Feldgrau

Feldgrau
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4D5D53
sRGBB (r, g, b)	(77, 93, 83)
HSV (h, s, v)	(56°, 7%, 14%)
Source	Mindjunker
	B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte);

Feldgrau of the Wehrmacht (Stalingrad 1942)

Service dress in Hellgrau (German Bundeswehr)

Feldgrau (field-grey) has been the official basic color of military uniforms of the German armed forces from the early 20th century until 1945 or 1989 respectively. However, according to the color code there was no exact scientific definition, so slightly different grey tinctures were possible. Armed forces of other countries selected slight variations or shades of that color according to the German Feldgrau. Metaphorically, feldgrau used to refer to the armies of Germany (the Imperial German Army and the Heer [en: ground forces, or army] component of the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht).

Abstracts

Colloquially, today feldgrau means plainly the color of the German uniform, especially for World War II, but also for the East German National People's Army, under the description steingrau (stone-grey). Feldgrau was introduced to the Austrian Bundesheer in line to the German pattern as well.

By World War I the color feldgrau was a light grey-green, though there is no specific color, rather a color range of greys to browns, that was one of the first standardized uniforms suitable to the age of smokeless gunpowder.

History

In 1910 the so-called field-grey peace uniform (feldgraue Friedensuniform), with colored cuffs, facings, shoulder straps and gorgets was disposed by decree in Prussia, followed by all other German countries and armies, last by the Bavarian Army in April 1916. Formerly most infantry regiments in the German Imperial Army wore "Prussian blue" tunics, although Bavarian units had light blue and jägers dark green. Cavalry uniforms were of a wide range of colours. With the adoption of field-grey the bright coloured uniforms were reserved for parade and off-duty wear until the outbreak of war in 1914.

Simultaneously it characterised the end of a variety of different colored uniforms in German states. With that new unique “field-grey peace uniform” the Deutsches Heer started military campaigns in World War I.

Other countries selected feldgrau as the basic color for uniforms, shoulder straps, sleeve insignia, or pieces of equipment etc. as well. So was feldgrau introduced by the Swedish Armed Forces in 1923 in line to the German pattern.

Other countries today

Austria

Austrian service cap in Hechtgrau (pike-grey)

Austrian uniform color

In 1909 the Austro-Hungarian Army adopted the pike-grey (Hechtgrau) as the colour of the field service uniform of its infantry, artillery, engineers and transport units. Previously it had been reserved for Jaeger and Landwehr regiments. Following the outbreak of World War I the light blue-grey shade of Hechtgrau proved unsuited for campaigning in Europe and from 1915 onwards the grey-green feldgrau was substituted.

With the formation of the Austrian 1st Federation's Armed Forces in 1929, there was a close orientation to Germany. For instance the feldgrau uniform (providing some camouflage features) and the corps colors of rank insignia adopted. However, slightly different grey shades were possible as well.

Today, in accordance with national traditions, the textile color of the Austrian 2nd Federation's Armed Forces is named feldgrau (also braungrau [en: brown-grey] - uniform jacket), and steingrau (also steingrau-oliv (stone-grey-olive), or more popularly NATO-oliv (NATO-olive) uniform trousers).

Chile

The Chilean Army also wears a full dress uniform in feldgrau.

Finland

The current dress uniform of the Finnish Army (M/83) is a grey inform patterned after the German 1944 uniform. Finnish Army has used grey uniforms since its founding in 1918. M/83 and its equally grey predecessors were used as the common service uniform up to the 1980s, with camouflage (M/62) used only in the field uniform. Today, the common service uniform is a camouflage uniform (M/62, M/91 or M/05).

Sweden

The Swedish Armed Forces used a very similar color for infantry uniforms, for example the grey m/39 and later on grey-green as the German ones. The last uniform to use the color was the woollen m/58 winter uniform.

Shades of grey

The table below shows some shades of grey in line to the rough RAL colors

Number	CIELAB L*	CIELAB a*	CIELAB b*	German name	English name	Description and examples
#5d5d3d (HTML-code)				Feldgrau	Field grey	Basic color Feldgrau of the Reichsheer and Reichswehr 1907–1935
#4D5D53				Feldgrau	Field grey	Basic color of the Wehrmacht 1937–1945
#555548				Steingrau	Stone grey	Basic color of the GDR National People's Army 1956–1989
RAL 7000	58.32	−3.14	−4.71	Fehgrau	Squirrel grey	surface camouflage paint to vessels of the Deutschen Marine
RAL 7008	45.91	3.34	17.92	Khakigrau	Khaki grey	original name: Graugrün (Grey green)
RAL 7009	43.19	−2.43	3.87	Grüngrau	Green grey	original name: Feldgrau Nr.2 (Field grey No.2)
RAL 7013	39.21	0.59	6.33	Feldgrau/Steingrau	Field grey/Stone grey	Austrian Bundesheer
RAL 7016	33.84	−1.33	−2.83	Anthrazitgrau	Anthracite grey	Added for use by the Wehrmacht
RAL 7021	30.65	−0.43	−1.22	Schwarzgrau	Black grey	1937 added for use by the Wehrmacht under the name Dunkelgrau (dark grey)
RAL 7037	30.65	−0.43	−1.22	Staubgrau	Dust grey	since 1956 used by the German Bundeswehr under the Hellgrau (light grey)

References

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