Chapter XI: Uniforms and Insignia of Foreign Armies and Navies (2)

The white undress uniform is of the same description as the blue undress except that the material is white cotton or linen duck.

The rank of officers in the Italian Navy is indicated by gold braid stripes around the sleeves above the cuffs as shown in the accompanying illustration.

The corps or branch of the service to which an officer belongs is indicated as follows:—

Line officers By the “curl” in the upper rank stripe.
Engineer officers By stripes of black velvet between the
rank stripes.
Naval Constructors By stripes of crimson velvet between the
rank stripes.
Medical officers By stripes of light blue cloth between
the rank stripes.
Paymasters By stripes of red cloth between the rank
stripes.

Officers of the Staff Corps do not have the “curl” in the upper rank stripe.

The insignia on the front of the cap consist of an oval medallion surrounded by a gold wreath and surmounted by the Royal Crown of Italy in gold on a blue ground. The medallion in the center shows the corps or branch of the service, Line officers having a gold foul anchor on a light blue ground, Engineer officers a gold three-bladed propeller on a black ground. Medical officers a red Geneva cross on a white ground, Naval Constructors a gold helmet on a red ground, and Paymasters a gold star on a red ground.

The band of the cap is of the distinctive color of the corps or branch of the officer and has sewn upon it gold stripes indicating the rank of the wearer.

On the right side of the cocked hat there is a cockade of red, white and green silk.

Chief Warrant officers wear uniforms similar to the commissioned officers’ uniforms with one gold stripe broken by diagonal blocks of blue silk with the corps mark above it on the cuffs. Their cap has a black mohair braid band and insignia on the front like those of commissioned officers except that the Royal crown is omitted.

Warrant officers wear the same uniform as Chief Warrant officers except that the stripe of gold braid on the sleeve is omitted and the corps insignia alone are worn on the sleeves above the elbow.

Enlisted men wear uniforms of dark blue cloth or white duck depending upon the temperature, these uniforms being similar in general design to those of the United States Navy.

The insignia of rank for Petty officers are as follows:—

Chief Petty officers A gold chevron of one wide stripe and
one narrow stripe on each sleeve above
the elbow with the branch mark above
it. An additional chevron is added
after three years’ service in the grade.
Petty officers A red chevron of one wide stripe and one
narrow one on each sleeve above the elbow
with the branch mark above it, in
red.
Leading Seamen A chevron of one narrow red stripe with
the branch mark above it, in red.
Able Seamen The branch mark in red on each sleeve
above the elbow.
Ordinary Seamen The sleeves are plain.

The specialty or branch marks for the different corps or branches of the enlisted men are as follows:—

The Line or Deck branch. A foul anchor.

Navigating branch A steering wheel.
Engineers A three-bladed propeller.
Firemen A two-bladed propeller.
Torpedo branch Two torpedoes crossed with a hammer
below.
Gunnery branch Two cannon crossed.
Gunlayers Two cannon crossed with a bursting
bomb in the center.
Electricians A device representing three
branches of zig-zag lightning
with a hammer in the center.
Mining division A submarine mine case.
Divers A submarine mine case and a hammer.
Carpenters Two hatchets crossed.
Plumbers Two hatchets crossed with a flame
in the center.
Joiners A saw.
Musician of the band Two anchors crossed with a harp
in the center.
Radio operators Three branches of zig-zag lightning.
Hospital man A gold star with a red Geneva
cross on white ground in the center.
Stewards A sheaf of wheat.
Buglers An anchor crossed by a trumpet.
Signalman A triangular pennant with vertical stripes.

Enlisted men who have been promoted for gallantry in war service wear a gold crown on the sleeves above the specialty marks.

UNIFORMS OF THE BELGIAN ARMY

Before 1914 the uniforms of the Belgian Army for home service were very elaborate and decorated with gold and silver braid and ornaments, although uniforms of cotton khaki were worn in hot weather on foreign service; but the experience of the present war showed the necessity of an inconspicuous dress for field service, and as a result the army is now provided with a field uniform designed after the British Army service uniform and made of dark khaki-colored woolen cloth.

The officers’ field service uniform consists of a coat similar to that worn by British officers except that it has a standing collar; breeches of the same material and color as the coat; a cap after the British design, and tan leather boots, or tan leather shoes with khaki-colored wrap puttees or tan leather strap puttees.

With this uniform the British “Sam Browne” tan leather belt and shoulder strap is worn.

The corps or arm of the service to which an officer belongs is shown by patches of colored cloth on the collar at each side of the neck opening. The rank of officers is indicated by insignia upon these collar patches, as follows:—

Major General Three stars arranged to form an equilateral
triangle with two vertical bars in
front of it and a device made up of
the King’s monogram, wings, a spear
head and bolts of lightning, all in gold
embroidery.

Brigadier General The same as for major general, except
there is but one vertical bar.

Colonel Three gold stars arranged in the form of
an equilateral triangle pointing down
with a semicircular gold bar beneath it.

Lieutenant Colonel The same as for colonel except there are
but two stars.

Major The same as for lieutenant colonel except
there is but one star.

Commandant Three gold stars arranged in the form of
an equilateral triangle pointing down.

Captain The same as for commandant except that
the lower star is silver.

First Lieutenant Two gold stars.

Second Lieutenant One gold star.

Adjutant One silver star.

Belgian Army. Officers’ service uniform]

The grade of Commandant has no corresponding one in the United States Army; the rank is between those of Major and Captain.

The grade of Adjutant corresponds to that of a Warrant Officer in the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

The service uniform of the enlisted men in the Belgian Army is similar in design and color to that of the British soldier.

The rank of noncommissioned officers is indicated by stripes upon the cuffs as follows:—

Regimental Sergeant Major Three narrow stripes around the
cuff parallel to the lower edge.
Sergeant Major Two stripes around the cuff with
two diagonal stripes above them.
First Sergeant Two stripes around the cuff.
Quartermaster Sergeant One stripe around the cuff with
one diagonal stripe above it.
Sergeant One stripe around the cuff.
Corporal One stripe around the cuff, narrower
than that worn by a sergeant.

Specialty marks are worn upon the sleeves above the elbow to mark men assigned to special duties.

Engineers A plumed helmet.
Aviator The King’s monogram with an eagle’s
wing at each side.
Hospital Corps A caduceus surrounded by a wreath.
Cycle Corps A bicycle wheel.
Grenadiers A bursting bomb.
Bandsmen A lyre.

The men wear tan leather belts and cartridge pouches.

UNIFORMS OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY

The officers and enlisted men of the Russian Army formerly had a great variety in uniforms for the different corps and branches of the service; the infantry of the regular Line wore uniforms of green cloth with red facings; the hussars wore green jackets trimmed across the front with white stripes and loops, red breeches and black high boots; the guards wore green uniforms with yellow facings; the Don Cossacks wore uniforms of dark gray, the coat being long and the breeches very loose and the headdress being a black shako; and the Kuban cossacks wore a uniform of similar design of reddish brown cloth.

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 an effort was made to standardize the field service uniforms with the result that the present service uniform is of cloth of a gray-brown shade. The Cossacks have to some extent preserved their distinctive dress.

The service uniforms for officers consists of a single-breasted sack coat with a standing collar, a pocket with flap on each breast and closed by a row of gilt buttons down the front; breeches of the same color with stripes down the outer leg seams of varying widths according to rank and of different colors according to the corps or arm of the service; a bell-crowned cap with sloping visor, and black boots.

The straps are of black cloth covered with gold or silver lace, depending upon the rank and corps of the officer. Those for General Officers are of gold lace with silver stars

1. General 2. Lieutenant General 3. Major General 4. Colonel

5. Lieutenant Colonel 6. Senior Captain 7. Junior Captain

8. First Lieutenant 9. Second Lieutenant]

The rank is indicated by the trimming and ornamentation of flat shoulder straps, those for the various grades of rank being shown in the accompanying illustration. It will be noted that there are no grades of Brigadier General or Major in the Russian Army, but that there are two grades of the rank of Captain, called First and Second or Senior and Junior Captain. The duties of the Senior Captain correspond in a measure to those of Major in the United States services. Line officers of the rank of Colonel and below wear the number of their regiment in the center of the shoulder strap.

The Russian officer’s service cap is similar to that worn by officers of the United States Army except that the top of the crown is relatively greater in diameter. The band is of the distinctive color of the corps or arm of the service. A medallion made up of the national colors is worn at the center of the band in front and the visor and chin strap are of brown leather. In some of the regiments gray sheepskin shakos are worn by both officers and men instead of the cap.

The arm of the service or corps is indicated by patches of colored cloth on the front of the collar on each side of the neck opening.

The sword belt is of tan leather with a cross strap from the right shoulder to the left side at the waist although in some corps the sword is suspended from the diagonal cross strap only, the waist-belt not being worn by officers.

The uniform of the enlisted men is of similar cut to that of the officers except that the coats are looser and in some corps are closed by a row of buttons down the right side.

The rank of the noncommissioned officers is indicated by stripes and other insignia upon narrow flat shoulder straps worn from the base of the collar to the top of the sleeve shoulder seam.

The Russian Army has an officer of Warrant rank, intermediate between the commissioned officers and enlisted noncommissioned officers. These Warrant officers wear one broad stripe across the shoulder strap near the collar end.

The noncommissioned officers wear narrow stripes on their shoulder straps in the same position; a sergeant major having three such stripes, a sergeant two and a corporal one.

There have been various corps and specialty insignia but as these are now in a process of being changed they cannot be given accurately.

The Russian noncommissioned officers wear swords suspended from tan leather belts and the privates wear a tan leather belt with cartridge boxes of the same material. All of the enlisted men carry their extra clothing in a blanket roll over the right shoulder and diagonally across the body to the left side at the belt.

UNIFORMS OF THE RUSSIAN NAVY

The uniforms of the officers and enlisted men differ in many respects from those which are common to the navies of the other principal powers.

The officers’ uniforms are as a rule made of a dark green cloth for dress and winter wear and of white cotton or linen for hot weather.

The prescribed uniforms are full dress, dress, undress and service (working) dress.

The full dress uniform consists of a cocked hat, tunic with standing collar, epaulets, and trousers with gold lace braid on the outer leg seams.

The dress uniform consists of a cap, double-breasted frock coat, with epaulets, and plain trousers.

1. Admiral 2. Vice Admiral 3. Rear Admiral 4. Captain

5. Commander 6. Lieutenant Commander 7. Lieutenant

8. Sub Lieutenant 9. Warrant Officer]

The undress uniform is the same as the dress uniform without epaulets.

The service or working uniform consists of a cap, a short single breasted tunic of dark blue cloth and plain trousers.

In hot weather a similar uniform of white cotton or linen material is worn.

An overcoat of black cloth and a heavier one of gray cloth with a fur collar are worn by officers.

In May, 1917, the shoulder straps and the insignia of rank formerly worn upon them were abolished and stripes on the sleeves above the cuff to indicate rank with distinctive colors to indicate the Staff corps, were adopted for all uniform coats and the overcoat.

These stripes for the different grades of rank are as shown by the accompanying illustrations.

Officers of the Line and of the Engineer Corps wear gold stripes, and officers of the Medical Corps, Naval Constructor Corps, Judge Advocate’s Corps, and Paymasters wear silver stripes, with the stripes edged with cloth of a distinctive color for each corps.

These distinctive colors are:

Medical officers White.
Naval Constructors Red.
Judges Advocate Crimson.

Paymasters wear silver stripes without the “curl” and without edgings of colored cloth.

Officers wear a sword on all occasions of dress and ceremony, but on occasions of ordinary duty they wear a short dirk in place of the sword.

The warrant officers of the Russian Navy wear uniforms similar to those worn by commissioned officers, the distinguishing mark being a narrow gold stripe around the sleeves above the cuff.

Enlisted men wear black cloth trousers, a jersey with blue and white horizontal stripes and a blue jumper.

The caps are similar to those worn by enlisted men of the British Navy.

The name of the ship is given on the cap ribbon as in other navies, this ribbon being tied at the back so that it hangs down in streamers.

White duck uniforms of the same pattern as the blue ones are worn in hot weather.

The ratings of petty officers are indicated by badges worn on the sleeves above the elbow; these badges are at present being revised and hence cannot be accurately given.

All enlisted men are provided with short overcoats of gray cloth.

UNIFORMS OF THE JAPANESE ARMY

Previous to the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5 the officers and enlisted men of the Japanese Army wore uniforms of dark blue or red cloth with facings of distinctive colors for the various arms, but this proved so conspicuous on the battlefields of that war that a service uniform of khaki-colored cloth for winter and khaki cotton drill for summer was adopted. The officers, however, retained for their dress uniforms the old dress uniforms of dark blue and red cloth with heavy decorations of gold lace.

The dress uniform of the officers consists of a dark blue double breasted frock coat with standing collar; trousers of dark blue cloth with stripes of the corps color down the outer leg seams for all arms except the cavalry in which the officers wear red breeches; black boots; and a _kepi_ style cap decorated with gold lace and having a red and white standing plume at the front, this cap being of red cloth for the cavalry and of blue cloth for the other arms.

The collar of the dress coat is covered with gold lace; the buttons are gilt with a design of chrysanthemums and cherry blossoms; shoulder knots of plaited gold cord and a sash belt of gold and red stripes with heavy tassels at the left side are worn with it, and the rank is indicated by sleeve decorations consisting of a knot made up of narrow stripes of gold braid of the same design as that worn by officers of the United States Army. This sleeve knot is made of one stripe for Second Lieutenant and one additional stripe for each step up in grade through the ranks of First Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Major General, Lieutenant General and Field Marshal, the latter having a knot of nine stripes.

The distinctive colors for the different arms of the service are red for infantry, green for cavalry, yellow for artillery, crimson for pioneers, gray for the quartermaster corps, and black for the gendarmerie (national police).

The service uniforms for both officers and enlisted men consist of a single-breasted sack coat of khaki-colored woolen cloth for winter and cotton drill for summer; trousers or breeches of the same materials, and a bell-crowned cap with sloping visor of tan leather and a band of the distinctive color of the arm of the service.

The service coat has a standing collar with a patch of the distinctive color for the arm of the service on each side of the neck opening, a pocket with buttoned flap on each side of the breast and a plain pocket on each side below the waist.

Officers wear breeches and boots when mounted and tan leather leggings or khaki-colored wrap puttees for dismounted service. The shoes worn by both officers and enlisted men with the service uniform are of tan leather.

The rank of the officers is indicated by shoulder straps worn transversely across the shoulders next to the shoulder seams of the sleeves, after the style of the shoulder strap worn by officers of the United States Army with their blue dress coats. These are the only two great armies in which this form of shoulder strap is worn by officers to indicate rank.

These shoulder straps are covered with cloth of the distinctive color of the arm of the service with stripes of gold braid running lengthwise of them on the same scheme as that used on the shoulder straps worn by Japanese naval officers as illustrated, namely, for General officers one wide stripe, for field officers two narrow stripes and for company officers one narrow stripe. On the gold stripes silver stars are worn for the different grades of rank in each class. The number of stripes and stars for each grade is as follows:

_General Officers._
General Three stars on one wide gold stripe.
Lieutenant General Two stars on one wide gold stripe.
Major General One star on one wide gold stripe.

_Field Officers._
Colonel Three stars on two narrow gold stripes.
Lieutenant Colonel Two stars on two narrow gold stripes.
Major One star on two narrow gold stripes.

_Company Officers._
Captain Three stars on one narrow gold stripe.
First Lieutenant Two stars on one narrow gold stripe.
Second Lieutenant One star on one narrow gold stripe.

The rank of noncommissioned officers is shown by narrow stripes around the cuffs, and for all enlisted men the arm of the service is indicated by the color patches on each side of the collar and the regimental number is worn upon these collar patches, Arabic figures being used for the regular service, Roman numerals for the militia and Arabic figures on one side of the collar and Roman on the other for the reserves.

The overcoat for officers is a double-breasted ulster similar to that worn by American officers, and that for enlisted men is single-breasted and short. The overcoats are of khaki-colored cloth.

The service belts for both officers and men are of tan leather.

UNIFORMS OF THE JAPANESE NAVY

When Japan began to build and man her modern navy she derived much early training and experience from the British Navy, which was then as now, the largest of the world’s navies.

As a result the uniforms of both the officers and men of the Japanese Navy are similar in most respects to those of the British Navy. The principal difference is that the Japanese naval officers’ undress or service uniform coat is a single-breasted blouse with standing collar similar to that worn by officers of the United States Navy, the collar and edges being trimmed with black braid.

In the insignia of the Japanese Navy the cherry blossom usually takes the place where the crown appears in the British naval insignia, as may be seen by reference to the illustrations.

The uniforms for both officers and enlisted men are of dark blue cloth for full dress and dress uniforms, the undress or service uniform being of dark blue cloth for winter wear and of white cotton duck or linen for wear in hot weather.

The rank of officers is indicated by stripes around the sleeves above the cuff on the blue uniforms and by shoulder straps on the white service uniform.

The sleeve stripes are of gold lace braid for full dress and dress coats and of black braid for the blue service coat.

The number, width and arrangement of the sleeve stripes for the different ranks are as shown in the accompanying illustration.

The corps or branch of the service to which an officer belongs is shown by the circular curl above the upper stripe for officers of the Line, and by stripes of colored cloth between the rank stripes for the officers of the Staff Corps, the distinctive colors for the various corps being as follows:—

Engineer Corps Purple.
(The officers of the Engineer Corps
also wear the curl above the upper
rank stripe, officers of the other
Staff Corps do not wear the curl.)
Medical Corps Red.
Engineer Constructors Brown.
Ordnance Constructors Maroon.
Paymaster Corps White.
Hydrographic Corps Light blue.
Chief Carpenter (warrant officers) Green.
Bandmasters (warrant officers) Gray.

These distinctive colors for officers of the different Staff Corps are also worn around the bands of the caps.

1. Admiral 2. Vice Admiral 3. Rear Admiral 4. Captain

5. Commander 6. Lt. Commander 7. Lieutenant 8. Sub Lt., 1st Class

9. Sub Lt., 2nd Class 10. Midshipman 11. Warrant Officer, Line

12. Warrant Officer, Engineers]

1. Admiral 2. Vice Admiral 3. Rear Admiral 4. Captain

5. Commander 6. Lt. Commander 7. Lieutenant 8. Sub Lt., 1st Class

9. Sub Lt., 2nd Class 10. Chief Warrant Officer 11. Warrant Officer

12. Midshipman]

The rank or rating of enlisted men who are petty officers or who are assigned to special duties is shown by distinctive marks worn on the left sleeve of the coat or overshirt; the principal ones being:—

Seaman An anchor.
Writers A writing brush.
Hospital Corps A pair of forceps.
Firemen A double pipe spanner.
Carpenter’s Mate An axe.
Stewards A key.
Musicians A lyre.

UNIFORMS OF THE AUSTRIAN ARMY

The Army of Austria-Hungary is made up of so many different races and peoples each of whom have preserved something of their original national dress or uniform in their modern dress uniforms that the varieties in color, design and ornamentation are greater than in any other country.

The field service uniform of all however is nearly the same and is made of light gray cloth.

The officers’ service uniform consists of a single-breasted sack coat with a standing collar, closed by a row of buttons down the front concealed beneath a flap and having shoulder straps, patch pockets with button flaps, one on each breast and one on each side below the waist; breeches of the same color as the coat; leather puttees and shoes; and a cap of gray cloth, cylindrical in shape with a soft top to the crown and side flaps which are folded up around the band and secured by two buttons in front, and having a sloping visor covered with the gray cloth of the cap. This cap, known as a tschapka, is a distinguishing feature of the Austrian uniform.

As variations of the field uniform the Hungarian regiments do not wear leggings but have the trousers tight below the knees; the Alpine troops wear heavy tan colored stockings instead of leggings and the Bosnia troops wear a Turkish fez instead of the gray cap.

The rank of officers is indicated by insignia worn upon each side of the collar. A Field Marshal has gold embroidery on the collar at each side of the neck opening and two wide red stripes down the outer leg seams of the trousers. General officers wear similar gold braid on the collar with the grade of rank indicated by silver stars thereon as follows:—

General Three silver stars.
Lieutenant General Two silver stars.
Major General One silver star.

Field officers have gold or silver braid on the collar according to whether their buttons are of silver or gold. On gold braid they wear silver stars and on silver braid gold stars to indicate the grade of rank, as follows:—

Colonel Three stars.
Lieutenant Colonel Two stars.
Major One star.

Company officers have the collar decorated with cloth on each side of the neck opening, the color being the distinctive color of their arm of the service or regiment. The grade of rank is indicated by stars worn on this colored cloth, the stars being of silver or gold to match the gold or silver buttons worn according to the regiment:

Captain Three stars.
First Lieutenant Two stars.
Second Lieutenant One star.

The arm of the service is indicated by the color of the facings or decorations on the uniform. The infantry have no regimental numbers on their uniforms but a distinctive color for each group of four regiments, each such group of the regular army having two Austrian and two Hungarian regiments, the Austrian regiments wearing silver buttons and the Hungarian regiments gilt buttons.

Chasseur regiments wear green facings or trimming and have the number of the regiment on the buttons.

Dragoon regiments have distinguishing colors worn on the collars for each two regiments, one regiment of each color wearing silver buttons and the other gilt buttons.

Hussar and Uhlan regiments of cavalry have distinctive colors for each two regiments as in the case of dragoon regiments but these colors are also worn on the caps and the number of the regiment also appears on the cap.

Artillery regiments have red facings and the buttons bear a gun and a shell.

In the Austrian Reserves the infantry have green facings and trimmings on their uniforms and the number of the regiment on the buttons and shoulder straps, and the cavalry regiments have the regimental number on the buttons only.

In the Hungarian Reserves the infantry regiments wear the regimental number in dark gray cloth on the sides of the cap and the cavalry regiments wear their number in yellow cloth on the cap.

The rank of noncommissioned officers is indicated by white stars of celluloid worn on the distinctive color patches of the collar, as follows:—

Sergeant Major Three white stars.
Sergeant Two white stars.
Corporal One white star.

With service uniform officers wear tan leather belts with suspender straps across one or both shoulders and the enlisted men wear belts and cartridge boxes of tan leather. General and Staff officers wear the sword slung from a belt beneath the coat and a sash of gold and black silk.

The overcoat for officers is a double-breasted ulster with gilt or silver buttons the same as worn on the service coat and collar patches and pipings of the distinctive corps or regimental color; or a long circular cape cloak with a turn-over collar upon which the color patches are worn.

The overcoat of the enlisted man is a double-breasted long ulster with standing-falling collar, buttons of silver or gilt to match those worn on the service coat and color patches on the collar.

Enlisted men wear the trousers tucked into the tops of the shoes or in the case of the Alpine troops into the tops of heavy woolen socks of khaki color.

A distinctive feature of the Alpine troops is a small plume of eagle’s feathers worn on the left side of the cap.

Various insignia to indicate special duties or assignments are worn by enlisted men upon the left sleeve, some of them being:—

Telegraphist A wreath surrounding a device representing
three bolts of lightning crossed
with a crown above them.

Medical Corps A circle surrounding a Geneva cross in red.

Gun pointer Two cannon crossed surmounted by a
crown surrounded by a wreath.

Pioneer A medallion bearing a pick and two
spades crossed.

Wagon driver A wreath surrounding two horses’ heads.

In the trenches steel trench helmets of the German pattern are worn by both officers and enlisted men.

In very cold weather fur coats are worn and in the snows of the mountains white coats are worn to make the troops less conspicuous.

Enlisted men wear on the left sleeve a triangle of yellow braid to show long service, one stripe for four years, two stripes for seven years and three stripes for nine years.

UNIFORMS OF THE AUSTRIAN NAVY

The uniforms of the officers and enlisted men of the Austrian Navy are of dark blue cloth for winter wear and of white duck for hot weather and are generally similar to those worn in the British Navy.

Commissioned officers are provided with special full dress, full dress, undress, blue service, white service and white mess uniforms.

The special full dress uniform (gala dress) consists of a cocked hat of the same shape as the one worn in the United States Navy but having more gold braid on it; a short double-breasted frock coat with a standing collar; epaulets; dark blue trousers with gold stripes down the outer leg seams; a sash belt of black cloth with interwoven horizontal gilt stripes and a knot and tassels of gold on the right hip; and black shoes. The collar of the coat and the cuffs are trimmed with gold lace braid, the sword is worn suspended by slings from a belt worn beneath the coat, and the rank of the officer is indicated by insignia worn upon the collar and upon the tops of the epaulets.

The full dress consists of the cocked hat; a double-breasted frock coat with turn-down collar and notched lapels; epaulets; trousers the same as for the special full dress; and black shoes. The sash belt is also worn with this uniform.

The undress uniform consists of a bell-crowned cap of dark blue cloth with a black mohair braid band, sloping visor of black patent leather, gold chin strap above the visor and the rank indicated by narrow gold stripes around the black band; the frock coat worn without epaulets; plain dark blue trousers and black shoes. White trousers and a cap with the upper portion of the crown white are some times worn with this uniform. The sash belt is not worn with this uniform, the sword being suspended by slings from a belt worn beneath the coat.

The blue service dress consists of the blue or white cap; a square cut double-breasted sack coat similar to that worn in the British Navy; plain trousers of dark blue cloth or white duck, and black shoes. When on duty with troops ashore the sword belt is worn outside of this coat.

The white service uniform consists of a white cap or white helmet; a white coat with shoulder straps of the same design as the white service coat worn by the United States naval officer except that there is a patch pocket with flap and button on each side below the waist. When under arms the sword is worn suspended by slings from a belt beneath the coat and the gold and black sash belt is worn outside of the coat.

The mess uniform consists of a white mess jacket upon which the shoulder straps are worn; a white waistcoat; dark blue plain trousers, and black shoes. There is no blue mess jacket and no evening dress coat.

1. Admiral 2. Vice Admiral 3. Rear Admiral 4. Captain

5. Commander 6. Senior Lieutenant 7. Lieutenant 8. Sub Lieutenant

9. Midshipman 10. Naval Cadet 11. Surgeon General

12. Staff Officer with rank of Rear Admiral]

With the frock coat uniforms a plain black silk necktie is worn tied in a flat double-bow knot.

The rank is indicated on the frock coat and upon the blue service coat by stripes of gold lace upon the sleeves above the cuff. In the case of officers of flag rank a gold Austrian Imperial crown is worn above the stripes. These stripes for the different grades of rank are shown in the accompanying illustration.

On the white service coat the rank is indicated by stripes upon the shoulder straps in the same manner as in the United States Navy, these stripes being of the same number, widths and arrangements as upon the sleeves of the frock and service coats.

The corps or branch of the service to which an officer belongs is indicated by the “curl” in the upper stripe of the rank stripes upon the sleeve and shoulder strap, and by stripes of colored silk between the gold rank stripes for the different Staff corps. These distinctive colors for the different corps or branches are:—

Engineers Gray.
Medical officers Black.
Naval Constructors Crimson.
Paymasters Light blue.
Professors Dark blue.

White gloves are prescribed for all uniforms.

Medical officers of flag rank wear an eight-pointed gold star above the rank stripes on the sleeves, other Staff officers of flag rank wear a four-circle rosette there, and Medical officers wear as a distinctive device on the shoulder strap over the rank stripes the rod of Esculapius entwined with a serpent in silver.

Midshipmen at the Naval Academy wear a dark blue double-breasted round-about jacket with a turn-down collar and two rows of gilt buttons down the front, a straight visored blue cap, dark blue trousers and black shoes, for dress and a uniform similar to that worn by the seamen, for work and drills.

Chief Warrant officers and Warrant officers wear dress and service uniforms like those of commissioned officers, and Chief Petty officers wear similar uniforms to those of Warrant officers except that the specialty or branch marks are worn on the sleeves between the elbow and the shoulder. The rank of Chief Warrant officers, Warrant officers and Chief Petty officers is indicated by gold stripes upon the sleeves above the cuffs as follows:—

Chief Warrant officer Three one-half inch stripes.
Warrant officer Two one-half inch stripes.
Chief Petty officer One stripe three-sixteenths of
an inch wide.

The uniforms of the enlisted men are of the usual sailor cut common to the navies of most naval powers. The blue uniform consists of a dark blue flat cap with the name of the ship in gilt upon a cap ribbon around the band; a loose jumper worn over a tight jersey, and trousers of the sailor cut with wide spring at the bottoms of the legs. The white uniforms consist of a white flat cap, white duck jumper and white trousers.

The rating is indicated by stars in the corners of the wide collar. These stars are of a material resembling celluloid and first class petty officers wear three such stars in each corner of the collar, second class petty officers two stars and first class seamen one star.

The branch of the service or the special duty detail of an enlisted man is indicated by a specialty mark worn on the left sleeve midway between the elbow and the shoulder, petty officers wearing a crown above the specialty mark, these marks being as follows:—

Deck force A vertical foul anchor.
Engineroom and Fireroom force A three-bladed propeller.
Quartermasters (Wheelmen) An anchor with a steering wheel
on the shank.
Writers Two swords crossed.
Torpedomen An anchor with a bursting
bomb on the shank.
Gunnery force An anchor with two cannon
crossed on the shank.
Radio men An anchor with bars of zig-zag
lightning across the shank.
Mining force A ship’s anchor with a mine
anchor crossing it.
Band musicians A lyre.
Hospital attendants A Geneva cross.
Cooks and stewards Two blades of wheat crossed.

For Chief Petty officers these specialty marks are in gold embroidery and for others in yellow for blue coats and jumper shirts and for all ratings they are in black for white coats and jumpers.

Aviation pilots, both officers and men, wear the aviation insignia on the right breast. This insignia is of silver and consists of a wreath of leaves surmounted by an Imperial crown with a spread eagle across the wreath.

UNIFORMS OF THE GERMAN NAVY

The uniforms of the officers and men of the German Navy are made of dark blue cloth for winter wear and of white duck for hot weather as in other navies and in general they follow the lines of other navies, but there are several distinctive features. The officers have no special full dress coat with the cutaway skirts or swallow-tail effect, a frock coat taking its place; and the enlisted men have in addition to the ordinary sailor shirts with the wide falling collar a dress jacket reaching to the waist line and roached over the hips like the jackets of the American midshipmen. This jacket has a row of small buttons down each side of the front and also on each cuff and is worn unbuttoned with the falling collar of the shirt outside of it.

The commissioned officers have full dress, dress, blue service and white service uniforms.

The full dress uniform consists of a cocked hat similar to that worn by British naval officers; a long double-breasted frock coat; trousers with gold lace stripes down the outer leg seams; black shoes; a sword belt covered with silver and gold lace with a wide red stripe running through it, and epaulets or shoulder knots depending upon the rank and corps of the officer. A distinctive feature of this full dress frock coat is that while it has a standing collar trimmed with gold lace, the front is provided with wide triangular lapels covered with color facing indicating the corps or branch of the service to which the wearer belongs.

The dress uniform consists of a bell-crowned cap of dark blue cloth with a braid of the distinctive corps around the band and a distinctive insignia on the front; a frock coat like that of the British or American naval officer; with which shoulder knots are worn; plain dark blue trousers, and black shoes. With this uniform the same sword belt is worn as with the full dress but instead of the sword a short sword or dirk is worn. As a variation of this uniform the cocked hat is sometimes worn with it for special occasions.

The blue service uniform consists of the blue cap; a double-breasted square cut sack like that worn by British officers; plain dark blue trousers, and black shoes. A plain black double-bow knot tie is worn with this uniform.

The white service uniform consists of a white cap of the same design as the blue cap but with a black band and black visor as in the United States and British navies; a white single-breasted sack coat with standing collar, a patch pocket on the left breast and a patch pocket on each side below the waist; white trousers, and black or white shoes depending upon the occasion. The dirk is worn with this uniform suspended from a black leather belt worn beneath the coat. Shoulder straps showing the rank are worn on the white service coat.

The overcoat is a long double-breasted coat cut to fit the figure, buttoning to the neck, with a wide falling collar and an outside pocket with flap on each side below the waist. It is closed by gilt buttons, one row down each side.

Following the universal military custom, the rank of German naval officers is indicated on the blue uniforms by stripes worn upon the sleeves of the coat just above the cuff. The number, width and arrangement of these stripes are shown in the accompanying illustration.

On the full dress coat sleeves there is a vertical three-pointed strap on the outside over the rank stripes, its color being the distinctive color for the corps to which the wearer belongs.

The rank is also indicated by insignia upon the tops of the epaulets and shoulder knots. The tops of the epaulets are of the distinctive colors of the corps except those for officers of the Line which are of gold. The lower grade in each branch has no fringe of bullion on the epaulets.

The stripes indicating the rank of officers of the Line are sewn directly upon the cloth of the coat sleeves and have a German Imperial crown above the upper stripe. Officers of the Staff corps do not wear the crown above their rank stripes. The corps or branch of the service to which officers of the Staff corps belong is indicated by stripes of colored cloth worn between the stripes indicating the rank, and the distinctive colors are:—

Engineer officers Black.
Gunnery officers Dark gray.
Torpedo officers Dark gray.
Medical officers Dark blue.
Naval Constructors Black.
Paymasters Light blue.
Legal Department officers Red.
Pilot officers Light gray.
Dockyard Construction officers Black.

The insignia worn upon the cap for commissioned officers is a gold wreath surrounding a circular emblem made up of concentric circles of red, white and black (from the center out) and surmounted by the German Imperial crown. This medallion is also worn upon the center of the front of the enlisted men’s flat caps.

These distinctive corps colors are also worn as the “facings” on the full dress uniforms, that is on the lapels of the coat and on the three-pointed straps on the cuffs, and around the band of the service cap, blue and white, except that pilots wear a gold band on the cap.

Warrant officers in the German Navy wear a dress uniform and a service uniform both blue and white similar in design to that worn by commissioned officers, with their distinctive rank stripes on the sleeves and on the shoulder straps.

1. Grand Admiral 2. Admiral 3. Vice Admiral 4. Rear Admiral

5. Captain 6. Commander 7. Senior Lieutenant 8. Junior Lieutenant

9. Sub Lieutenant]

In the German Navy there is a rank intermediate between that of Warrant officers and Chief Petty officers which has no counterpart in the American Navy. This is called Feldwebel. His dress uniform is a blue cap; a short dark blue jacket with rolling lapel collar and a row of small gilt buttons down each side of the front; a blue waistcoat with gilt buttons, and plain dark blue trousers; and his service uniforms, both blue and white, are similar to those of other officers. On the cuffs of the dress jacket he has three narrow gold stripes around the sleeve close together and below them three similar stripes around the sleeve and continuing down the outer seam to the bottom edge of the sleeve, with a vertical strap of dark blue cloth across the stripes with six small gilt buttons on it.

The Bandmaster is a Warrant officer and the distinctive mark of his rank is a gold lyre on the center of his shoulder straps.

The uniforms of the enlisted men are the dress or “parade” uniform, the service uniform and the white uniform.

The dress uniform consists of a sailor flat cap; a white sailor shirt with wide dark blue falling collar; the dark blue dress jacket worn with the collar of the shirt outside of it, and dark blue trousers, the trousers being cut without the wide “spring” or flare at the bottom of the legs so common in other navies.

The blue cap is similar to that worn in other navies but the crown is higher in the front than in the back, which tends to give it a military appearance. The name of the ship or station is worn upon a cap ribbon around the band of the cap, the ends of the ribbon being tied at the back and allowed to fall down the back in streamers. Upon the front of the crown at the center is the red, white and black medallion, the colors of Germany.

The collar of the shirt has three rows of narrow white braid around the edges as in the American and British navies.

The service uniform consists of the blue cap; a dark blue shirt similar to that worn in the American Navy, and dark blue trousers.

The white service uniform is of the same design but of white duck instead of dark blue cloth or flannel.

The rank or rating and the branch of specialty is indicated by distinctive marks worn upon the left sleeve between the elbow and the shoulder. Some of the principal of these marks are:—

Feldwebel A vertical gold anchor with a
gold crown above it.
Chief Quartermaster Two gold anchors crossed with
a crown above them. (If certified
he wears a red chevron
of one stripe below the mark.)
Quartermaster Two gold anchors crossed.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate A vertical gold foul anchor with
a crown above it.
Boatswain’s Mate The same without the crown.
Chief Gunner’s Mate A vertical foul anchor with two
cannon crossed upon it surmounted
by a crown, in gold.
Gunner’s Mate The same without the crown.
Chief Machinist’s Mate A vertical anchor with a cog
wheel on the shank and a
crown above it, in silver.
Machinist’s Mate The same without the crown.
Chief Stoker’s Mate A vertical anchor with two
shovels crossed on the shank
and a crown above it, in silver.
Stoker’s Mate The same without the crown.
Chief Torpedoist’s Mate An anchor and a mine crossed
with a crown above it, in gold.
Torpedoist’s Mate The same without the crown.
Chief Radio Operator A vertical anchor with a crown
above it, in gold, with a zig-zag
of lightning in red across
the shank of the anchor.
Radio Operator The same without the crown.
Telegraphist Two bars of forked lightning
crossed, in gold.
Chief Signal Mate A vertical anchor with a crown
above it, in gold, and two signal
flags in red crossed on the
shank of the anchor.
Signal Mate The same without the crown.
Drill Sergeant A vertical anchor with two rifles
crossed on the shank and a
crown above it, in gold.
Drill Corporal The same without the crown.
Leading Seaman A yellow chevron of one stripe,
point down.
Bandsman, first class A chevron of two stripes with a
curl at the point of the upper
stripe and an anchor surcharged
by a lyre above it, in gold.
Second Leader of Band The same with a crown above it.
Gun Captain, first class A flaming shell above a chevron of
three stripes, point down, in red.
Gun Captain, second class The same but with two stripes
in the chevron.
Gun Captain, third class The same but with one stripe in
the chevron.
Machine Gun Captain The same without the chevron.
Range Finder A triangle with a flaming shell
in the center and a range finding
instrument above it, in red.
Submarine Mine Planter A submarine mine in red.

(The Gun Captains, Range Finders, and Mine Planters
of the Marine Artillery, who man the coast defense
guns, wear the same rating marks in yellow. In
Germany the coast defenses, forts and batteries are
manned by the Navy and not by the Army as in the
United States.)

The overcoat worn by enlisted men of the German Navy is a short double breasted pilot coat with turn-down lapel collar and a double row of gilt service buttons down the front.

For service ashore in landing parties and when on duty at the coast forts in hot weather or tropics, a khaki helmet is worn instead of the white hat with white uniforms and khaki canvas leggings are also worn. For landing parties as infantry or artillery black leather boots are worn with the blue uniforms, the trousers being tucked inside of the boots.

UNIFORMS OF GERMAN MARINES

The German Marines are a part of the Navy and are divided into Marine Infantry and Marine Field Artillery. They perform duties similar in many respects to the duties of the United States Marine Corps.

The full dress uniform of the officers consists of a black shako with a large red plume which falls over the front down to the visor; a blue single-breasted tunic with standing collar; epaulets without bullion fringes; breeches of the same color, and black boots. The front edges of the coat and the tops and bottoms of the collar are piped with white cloth and the cuffs are of white cloth with a vertical strap.

The service uniform is of gray cloth and consists of a bell-crowned cap with a white band and sloping visor of black leather; a single-breasted coat with a standing turn-over collar closed by buttons down the front concealed by a fly; breeches, and leggings and shoes of tan leather. The coat has a pocket with flap on each side below the waist. Shoulder straps are worn with the service coat.

The rank of the officer is indicated by insignia worn upon the epaulets and shoulder straps, the insignia being the same as for the German Army officers.

For hot weather a uniform of khaki cotton drill is provided, the general style being the same as for the cloth service uniform except that the head dress is a khaki-colored helmet.

The dress uniform of the enlisted men is similar in color and design to that worn by the officers, the epaulets being replaced by shoulder straps of white cloth. The service uniform of the enlisted men is of the same design as that for officers except that the coat is closed by a single row of gilt buttons and the cap has no visor.

UNIFORMS OF THE GERMAN ARMY

The peace time uniforms of the various corps and arms of the German Army present a great variety, the traditions of the services of the former separate kingdoms and political divisions that are now united to form the German Empire being preserved in many instances in the color and design of the uniform or in the bright metal decorations and insignia.

Many of these uniforms are gaudy in color and richly decorated with gold, silver and colored cloth and braid ornaments.

The facings colors worn upon the collars and cuffs and as pipings on the coats and trousers often vary with the individual regiments, and the headdress is in many shapes and colors.

The Line Infantry wear a black helmet with brass spike, Prussian eagle and scale chin strap; a blue single-breasted tunic with gilt buttons, and dark gray trousers; the facings and piping being red, but the infantry regiments of Saxony, Bavaria, Wurttemburg and some other states have variations from this in both color and design.

The Uhlans wear the Czapka helmet; a blue double-breasted tunic with a red plastron front and red facings; and dark gray trousers; the Prussian Hussars wear a black fur busby with heavy gilt decorations and a bag of the distinctive color of the facings, a single-breasted blue tunic heavily decorated with white braid, loops and frogs; a blue pelisse with white braid decorations slung from the left shoulder; dark gray tight fitting breeches with white braid decorations, and black Hessian boots with embroidered tops.

The Prussian Cuirassiers wear white uniforms with black hip boots and cuirasses of brass or iron, the iron being black for some regiments and bright for others.

The Saxon Jager regiments wear uniforms of green cloth and a cap with a feather plume.

The Prussian Dragoon regiments wear helmets with drooping white plumes, light blue jackets, dark gray breeches.

The Field Artillery regiments usually wear black helmets with a spike ending in a brass ball; dark blue coats with gilt buttons, dark gray breeches and black boots.

There are many other distinctive uniforms and the varied colors, bright trappings and decorations and waving plumes made a peace time assemblage of German troops of all arms a most imposing sight; but early in the present century the leaders realized that while all this gaudy panoply and pomp added to the attractiveness of the service, kept alive the traditions of the past, and aided in holding the esprit de corps, it would not do for service on the modern battlefield, where the troops must be as inconspicuous as possible to avoid annihilation under the drum fire of artillery and the rapid fire of machine guns.

As a result a field service uniform of a dull gray color was adopted for all arms but it was not generally issued to the troops until just before the opening of the present world war.

The German officer’s field service uniform consists of a gray single breasted sack coat with a standing turn-over collar; breeches of the same color and black or tan leather boots. With this uniform the old bright helmets are worn with a gray cover to make them less conspicuous, or in many cases a gray cap with sloping visor is worn. The buttons are of gilt allowed to become dull in the field, in some cases of leather or bone, and in other cases the coat is closed by buttons concealed beneath a fly.