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France: Commanding officer's pennants

Fanions de commandement

Introduction
Specifications of the pennants marking the functions of some commanding officers (2024 instruction)

See also:

Introduction

A new regulation was published in 2024: Instruction n° 849/ARM/SGA/DMCA/SHD/DHS/DSD relative à la symbolique militaire dans les armées et la gendarmerie nationale du 10 avril 2024.
Source: Official bulletin of the Ministry of Defense.

This new regulation gives specifics
- Annexe I, about specific pennants intended to mark the function of some commanding officers and placed in their offices or in use during celebrations, see below.
- Annexe II, about some specific rank flags used on cars or in planes (described here).

The last regulation I could find mentionning the commanding officers pennants, dating back from 1985, only stated that they were not regulated yet but that was a work in progress. Those pennants are not the same as the rank flags used on cars or planes They are the ones described on our page about Commanding officer's pennants in 1933 (so the last dated regulation seems to be as old as 1933).

The pennants used on land (cars, buildings and airplanes) are not the same as the ones used at sea (source: Titre V of the instruction): "Ensigns and honour pennants used by navy ships are described in the specific instruction on the ceremonial of naval forces and aboard the ships." So at the moment, a high ranking officer (a marshal of France, for example) might use a particular pennant on its car (rectangular tricolor with stars and batons but no fringe) and a different one when visiting a navy ship (white whith a tricolor in the canton and batons, plus fringes).

Corentin Chamboredon, 11 & 12 May 2025

Specifications of the pennants marking the functions of some commanding officers (2024 instruction)

According to the instruction of April 10, 2024:

"Some commanding officers with specific command responsibilities may be provided with specific pennants intended to mark their function.
Their size vary from 50 to 90 cm at most.
They can bear white or tricolor cravats. The cravats' shapes can be rectangular, square, triangular or "swallow-tailed".

Placed next to the office door, they mark the officer's presence, during celebrations they are a memory of their former role on battlefield, borne by a non-commissioned officer three steps behind, on the right shoulder when moving, the ferrule at the right foot when standing still, inclinated at 45° when at attention, against the body when at ease.
They are made of colored fabric without golden embroideries nor fringes and are either :

rectangular tricolor pennant, of big size for the chief of staff of the armed forces, inspectors general of the armed forces, chiefs of staff of the army and major generals. The chief of staff of the armed forces has a white cravat symbolizing command, other officers have tricolor cravats.
70 cm high and 90 cm long for the chiefs of staff of the army and the armed forces, 60 cm high and 75 cm long for major generals.
rectangular tricolor pennant and / or with distinctive colours for commanding officers of territorial forces or subdivisions at the level of an army corps, military governors or directors of central services. No cravat.
rectangular pennant with distinctive colours for commanding officers of divisional commands.
guidons for commanding officers of brigades. No cravat.
triangular for commanding officers of schools. No cravat.

In order to distinguish the pennants related to similar functions across armies, directions and services, and therefore made with the same dimensions and colours divide, they can bear in their center specific attributes either painted or made of fabric.
Crossed swords and blue star for the chief of staff of the armed forces, blue grenade of the gendarmerie, orange wings and star of the space and air force, blue anchor of the navy, yellow caduceus of the health service, coat-of-arms of a city for a military governor

Those pennants are fixed to a wooden cavalry lance, model 1913 :
- total length (finial included) : 2,98 m (lances can be 2,50 m to 3 m long)
- finial as a three-sided spearhead : 12 cm
- length of the ferrule : 20 cm
- max diameter of the staff : 2,5 cm
The lance also has a 50 cm leather lanyard fixed at its center of gravity. Wooden parts must only be varnished. If the lance is metallic, it must be painted in black matte paint. It can be made in two halves, fitting together by a socket system for easy transportation. Reproductions of older models (1823, 1890) are allowed."

Corentin Chamboredon, 11 May 2025