D-Day Flag – Washington, D.C. - Atlas Obscura
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D-Day Flag

Washington, D.C.

Donated by a Dutch collector, this tattered 48 star flag was flown on one of the landing ships that liberated Western Europe from Nazi control. 

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LCC 60 Flag placard blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
LCC 60 Flag placard blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
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On June 6, 1944, the largest seaborne invasion in history unfolded on the beaches of Normandy.

Codenamed Operation Neptune, this action by the Allied forces brought about the liberation of France and was a major turning point in the war, and laid the foundations for the Allied victory on the Western Front.

This particular flag was flown aboard the Landing Craft, Control 60 (LCC 60) off Utah Beach in Normandy. The vessel was captained by Lt. Howard Vander Beek, who headed up a 14-man crew. Following the war, the flag remained in the possession of Lt. Vander Beek until his passing in 2014. It was auctioned off to Heritage Auctions but later purchased by Dutch collector Bert Kreuk, who later donated the flag to the Smithsonian in July 2019.

The flag measures 30-by-57 inches and features 48 stars that represent the existing states at that time. There is discoloration owing to diesel fuel and a hole in the flag is believed to be the result of a bullet from a German machine gun.

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