Corps colours (Waffen-SS)

Corps colours, or Troop-function colours (German: Waffenfarben) were worn in the Waffen-SS from 1938 until 1945 in order to distinguish between various branches of service, units, and functions. The corps colours were part of the pipings, gorget patches (collar patches), and shoulder boards. The colour scheme was similar to the corps colours of the German Army from 1935 to 1945. The colours appeared mainly on the piping around the shoulder boards showing a soldier's rank.

Colours and examples

The table below contains the Waffen-SS corps colours, and examples for their use from 1938 to 1945.

Branch/unit/function	Colour		Example	Rank/Explanation
General officers Personal staff of the Reichsführer-SS	Silver-grey			SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS
Infantry Motorised infantry Panzergrenadiers	White			Flag of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 40
				SS-Oberführer SS-Standartenführer
Artillery Sturmgeschütze (assault guns) Flak	Scarlet			Artillery flag
				SS-Obersturmbannführer
Veterinary service	Carmine red			SS-Sturmbannführer
Legal service	Bordeaux red
Geologists	Light pink
Transport	Salmon-pink
Panzers Panzerjäger (tank destroyers)	Rose-pink			SS-Scharführer
Signals War correspondents	Lemon yellow			SS-Untersturmführer
Cavalry Reconnaissance (1942–45) Armoured reconnaissance	Golden yellow			SS-Obersturmführer
Feldgendarmerie (field police) Sonderdienst (special services)	Orange			SS-Unterscharführer SS-Standartenjunker (officer candidate OR-6)
Reconnaissance (1938–42)	Copper-brown			Standartenführer Oberführer
Concentration camps	Light brown			SS-Hauptscharführer
Sicherheitsdienst (intelligence service)	Poison green			SS-Sturmscharführer
Gebirgstruppe (mountain troops)	Meadow green			SS-Untersturmführer
Ersatzwesen (recruitment service) SS-Sonderführer SS reserve officers	Dark green			SS-Obersturmführer
Supply	Light blue			SS-Hauptsturmführer
Administration	Bright blue			SS-Hauptsturmführer
Medical service	Cornflower blue			Standartenführer Oberführer
Engineers corps Assault engineers Construction engineers	Black			SS-Oberscharführer
Main colour for collar patches				SS-Unterscharführer
Main colour for uniforms	Field-grey			Identical with Heer (regular army) uniform colour

See also

• Corps colours of the Luftwaffe (1935–1945)
• Corps colours of the Sturmabteilung

References

• 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)

External links

• Waffenfarben of the Wehrmacht Heer
• German WWII Army & SS Rank & Insignia