Waffenfarbe
Visual method used by the armed forces of Germany
title: "Waffenfarbe" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["german-military-uniforms", "military-insignia", "color-in-culture"] description: "Visual method used by the armed forces of Germany" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffenfarbe" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Visual method used by the armed forces of Germany ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Dienstgradabzeichen.jpeg" caption="The blue border around the shoulder strap of this uniform indicates that its wearer is assigned to a logistics unit. Note that the [[epaulette]]s on the camouflage uniform ([[Bundeswehr]]) at the back do not have blue trim."] ::
In the German military, Waffenfarbe (German: "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 (embellishment) around the shoulder boards or shoulder marks, or—for enlisted ranks—of the piping around the collar and the garrison cap (Schiffchen). (In the latter places, NCOs wear cords of dark gold, officers silver, and generals gold.)
Present
Army
The Bundeswehr 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 are slightly less differentiated than the Waffenfarben; in fact, corps or troop function is indicated by a beret badge.
''Heer'' (army)
File:HD W Kragenspiegel ABCAbw.svg|NBC File:HD W Kragenspiegel Art.svg|Artillery File:HD W Kragenspiegel FJg.svg|MP File:HD W Kragenspiegel Fm.svg|Signals File:HD W Kragenspiegel HAufkl.svg|Reconnaissance File:HD W Kragenspiegel HFlg.svg|Army Aviation File:HD W Kragenspiegel HLog.svg|Logistics File:HD W Kragenspiegel Inf.svg|Infantry File:HD W Kragenspiegel MilMus.svg|Military band File:HD W Kragenspiegel Pz.svg|Armoured forces File:HD W Kragenspiegel Pi.svg|Engineers File:HD W Kragenspiegel San.svg|Medical troops
''Luftwaffe'' (air force)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Luftwaffen_Schiffchen.jpg" caption="''Luftwaffe Schiffchen'' with golden yellow piping ([[Bundeswehr]])"] ::
The German Air Force 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 as such in the Bundeswehr) wear wine-red, and generals bright red. The collar patches (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 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 ''Deutsches Heer'' (1871–1919)
The Imperial German Army before 1915 did not have any defined use of Waffenfarben, except for cavalry. The Waffenfarben used in shoulder strap piping of the M1907/10 Feldrock was instead related to army corps, with exceptions to certain regiments due to seniority or distinctions. ::data[format=table]
| Army Corps and regiments | Colors |
|---|---|
| I, II, IX, X, XII, and I Bavarian | |
| White | |
| III, IV XI, XIII XV, XIX, and II Bavarian | |
| Red | |
| V, VI, XVI, XVII, and III Bavarian | |
| Yellow | |
| VII, VIII, XVIII, XX | |
| Blue | |
| XXI | |
| Green | |
| :: |
Branch of service was distinguished using colors on uniforms with the piping on the collars and cuffs of the uniform. This was only available in red (standard) for infantry, black for engineers and technical troops and green for Jägers. Other distinctions were made on the Feldmütze cap band.
In 1915 new regulations were introduced which simplified the earlier uniforms and introduced an early form of Waffenfarben for different services, however some regimental distinctions still remained. ::data[format=table]
| Service branch or Regiments | Colors |
|---|---|
| Infantry | White |
| Jäger (light infantry) | Dark green |
| General Officers | |
| Red | |
| Foot Artillery | Gold |
| Dragoon | Cornflower Blue |
| Pioneer (Combat engineer) | Black |
| Supply Troops | Blue |
| Telegraph Troops | |
| Grey | |
| :: |
''Waffenfarben'' used by the ''Reichsheer'' (1921–1935)
::data[format=table]
| Regiment or Battalion type | Colors |
|---|---|
| General Officers | |
| Scarlet | |
| (Hochrot) | |
| Staff Corps of the Reichsheer | |
| Carmine | |
| (Karmesin) | |
| Infantry | White |
| Motor Transport | Rose-pink |
| (Rosa) | |
| Signals | Light brown |
| Cavalry | Golden yellow |
| Jäger (light infantry) | Dark green |
| Transport (horse-drawn) | Light blue |
| Medical Service | Dark blue |
| Pioneer (Combat engineer) | Black |
| :: |
''Waffenfarben'' used by the ''Wehrmacht'' (1935–1945)
Main article: Corps colours of the German Army (1935–1945), Corps colours of the Luftwaffe (1935–1945)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/WMacht_H_OF10-1_Kragenspiegel_Offiziere_1945.jpg" caption="''Heer'' officers' collar patches: 1, Field Marshal from 3 Apr 1941; 2, General, and Field Marshal to 3 Apr 1941; 3, [[OKW]]/[[OKH]] (dress); 4, Motorcycle Rifles or Panzergrenadiers (dress); 5, Light Infantry (service, backing cloth is collar-colored, only innermost stripes are in ''Waffenfarbe'')"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/WMacht_H_OFR8-1_Kragenspiegel_Uffz_und_Mannschaften_1945.jpg" caption="''Heer'' collar patches: 6, Artillery NCO (dress);The illustration erroneously depicts the NCO braid running around the lower edge of the collar, as on field uniforms. On actual dress uniforms the ''Tresse'' encircled the upper edge. 7, Enlisted (service) ; 8, Panzers"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/WMacht_H_OF5-1_Offiziere_1935-1945.jpg" caption="Wehrmacht officers' shoulderboards (the outermost colors i.e. the ''underlay'' are the ''Waffenfarbe'' which indicated function): 7, Oberst (Panzergrenadier); 8, Oberfeldveterinär (lieutenant colonel veterinarian); 9, Major (artillery); 10, Hauptmann (antitank); 11, Oberleutnant (6th Infantry); 12, Leutnant (engineer)."] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Unteroffiziere.jpg" caption="Shoulder straps of non-commissioned officers: 13, Stabswachtmeister, 12th Artillery; 14, Oberfeldwebel, infantry; 15, Feldwebel, Panzer-Lehr; 16, Unterwachtmeister, cavalry or recon; 17, Sanitäts-unteroffizier, medical"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/WMacht_H_OR4-1_Mannschaften02.jpg" caption="Shoulder straps of other ranks: A, Co. 4, 67th Artillery; B, 20th Panzer; C, ''Grossdeutschland'' Infantry Rgt."] ::
In the German Heer and Luftwaffe, there was a strictly defined systematic of Waffenfarben on collar patches, and as uniform piping around the shoulder boards or shoulder straps. The Waffenfarben of the Reichswehr (1921 until c. 1935) were almost identical to those of the Wehrmacht. ::data[format=table]
| Corps or troop function | Colors |
|---|---|
| Generals (if not mentioned below) | |
| White | |
| Reich Air Ministry (until 30 June 1939) | |
| Black | |
| General staff officers | |
| Carmine | |
| (Karmesin) | |
| Flying and Paratroopers | |
| Golden yellow | |
| Flak | |
| Bright red | |
| Signals | |
| Light brown (to 30 Sept 1936) | |
| Golden brown (from 1 Oct 1936) | |
| Medical | |
| Dark blue | |
| Luftwaffe administration | Dark green |
|
| Air traffic control
| Light green |
| Luftwaffe reserve (1 Sept 1936 – 1 Aug 1937) | Light blue |
| Engineer officers and generals | Rose-pink
(Rosa) |
| Judicial incl. generals | Wine red |
| Ground troops:
Division Hermann Göring
incl. predecessors | White
|
| Ground troops:
Luftwaffe Field Divisions | Green
|
::
|}
-->
''Waffenfarben'' used by the SS (1938–1945)
Main article: Corps colours (Waffen-SS)
::data[format=table]
| Regiment or Battalion type | Colors |
|---|---|
| General Officers | |
| Silvery-gray | |
| Artillery | |
| Scarlet | |
| (Hochrot) | |
| Infantry | |
| White | |
| Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops) | Meadow green |
| (Wiesengrün) | |
| Panzers | |
| Rose-pink | |
| (Rosa) | |
| Cavalry | |
| Golden yellow | |
| Reconnaissance (1938–42) | Copper-brown |
| Signals | |
| Lemon yellow | |
| Engineers | |
| Black | |
| Geologists | Light pink |
| Supply | Light blue |
| Transport | Light salmon-pink |
| Legal service | Bordeaux red |
| Medical service | Cornflower blue |
| Veterinary service | Carmine red |
| Administration | Bright blue |
| Special services officers | |
| Dark green | |
| Field Police | |
| Orange | |
| Concentration camps | Light brown |
| Security service | |
| Giftgrün | |
| (poison green) | |
| :: |
-->
''Waffenfarben'' worn by the National People's Army (1956–1990)
Main article: Corps colours (NPA)
East German (DDR) Nationale Volksarmee 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.
''Waffenfarben'' used by the NVA (since 1986Keubke/Kunz, ibid. p. 267, 234 ff.)
::data[format=table]
| Regiment or Battalion type | Colors |
|---|---|
| General Officers, ground forces | scarlet |
| (Hochrot) | |
| Motorized Infantry | |
| White | |
| Rocket troops | |
| Karmesine | |
| (Ziegelrot) | |
| Panzers | Rose-pink |
| (Rosa) | |
| Engineers | |
| Black | |
| Signals | Yellow |
| Paratroopers | Orange |
| Supply | |
| Dark green | |
| Construction soldiers | Olive |
| All others | White |
| Border Troops | Green |
| General Officers, air/air defense forces | |
| Light blue | |
| Air Defense Forces | Light gray |
| Admirals | |
| Dark blue | |
| :: |
Waffenfarben were also worn by the troops of the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Internal Affairs with several branches of the police, fire brigades, etc.
-->
Similarities in other armies
The use of Waffenfarbe to distinguish between troop functions was not unique to the Wehrmacht during World War II. After 1942, the Soviet Army, too, used analogous shoulder boards 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 utilized analogous strips of cloth on the sleeves to likewise identify troop functions.
Today, Waffenfarbe schemes are also used in Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, 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.
Main article: Waffenfarbe (Austria)
References
- Glossary of German military terms
- 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 (), Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1999 (very detailed information and discussion, but not colorized)
References
- link. (December 27, 2008 (''Waffenfarben'' of the army p. 14, of the air force p. 17))
- https://www.kaisersbunker.com/gtp/m10feldrock.htm
- https://www.kaisersbunker.com/ht/farben/farben2.htm
- https://www.kaisersbunker.com/gtp/m15bluse.htm
- In addition to the ''Waffenfarbe'', [[monogram]]s and symbols were used to denominate services or units.
- The illustration erroneously depicts the NCO braid running around the lower edge of the collar, as on field uniforms. On actual dress uniforms the ''Tresse'' encircled the upper edge.
- Due to an error in ''U.S. War Department TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces'', many English-language sources reversed. Jäger Hellgrün and the Wiesengrün of the Panzergrenadiers; "Jäger" was the darker, bluer color.
- Between October 1942 and July 1943 all motorized infantry (''Grenadier (mot.)'') and armored-rifle (''Panzerschütze'') regiments were reorganized and redesignated ''Panzergrenadier'' regiments, and assigned meadow-green ''Waffenfarbe''. In practice this ''Waffenfarbe'' changeover was not consistently observed due both to the supply problems that plagued the army as the war went on, and resistance from the troops. Veteran ''Panzerschützen'' in particular tended to hang onto their rose-pink insignia as a way to distinguish themselves from newer men. By special dispensation, however, the motorized infantry regiments of the Panzergrenadier-division ''Grossdeutschland'' were permitted to keep their white piping.
- Except for the 1st (armored car) Company, which as a converted cavalry unit wore golden-yellow
- Derived from the Reichswehr motor-transport branch, which was used to camouflage Weimar Germany's [[German rearmament. clandestine tank program]]
- The development of rocket artillery under the name ''[[Nebelwerfer]]'' (fog projector) began as a delivery system for chemical agents and smoke
- Adolf Schlicht und John R. Angolia: ''Die deutsche Wehrmacht. Uniformierung und Ausrüstung 1935-1945''. Vol.3: ''Die Luftwaffe''. Motorbuch Verlag 1999, {{ISBN. 3-613-02001-7
- Veterinary (surgeon) officers were provided by the Army
- ''Waffenfarbe'' named in [http://www.militaria-fundforum.com/showthread.php?t=149781 this forum article dated 26.08.2008, 23:59]; subsequent colorization taken from relevant items in internet shops
- Exact colorization to be researched
- The ''Nebenfarbe''("secondary color") was shown as a piping around the collar patches and as the upper cloth underlay of the shoulder boards (the lower cloth underlay being in ''Waffenfarbe'' "dark green").
- [http://www.afrikakorps.org/waffenfarben.htm www.afrikakorps.org] ''page hacked? try [http://web.archive.org/web/20080515142249/http://www.afrikakorps.org/waffenfarben.htm Internet Archive] instead but hit "stop loading" as soon as you see the page because it will quickly be overwritten by the said "hacked" page''
- The ''Nebenfarbe'' was shown as a piping around the collar patches.
- Klaus-Ulrich Keubke, Manfred Kunz: Uniformen der Nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986. Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1990, p. 159, 175
- Keubke/Kunz, ibid. p. 267, 234 ff.
- The collar patches of the paratroopers showed an open parachute above a wing.
- The collar patches of the air/air defense forces showed a wing either with or without different oak leaves depending on grade
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