HERALDRY

Nordrhein-Westfalen

Rheinprovinz

Prussian Freestate

Reichsgaue

Allied Occupation

Nord-Rheinprovinz

FORMER LANDS

Köln

Lippe

Jülich & Berg

Westfalen

Mörs

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established by the British military administration on 23 August 1946. Originally it consisted of Westphalia and the northern parts of the Rhine Province, both formerly belonging to Prussia. On 21 January 1947 the former state of Lippe was merged with North Rhine-Westphalia, hence leading to the present borders of the state. This union was ratified by law of 5. November 1948.

Heraldry

The coat of arms of Nordrhein-Westfalen was announced on 21. January 1948 and published in the “Gesetz- und Verordnungdblatt of Nordrhein-Westfalen” of 5. February 1948. Its ultimate form was adopted by law of 10. March 1953. This  law reads:

Gesetz über die Landesfarben, das Landeswappen  und die Landesflagge vom 10. März 1953, GVBl. S. 219.

§ 1. Die Landesfarben sind Grün-Weiß-Rot.

§ 2. Das Landeswappen zeigt in gespaltenem Schild vorne in grünem Feld einen linksschägen silbernen Wellenbalken, hinten im roten Feld ein springendes silbernes Roß und unten in einer eingebogenen silbernen Spitze eine rote Rose mit goldenen Butzen und goldenen Kelchblätter.

§ 3. Die Landesflagge  besteht aus drei gleich breiten Querstreifen, oben grün, in der Mitte weiß, unten rot. Das Verhältnis der Höhe zur Länge ist wie drei zu fünf.

The form of the seal  was also laid down in 1948:

Ausführungsbestimmungen vom 4. Mai 1948, GVBl. S. 131, zu der Bekanntmachung über das Wappen des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen vom 21. Januar 1948.

Das Landessiegel zeigt das Landeswappen mit einer die siegelführende Stelle bezeichnenden Umschrift. Es wird als Prägestempel (Trockenstempel), Siegelmarke oder Farbdruckstempel (aus Metall oder Gummi) benutzt. Falls eine farbige Verwendung der Siegelmarke vorgesehen ist, sind die Farben des Landeswappens zu berücksichtigen.

auf eine einheitliche Größe der Landessiegel ist zu achten, und zwar soll das große Landessiegel einen Durchmesser von 10 cm und das kleine einen solchen von 3,5 cm haben. 

Zur Führung des Landessiegels sind berechtigd die Dienststellen der Landesregierung und der nachgeordneten Behördedn, die Leiter der öffentlcihen Schulen und Hochschulen, die Standesbeamten und die Notare.

Das Grosse Landessiegel bleibt ausschließlich der Landesregierung, dem Ministerpräsidenten und den Landesministern vorbehalten.[1]

Unofficial larger arms of Nordrheinland Westfalen

showing the arms of the former lands.

Rheinprovinz

Arms: Argent, the Prussian eagle, royally crowned, the prussian sceptre in his dexter and the prussian orb in his sinister claw, Sable, on his breast an escutcheon Vert, a bend wavy Argent, crowned with a crown of five leaves.

Crest: On a helmet affrontée lambrequined Vert and Argent, a crown and a pair of wings of the arms.

Supporters: Dexter a savage proper, bearing the banner of Prussia; Sinister a knight bearing the banner of Rheinland.

 By Erlaß des preußischen Staatsministeriums 22.Februar 1881[2]

The Rhine Province (German: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia (Rheinpreußen), was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg. Its capital was Koblenz. The Province of Hohenzollern was militarily associated with the Oberpräsident of the Rhine Province.

In 1920, the Saar was separated from the Rhine Province and administered by the League of Nations until a plebiscite in 1935, when the region was returned to Germany. At the same time, in 1920, the districts of Eupen and Malmedy were transferred to Belgium (see German-Speaking Community of Belgium). In 1946, the Rhine Province was divided into the newly-founded states of Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate.

Province of the Prussian Freestate

Arms: Vert, a bend wavy Argent and a chief Argent an eagle regardant Sable, billed and clawed Or.

                         adopted 22.6.1926

NSDAP party and administrative districts 1934-1945

Düsseldorf: Argent, a lion Gules, langued and crowned and its claws Sable

Essen: Gules, two miners hammers in saltire, their handles Sable, their heads Argent, charged with a sword uprightalso Argent.

Köln: Gules, Cologne and Aachen in alliance.

Westphalen Süd: Vert, a book Sable, its binding and locks Argent, its pages Azure (Bochum)

American and British Occupation

Representatives of the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht (a. o. Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel) signed 8.5.1945 in Berlin-Karlshorst before Marshal Shukow the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces.

The Fifteenth Army was originally intended to command occupation forces in the Rhine Province, Saarland, Palatinate (Pfalz), and part of Hesse, areas now primarily parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. However, in the summer of 1945, the occupation mission in this sector was assumed in the north by the British Army and in the south by the French Army.

Subsequently, the Fifteenth U.S. Army consisted solely of a small staff quartered at Bad Nauheim in the interior of Germany. It consisted of a headquarters and special troops assigned to gather historical data on Allied operations during the war.

Badge 15th US Army

By the creation of the province of “Mittelrhein-Saar” the 15. US-Army established a german administrative zone in the former Bavarian Palatinate, the Saar territory and Prussian Rhineland, matching its own military District of the Rhine Province. As the head of the civil administration the former minister of State Dr. Hans Fuchs was appointed. The capital of the new province was Bad Tönisstein, and later Bonn.

Nord-Rheinprovinz

Arms: Vert, a bend wavy Argent.

                         adopted 24.5.1945

On the 10 / 12 th of june 1945 the American troops were relieved by British army units and ten days later the province of Mittelrhein-Saar was divided on 21st of June 1945 into the Nord-Rheinprovinz, comprising the former districts Aix-la-Chapelle, Düsseldorf and Essen, under British control and a southern part, comprising  the former districts Moselland and Westmark, under French control.

The British military government was controlled by the British Army on the Rhine (BAOR).

The second British Army on the Rhine was formed on 25 August 1945 from 21st Army Group, itself  Its original function was to control the corps districts which were running the military government of the British zone of occupied Germany. After the assumption of government by civilians, it became the command formation for the troops in Germany only, rather than being responsible for administration as well.

As the Soviet invasion threat increased, BAOR became more responsible for the defence of Germany than its occupation. It became the primary formation controlling the British contribution to NATO after the formation of the alliance in 1949. Its primary combat formation was British I Corps.

Arms of 21st Army Group

and British I Corps

Arms of 2nd British Army

Serving under the 21st Army Group

German Home Defence

German Home Defence Command 53 assigned to NATO

Landeskommando Nordrhein-Westfalen

Police