The First World War

Motorised Troops

In Dr Jürgen Kraus`s book ’’The Field-Grey Uniform of the German Forces 1907 – 1918’’ the interested reader can find exact descriptions of military-unit uniforms.

Clothing regulations about the later war-years can be found accompanying this composition.

The leather uniform for the courier is certainly the most interesting and conspicuous clothing factor in the motorised troops. This attirement was introduced in 1907, after several and varied attempts.

Interestingly, there was a leather field-grey coat-tail uniform worn in 1912. It had white crown-buttons, grey collar, grey with red-trimmed flaps with white braiding and mounted with a silver-plated automobile emblem[1]. Epaulettes also in field-grey leather with a bronze ‘K’.

We can see here the war-time military-driver uniform, which had been simplified. Practicality speaks for itself.

Shoulder board of the German motorised troops. Left one is a prussian Lieutenant, interestingly with a light blue back. The K is in Fieldgrey colour. Right one is a saxonian Lieutenant.

Leather being water- and windproof, it became the predominant functional clothing for the marine forces several decades later.

Both pictures from 1915 show that the driving-uniform also included a side-weapon. Because of the brown leather scabbard with the silver fittings it could be maintained that we can see a dagger in the drawing. But it could also easily be a long bayonet.