Corps colours (NPA)

Corps colours, or Troop-function colours, (German: "Waffenfarbe(n)") have been worn by the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic 1956 to 1989.

Introduction

The GDR NPA uniforms initially wore 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 1979, along with the introduction of uniforms with open collar and tie, the patches of the NPA Landstreitkräfte uniforms were unified with a dark grey 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, NPA Air Force (defence force), 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])

Land Forces of the National People's Army

Regiment or Battalion type	Colour		Remarks
General Officers, ground forces	Hochrot (scarlet)		Colonel general
Motorized Infantry Reconnaissance	White	Gefreiter
Panzers	Rose-pink	Stabs-Oberfaehnrich
Engineers Chemical service Motor vehicle service Military transport service	Black	Feldwebel
Signals	Yellow	Oberleutnant
Supply Legal service Financial service	Dark green	Major
Military bands	White	Oberstleutnant
Paratroopers^[3]	Orange	Oberfaehnrich (NPA)
Rocket troops Artillery Rocket and weapon technical service Army air defence Mechanization and automation of command and control	Ziegelrot (karmesine)	Captain (OF-2)
Construction soldiers	Olive

Air Force of the GDR National People's Army

Regiment or Battalion type	Colour		Remarks
General officers	Sky- blue	Lieutenant general	Also Generals of the Air defense forces and of the de:Funktechnische Truppen
Air Force	Skyblue	Lieutenant	Officers and Faehnrichs (NPA)
Air Force		Stabsgefreiter	Soldiers and sergeants
LSK/LV Air defense Fla-Raketentruppen	Light grey		Including soldiers, sergeants, faehnriches und officers

Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic

Border troop ratings	Colour		Remarks
Generale	Green	Major general	Pipings, peaked cap stripe, colar patches, lampasses and stripes in green
Officres, Faehnriches		Faehnrich of the border troops	Pipings, peaked cap stripe, and stripes in green
Sergeants, rank and file		Unterfeldwebel	Paspelierung, peaked cap stripe, and stripes in grün

Volksmarine

Volksmarine ratings	Colour	Remarks
Flagg officers	Navyblue	Flottenadmiral to Konteradmiral
Officers		Kapitän zur See to Unterleutnant (zur See)
Fähnriche		Stabsoberfaehnrich
Unteroffiziere		Stabsobermeister to Maat
Rank and file		Stabsmatrose to Matrose
Coast guard	White

Civil defense of the GDR

Common (generals, as well): malino

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.

References

^ 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.

Glossary of German military terms

External links

Waffenfarben of the Wehrmacht Heer

[1] Klaus-Ulrich Keubke, Manfred Kunz: Uniformen der Nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986. Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1990, p. 159, 175

[2] Keubke/Kunz, ibid. p. 267, 234 ff.

[3] The collar patches of the paratroopers showed an open parachute above a wing.

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