Ottfried Neubecker (1908–1992) was a German heraldist and vexillologist. In 1926, he designed a flag for the German Reich in the colours of the Republic: black, red and gold. Between 1919 and 1933, the German Reich was constantly at odds over its flag, with a persistent dispute raging between the black-white-red and black-red-gold designs.
Josef Wirmer (1901–1944) was a German lawyer and member of the resistance against National Socialism. He designed this flag for a German Reich following a successful coup against Adolf Hitler, using the colours of the Republic: black, red and gold. He was probably inspired by Ottfried Neubecker’s design.
In the run-up to the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (Central Germany), there were already efforts in the West to create a new flag for the emerging German state, which was to consist of the three Western zones. This design, dating from 1948, originated within the ranks of the 'Christian Democratic Union' party and was certainly inspired by Josef Wirmer’s design.
This design, dating from 1948, was created by Robert Lehr (1883–1956). He was a German politician (DNVP, CDU), a member of the Parliamentary Council and, from 1950 to 1953, Federal Minister of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany. He modelled it on the design of the US flag, as a kind of republican ideal, in the colours of the German Republic: black, red and gold.
This design, dating from 1948, was created by Paul Wentzcke (1879–1960). He was a German historian, archivist and museum director. With its three vertical stripes, it is modelled on the design of the French flag, as a kind of republican ideal, but in the colours of the German Republic: black, red and gold, called the 'Republican Tricolour'.
This design, dating from 1948, was created by Edwin Redslob (1884–1973). He was a German art historian, cultural politician, journalist and university rector. From 1920 to 1933, he served as Reichskunstwart. He took the flag of the German Reich from 1919 to 1933 as his model, with its three horizontal stripes in black, red and gold. As the emerging German Republic was initially to consist of the three western zones, it was apparently clear to Redslob that a division of Germany was on the horizon. He probably wanted to see this fact symbolised by the dividing white stripe.
