might have been intentional, or perhaps instead of being a flag it was meant to hang as a banner.

 

Also if it's one sided, I'd lean towards it possibly being a banner.

-- Jon

[PaulR]

Very desirable!! Thank you for sharing. That green and red one has me royally stumped.