Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The History of Black Panzer Uniform

With an effective date of 12 November 1934, special-purpose clothing was authorized for service on German armored vehicles. It was designed to replaced the previous special-purpose uniform worn by the motorized forces. The branch-of-service color chosen for the new branch was rose pink. The branch-of-service color appeared along the edge of the jacket collar (later discarded), around the collar patches, on the shoulder straps (enlisted personnel) and as underlay on the boards (officers). The crash helmet/beret had only national insignia on it, but the field cap for both officers and enlisted, whether in field gray or black, had branch-of-service piping on it as well (also later officially discarded). Initially, both the field jacket and the crash helmet/beret combination had no national insignia. Effective 11 November 1935, the national insignia started to be worn on both items.


Source:
 "Panzers in the Sand: The History of Panzer-Regiment 5" by Bernd Hartmann 
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Chassis of Panzer I for Driver's Training

Chassis of a Panzer I used for driver’s training at the Zossen Training Area. Zossen Training Area placed great demands on the driving skills of students, who referred to the area as the “waves of the Danube.” During this period, the first chassis of what was to become the Panzer I arrived for driver’s training. As a deception measure, the vehicles were referred to as "agricultural tractors"!


Source:
"Panzers in the Sand: The History of Panzer-Regiment 5" by Bernd Hartmann