France French color insignia

[ccj]

Can anyone explain the winged bomb insignia on infantry, cavalry, engineer, and artillery officer collar tabs?

[Bison]

The winged bomb was a generic symbol for the Army, coming from Infantry and especially grenadiers (of the Guard). The distinctions stand on background colors and chevrons.

For infantry, the background was dark blue, with two red chevrons.

For artillery, the background was red, with two (or three) blue chevrons

For engineers, the background was black (on thick velvet!), with two (or three) red chevrons

For cavalry, it depense... for example, Hussards were on light blue with dark blue chevrons... Dragoons, Cuirassiers, Chasseurs were different.

Foreign Legion was on dark blue (sometimes black) with three green chevrons. And the winged bomb has its center empty, with seven flames.

And so on for all other services and sometimes some particular regiments.

It is a huge and complicated issue, because this changed often during the last two centuries.

Do not focus on the grenade -or winged bomb-, but on the colors and chevrons of the collar tab which are supposed to remember the main colors of the former uniforms which disapeared in the beginning of WW1.

[ccj]

Why would an officer wear the grenade (Winged bomb) on his tunic rather than a unit number? Would he be unassigned or a staff member or what?

I haver two or three Horizon blue tunics with this insignia, this one is infantry and the other two are artillery...

None have the chevrons to indicate branch or unit. The only way I can tell are the buttons.

[Bison]

As far as I know, there were no chevrons in the collar tabs in WW1 (To be confirmed). The code of chevrons came later, in the 20's, I think.

The grenade on the buttons = Infantry, for sure. Artillery has normally (?) two cannons crossed behind the grenade. But in these years of war, everything was possible, so consider my post only just as an advice... I am more confortable in awards and orders..

Regards

[ccj]

I've searched and can't find any literature stating the purpose of the use of the grenade on the collar tabs instead of the unit numbers.

I really don't find much on French militaria in english.

Edited December 22, 2008 by ccj

[ccj]

I've searched and can't find any literature stating the purpose of the use of the bolm on the collar tabs instead of the unit numbers.

I really don't find much on French militaria in english.

[ccj]

I've searched and can't find any literature stating the purpose of the use of the bolm on the collar tabs instead of the unit numbers.

I really don't find much on French militaria in english.

les grenades brodees en canetille sur les pattes de col indiquent la fonction d'officier d'etat-major, non brevete de l'ecole de guerre

I guess this mean the grenade is for non war college staff officer or non general staff officers attached to the staff of a unit hq