Corps colours (Waffen-SS)

Corps colours, or Troop-function colours (ge: "Waffenfarbe(n)") were traditional worn in the German Waffen-SS from 1938 until 1945 as discrimination criteria between several branches of service, corps, services, or troop functions. The corps colour was part of the piping, uniform gorget, shoulder strap. The scheme of colors to indicate troop types was similar to that of the German Army from 1935 to 1945. The colours appeared mainly on the piping around the shoulder boards showing a soldier's rank.

Corps colours of the Waffen-SS

In the Waffen-SS there was strictly defined systematic of corps colours on uniform piping and coloured edging around the shoulder boards or shoulder straps. The corps colours of the German Army were similar to these of the Waffen-SS.

Synoptic table and examples to military persons in uniform

The table below contains some corps colours and examples used by the Waffen-SS from 1938 to 1945.

Regiment or Battalion type Colour Example Remarks
General Officers

Personal staff of the RFSS

 silver-grey   
 SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer and all generals of the Waffen-SS
Infantry
* Motorized infantry
* Panzergrenadiers
 white Flagge SS-PzGrenRegt 40
Artillery
* Assault guns (Sturmgeschütze)
* Flak		 scarlet Artillery flag
SS-Obersturmbannführer
Veterinary service carmine red SS-Sturmbannführer of the SS-Veterinary service
Legal service bordeaux red no example
Geologists light pink no example
Transport salmon-pink no example
  • Panzers
  • Panzerjäger (Tank destroyers)
 rose-pink
SS-Scharführer
lemon yellow
SS-Untersturmführer
identical corps colour to Heer (German Wehrmacht)
golden yellow
SS-Hauptscharführer
orange
Reconnaissance (1938–42) copper-brown
  • Standartenführer
  • Oberführer
Concentration camps light brown
SS-Hauptscharführer
Security service

(Sicherheitsdienst)

 poison green
SS-Sturmscharführer of the "Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS".
Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops) Meadow green
SS-Untersturmführer
Recruitment service (de: Ersatzwesen)
also: SS-Sonderführer and SS-Reserve officers		 dark green
SS-Obersturmführer
Supply light blue
SS-Hauptsturmführer
Administration bright blue
Hauptsturmführer
Medical service cornflower blue
  • Standartenführer of the Waffen-SS medical service
  • Oberführer of the Waffen-SS medical service
SS-Engineers corps
* Assault engineers
* Construction engineers		 black
SS-Oberscharführer
identical collar patches
example SS-Unterscharführer
(all collar patches to enlisted men, NCO-ranks, officers and generals)
main color of the uniform field-grey equal uniform colour as to Waffen-SS, Heer, and Militärverwaltung
Remark

The colour of the Kragenspiegel is  black in SS and NSKK,  cinnabar-red in the staff headquarters of the so-called Motorobergruppen ("senior motor groups") and independent groups,  carmine-red in higher staff headquarters of the NSKK.[1]

See also

References
  1. Quotation as to: Schlag nach!, Bibliographisches Institut AG, Leipzig, 1938, p. 203.
  • Glossary of German military terms
  • Adolf Schlicht, John R. Angolia: Die deutsche Wehrmacht, Uniformierung und Ausrüstung 1933-1945
    Vol. 1: Das Heer (ISBN 3613013908), Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1992
    Vol. 3: Die Luftwaffe (ISBN 3-613-02001-7), Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1999
    (very detailed information and discussion but no coloured images)
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