A collar tab question...

[McCulloh]

I am wondering... why collar tabs? Not Lintzen, which denotes elite units, but tabs? I would conject that the tabs on greatcoats were used for NCOs-but what about in other cases? What ranks/units do they denote?
Thanks...

[McCulloh]

another example...

[McCulloh]

...what exactly did they mean?

[McCulloh]

...and another-Brunswickers...

[McCulloh]

...even Seba wore them...

[Tony & Kaiser]

These cloth colored patches (top photo) were worn on the collars of the M1894 and M1904 Mantel (Greatcoat) up to (I believe?) the Model 1915 where they were no longer used. The officers in your other photos are wearing Litewka or (?) a Kliener Rock, which used collar patches right to the end of the war. Here is a photo of a Sachsen (Saxon) Infantry Regt 107 M1904 example of a Mannschaft (Other Ranks) Greatcoat. Tony

[Dave Mosher]

Other Ranks greatcoat collar tabs

Here is a simplified primer on other ranks 1908 greatcoat tabs:

All infantry formations wore red tabs except Regiments 146, 148,152,154,156, 158,160,162,164,166,171,173,175 wore white; Regiment 150 wore lemon yellow and Regiment 151 wore lt. blue. A single chord on the tab is for NCOs and have the state color in the braid (see Tony's example above). Two chords would be used for a feldwebel.

Other formations wore different color collar tabs and generally, they are black for techical troops (artillery, pioneer, telegrapher, flieger, etc) except for saxon artillery and pioneere, who wore red. Train units wore light blue tabs except for saxons who wore black. Jaegers: prussians wore red, bavarians wore grass green, and saxons wore black. The guard and specialty units wore litzen on the tabs and the NCO braid was worn parallel to the litzen.

Cavalry formations are a little simpler. Kurassiers, dragoons, uhlans and chevaulegers wore collar tabs in the same color as their uniform collar facings and cuffs. JzP wore green tabs. The colors in husar greatcoat tabs correspond to the bag color on their busbys.

[Dave Mosher]

Officer's kleiner rocks

The officer's pictures you posted look like they are wearing a 1915 kleiner rock as Tony stated. Officers had worn a very similar "working tunic" called a litewka from about 1903. The litewka had all mannner of color combinations and permutations with regards to the collar tabs and the pipings on the tunic. The kleiner rock simplified this drastically, by uniformly utilizing red piping on the tunic and using standard formation colors on the tabs.

Now, all infantry wore white tabs(guard units were also piped), field artillery wore red tabs (guard units were also piped), foot artillery tabs wore golden yellow tabs, pioneers wore black velvet tabs piped in red, train wore blue tabs. Doctors wore blue tabs piped in red.

For cavalry formations; kurassiers wore white tabs piped their regimental colors, dragoons wore blue tabs piped in their regimental colors, uhlans wore red tabs piped in their regimental colors, JzP wore green tabs piped in their regimental colors and husars wore collar tabs that corresponded to the top color of their undress caps and the cap band of their feldgrau feldmutzes.

The color of these tabs in the kleiner rocks above matched the base color piping of the shoulder boards (bottom underlay of double and triple piping). The buttons on the tab correspond to the button color on the tunic, either silver or tombac.

Obviously, there are exceptions, but I hope this would take care of most of the typical formations you might have questions on.

Regards

Dave

[Tony & Kaiser]

I hope this would take care of most of the typical formations you might have questions on.

Not just McCulloh. I printed both as a ref; great summary!

[McCulloh]

Hey!! Thanks very much! Now I know. What a great forum.