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Greece: Army colours
Last modified: 2023-07-15 by randy young
Keywords: greece | hellenic army | colours | finials |
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The Greek Army has two distinct sets of flags, colours and unit flags. The colours are the "war" flags. This is a translation of the Greek term, although perhaps the word "colours" is better to describe them. They are the flags carried into battle - or supposed to be carried into battle - by the Greek armed forces.
In peacetime colours are used for ceremonial purpose only. When soldiers are sworn in, there is a ceremony and the regiment's war flags are paraded.
Yannis Natsinas, 2 August 1999
![[Army colour]](../images/g/gr^arclr.gif)
image by Miles Li, 10 July 2015
All regiments of the Hellenic Army have traditionally used as their colours a light blue with a white cross, the width of each arm being one-third the length/width of the flag, bearing St George slaying the dragon facing the hoist. Golden fringe, cords and tassels, dark blue pole with silver spirals, golden or silver cross finial. Proportions 1:1.
These flags were introduced in 1864 and have been in use since then.
Miles Li and Nozomi Karyasu, 10 July 2015
![[Navy colour]](../images/g/gr^naclr.gif)
image by Miles Li, 10 July 2015
The Hellenic Navy uses the national flag/naval ensign with golden fringe, cords and tassels, dark blue pole with medium blue spirals, silver cross finial. Proportions 2:3.
Miles Li, 10 July 2015
![[Air Force colour]](../images/g/gr^afclr.gif)
image by Miles Li, 10 July 2015
Since the fall of the Monarchy the Hellenic Air Force has no longer flown a distinctive ensign, but since 2000 all squadrons of the Air Force have been authorized to use colours of a new design: Light blue with a white cross, the width of each arm being one-third the length/width of the flag, bearing Archangel Michael holding a flaming sword and a shield. Golden fringe, cords and tassels, dark blue pole with silver spirals, golden cross finial. Proportions 1:1.
Miles Li, 10 July 2015
![[Finials]](../images/g/gr^cross.gif)
image by Miles Li, 11 July 2015
The finials of all Greek military colours, both during the Monarchy and the Republics, have been in the form of a cross above a ball, but other than that there have been no standard design. The majority of colours have used the cross pattée with an additional pointy end at the bottom (A), thus making this a kind of cross pattée fitchy; others have used the Latin cross (B) or the Greek Cross (C).
Moreover, while the Navy have used silver finials and the Air Force have used golden ones, in the case of the Army these can be golden or silver, without any apparent reason (the old Royal Hellenic Army used golden and silver insignia to indicate ranks, rather than specific regiments or branches of service).
Miles Li, 11 July 2015
Due to recent (pictures dated September 2022) photographic evidence as seen in the following images (images: https://lawandorder.gr/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/apofitisi-.jpg.webp and https://lawandorder.gr/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/apofitisi.jpg.webp) we can now conclude that Greek military flags in general also display spear finials.
Esteban Rivera, 10 March 2023
Source: https://lawandorder.gr/geetha-apofoitise-12i-ekpaideytiki-seira-foitisis-ex-apostaseos-tis-scholis-ethnikis-amynas-eikones/