This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

Spanish State 1938-1977 (Spain)

Estado Español

Last modified: 2000-01-21 by santiago dotor
Keywords: spain | spanish state | estado español | historical | coat of arms | falange española tradicionalista | fet de las jons | chief of state | franco (general francisco) |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors


[Spain 1945-1977] 2:3
by Jaume Ollé
State, War Flag and War Ensign 1945-1977 (the 1938-1945 flag was very similar, see text)
Flag and coat-of-arms adopted 11 October 1945

See also:

Flag 1936-1938

[Spain 1936-1938]
by Jaume Ollé and Santiago Dotor
Flag adopted 29 August 1936

According to Decree no.77 of 28th August 1936 (Boletín Oficial del Estado no.14), the flag was to be once again the pre-republican R1/Y2/R1. Later, Decree no.143 of 13th September 1936 specified that military and naval flags were to be as before the Republic but with the "current" coat-of-arms (which implied the Republican one). So until the new coat-of-arms (with eagle and many quarterings etc.) was approved on 2nd February 1938, the Spanish [State and War] flag was as above.

Santiago Dotor, 27 May 1999

According to other sources it seems that the "current coat-of-arms" wasn't designed yet, and the flag was used for two years without any coat-of-arms. On 2 February 1938 the coat-of-arms was adopted and added to the flag.

Jaume Ollé, 5 June 1999

While it is not certain what was meant in the text as to which coat-of-arms was the current one, we know for sure that the red-yellow-red without coat-of-arms was often used in 1936-1938 (I saw it frequently in news pictures) and that some [units], in particular the Academia de Sargentos Provisionales, the 35th Batallion of Cazadores (Rifles) of Africa and the Batallion of Pontooneers used the pattern described by Santiago Dotor (i.e. used the republican coat-of-arms on the red-yellow-red); in the last case apparently by replacing the purple stripe on their Batallion standard with a red one. Source: Calvo and Grávalos 1983, pp.206-209.

Norman M. Martin, 7 June 1999

That is interesting - it means that a flag with equal stripes red-yellow-red was used. I wonder how often this was...

António Martins, 8 June 1999

Not unfrequently. And not only that - when the 1938 coat-of-arms was approved, many flags were refurbished by embroidering eagle, arrows and yoke etc. around the Republican coat-of-arms. That is the origin (or at least one of them) of the eagle coat-of-arms with only four quarterings instead of the full scheme, as reported below.

Santiago Dotor, 9 June 1999

Flag 1938-1945

After Franco took over in 1936, in 1938 he used the unequal red/yellow/red with the Eagle of St. John behind the (more complicated) shield, the pillars, arrows, yoke, crown, etc. Actually, the pillars were located to the left and right of the eagle's outspread wings. The bunch of arrows and the yoke originally referred to Ysabel (yugo, or yoke) and Ferdinand (flechas, or arrows) the [15th century] Catholic Majesties of Spain.

Nick Artimovich, 16 April 1996

Certain government agency/ministry flags had the arms centered. For example, the Fishery Inspection had "V" to the observer's left and "P" to the right of the arms [Vigilancia Pesquera]. Customs had a crowned "H" on either side of the arms [Hacienda ie. Treasury], and the Air Force ensign had the arms in the center with the word "AVIACION" beneath and a "pilot's wings" emblem in the red stripe above it.

Nick Artimovich, 25 April 1996

There were four different National flags in the 1938-1981 period with a similar coat-of-arms:

  1. Approved by Decree 2nd February 1938: similar to the 1945-1977 one but with argent (white) instead of red ribbons, open royal crowns on both pillars and an upside down yoke
  2. Approved by Order 30th April 1940: like 1. above but with the pillars on the eagle's wings, the eagle holding them instead of the escutcheon.
  3. Approved by Decree 11th October 1945
  4. Approved by Decree 21st January 1977

Santiago Dotor, 27 November 1998

Flag 1945-1977

The arms were quartered, first and fourth quartered Castile and Leon, second and third per pale Aragon and Navarre, and in the base Granada. The crown is quite different [open]. Behind the eagle's head is a yellow disc, and motto VNA GRANDE LIBRE [One Great Free (country)], between the wings and the tail is a batch of arrows and a yoke. The pillars are basically the same, but are crowned with two different crowns, and the bands with motto PLVS VLTRA [(There is) More Beyond (the Gibraltar Strait)] have just one part in front of the pillar and two behind. The waves under them are stylized in a different way. The arms are stretch into the red stripes of the flag.

Zeljko Heimer, 16 April 1996

This is the Spanish flag used 1945-1977. It continued being used after Franco's death (20 November 1975), a similar version with only minor changes in the coat-of-arms being approved in 1977. The current coat-of-arms dates from 1981. The 1945-1977 coat-of-arms is more clearly depicted in Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website.

Santiago Dotor, 30 September 1998

A minor change took place in the coat-of-arms 11-10-1945. No other state flag was in use in the Franco era after the Civil War. The "civil" version, without arms, was frequently displayed in schools and other buildings.

Jaume Ollé, 3 October 1998

Incorrect reported 1939-1981 flag
[Incorrect reported 1939-1981 flag (Spain)]
by Jesús Manuel Aceves

Mistakes in the incorrectly reported 1939-1981 flag, supposing it intends to represent the 1945-1977 one:

  1. The coat-of-arms was offset to the hoist, as happens with the current flag. Only Spanish military Colours and car pennants (both usually square) have a centered coat-of-arms.
  2. The scroll around the eagle's neck should be red, not a Spanish tricolour.
  3. The "pillars of Hercules" should be at the sides of the eagle, not lying on its wings; the left (dexter) one should have an imperial crown, the right (sinister) an open royal crown.
  4. The eagle should be "membered gules" ie. have red claws, instead of black (scarcely visible in the GIF, though)
  5. The ribbons around the "pillars of Hercules" should be red instead of yellow
  6. Smaller coat-of-arms, only slightly exceeding the size of the yellow stripe
  7. The red ribbons holding the yoke and the arrows seem to be incorrectly depicted

    The Spanish coat-of-arms 1945-1977 is much more (albeit not 100%) correctly depicted in Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website. It is also incorrect to say that that was also the 1976-1981 flag, since a slightly different coat-of-arms was adopted in 1977 (by the way, the date of Juan Carlos I's accession to throne was 22nd November 1975 and not 1976).

    Santiago Dotor, 27 November 1998

    Vertical variant of the 1945-1977 flag

    Spanish newspaper El País published in Summer 1999 a series titled "Main characters of the 20th century". Issue 18, page 423, speaks about sports under General Franco's regime and to illustrate the subject it shows a picture of Real Madrid football team in May 1960, holding a flag apparently before or right after a match — perhaps after winning its fifth European Cup that year. Even though the flag is being held on a horizontal plane, instead of a standard flag it is a version apparently intended to be displayed vertically, as the coat-of-arms has its vertical axis parallel to the fly and not to the hoist. Also, the centrepoint of the coat-of-arms is in the middle of the flag, and not offset to the hoist as usually. The size of the coat-of-arms is such that it fits inside the yellow stripe. Approximate dimensions 2 m x 3 m.

    Santiago Dotor, 14 September 1999

    Flag 1977-1981

    [Spain (1977-1981)]
    by Santiago Dotor
    Flag and coat-of-arms adopted 21 January 1977

    Two years after General Franco's death and King John Charles I accession to the throne (22nd November 1975), a new coat-of-arms was approved by Decree of 21st January 1977 which replaced the 1945 one. The main differences with the previous one were:

    1. The eagle was blazoned as "azorada" ("rising" ie. about to start flight, with slightly displayed wings) instead of "pasmada" ("close" ie. with closed, vertical wings).
    2. The motto ribbon surrounded the nimbus (the yellow disc behind the eagle's head) around the top, instead of beneath it.
    3. The nimbus was smaller, so that the eagle's beak lied partially out of it.
    4. The "pillars of Hercules" moved onto the eagle's wings, and pillar capitals and bases changed to gold.
    5. The eagle's claws held the coat-of-arms by mid-height (fess), instead of 3/4ths (base).
    6. The red ribbons around the yoke and the arrows had the shape of a classical letter "F" (for Catholic King Ferdinand II of Aragon) and "Y" (for his wife Queen Elizabeth -Ysabel in old Spanish spelling- I of Castile).

    Santiago Dotor, 27 November 1998

    Banner of the Chief of State 1945-1975

    Guión de S.E. el Jefe del Estado y Generalísimo de los Ejércitos

    The flag that Generalísimo Franco used as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was "purpure a bend engouled of dragon-wolves (dragantes lobos), all or, between the Pillars of Hercules proper, crowned with an open royal crown that in sinister chief and imperially crowned that in dexter base". Did he have any other emblem of office and/or rank? I remember that, on official occasions, he carried a staff decorated with shields which was laid over his coffin on the day of his burial. It resembled a field marshal's baton, but I ignore whether it was indeed his insignia as Commander-in-Chief. I have tried unsuccessfully to communicate with the Army Museum at Madrid, where the said staff is kept.

    Juan Morales, 10 April 1999

    Smith 1975 says that Franco used "an old cavalry guidon" as his personal flag. This is wrong. The flag was old indeed, being the Banda Real de Castilla (Royal Bend of Castile), that is, the personal flag of the kings of Castile (also used later on by the Spanish Hapsburg kings). Its primitive origin dates back to the times when Castile was only an Earldom, and the Count of Castile used "Gules a bend Or" as his coat-of-arms, before the canting arms of "Gules a castle triple-towered Or masoned Sable windows and gate Azure" were adopted. Smith's reference to "cavalry" probably derives from the fact that Franco's positional flag was termed in Spanish guión which nowadays indicates a personal flag of a chief-of-state.

    Santiago Dotor, 21 October 1999

    Single party of the 1938-1977 regime (FET y de las JONS)

    Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista

    [Falange Española (Spain)] [Carlist Flag 1930s (Spain)]
    both by Jaume Ollé

    FET de las JONS (Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacionalsindicalista) was the single party of General Franco's regime, a weird combination of the almost nationalsocialist Falange with the ultraconservative, monarchical Carlists. Hence, during the 1938-1977 regime it was usual to fly both the Falangist and the Carlist flags with the Spanish national flag in between.

    Santiago Dotor, 1 February 1999

    I saw in a poster a version with horizontal stripes and white arrows but I believe it is wrong (even if I seem to recall seeing one as a child in the local FET de las JONS headquarters).

    Jaume Ollé, 1 February 1999

    Unidentified 1947 Flag

    [Reported 1947 flag (Spain)]

    Smith and Taylor 1946-1947 shows Spain with an eagle in the center holding a shield, this being the same as today's for Spain. Since this book was published in 1946-47, either the eagle changed to H. Gresham Carr 1956, or the artwork is wrong in this book (there are several mistakes in it).

    Steve Stringfellow, 12 August 1997

    The flag in use in 1947 was [es-1945.gif] (see under Flag 1945-1977).

    Jaume Ollé, 13 August 1997