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Slovenia: Army flags

Slovenian Army
Territorial Defense

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Slovenia

Slovenian Army

by Željko Heimer

Article 2 of the decree on the symbols of the Slovenian Army describes the emblem of the Slovenian Army as being the same as on the flag of the former Territorial Defense (stylized mountain on crossed swords).

Article 3 describes the emblems on the headgear and shoulder patches.

Article 4 describes the flag of the Slovenian Army, and the picture at the bottom of the page shows it as the same as that of the former Territorial Defense, but with Slovenska Vojska below the shield and a sans-serif style of lettering.
The flag is described as follows:

The flag of the Slovenian Army has the same geometry, design and colours as the state flag, but without the state coat of arms. In the middle of the flag is set the emblem of the Slovenian Army, entering the top white stripe and the lower red stripe. Above the emblem is an arched inscription REPUBLIKA SLOVENIJA, and under the emblem there is an arched inscription SLOVENSKA VOJSKA. The staff has metal finial in shape of the emblem of the Slovenian Army.

Article 5 described the units flags as follows:

War banners [i.e., colours] of the territorial commands, the operational commands, the brigades, the autonomous battalions and the units equal to those or higher, are in shape, colours and emblem the same as the flag of the Slovenian Army described in the previous article. Above the emblem of the Slovenian Army is the numeral of the command or unit, and under the emblem is an arched inscription that includes the name of the command or the unit.
The education centers of the Slovenian Army have flags that are by shape, colours and emblems equal to the flag of the Slovenian Army. Above the emblem is the numeral of the educational center and below is an arhced inscription including the name of the place where the center is stationed.

Article 6 describes the anthem as follows:

The anthem of the Slovenian Army is the song Naprej zastave slavez [The flag of glory, forwards!] by poet Simon Jenko in musical arrangement by composer Davorin Jenko.
The anthem of the Slovenian Army shall be performed after the state anthem. The anthem of the Slovenian Army shall be performed on military ceremonies.

Article 7 deals with transition of the emblems from Territorial Defence to Slovenian Army, and images attached to the Decree, as follows:

The emblem of the Teritorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia used until now is nowforward used as the emblem of the Slovenian Army. The integral part of this regulation is the drawing of the emblem of the Slovenian Army, the patch and the flag.

Article 8 deals with replacement of old flags, as follows:

The flag of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia and the war banners of the territorial commands, units, institutes, and education centers of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia are to be replaced with flags determined by this regulation within three months of its validity.

Joe McMillan & Željko Heimer, 6 January 2003

Territorial Defense

by Joe McMillan

In the book Teritorialna obramba Republike Slovenije (Ljubljana: Viharnik, 1992), by J. Svanjncer, pp. 24 and 25, are drawings of the emblem (znak) and banner or standard (zastava) of the Slovenian Territorial Defense forces, along with descriptive information

A photograph on p. 26 shows a formation of troops carrying the banner, a white-blue-red horizontal tricolor with the armed forces badge on the center and inscriptions in gold. It is bordered with a yellow or gold cord but no fringe and attached to a red staff by five ties running through brackets on the staff. The finial as shown in the drawing on page 25 (not visible in the photograph) is a gold or brass version of the badge on the center of the flag, a stylized rendering of the Triglav mountain in the national coat of arms placed atop two crossed swords.

Joe Mc Millan, 3 January 2003

This is the flag of the Honourary company of the Territorial Defense: the Slovenian tricolour with the Defense emblem in the middle and golden inscriptions around, edged on all sides with gold cord. The Honourary company had protocolar role following the President of the Republic. Later it was replaced by a company of the Slovenian Army, that uses a similarly designed flag.

The Territorial Defense was established in Yugoslavia in 1968 or so, as kind of a republican forces, forming a wider defense system than the regular army. In 1990 the Territorial Defense in Slovenia, commanded by and consisting of Slovenians mainly, was the force that resisted the Yugoslav People's Army in the agression on the independent Slovenia, and it was the force that won the short war in Slovenia in 1990.

Soon after the establishemnt of the independent state, the Slovenian Army was established and the Territorial Defense was the core of it. Therefore, I think that the flags described above were not used for long and were replaced by the flags of units of Slovenian Army, though these are similarly patterned.

The aforementioned book has the following information on the flag shown above (translated from Slovene):

The flag of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia is of the Slovenian national and state colours of white-blue-red. In the middle there is the emblem of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia. The colours are ordered top to bottom.

The colours ['colours' here meaning the unit flag] of the Educational Centers are as the flag of the Territorial Defense, with number of the Center and words "UCNI CENTER" (Educational Center, UC) added. The first colours were granted on 2 July 1991 on an oath-giving celebration in Ig to 510th UC Ljubljana and in Pekre to 710th UC Maribor.
The colours of the regional commands are as the flag of the Territorial Defense, with number and words "POKRAJINSKI STAB" (Regional Command) added. The colours are ceremonially granted on the great celebration on the oath-giving of the professional officers, NCOs and soldiers of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia held on 20 November 1991 in the barracs in Cerklje ob Krki.
The colours of the 1st Special Brigade of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia is different from the other colours. The commander was given the colours on 20 November on the celebration in Cerklje ob Krki.
The oath-giving celebrations and other ceremonies in the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia shall begin with the arrival of the composed detachment and the flag or colours salutes.

The emblem of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia is a circular shield coloured white-blue-red that on its top has three stylized tops of Triglav Mountain. Behind the shield there are two swords in saltire. Only their handles and points are visible.
The shield symbolizes the defense mission of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia, its protection of the independence, territory and freedom against potential attackers. The Slovenian national colours determine the territorial defense as the military of the Slovenian people and the state. The three mountain-tops of Triglav are a symbol common to all Slovenians, as well as an important part of the Republic of Slovenia coat of arms, as it alsobretains memories of the armed liberation of the Slovenian people. During the People's Liberation War since 1941, the three tops were the symbol of the Liberation Front.
The swords symbolize army, force, reliabilty, iron strength and sharpness.

Željko Heimer, 3 January 2003