But East German history ... So I feel unease when I see these German flags being waved around." The pictures and stories of reunification generally portray the experience of white Germans.

Heimat Berlin executive creative director Tom Hauser says now felt like the right time to reassess the flag, coinciding with the 30-year anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany.

An appraisal by the German House showed the flag is a war ensign of the S90, a torpedo boat of the German East Asia Squadron, which fought against Imperial Japanese armed forces in the Chinese ...