![[South Africa - Air Force - Chief]](../images/z/za^afch.gif)
Last modified: 2017-11-11 by bruce berry
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by Paige Herring, 16 March 1998
![[South Africa - Air Force - Commander Second Level]](../images/z/za^afc2l.gif)
image
by Paige Herring, 16 March 1998
![[South Africa - Air Force - Commander Third Level]](../images/z/za^afc3l.gif)
image
by Paige Herring, 16 March 1998
![[Certain Airfoce rank]](../images/z/za^caf.jpg)
image sent by Paul Dubois, 23 Apr 2003 (flipped horizontally)
Could you possibly tell me the origins of this SAAF flag. It features
the SAAF eagle in the top left hand corner. (Apologies for scanning the back of the flag!?) All I know is that this flag was used
at Swartkops Air Force Base.
Paul Dubois, 23 Apr 2003
The South African Air Force (SAAF) flag shown by Paul Dubois is a rank
flag for an "Officer Commanding Certain Air Force Stations and Units" and
was used between 1966 and 1986 and was officially described as: "A rectangular
sky blue flag with a gold representation of the eagle of the South African
Air Force in the upper hoist canton. The flag is 610 mm wide and
914mm long. The gold eagle has an overall measurement of 370 mm".
A pennant form with the gold eagle in the centre was the rank flag
for "Officers commanding certain superior Air Force Formations".
The eagle in this form, viz: an eagle with its head turned sinister
and its wings outspread and standing upon a scroll bearing the words PER
ASPERA AD ASTRA (through hard times to the stars), was also the emblem
found on the South African Air Force ensign used between 1967 and 1970,
although the scroll was later dropped.
Rank flags of the SAAF were changed on 15 April 1986.
This information is contained in SAVA Journal 2/93 entitled: Flags
of the Union Defence Forces and of the South African Defence Force,
1912-1993 by Prof H H Smith (July 1993) [hhs93].
Bruce Berry, 24 Apr 2003
