Any militaria experts?

These two items are up for auction locally:





The auction house provides no provenance details. I'm interested in getting these cheaply but am not going to bid high if they're tourist stuff - for my two cents' worth, the VC flag looks modern, but I'm not sure about the flag that reads "National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam - Da Nang 1968". It looks older...

Opinions anyone?

A couple of more items of interest:

Texan Vietnam Wheat Flour Bag:



An NZ Vietnam War helmet (not sure what the numbering is - possibly "guard post 1"?):



Looks like it has a new strap fitted to it though.

The red flag looks shop made, but that doesn't mean it isn't authentic. It certainly doesn't look worn at all. Maybe it was captured in a shop raid or something, but it doesn't look like it was "war used". The VC flag though, does indeed look too modern. If you can get it cheap it'd be a good novelty.
That flour sack is pretty cool! Most likely was provided via USAID to SVN. Not sure what you'd do with it or how you'd display it but it's cool. Maybe stuff with pillow fluff and use it as a prop or backdrop for games?

I've placed bids on the flags - the red one is the interesting one, as the other is pretty generic and does look like something you would buy at the military surplus market in Saigon. If I could get it cheap it would be nice.

The only New Zealanders stationed in Da Nang were RNZAF pilots seconded to the USAF as FACs - it's vaguely possible one of them might have brought it back.

The flour bag is a cool curiosity but I wouldn't know what to do with it - it's not really something you could display on a wall.

Someone's bidding on the generic VC flag against me.

That dirty commie, how dare they!

It's an interesting auction - quite a bit of NZ WWI stuff but I'm not going down that rabbit hole even though I had three great uncles who fought in that war.

Bidding has gone live - I have won the VC flag, and am waiting to see if anyone counterbids my high bid on the red flag...

Whoo-hoo - I won both bids!

Niiiiice! Now you just need some US signs for the front gates of a firebase and you can have a righteous display!

Good idea - I already have an old South Vietnamese sign and period watercolours hanging up.

You should totally make up an FSB name, or maybe the sign that would be over the entrance to the MP barracks in your Cholon storiies.

Awesome addition to your collection!

Thanks Sam

The flags arrived today. The VC flag looks older than in the photo; originally I thought it was a 21st century tourist piece. It is in good condition but is too faded to be 21st century. The blue fabric is slightly stained from contact with dirt, and the red fabric is more faded than it looks in the photo above. I've been comparing it to confirmed war-era flags on-line and it could be from the war.

The red banner looks older. The closest thing I have to compare it to is a decorative cushion from the 1970s from Fiji, which has the same sort of gold tassels, and the trim on the banner looks older. The gold colour in the stitching in the middle is also worn away in various places. I might have myself a war-era piece here: if not, I would say it is at least from the 1980s.

So how did it get to New Zealand? A quick check confirmed that 20 RNZAF pilots served as FACs over I Corps territory, flying from Da Nang Air Base. The RNZAF also flew Bristol freighters to Da Nang during the Tet Offensive, with RNZAF ground crew there being attached to USMC Squadron VMA 311. So there's a link that would explain how it got to New Zealand.

Super cool!!! Could be trade-made pieces by professionals for Jarheads to use as barter or actual war pieces. Either way sounds like you've gotten some super cool flags! It really would be nice to know how they really came about, any chance the auction house could put you in contact with the seller?

Either way, they are very cool looking pieces. Congrats on getting them.

Thanks guys - yes, good idea: I can ask the auction house.

I've had a chat with my cousin's husband who was in the RNZAF and who flew as aircrew in South Vietnam during the war: I told him about the flags. He said he never flew to Da Nang but he knew which squadron did. He's off to an RNZAF reunion soon, so I'll see if he can find out anything about who brought these flags back.

PS I also found out that he was actually at Tan Son Nhut Airport when the Operation Babylift crash happened on 4 April 1975. At that time, he was a crewman on the RNZAF's Saigon-Singapore flights and helped evacuate the NZ Embassy just before the fall of Saigon.

That was a really tragic crash, I always hate reading about it. Very glad he wasn't on it.
I hope he can find out some interesting tidbits at the reunion!

Congrats on the flags OTB!

Tom

Thanks Tom!