#57562 Available
Rare Wehrmacht Satz Spürfähnchen – Complete with Leather Carrying Case and Original Trassenband – 1940
Category:
€ 550,00
A very interesting and rarely encountered Wehrmacht warning flag set (Satz Spürfähnchen), used during WWII for marking hazardous areas, including gas-contaminated terrain and minefields.
The set consists of nine metal warning flag stakes, each fitted with a triangular cloth flag displaying the characteristic black skull and crossbones.
Interestingly, approximately five of the nine flags appear to have originally been white rather than yellow. These examples now show varying degrees of yellowish and brownish discolouration, possibly caused by exposure to moisture or having become wet during wartime use or storage. White flags were associated with minefield warnings, while yellow flags were used for marking gas-contaminated areas. The original colours of the discoloured examples cannot be established with absolute certainty.
All nine flags remain in attractive, genuinely used condition, showing typical age-related wear, staining and patina to the metal stakes.
The set comes with its original black carrying case, manufactured from Ersatzleder (leather substitute material). The inside of the flap is maker-marked "cga" and bears the exact date 13 June 1940. The case remains in very nice, used condition, retaining its original closure and carrying strap.
The most remarkable feature of this set is the presence of the original yellow Trassenband (marking tape), still preserved with the equipment!
This marking tape is almost always missing from surviving sets and is exceptionally difficult to find together with the original warning flags and carrying case. Its presence makes this example particularly desirable.
The complete equipment arrangement is also illustrated in a contemporary German military manual (Bild 22), showing the carrying case, warning flags and Trassenband.
A highly interesting and increasingly difficult-to-find piece of Wehrmacht field equipment, especially with the dated carrying case, the possibly mixed yellow and white warning flags, and the extremely rare surviving yellow marking tape.