--- title: German Army url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/german-army-uniform-insignia-chart-1941/ description: 'Recognition chart of German Army uniforms: caps, four uniformed figures (colonel, captain, tank sergeant, corporal).' section: Collection --- 1. [Home](https://propagandaarchive.org/) 2. [Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/) 3. German Army [![German Army, 1941 US poster: Recognition chart of German Army uniforms](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/german-army-uniform-insignia-chart-1941.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/german-army-uniform-insignia-chart-1941.jpg) # German Army Recognition chart of German Army uniforms: caps, four uniformed figures (colonel, captain, tank sergeant, corporal), shoulder straps by rank with German and English names, collar patches and branch colors. It is reference material with no slogan; the technique is faint, a selective visual catalogue for identification. ## Propaganda techniques used in this poster [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/) ## Text on the object Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked ``` GERMAN ARMY UNIFORM CAP (Officers) (Not Generals) FIELD SERVICE (Officers) MOUNTAIN CAP FIELD SERVICE (Men) UNIFORM CAP (NCO's) COLONEL (General Staff) CAPTAIN (Artillery) SERGEANT (Tank Corps) CORPORAL (L Infantry) SHOULDER STRAPS OFFIZIERE (OFFICERS) GENERALFELDMARSCHALL (FIELD MARSHAL) GENERALOBERST (GENERAL) GENERAL (LIEUTENANT GENERAL) GENERALLEUTNANT (MAJOR GENERAL) GENERALMAJOR (BRIGADIER GENERAL) OBERST (COLONEL) OBERSTLEUTNANT (LIEUTENANT COLONEL) MAJOR (MAJOR) HAUPTMANN / RITTMEISTER(CAV, H ARTY) (CAPTAIN) OBERLEUTNANT (FIRST LIEUTENANT) LEUTNANT (SECOND LIEUTENANT) UNTEROFFIZIERE MIT PORTEPEE (SENIOR NCO's) STABSFELDWEBEL / STABSWACHTMEISTER (CAV, ARTY) (NONE) OBERFELDWEBEL / OBERWACHTMEISTER (MASTER SERGEANT) (Cont'd) UNTEROFFIZIERE MIT PORTEPEE (SENIOR NCO's) FELDWEBEL / WACHTMEISTER (CAV, ARTY) (FIRST SERGEANT) UNTEROFFIZIERE OHNE PORTEPEE (JUNIOR NCO's) UNTERFELDWEBEL / UNTERWACHTMEISTER (CAV, ARTY) (STAFF SERGEANT) UNTEROFFIZIER (SERGEANT) MANNSCHAFTEN (MEN) OBERGEFREITER (CORPORAL) less than / more than 6 yrs Service GEFREITER (LANCE CORPORAL) OBERSCHÜTZE (INF) / OBERKANONIER (ARTY) / OBERPIONIER (ENGRS) / OBERJÄGER (L INF) / OBERREITER (CAV) (PRIVATE FIRST CLASS) SCHÜTZE (INF) / KANONIER (ARTY) / PIONIER (ENGRS) / JÄGER (L INF) / REITER (CAV) (PRIVATE) COLLAR PATCHES GENERALS OFFICERS (Not Generals) MEN COLOR OF THE ARMS* INFANTERIE (INF) WHITE ARTILLERIE (ARTY) BRIGHT RED JÄGER (L INF) LIGHT GREEN KAVALLERIE (CAV) GOLD YELLOW PIONIERE (ENGRS) BLACK AUFKLÄRUNGSEINHEITEN (RCN UNITS) COPPER BROWN PANZER UND PANZERJÄGER EINHEITEN (TANK AND ANTI-TANK UNITS) ROSE *Shown in Piping on shoulder straps, collar patches, and caps. [imprint: [illegible] WAR DEPARTMENT, U. S. ARMY, WASHINGTON, D. C. [illegible]] ``` [← Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/generalissimo-madame-chiang-kai-shek-1941/) [Get an official O.P.A. tire inspection on your car today! →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/get-an-official-opa-tire-inspection-1941/) ## More propaganda examples that use the same techniques - [Fragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouches](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/abydos-king-list-ramesses-ii-temple-british-museum/) (New Kingdom Egypt · 0000 · Card stacking, Transfer) - [Behistun (Bisotun) rock relief and trilingual inscription of Darius I: the king, two attendants and the bound rebel leaders beneath the winged figure of Ahuramazda](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/behistun-relief-darius-and-rebels-521bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Card stacking, Name-calling, Testimonial). Content note: Shows bound captives before the king, and the inscription records the mutilation and public execution of rebel leaders, as the king's own account. - [Tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rustam: the king in relief beside his inscription DNa, c. 490 BCE](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/dna-inscription-darius-i-naqsh-e-rustam-490bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Testimonial, Card stacking) - [Line drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of Egypt](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/kadesh-relief-ramesseum-breasted-drawing-1275bce/) (New Kingdom Egypt · 0000 · Card stacking, Transfer). Content note: A drawing of an Egyptian royal battle relief showing Hittite soldiers and horses killed and drowned, as the king's monument presented the battle; it is a one-sided image made by the winning side's own account. - [Persepolis, Apadana staircase relief: a figure with an animal from a procession of delegations, early fifth century BCE](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/persepolis-apadana-delegate-relief-500bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Card stacking, Manufactured consensus) - [Alabaster relief, Assyrian troops storming a citadel, from Nineveh (reign of Sennacherib)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/relief-sennacherib-storming-citadel-nineveh-704bce/) (Neo Assyrian Empire · 0000 · Card stacking). Content note: An Assyrian palace relief of troops storming a fortified city, with a file of figures below; Assyrian royal reliefs and texts record killing, mutilation and deportation, shown as carved, with the historical context and scholarly dispute on the regime page. - [Colour lithograph of the Latin text of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti on the wall of the temple of Roma and Augustus at Ancyra, with the heading in large letters (Perrot, Guillaume and Delbet, 1872)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/lithograph-res-gestae-ancyra-heading-0014/) (Roman Empire · 0014 · Card stacking, Glittering generalities) - [Silver denarius of Vespasian, reverse IVDAEA with a trophy of arms and a seated mourning woman](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/denarius-vespasian-judaea-capta-0070/) (Roman Empire · 0070 · Card stacking). Content note: A Roman victory coin showing a mourning female figure as the personification of the conquered province of Judaea after the Roman suppression of the Jewish revolt; shown as struck, with the historical context on the regime page.