Air Force weapon colors (1935–1945)

Colonel in the General Staff of the Air Force 1941/1942. The photo shows the later General Inspector of the Bundeswehr Heinz Trettner

General of the Luftwaffe with lamps in the weapon color "white" 1934.

Gun colors were traditionally used in the German Air Force from 1935 to 1945 as a criterion for differentiating between different branches of arms , branches of armed forces , corps, services and uses. The weapon colors were part of the collar tabs and badges of rank on the special clothing such as aviator station wagons and jumper suits . The introduction of weapon colors in the Air Force began around 1921. Up until the end of the war in 1945 there were slight differences compared to the army and the Waffen SS .

Gun colors used until 1945

Type of weapon, use	Gun color		example
Field Marshal General all generals from major general to colonel general	White					Colonel General
				Lampassen (uniform trousers, boot trousers)
Hermann Göring Division Artillery and anti-aircraft troops	White			Piping deep red		Sergeant
Anti-aircraft troop Air force artillery	Deep red					sergeant Pennant Flak Department
General Staff officers	crimson					Colonel in the General Staff
	Golden yellow		Lampassen uniform pants, boot pants
Military jurisdiction	purple					Captain
Aviation engineering service	pink					from Lieutenant General (Ing) to Leutnant (Ing)
Air Force: Airborne and ground personnel Parachute force	Golden yellow					Sergeant Major (Collar tab, sleeve badge) Fahnenjunke-Unterfeldwebel
Radar units Air traffic control	Light green					Corporal
Air Force Field Division	Hunter green					Flag Paratrooper Battalion
Air Force officials	Dark green
Transport units Air Force Reserve	Light Blue
Medical service	blue					Corporal
Air Intelligence Force	brown					major Flag News Battalion
Air Force construction crew Air Force Pioneers	black					Staff Sergeant

Specialty

A special feature of the weapon colors used were the branches of arms and special troops that were detached from the air force and that had been assigned to the army's ground combat units.

• Division "Hermann Göring" : collar tabs and shoulder flap protrusion "white", collar tab protrusion in the weapon colors:
  • White (with black dividing line) for infantry,
  • Red for artillery and air defense,
  • Golden brown with news troops,
  • Black with pioneers,
  • Rosa with tank troops, tank destroyers and tank scouts.

• Luftwaffe field divisions : collar tabs green, collar tabs and epaulettes in the weapon colors:
  • Yellow for cyclists and spotters,
  • Pink with tank destroyers,
  • Red for artillery and air defense,
  • Light blue in the case of supply and administration troops
  • Golden brown with news troops,

See also

• Gun color
• Gun colors (Waffen-SS)
• Air Force ranks (1935–1945)
• Ranks of Air Force Engineer Corps (1935–1945)

Web links

• Handbook on German Army Identification 1943 ( United States Government Printing Office : 1943), pp. 34-43. (PDF; 5.7 MB), accessed April 8, 2013.
• Gun colors , accessed May 14, 2011.