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Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945)

Nezavisna Država Hrvatska

Last modified: 2014-03-08 by ivan sache
Keywords: independent state of croatia | nezavisna drzava hrvatska | letter: u (blue) | ustasa | wattle: triple (red) |
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[State flag]         [Civil flag]

State (left) and civil (right) flag of the Independent State of Croatia - Images by Željko Heimer, 31 August 2001


See also:


Presentation of the Independent State of Croatia

After the breakdown of Yugoslavia in 1941, a pro-Nazi regime proclaimed on 10 April 1941 the Independent State of Croatia.
On 18 May 1941, the governments of the Independent State of Croatia and of the Kingdom of Italy concluded an agreement called Contracts of Rome. Besides other regulations, the Croatian state had to become the Kingdom of Croatia, with an Italian duke, the Duke of Spoleto, as King of Croatia Tomislav II. At that time, the Independent State of Croatia was shortly called "Kingdom of Croatia"; however, this idea was firstly postponed, then abandoned.
The Independent State of Croatia disappeared on 8 May 1945.

Željko Heimer & Janko Ehrlich Zdvořák, 31 August 2001


Flag of the Independent State of Croatia

[State flag]

Construction sheet for the State flag of the Independent State of Croatia - Images by Željko Heimer, 31 August 2001

Law-Decree Zakonska odredba o državnom grbu, državnoj zastavi, Poglavnikovoj zastavi, državnom pečatu, pečatima državnih i samoupravnih ureda (Legal regulations on the State coat of arms, the State flag, the Poglavnik's flag, the State seal and the seals of State and self-governing offices), signed on 28 April 1941 by Ante Pavelić and published on 30 April 1941 in the official gazette Narodne novine, No. 15, says:

The flag of the Independent State of Croatia is a flag with three horizontally placed fields: the highest is red (color of blood), under it white and under it blue. The height of this flag according to its width is in proportions 2:3 or 2:5. In the middle of the white field is placed the State coat of arms of the Independent State of Croatia, without the triple wattle curl. It is placed so that the distance from the red and white fields is equal to of one square in the coat of arms. On the red field near the hoist a curl is placed, equal to one at coat of arms. It is made red, so that its field is left white. In its white field is a large dark blue letter "U". This State flag shall be used everywhere except by the Naval forces. Everywhere in the State except on State or local administration buildings shall remain in use until further regulation the up to now used Croatian civil flag: red, white and blue horizontally placed.

Janko Ehrlich Zdvořák, 31 August 2001


Coat of arms of the Independent State of Croatia

[Coat of arms]         [ciat of arms]

Coat of arms of the Independent State of Croatia, two versions - Images by Janko Ehrlich Zdvořák, 31 August 2001

Law-Decree Zakonska odredba o državnom grbu, državnoj zastavi, Poglavnikovoj zastavi, državnom pečatu, pečatima državnih i samoupravnih ureda (Legal regulations on the State coat of arms, the State flag, the Poglavnik's flag, the State seal and the seals of State and self-governing offices), signed on 28 April 1941 by Ante Pavelić and published on 30 April 1941 in the official gazette Narodne novine, No. 15, says:

The coat of arms of the Independent State of Croatia is a shield with 25 square fields; white (silver) and red (color of blood), assembled alternate in five rows with the first field white (silver). Over the coat of arms is a sign in form of a star-like triple wattle curl of the same red color, which encircles a white field in which is large letter "U" of dark blue colour.

The "U" was the symbol of the Ustaša ruling party.

Two types of shields were used. One was of the style of all other coat of arms in Croatian history since 1867, that is with a rounded-off lower part, while the other was with a pointed lower part. Both were equally represented. The curl also had different versions.

Janko Ehrlich Zdvořák, 31 August 2001


Laws on the use of flags in the Independent State of Croatia

The racial laws of the Independent state of Croatia (texts) include Zakonska odredba o zaštiti arijske krvi i časti Hrvatskog naroda (Legal determination on protection of Aryan blood and honor of the Croatian people), signed on 30 April 1941 by Ante Pavelić. Article 4 says:

[...] Non-Aryans [Jews, Roma and others] and the non-State members [citizens without full citizenship rights] are forbidden to hoist the Croatian State and national flag and to display the Croatian national colors and emblems".

Željko Heimer, 30 December 2007

Law-Decree Zakonska odredba o porabi njemačkog jezika, njemačke zastave i njemačkih oznaka u Nezavisnoj Državi Hrvatskoj (On the use of German language, German flag and German insignia in the Independent State of Croatia), issued on 30 October 1941, says in Article 7:

Honor of the German Nation, the German flag, German insignia, as well as symbols and uniforms of the German National Group and its units, and other rights of this Law-Decree enjoy the same protection as those of the Croatian Nation.

The German National Group (Njemačka narodna skupina) was an organization of Croatian Germans in the time of the Second World War.

Goran Imbrišić, 11 April 2008