Corps colours, or Troop-function colours, (German: "Waffenfarbe(n)") were worn by the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic from 1956 to 1990.
Corps colours, or Troop-function colours, (German: "Waffenfarbe(n)") were worn by the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic from 1956 to 1990.
The GDR NPA uniforms initially bore the corps colours as worn by the Wehrmacht, i.e. as base and filling of the collar and sleeve patches, and as a piping around the shoulder boards/shoulder straps.
Between 1974 and 1976, alongside the introduction of uniforms with open collar and tie, patches of the NPA Landstreitkräfte uniforms were unified across all corps, with a Steingrau base and a white filling, along with white collar piping; the piping of the shoulder boards/shoulder straps remained the only part carrying Waffenfarbe.
However, Air Forces of the National People's Army, paratroopers and generals as well as the Volksmarine continued to wear their specially designed and coloured patches. [1]
The uniform of the Border Troops was distinguished from that of the NVA ground force and Air Force/Air Defence Force by a green armband with large silver letters identifying the wearer's affiliation, and a green cap band.
The tables below contain the corps colours used by the NPA since 1986. [2] )
⇒ see main article Ranks of the National People's Army
| Regiment or Battalion type | Colour | Insignias | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Officers, ground forces | Scarlet (Hochrot) |   | Colonel general |
| White |  | Gefreiter |
| Panzers | Rose-pink (Rosa) |  | Stabs-Oberfaehnrich |
| Black |  | Feldwebel |
| Signals | Yellow |  | Oberleutnant |
Rear service:
| Dark green |  | Major |
| Military bands | White |  | Oberstleutnant |
| Paratroopers [3] | Orange |  | Oberfaehnrich |
| Karmesine (Ziegelrot) |  | Captain |
| Construction soldiers | Olive | ||
| Steingrau (also: Feldgrau) | Steingrau |   | basic colour of the uniform |
| Regiment or Battalion type | Colour | Insignias | Rank | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General officers | Sky blue |  | Lieutenant general | Also Generals of the Air defense forces and of the Funktechnische Truppen |
| Air Force |  | Lieutenant | Officers and warrant officers (Fähnriche) | |
| Air Force |  | Stabsgefreiter | Rank and file and sergeants | |
| Air Defence Force [4] | Light grey | Including rank and file, sergeants, warrant officers (comp.) and officers | ||
| Border troop ratings | Colour | Insignias | Rank | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generale | Green |  | Major general | Pipings, peaked cap stripe, collar patches, lampasses and stripes in green |
| Officers, warrant officers (comparable) |  | Warrant officer of the border troops | Pipings, peaked cap stripe, and stripes in green | |
| Sergeants, rank and file |  | Unterfeldwebel | Pipings, peaked cap stripe, and stripes in green | |
| Volksmarine ratings | Colour | Insignias | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag officers | Navy blue |  |  | Flottenadmiral to Konteradmiral |
| Officers |  |  | Kapitän zur See to Unterleutnant (zur See) | |
| Warrant officers (comparable) |  |  | Stabsoberfähnrich to Fähnrich | |
| Petty Officers |  |  | Stabsobermeister to Maat | |
| Seamen |  |  | Stabsmatrose to Matrose | |
Waffenfarben were also worn by the troops of the Stasi, "Ministry for State Security", the Ministry of Internal Affairs with several branches of the police, fire brigades, etc.
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In the German military, Waffenfarbe 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 (embellishment) around the shoulder boards or shoulder marks, or—for enlisted ranks—of the piping around the collar and the garrison cap (Schiffchen).
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Corps colours, or Troop-function colours were worn in the Waffen-SS from 1938 until 1945 in order to distinguish between various branches of service, units, and functions. The corps colours were part of the pipings, gorget patches, and shoulder boards. The colour scheme was similar to the corps colours of the German Army from 1935 to 1945. The colours appeared mainly on the piping around the shoulder boards showing a soldier's rank.
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Corps colours, or Troop-function colours were traditional worn in the German Wehrmacht from 1935 until 1945 as way to distinguish between several branches, special services, corps, rank groups and appointments of the ministerial area, general staff, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, up to the military branches Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. The corps colour was part of the piping, uniform gorget, shoulder strap, as well as part of the arabesque and lampasse of any general officer and flag officers. It was also part of heraldic flags, colours, standards and guidons.
Corps colours, or troop-function colours were traditionally worn in the German armed forces, the Wehrmacht, from 1935 until 1945, to distinguish between several branches, special services, corps, rank groups and appointments of the ministerial area, general staff, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, down to the military branches Heer, SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. The corps colour was part of the uniform piping, gorget patches, shoulder straps, arabesque and lampasse ornaments of general and flag officers. It was also part of the heraldic flags, colours, standards and guidons.
Waffenfarbe(n) or Egalisierungsfarbe(n) are colors that communicate the rank and arm of service for members of the police force or the Federal Army of the Republic of Austria (de: Bundesheer der Republik Österreich). They are also referred to as Kragenspiegel (English: collar patches or gorget patches).
British Army mess dress is the formal military evening dress worn by British Army officers and senior non-commissioned officers in their respective messes or at other formal occasions.