Flag of Germany
When Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz was appointed by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor to rule the then-new Principality of Reuss-Greiz on 12 May 1778, the flag adopted by the "Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz" was the first-ever appearance of the black-red-gold tricolour in its modern arrangement in any sovereign state within what today comprises Germany – the Reuss elder line that ruled the principality used a flag whose proportions were close to a "nearly square"-shape 4:5 hoist/fly ratio, instead of the modern German flag's 3:5 figure.
Ranks and insignia of the German Army (1935–1945)
The "Reichswehr's" visual acknowledgement of the new National Socialist reality came on 17 February 1934, when the Defense Ministry ordered the Nazi Party eagle-and-swastika, now Germany's National Emblem, to be worn on uniform blouses and headgear effective 1 May. The design adopted, in silver for the "Reichsheer" (army) and in gold for the "Reichsmarine" (navy), was a stylized eagle with outstretched, beveled wings clutching a wreathed mobile "Hakenkreuz", later to be called the "Wehrmachtsadler" ("armed forces eagle"). On tunics this took the form of a cloth patch about 9 cm (3⅝") wide worn on the right breast, above the pocket. For enlisted uniforms it was jacquard-woven ("BeVo") or sometimes machine-embroidered in silver-grey rayon, for officers machine- or hand-embroidered in white silk or bright aluminum wire, and for generals hand-embroidered in gold bullion. The backing was "badge-cloth" ("Abzeichentuch"), a close-woven velvetish fabric; this was originally "Reichsheer" grey, but in late 1935 the renamed "Heer" changed its "Abzeichentuch" color to a dark blue-green called "flaschengrün" (bottle-green).