When Brown, When Black... then white?

[Chris Boonzaier]

I am having a bit of a problem figuring out who wore Brown and who wore black Belts? And who wore white ones (With the Bunte Rock)

I thought a prewar Bavarian soldier would have worn Brown, but have recently been informed they wore black.... so who wore brown??

Thanks

Chris

[Glenn J]

Chris,

generally speaking, the infantry of all contingents wore black waistbelts. There were some exceptions: the grenadier battalions of the guards infantry and line grenadier regiments wore white. 

Prussian and Saxon machine gun detachments wore brown waist belts, the Bavarians black. Jäger battalions wore black.

The mounted arms were a bit more varied according to contingent but apart from the Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde which wore brown, would wear white or black.

Regards

Glenn

 

 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Glenn,

thanks for that.

It is strange to think that in 1914 they marched out with black Belts, but brown ammo pouches, bino cases, map cases etc... and the soldiers had black leather but the officers brown?

 

BestChris

[Bayern]

Chris : With the Bunte Rock , only the prussian machine gunners and the Jager zu Pferde used to wear brown leather footwear and belts ammo pouchs and so on . With the introduction of the field grey uniform the use of brown leather items was generalized . so the men marched in 1914 with rather fauve than brown leather equipment , including belts . the officers went to battle with the leather and brocade feldbinbe . suspended of which carried the pistol into a brown leather holster , the binoculars and a map holster . the junior officers not mounted , carried in addition a small offiziere tornister at the back supported by leather straps . the colour was more fawn than brown . 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

Thanks!

I had missed the Fauve link by which you mean the dark natural leather?

Thanks

Chris

[Bayern]

Chris : fauve in french , fawn in english , leonado in spanish . designes a colour with various shades but generally a sort of light tan or a yellowish tan similar to the colour of the hair of the lion or the cougar . is the colour of the natural tanned leather . whose shade varies according with the process of tanning .