"Flags on Tanks?" Topic

No, not laid on the rear deck for aerial recognition, but actually flying! And "late war" too.

Daniel Bolger, in THE PANZER KILLERS, describes LTC Samuel Hogan, 3/33 Armor, usually in command of CCA, 3rd US Armored Division's "Task Force Hogan" habitually flying a Lone Star (Texas State) Flag from his command tank in '44-45. This must, of course, result in a similar tank in my WWII microscale, and possibly my 2mm as well.

But if he did it, probably someone else got away with it too. Has anyone else run into a WWII tank flying a flag, as opposed to signaling with one?

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This site shows a couple in WWII and Korea flying the Stars and Bars.

Here is an Abrams with a US flag.

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The US may have flown them in North Africa due to the desire to avoid conflict with the Vichy French.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek

Mike, point of order. NONE of those pictures show a WWII tank flying a flag of any sort. Plenty of Confederate battle flags here and there over a variety of wars, yes, but none of them flying from tanks.

That's one reason why I posted this. Given that anyone flew a flag from a US tank, I'd have expected that Confederate Battle Flag and I'm not finding any.

robert, point of order. I gave you what I could find that you may draw your own conclusions based on the evidence available. Sometimes things happen that don't get photographed. Sometimes photographs don't make it onto the web. Sometimes I just can't find it.
Since you can't prove a negative, sometimes it can be inferred from a lack of data. Or it can be interpreted from similar data that does not exactly fit the requested perimeters.
Americans flew flags in the field in places other than tanks in WWII. Americans flew flags from armored vehicles in other wars since WWII. So it would not seem unreasonable to posit that flags were flown from tanks in WWII even if it cannot be proven.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek

All true, Mike. Thanks. And if I had to guess, I'd say you were right--maybe US flags on the first two or three days of Torch, and quite probably Confederate battle flags at any time. Conceivably cavalry guidons, too. I can imagine similar things for other nations.

The technical term for this is "extrapolating in advance of your data."

I'll go on a verbal that "Sgt Smith used to fly a Confederate flag on his Stuart." I'd even take a guess based on "41st Tank Battalion frequently flew flags as a recognition feature." But if ALL I actually have mentioned for WWII is LTC Hogan and his Lone Star flag, that's the only one I'll be adding next week. A pity and a surprise. I figured some rivet-counter would send me three examples and a link, and it's easier to do several at a time.

But you shouldn't have told me "this site shows a couple in WWII" when it didn't, and get my hopes up.

Robert, sorry about being vague on the WWII.

I will keep looking as that is the kind of thing I like to do with my tanks also.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek

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On Guam during WWII.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek

Thank you very much!

Lt Col Hightower flew a Texas flag on the radio antenna on his command Sherman "Texas". Early on at the Battle of Sidi bou Zid, Feb 14-17, 1943, Hightower's tanks were getting slaughtered. He took 4 Shermans and pointed them south against a massive panzer force (the 21st Panzer, I believe) to buy some time for retreating U.S. forces.
He managed to hit four Pz 4s, flaming one before taking a bunch of direct hits, including one in the fuel tank.
He and his whole crew managed to bail out and escape.
3rd Bn, 1st Armored Regiment.

Thank you, d88! Yes, clearly there will have to be a Texas state flag added to one of my Shermans.

Well, there is this one, but I don't think it is what you are looking for.

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Jeb Stuart's Comic Book Haunted Tank.

Thank you, Tgerritsen. You're right, though: I was hoping for a photograph or historical narrative.

When did the Haunted Tank cease to be a Stuart? And to have the only integrated tank crew of WWII? You turn you back on comic book characters for 50-60 years and there's no telling what they'll get up to!