Military symbols
Military symbols (formerly also: tactical symbols ) are symbols of armed forces on maps, plans, vehicles (affiliation), sketches, situation maps for their simple and unmistakable identification. They are similar internationally and largely uniformly regulated within NATO .
Military symbols in the Bundeswehr
Military symbols are used to symbolically represent troops, weapons, vehicles, orders or instructions in representations, plans and maps. The symbols are standardized within NATO .
In the Bundeswehr , the Central Service Regulation (ZDv) 1/11 "Tactical Signs" has been in effect since 1976 , but was gradually replaced by NATO's Allied Procedural Publication 6 (APP-6) "Military Symbols for Land Based Systems" . Since January 1, 2015, the ZDv 1/11 was finally out of force and the APP-6, which is based on the Field Manual FM 21-30 "Conventional Signs, Military Symbols and Abbreviations" and the MIL-STD-2525 of the US Army based.
On April 24, 2016, the currently valid central regulation A1-160 / 0-9200 "Military symbols" was introduced in the Bundeswehr . It essentially implements the APP-6 (C) "Joint Military Symbology" in a national, German-language regulation for the Bundeswehr, but also contains an extensive separate character set in Appendix 2, which instead of or in addition to the APP-6 (C ) can be used.
Tactical signs of the Bundeswehr from 1959 to 1967
In the period from 1959 to 1967 the Bundeswehr used a different system of tactical signs that differed fundamentally in terms of their shape and color. There were four frame shapes (diamond, circle, square, triangle), each of which indicated the division in different colors. The symbol and number were in the middle. The upper part, marked as a dash, indicated the brigade. If there was none, the unit was directly subordinate to the division. Here are two examples
2nd tank brigade of 3rd Panzer Division
Division anti-aircraft battery of the 1st Mountain Division
| Dash color | brigade |
|---|---|
| no dash | Division force |
| white dash | 1st Brigade of the Division |
| red dash | 2nd Brigade of the Division |
| yellow dash | 3rd Brigade of the Division |
Current military symbols of the Bundeswehr
According to central regulation A1-160 / 0-9200 "Military symbols" , military symbols for units, people, facilities or activities consist of:
- Frame - (possibly with filling) to identify identity (e.g. friend, foe), dimension (e.g. land, air) and status (e.g. confirmed, presumed)
- Base notes - to identify branch of service , troops , equipment, facilities, activities or operations
- Supplementary sign - within the frame above or below the basic sign to supplement, specify or differentiate the information of the basic sign
- Extension fields - outside the frame for additional information
frame
The shape and, if applicable, the color of the frame or its filling characterizes the identity of the designated object. The four most common identities with their associated shapes and colors are:
| Unknown | friend | Neutral | enemy |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
Basic characters
The basic character is the innermost part of a military symbol that provides a simplified pictorial ( pictogram ) or alphanumeric representation of units, equipment, facilities, activities or operations.
- Examples of basic pictorial symbols for military branches (here with the frame "Freund")
Reconnaissance (historical: cavalry )
Electronic warfare ( EloKa)
Have basic character no graphics, but may be as well simple alphanumeric representations MP (for Military Police / Military Police ), EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal / explosive ordnance disposal ) or CSS (for Combat Service Support / Application Support. Eg by a supply battalion ).
Supplementary sign
Supplementary characters are additional characters that are displayed together with the basic character as a graphic representation (pictogram) or as a combination of letters or numbers. They supplement, specify or differentiate the information on the basic symbol (e.g. unit, equipment, facility or activity) by showing additional tasks or skills.
Additional characters are placed in the center of the frame above or below the basic character. A small black triangle (as a stylized mountain) below a basic symbol z. B. stands for "mountain". Together with a diagonal cross as the basic symbol "Infantry / Jäger", it symbolizes "Mountain Hunters".
Extension fields
A commonly existing extension field is centered over the base characters attached extension field B that is reserved for marking the management level / magnitude that the troops part follows -Systematik:
| character | designation |
|---|---|
|
Squad |
|
Group / Rotte |
|
Train / swarm |
|
Season |
|
Company / battery / squadron |
|
Battalion / group |
|
Regiment / squadron |
|
Brigade / LKdo |
|
Division / WBK |
|
Corps / TerrKdo |
|
army |
|
Army Group |
|
High command |
The extension field T (unit / identification) at the bottom left and the extension field M (higher-level unit / management level) at the bottom right are also often used:
|
3rd Battery of the Armored Artillery Battalion 195 | ||||
|
4th Company of Panzer Battalion 331 (see example photo above) | ||||
|
4th Company of the Panzer Grenadier Battalion 62 | ||||
|
Mountain Infantry Battalion 231 of the Mountain Infantry Brigade 23 |
Military symbols on operational plans
The military symbols for units, staffs and facilities are always drawn parallel to the grid lines. Positions, guidance lines etc. are drawn according to their actual position in the terrain. Planned (own forces) or assumed (enemy forces) positions , barriers and movements are dashed.
Mission plan as an example of military symbols
Tactical representation of the Yom Kippur War of 1973
See also
- Tactical signs from non-military authorities and organizations
- Troop registration numbers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS
- Template: tactical sign
literature
- Central regulation A1-160 / 0-9200 "Military symbols". Planning Office of the Bundeswehr , 2016, archived from the original on September 11, 2018 .
- NATO (Ed.): NATO JOINT MILITARY SYMBOLOGY APP-6 (C) . May 24, 2011 ( full text [PDF]).
Web links
- map.army - web application for position display with tactical signs according to MIL-STD-2525
- Joint Military Symbology . - This military standard (MIL-STD) establishes the rules and requirements to develop and display joint military symbology within the Department of Defense (DOD) and non-DOD entities.
- APP-6 - Military Symbols for Land Based Systems . (PDF) Military.com (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Planning Office of the Bundeswehr: Planning Office puts regulations for military symbols into effect. Planning Office of the Federal Armed Forces, May 31, 2016, accessed on December 7, 2016 .
- ↑ http://www.panzerbaer.de/colours/a_relaunch/bw_tarn_fz_mark_tz1-a.htm