Corps colours, orTroop-function colours (German:Waffenfarben) were worn in theGerman Army (Heer) from 1935 until 1945 in order to distinguish between several branches, special services, corps, rank groups, and appointments of the ministerial area, thegeneral staff, and theOberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW). The corps colours were part of the pipings,gorget patches, shoulder straps, as well as part of thearabesque andlampasse of any general officer and flag officer. It was also part ofheraldic flags,colours, standards, and guidons.
In theHeer there was a strictly defined systematic of corps colours on collar patchs, uniformpiping, and coloured edging around the shoulder boards or shoulder straps. The corps colours of theReichswehr (1921 until ca. 1935) were almost identical to these of theWehrmacht.
The table below contains some corps colours and examples used by the German Army from 1935–45.
| Troops, unit, appointment | Caps colour | Example | Remark | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep red (Hochrot) |  |  | General der Waffengattung (arabesque and shoulder strap) | |
 | Standard of the artillery | ||||
| Crimson (Karmesinrot) | .jpg)
|  |
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| Field chaplains | Purple (#C154C1) | N/A |  | ||
| Bordeaux red (Bordo,bordeauxrot) |  |  |
| ||
| White (White) |  |  |
| |
| Rose-pink (Rosa)[1] |  |  |
| |
| Signals | Lemon-yellow (#FFEE00) |  |  |
| |
| Light-brown until 1937 | |||||
| Golden-yellow (#F7B600) |  |  |
| |
| Orange-yellow (#ff8000) |  |  |
| |
| Motorcycle infantry(Kradschützentruppe) | Copper-brown (#DA8A67) |  | N/A | Oberleutnant | |
| Panzergrenadiertroops | Meadow-green (#60c000 from 1943) |  | N/A | Oberst | |
| Light green (Hellgrün)[2] |  |  |
| |
| Blue (#00AEEF) |   |  |
| |
| Military medical service(Sanitätstruppe) | Medical-blue (dark-blue) |  |  |
| |
| Light-grey |  | N/A | Leutnant | |
| Construction troops (Bautruppen) | Light-brown until 1943 |  |  |
| |
| Black | ||||
| Main colour of the uniform | Field-grey | Equal uniform colour for theWaffen-SS andmilitary administration | |||
DuringWorld War II, officials of the “Army administration” (Heeresverwaltung, shortHV), regardless of those serving in theWehrmacht, war economy, or in military education facilities, etc., wore military rank insignias similar to those of theWehrmacht.
Heer officials normally wore, in addition to their dark green main corps colour (Haupt-Waffenfarbe), a secondary colour (Nebenfarbe) denoting their branch. TheNebenfarbe was worn as piping surrounding the collarLitzen and underneath the shoulder boards on top of the dark greenWaffenfarbe. In March 1940 distinctNebenfarben were abolished and replaced with light grey.
The table below contains some corps colours and examples pertaining to military officials in uniform.
| Troops, assignment/appointment | Corps colour | Remark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Militärverwaltung (universally) | Dark-green (#00703E) | Main colour of the uniform gorget and collar patch background | |
| Bright-red(Hochrot) (Red) | Army administration (OF8 to OF6) | |
| Officials of the military judicial system | Corn flower blue(Kornblumenblau) | ||
| Crimson(Karmesinrot) (#960018) | ||
| Officials of the remount service | Gold-yellow(Goldgelb) (#F7B600) | ||
| Officials of standard branches, e.g. paymaster service(Zahlmeisterwesen) | White(Weiß) (white) | ||
| Army officials of pharmaceutics | Light-green(Hellgrün) | ||
| Officials of the technical services (fortress engineers, geological service, ballistics, etc.) | Black(Schwarz) | ||
| Army officials of recruiting and replacement(Wehrersatzwesen) | Orange-red(Orange) (#ff8000) | ||
| Teaching staff (non-technical) atHeer academies(Lehrpersonal an Heeresschulen) | Light-brown(Hellbraun) | ||
| Officials of the "Reich´s court-martial"(Reichskriegsgericht) | Bordeaux red (#800032) | ||
