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.
Introduction 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 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.Klaus-Ulrich Keubke, Manfred Kunz: Uniformen der Nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986. Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1990, p. 159, 175
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.Keubke/Kunz, ibid. p. 261, 238 ff.)
Land Forces of the National People's Army
Regiment or Battalion type Colour Insignias Rank General Officers, ground forces Scarlet (Hochrot) Colonel generalMotorized Infantry Reconnaissance White Gefreiter Panzers Rose-pink <br/ > (Rosa) StabsoberfähnrichEngineers Chemical services Motor vehicle service Military transport service Black Feldwebel Signals Yellow OberleutnantRear service: Medical service Supply Legal service Financial service Dark green Colonel Medical service Military bands White Oberstleutnant ParatroopersThe collar patches of the paratroopers showed an open parachute above a wing. OrangeOberfaehnrichRocket troops & Artillery Rocket and weapon technical service Army air defence Mechanization and automation of command and control Karmesine (Ziegelrot) Captain Construction soldiersOlive Steingrau (also: Feldgrau) Steingrau basic colour of the uniform
Air Forces of the National People's Army
Regiment or Battalion type Colour Insignias Rank Remarks General officersSky blue Lieutenant generalAlso Generals of the Air defense forces and of the Funktechnische Truppen Air ForceLieutenantOfficers and warrant officers (Fähnriche) Air ForceStabsgefreiterRank and file and sergeantsAir Defence ForceKlaus-Ulrich Keubke, Manfred Kunz: Militärische Uniformen in der DDR 1949-1990. Mittler & Sohn, Hamburg/Berlin/Bonn 2009, p. 187 ff. Light greyIncluding rank and file, sergeants, warrant officers (comp.) and officers
Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic
Border troop ratings Colour Insignias Rank Remarks GeneraleGreen 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
Volksmarine ratings ColourInsignias Rank Flag officers Navy blue Flottenadmiral to Konteradmiral OfficersKapitän zur See to Unterleutnant (zur See) Warrant officers (comparable) Stabsoberfähnrich to Fähnrich Petty OfficersStabsobermeister to Maat SeamenStabsmatrose to Matrose
Civil defense of the GDR Civil defense of the GDR Common (generals, as well): Malino (:de:Himbeerrot, meaning the same as and similar in shade to English raspberry)
Other users 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.
See also Waffenfarbe Glossary of German military terms
References