David A. Suter for Wehrmacht-Awards.com
LATIN LETTERS
There are devices listed in this section that I doubt ever existed. Take, for example, the 'Fp'. While there are examples of
this device pictured in the Gothic Letters Section, I have yet to see one produced in Latin letters. My explanation for this phenomenon - and
their being listed in here - is contained in the Introduction. Of particular interest in this section are the magnificent one-of-a-kind Groβdeutschland
examples graciously provided by my friend Colonel Scott Pritchett.
|
Letter |
Branch Color |
Designation |
A |
lemon yellow |
Signal Intelligence Unit Instituted 26 May 1941. Replaced by Gothic 'A' 24 Jul 1942.
|
|
A + no. |
white, pink, green |
Headquarters of an Army |
|
A + no. |
cornflower blue |
Medical Detachment of an Army |
|
A + no. |
light blue |
Supply Troops of an Army |
|
A + R. num. |
red |
Artillery Division Commander |
|
Abw |
white |
Counter Intelligence Detachment |
|
AK (+ no.) |
red |
Army-level Artillery Commander |
|
AS |
red |
Artillery School |
|
AS |
light brown |
Artillery School Training Department D |
|
AS + no. |
various |
Army Weapons School |
|
B + no. |
white |
Army Group Commander of Rear Area Created 30 April 1941. |
|
B + no. |
pink |
Headquarters of Armour Brigade |
|
B + no. |
carmine |
Headquarters of Rocket Brigade |
|
B + no. |
black |
Headquarters of Railroad Engineer Brigade, Engineer Bridge Construction Battalion |
|
B + no. |
light blue |
POL Supply Unit |
|
BK + no. |
black |
Bridge Column |
|
D |
lemon yellow |
Signal Interpreter Replacement Unit Replaced 26 May 1941 by the Gothic 'A'. |
|
E + no. |
red |
Railroad Artillery Unit |
|
E + no. |
black |
Railroad Construction or Engineer Unit Created 1 July 1940.
|
|
EB + no. |
white |
Railway Security Staff |
|
ES + no. |
white |
Railway Security Section Staff |
|
E + spade/ax |
black |
Railway Construction Battalion |
|
F + No. |
black |
Fortress Construction Battalion Created 3 December 1940. |
|
FG (i) |
white |
Fϋhrer Grenadier Unit Created 16 September 1943. |
|
FG + no. |
white |
Field Convalescence Unit |
|
Fj |
white |
Corps of Military Police Introduced 25 December 1943. |
|
FK + no. |
black |
Fortress Engineer Commander |
|
FLsT + no. |
light blue |
Front Control Station |
|
FN |
lemon yellow |
High Command Signal Unit |
|
Fp |
red, lemon yellow |
Supplementary Officers of Corps of Fortress Engineers |
|
Fp + no. |
black |
Fortress Engineer Staff Latin letters indicate a unit that was created at mobilization. |
|
FP |
lemon yellow |
Field Postal Service Soldier
|
|
FP |
dark green + lemonyellow secondary |
Field Postal Service Official (Beamte) On 22 January 1944 NCOs and privates were transferred to soldier status.
Diane Schreiber |
|
FW + R. num. |
white |
Fortress Basic Organization |
|
Fz |
red, orange |
Ordnance Personnel, Supplementary Officer of Ordnance Unit |
|
Fz (+ no.) |
red, orange |
Ordnance Unit, Ammunition Administration Unit Use of the number was abolished on 13 August 1944. |
G |
white |
Military Commander of Government General (Generalgouvernment), Army Group Headquarters. |
|
GD (i) |
various |
Groβdeutschland Unit Introduced 20 June 1939, with an effective date of 15 September.
|
|
GFP |
of basic unit |
Secret Field Police Auxiliary Personnel |
|
GFP |
dark green + light blue secondary |
Secret Field Police |
|
Gz + E, O, S |
white |
Headquarters for Border Troops E = Eifel; O = Oberrhein; S = Saarpfalz. Insignia introduced 15 February 1939. |
|
H |
lemon yellow |
General Headquarters Signal Unit |
|
H + no. |
black |
Engineer Sound Locator Platoon |
|
HAK + no. |
pink |
Senior Artillery Commander |
|
HF (+ no.) |
black |
Senior Engineer Leader |
|
HF + no. |
lemon yellow |
Senior Signal Leader |
|
HK + no. |
black |
Senior Engineer Commander |
|
HK + no. |
light blue |
Senior Commander of Supply Troops |
|
HV |
dark green, + various secondary |
Official Prior to 21 May 1940 various secondary colors were used, along with gold devices for officers. Officer rank boards with white metal devices (on other than grey Neberfarbe) indicates a Reserve Official.
|
|
HV |
dark green + grey secondary |
Official After 21 Mar 1940 all Officials used a grey secondary color and silver / white devices.
|
|
I (+ no.) |
light blue |
Army Supply Inspector |
|
I + R. num. |
white |
Infantry Division Commander |
|
ILF + no. |
black |
Inspectorate of Fortresses |
|
IS |
white |
Infantry School |
|
K + no. |
pink |
Headquarters of Local Garrison |
|
K + no. |
white |
Army Rear Area Commander |
|
K + no. |
golden yellow |
Headquarters of Cavalry Division |
|
K + no. |
red |
Coastal Artillery Unit |
|
K + no. |
lemon yellow |
Field Signals Regional Headquarters Instituted 23 May 1941. |
|
KA |
crimson |
War Academy
|
|
KE |
white |
Eifel Area Fortress Headquarters Created 1 July 1940. |
|
KF + no. |
light blue |
Motor Transport Unit |
|
KG + no. |
white |
Prisoner of War Unit Cadre Personnel |
|
KM |
orange |
Supplementary Officer of the Reichskriegsministeriu
|
|
KO |
white |
Fortress of Oberrhein Area Headquarters Created 1 July 1940. |
|
KS |
golden yellow |
Cavalry School |
|
KT + no. |
light blue |
Motor Vehicle Transport Unit |
|
L + no. |
white |
Regional Defense Battalion
|
|
L + no. |
light brown, black |
Reserve Construction Battalion Effective 11 October 1943 the branch color changed from brown to black and the units were transferred to the Engineer arm. This was done as recognition for performance in battle. |
|
L + spade/ax/ no. |
black |
Reserve Engineer Construction Unit |
|
MV + no. |
light blue |
Ammunition Administration Unit |
|
N + no. |
light blue |
Supply Unit |
|
NG + no. |
light blue |
Mountain Carrier Battalion, Mountain Motor Vehicle Column |
|
NR + no. |
light blue |
Regional Supply Headquarters |
|
NS + no. |
light blue |
Rail Transport Platoon |
|
NT + no. |
light blue |
Sumpter (Pack Horse / Mule) Animal Column |
|
OK + H or W |
orange |
Officers of the OKH (Army Command) or OKW (Armed Forces Command) |
|
P + no. |
light blue |
Construction and Engineer Park Battalions |
|
PS |
black |
Engineer School |
|
Pz |
orange |
Supplementary Officer of Armored Troops |
|
Pz + no. |
lemon yellow |
Panzer Army Signals Regiment |
|
R + no. |
black |
Engineer Regiment Headquarters |
|
RW |
orange |
Reichswehrministerium Supplementary Officer |
|
S + no. |
white |
Security Regiment, Battalion Created 30 March 1940. |
|
S + no. |
red |
Special Artillery |
|
S + no. |
carmine |
Rocket Troops Special Command |
|
SF + no. |
black |
Snow Milling Platoon |
|
SR + no. |
black |
Snowplow Unit |
|
St + no. |
white |
Army Patrolling Service |
|
T |
dark green + lemon yellow secondary |
Special Signal Personnel |
|
T + no. |
black |
Technical Troops Introduced as a branch of service in May 1941. The insignia was introduced 10 January 1944. (On 16 May 1944 an order was issued that embroidery was to be done in light grey thread, once existing stocks of colored yarn were used up. That's the most likely explanation for the slip tab not being done in black thread.)
|
|
T + no. |
light blue |
Wood Supply Detachment for Motor Vehicles |
|
TG + no. |
black |
Technical Gases Platoon |
|
TK + no. |
black |
Power Station Railway Company
|
|
Tr + no. |
black |
Transport Service Units, Agencies |
|
TS + no. |
white |
Transport Security Unit |
|
V + no. |
red |
Mapping Agency |
|
V + no. |
light blue |
Food and Clothing Supply Unit |
|
VB + no. |
light blue |
Welfare Facilities Operating Unit, Soldier Club Operating Staff |
|
VH |
red |
Testing Command Hillersleben Effective 31 March 1938. |
|
VK |
red |
Testing Command Kummersdorf Effective 31 March 1938. |
|
W |
white |
Guard Battalion Vienna Introduced 7 September 1938. |
|
W + no. |
black |
Field Waterways Detachment |
|
W + no. |
light blue |
Operations Company |
|
W + R. num. |
white |
Headquarters of Military Area, or Recruiting Office Effective 1 October 1939. Before that date, the waffenfarbe was orange, with a Roman numeral. The number indicates the Military Area (Wehr-kries).
|
|
WB + no. |
light brown |
POW Construction and Labor Battalion Worn in Bohemia and Moravia only, and only by privates and NCOs. |
|
Z + no. |
pink |
Tank Destroyer Battalion |
All
pictures from the David A. Suter collection unless otherwise noted.
Text and Content David A. Suter, Layout Sebastian Bianchi.
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