Balkenkreuz symbol is based on the cross of the
Teutonic Order. Germany's
Luftstreitkräfte (the army air service of the
German Imperial Army) first officially adopted the
Balkenkreuz in mid-April 1918 (about a week before the death of
Manfred von Richthofen), and used it from that time until
World War I ended in November 1918. The
IdFlieg directive of 20 March 1918 to all manufacturers states in the first sentence (translated to English): "To improve the recognition of our aircraft, the following is ordered: [...]". In paragraph 2, the second sentence specifies: "This alteration is to be carried out by 15 April 1918." The closing sentence reads: "Order 41390 is to be speedily executed." Its use resumed, with new standardized dimensions, from the beginning of the
Nazi Germany's air force (the
Luftwaffe) in 1935, as part of the new
Wehrmacht unified German military forces founded in mid-March 1935. German
armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) during the
invasion of Poland (September–October 1939) used a plain white cross, but before the onset of
Operation Weserübung (April 1940), the black core cross with white "flanks" that the Luftwaffe used had become the basic German AFV national insignia, as used for the rest of the war (to 1945). The Luftwaffe used two specifications for the
Balkenkreuz: • one with narrower white "flanks" on upper wing surfaces – before July 1939, it was used in all six regular positions on an airframe • one with wider white "flanks" surrounding the same width (25% wide as long from end to end for both versions) central black cross beneath the wings and on the fuselage sides of German military aircraft during the war years Late in
World War II it became increasingly common for the
Balkenkreuz national insignia to be painted on without the black-color "core cross", using only the quartet of right-angled "flanks" for its form
to reduce its visibility – this could be done in either white or black, and with both the narrow and wide-flank forms of the cross. ==Later use==