The FAME: Croatia - Bannate within Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1939 - 1941

Page created: 23rd August 2004 Last updated: 16th April 2016
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Banovina Hrvatska

• Bannate of Croatia

With the end of the First World War the South-Slavic lands of the Austria-Hungary proclaimed independence on 29 October 1918 as the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. This new state was soon absorbed with the joined kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on 1 December 1918. As the kingdom was being organized the traditional lands were abandoned as subdivisions and the new divisions were made under the name of bannates (banovine) on solely geographical principle, named after the main rivers (and the coast). In this way Croatian national body was dismembered and the minimal goal of all Croatian political parties was to form a single unit under which the Croatian lands would be gathered within the Kingdom. Finally, in the eve of the World War II the compromise solution was made by the Cvetkovi�-Ma�ek treaty, forming a single Bannate of Croatia from the territories of previous bannates of Savska and Primorska with some additional regions with Croat majority in present day Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bannate was to be solution of the "Croatian question", however, before the solutions were to be fully implemented the Kingdom was disintegrated by the attack of the Axis on 6 April 1941.

• Croatia - Historical Flags
• Croatia

Bannate of Croatia

Banovina Hrvatska

In use: since 26^th August 1939
Abandoned: 10^th April 1941
Sources: Jelena Boro�ak-Marjanovi�: �Zastave kroz stolje�a, zbirka zastava i zastavnih vrpca Hrvatskog povjesnog muzeja�, Hrvatski povjesni muzej, Zagreb, 1996.
Rhea Ivanu�: "Stolje�e promjena", Hrvatski povijesni muzej, Zagreb, 2000.
Okru�nica Kabineta bana Banovine Hrvatske, br. 64178-1940. od 10. rujna 1940. HPM/PMH 6387a, b

The Croatian tricolours were banned from use after the formation of the bannates, however, they were abundantly used as basis for the various local society flags. When the Bannate of Croatia was formed the tricolours were yet not formally prescribed, but the use of the tricolour with the chequy shield in the middle was recorded more often. The simple tricolours without any emblem were used as well.
As opposed to the flag, the Bannate was granted coat of arms, as was provided with a detailed descriptions and pictures attached to the circular letter issued by the Bannate's office on 10 September 1940. The coat of arms was prescribed in two stages. The lesser coat of arms is: chequy gules and argent, bordered or, crowned with the Yugoslav royal crown proper. The greater coat of arms is: a double headed eagle argent beaked langued and membered gules crowned with the Yugoslav royal crown proper bearing on a golden bordered inescutcheon chequy gules and argent. The circular determines the primary use of the greater coat of arms on larger inscription plates while the lesser coat of arms was primarily for the use within administrative seals.

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