In the German military, ''Waffenfarbe'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: "branch-of-service colors" or "corps colors") is a visual method that the armed forces use to distinguish between different corps or troop functions in its armed services. The ''Waffenfarbe'' itself can take the form of the color of the collar patch, of the

piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accompa ...

(embellishment) around the shoulder boards or

shoulder mark A shoulder mark, also called rank slide, or slip-on, is a flat cloth sleeve worn on the shoulder strap of a uniform. It may bear rank or other insignia. A shoulder mark should not be confused with a ''shoulder board'' (which is an elaborate sh ...

s, or—for enlisted ranks—of the piping around the collar and the

garrison cap A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

(''Schiffchen''). (In the latter places, NCOs wear cords of dark gold, officers silver, and generals gold.)Official brochure on Bundeswehr uniforms (in German)
(''Waffenfarben'' of the army p. 14, of the air force p. 17)

Present

Army

The ''

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

'' uses a ''Waffenfarben'' color scheme to indicate troop types; they appear on the collar patch and as piping around the shoulder boards or straps showing a soldier's rank. Colored soldiers'

berets A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...

are slightly less differentiated than the ''Waffenfarben''; in fact, corps or troop function is indicated by a beret badge.

''Heer'' (army)

HD W Kragenspiegel ABCAbw.svg,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

HD W Kragenspiegel Art.svg,

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

HD W Kragenspiegel FJg.svg,

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

HD W Kragenspiegel Fm.svg, Signals (military communications) HD W Kragenspiegel HAufkl.svg,

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

HD W Kragenspiegel HFlg.svg, Army Aviation HD W Kragenspiegel HLog.svg, Technical Troops HD W Kragenspiegel Inf.svg,

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

HD W Kragenspiegel MilMus.svg, Military band HD W Kragenspiegel Pz.svg, Armored divisions (i.e. tanks) HD W Kragenspiegel Pi.svg, Pioneers (i.e. engineering) HD W Kragenspiegel San.svg, Medical troops

''Luftwaffe'' (air force)

The

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as ...

uses a restricted color spectrum. While the air force normally uses golden yellow, officers "in the general staff service" (''im Generalstabsdienst'' – there is no

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

as such in the ''Bundeswehr'') wear wine-red, and generals bright red. The

collar patches Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group of ...

(''Kragenspiegel'') of generals and general staff service officers also differ from the normal air force design, as they are identical with the army ones.

''Deutsche Marine'' (navy)

The

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

uses various emblems above the rank stripes on the sleeves rather than function-specific colors to distinguish between corps. It traditionally did not use ''Waffenfarben''.

History

''Waffenfarben'' used by the ''Reichsheer'' (1921–1935)

''Waffenfarben'' used by the ''Wehrmacht'' (1935–1945)

WMacht H OF10-1 Kragenspiegel Offiziere 1945

In the German '' Heer'' and ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

'', there was a strictly defined systematic of ''Waffenfarben'' on

, and as uniform

around the shoulder boards or shoulder straps. The ''Waffenfarben'' of the ''

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

'' (1921 until c. 1935) were almost identical to those of the ''Wehrmacht''.

''Waffenfarben'' used by the SS (1938–1945)

''Waffenfarben'' worn by the National People's Army (1956–1990)

East German ( DDR)

Nationale Volksarmee The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...

uniforms initially wore the ''Waffenfarben'' as worn by the Wehrmacht. Between 1974 and 1979, along with the introduction of uniforms with open collar and tie, the patches of the ground force uniforms were unified with a dark gray base and a white filling, along with a white collar piping; the piping of the shoulder boards/shoulder straps remained the only part carrying a ''Waffenfarbe''. However, air/air defense forces, paratroopers, and generals as well as the navy continued to wear their specially designed ''Waffenfarbe'' patches. The uniform of the Border Troops was distinguished from that of the NVA ground force and Air Force/Air Defense Force by a green armband with large silver letters identifying the wearer's affiliation, and a green cap band.

Similarities in other armies

The use of ''Waffenfarbe'' to distinguish between troop functions was not unique to the ''Wehrmacht'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After 1942, the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

, too, used analogous

shoulder boards A shoulder mark, also called rank slide, or slip-on, is a flat cloth sleeve worn on the shoulder strap of a uniform. It may bear rank or other insignia. A shoulder mark should not be confused with a ''shoulder board'' (which is an elaborate s ...

to distinguish troop functions: ground forces general officers and infantry used crimson, cavalry used blue, artillery and tank troops used red, and the rest of the ground forces used black, while the air force and airborne troops used sky blue. Likewise the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

utilized analogous strips of cloth on the sleeves to likewise identify troop functions. Today, ''Waffenfarbe'' schemes are also used in Austria, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, Somalia and Switzerland. For a full list of analogous troop function insignia currently in use of the US Army, see

United States Army branch insignia In the United States Army, soldiers may wear insignia to denote membership in a particular area of military specialism and series of functional areas. Army branch insignia is similar to the line officer and staff corps officer devices of the U. ...

References

Glossary of German military terms This is a list of words, terms, concepts, and slogans that have been or are used by the German military. Ranks and translations of nicknames for vehicles are included. Also included are some general terms from the German language found frequently i ...

* Adolf Schlicht, John R. Angolia: ''Die deutsche Wehrmacht, Uniformierung und Ausrüstung 1933-1945''
Vol. 1: ''Das Heer'' (), Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1992
Vol. 3: ''Die Luftwaffe'' ({{ISBN, 3-613-02001-7), Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1999
(very detailed information and discussion, but not colorized)

External links

German WWII Army & SS Rank & Insignia
German military uniforms Military insignia Color in culture