Corps Colours Of The German Army (1935–1945)
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Corps colours, or Troop-function colours (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: ''Waffenfarben'') were worn in the
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
(''Heer'') from 1935 until 1945 in order to distinguish between several branches, special services, corps, rank groups, and appointments of the ministerial area, the
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 rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
, and the ''
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht The (; abbreviated OKW
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Armed Forces High Command) was the Command (military formation), supreme military command and control Staff (military), staff of Nazi Germany during World War II, that was directly subordinated to Adolf ...
'' (OKW). The corps colours were part of the pipings,
gorget 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 ...
, shoulder straps, as well as part of the ''arabesque'' and ''
lampasse Lampasse(s) () are ''trouser stripes'' adorning the dress uniforms of many armed forces, police, fire and other public uniformed services. In German-speaking countries the uniforms of general staff–qualified officers featured distinctive dou ...
'' of any general officer and flag officer. It was also part of
heraldic flag In heraldry and vexillology, a heraldic flag is a flag containing coat of arms, coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices used for personal identification. Heraldic flags include banners, standards, pennons and their variants, gonfalons, ...
s,
colours, standards, and guidons In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 year ...
.


Corps colours of the ''Heer''

In the ''Heer'' there was a strictly defined systematic of corps colours on collar patchs, uniform
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 accomp ...
, and coloured edging around the shoulder boards or shoulder straps. The corps colours of the ''
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
'' (1921 until ca. 1935) were almost identical to these of the ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
''.


Synoptic table and examples to military persons in uniform

The table below contains some corps colours and examples used by the German Army from 1935–45.


Corps colours of the ''Heeresverwaltung''

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, officials of the “Army administration” (''Heeresverwaltung'', short HV), regardless of those serving in the ''Wehrmacht'', war economy, or in military education facilities, etc., wore military rank insignias similar to those of the ''Wehrmacht''.


Synoptic table and examples of ''Heer'' officials

''Heer'' officials normally wore, in addition to their dark green main corps colour (''Haupt-Waffenfarbe''), a secondary colour (''Nebenfarbe'') denoting their branch. The ''Nebenfarbe'' was worn as piping surrounding the collar ''Litzen'' and underneath the shoulder boards on top of the dark green ''Waffenfarbe''. In March 1940 distinct ''Nebenfarben'' were abolished and replaced with light grey. The table below contains some corps colours and examples pertaining to military officials in uniform.


See also

* ''
Waffenfarbe 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'' it ...
''


References


Sources

* 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 no coloured images) {{DEFAULTSORT:Corps colours of the German Heer (1935-1945) German military uniforms Military insignia