circa 1936/38. The fanfare banner and jingling johnny flag from the same production. Both pieces made of red cloth, on the front side each bearing the DAF emblem “Factory Cell of Gothaer Waggonfabr. A.G. Gotha”, on the reverse side “Die Gothas”. Both pieces with surrounding silver fringe. The fanfare banner at top with 2 sewn-in carabiner hooks for attachment to the fanfare trumpet, dimensions with fringe approx. 53 x 56 cm. The jingling johnny flag with sewn-in crossbar, silver cord with carabiner hook for attachment to the jingling johnny, on sides with 2 silver tassels, dimensions with fringe approx. 35 x 41 cm. Only slight traces of use and age, in each case in the white field of the DAF emblem a few small insignificant pinholes, condition 2.

Extremely rare ensemble, we are not aware of any other example.

Gothaer Waggonfabrik was a significant metal construction company for aircraft and streetcar manufacturing in Gotha. The company premises were located at Gotha Ostbahnhof. In World War I, numerous military aircraft were built, including the heavy bomber Gotha G IV. The aircraft of the Waggonfabrik became quickly known generally as “Die Gothas” and achieved in the First World War the dubious fame of having been the “terror of the enemy”.
After the end of the war in 1918, aircraft production had to be discontinued due to the Treaty of Versailles. In 1933, aircraft production began again in Gotha, also for the newly formed Luftwaffe. After the outbreak of war in 1939, cargo gliders were essentially developed and manufactured in Gotha, including the cargo glider Gotha Go 242 and Go 244. In 1944, the plant was 80% destroyed by an air raid. Nevertheless, pre-production of the revolutionary flying wing jet fighter Ho 229 (Ho IX) by the Horten brothers began in Friedrichroda at war's end.

424971

€ 5.800,00

Third Reich German Labor Front DAF Fanfare Banner and Jingling Johnny Flag of the DAF Musical Corps “Factory Cell of Gothaer Waggonfabrik A.G. Gotha”

The Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF), or German Labour Front, was one of the largest mass organizations in Nazi Germany, established after the dissolution of free trade unions on May 2, 1933. Under the leadership of Robert Ley, the DAF developed into an organization that by 1945 encompassed nearly all German employees and employers – at its peak, it counted over 25 million members.

The present musical unit emblems – a fanfare cloth and a Schellenbaum (Turkish crescent) banner – represent a particular aspect of DAF organization: the Betriebszellen (factory cells) and their cultural activities. Every major enterprise had its own DAF factory cell, which fulfilled not only labor law and social functions but also organized the cultural and social life of the workforce. Factory musical units were an important component of these efforts to integrate the working class into the National Socialist community ideology.

The Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG (Gotha Railway Carriage Factory) was a traditional company with significant history. Founded in 1898, the factory developed into a leading producer of tram and railway carriages. During World War I, production shifted to aircraft manufacturing. The company produced several thousand military aircraft, including the famous Gotha bombers, particularly the Gotha G.IV and G.V types. These heavy bombers were deployed from 1917 for strategic attacks on England and established the term “the Gothas” as synonymous with German bombers.

After the Treaty of Versailles, aircraft production had to cease, and the factory returned to carriage manufacturing. With the Nazi seizure of power in 1933 and secret rearmament, aircraft production resumed in Gotha. From 1935, after the official announcement of rearmament, the factory produced various aircraft types for the newly established Luftwaffe. During World War II, the Gothaer Waggonfabrik specialized in the production of cargo gliders, particularly the Go 242 and Go 244 types.

The present textiles likely date from between 1936 and 1938, a period of intensive organizational activity by the DAF and simultaneous expansion of the Gothaer Waggonfabrik. During this time, factory musical units were a widespread phenomenon in larger German industrial enterprises. They performed at factory celebrations, local festivals, and National Socialist holidays.

Fanfare cloths were attached to fanfares (signal instruments) and served both decorative and identificatory purposes. They displayed affiliation to a particular unit or organization. The Schellenbaum, also called the Turkish Crescent or jingling Johnny, was a traditional military musical instrument dating back to the 18th century. It consisted of a staff with crossbars to which bells, jingles, and often a crescent were attached. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Schellenbaum was primarily used for ceremonial purposes.

The red color of the cloths and the use of the DAF emblem with the cogwheel and swastika were characteristic of the Labour Front's visual design. The silver fringes and tassels gave the pieces a festive, representative character. The inscription “Die Gothas” (The Gothas) on the reverse refers to the company's historical reputation and its aircraft from World War I – a deliberate reference to military traditions.

Such musical unit textiles are extremely rare today. Many were destroyed after 1945 because they bore clear Nazi symbols. Most factory musical units dissolved with the end of the war, and their equipment was lost or destroyed. The survival of a matching ensemble of fanfare cloth and Schellenbaum banner is therefore remarkable.

The Gothaer Waggonfabrik was largely destroyed by Allied bombing raids in February 1945. After the war, the factory was dismantled in the Soviet occupation zone. The tradition of aircraft construction in Gotha thus ended, although work continued on revolutionary projects such as the flying wing jet aircraft Horten Ho 229 shortly before the war's end.

These textiles are thus not only witnesses to Nazi organizational history but also to the industrial history of Thuringia and the special role of the Gothaer Waggonfabrik in German aviation history. They document the penetration of working life by National Socialist organizational forms and the instrumentalization of tradition and factory culture for propaganda purposes.