Headdress Cockades

  
     



 

Almost all headgear worn by German officers and other ranks of the Schutztruppe and other overseas forces displayed a cockade in the imperial colours- black/white/red (from the outside inwards) in some format. These cockades varied in size and quality depending on the type of headgear worn and rank. While other ranks cockades were quite plain, privately purchased officers, senior NCOs and one year volunteers cockades were often more elaborate with white being replaced by white metal, the pattern of the cockade being raised or decorated and sometimes additional rings of colour added.

Small cockades were worn on the front of field caps worn by all branches of service, naval caps, tropical helmets worn by the Schutztruppe, Polizeitruppe and Seebatallione and on the Südwester hats of the South West African Landespolizei.

Large cockades with serrated edges were worn on the right hand side of the Schutztruppe Südwester hat, the East Asian Expeditionary Corps straw hat and the East Asian Occupation Brigade and Asienkorps tropical helmets.

Large imperial cockades were also worn under the right side chinstrap boss of the Pickelhaube and Jäger-style shako, when these items were worn. The spiked helmet or Pickelhaube was worn by East African Schutztruppe on home duties between 1891-96 and by East Asian troops. The Jäger -style shako was worn by East Asian Jäger and train troops and by the Seebatallione (although the Seebatallion shakos seem not to have the chinstrap boss cockade). Removable oval cockades were also worn on the front of Jäger-style shakos (and Uhlan Tschapkas and Hussar busbies in the regular imperial army).

Troops from the regular army (including the East Asian Expeditionary Corps, the Asienkorps and individual army officers seconded to colonies) wore state cockades in addition to the imperial cockade. These state cockades were worn below the imperial cockade on the field cap, Südwester and East Asian Expeditionary Corps straw hat. On the Pickelhaube and Jäger-style shako they were worn under the left hand side chinstrap boss. On Jäger-style shakos they also replaced the oval cockade worn on the front where applicable. The different colours for state cockades are described below. The Schutztruppe, Polizeitruppe, East Asian Occupation Brigade, Seebatallione and navy did not wear state cockades.

This page shows a selection of different cockades as worn by the German colonial and overseas troops. Please respect the owners' generosity in sharing these photos with us by not reproducing them without prior permission.
 

  
     

 

Large Other Ranks Imperial Cockade
 Note that the white painted ring has almost entirely worn off. This example is from an other ranks Südwester of the South West African Schutztruppe (see also Südwester Details Page).
Photo © Doppler Collection
  Large Privately Purchased Imperial Cockade
Note the higher quality pressing with a more elaborate design and that the white ring is here shown with polished white metal. This example is from an officers Südwester of the South West African Schutztruppe.
Photo © Doppler Collection
  Large Privately Purchased Imperial Cockade
Another large privately purchased imperial cockade. Note that the paint has largely worn off sections of the cockade and that the white ring is replaced with polished white metal, also note the additional rings of back and white before the red centre. This example is from a senior NCOs Südwester of the South West African Schutztruppe.
Photo © Doppler Collection
  Small Other Ranks Imperial Cockade
A small other ranks imperial cockade. This example is from an NCOs peaked field cap ("Schirmmütze") of one of the Seebatallione (see also Field Caps Details Page).
Photo © Doppler Collection
  Small Privately Purchased Imperial Cockade
A small privately purchased imperial cockade. Note the raised white metal central ring typical of private purchase cockades. This example is from an officers Südwester of the South West African Landespolizei.
Photo © Doppler Collection
  Small Privately Purchased Imperial Cockade
Another small privately purchased imperial cockade. Note that this example has the raised white metal ring but that it is painted white rather than left as polished bare metal. This example is shown on a  tropical helmet although the cockade itself may have been added at a later date.
Photo © Doppler Collection
  Small Privately Purchased Naval Cockade
Note that this cockade is embroidered, though not all naval cockades were embroidered, most were enamelled the same as seen on other examples on this page.
Photo of the Imperial War Museum Collection, London
  Oval Other Ranks Imperial Cockade
An oval imperial cockade worn on a Seebatallion Jäger-style shako. Note the additional ring of white between the black and red sections used on the oval version of the imperial cockade. This example is from an other ranks shako of one of the Seebatallione.

Officers oval imperial cockades had the white sections in white metallic lace and another white section inside the red centre. Oval state cockades were usually abbreviated into two colours- white/black for Prussia, white/blue for Bavaria, white/green for Saxony and black/red for Wurttemberg.
Photo of the Musée Royale de l'Armée Collection, Brussels
  Large Other Ranks Imperial Pickelhaube Cockade
A large imperial cockade worn under the right hand side chinstrap boss of a Pickelhaube. This example is from an other ranks Pickelhaube of the Alsace-Lorraine Gendarmerie.
Photo © Adrien M
  Small Other Ranks Prussian Cockade
The colours of the Prussian cockade were black/white/black. Note its positioning on the hatband below the imperial cockade. This example is from an other ranks peakless field cap ("Krätzchen") from the 137th Prussian Infantry Regiment of the imperial German army.
Photo © Kaisers Bunker
  Small Privately Purchased Bavarian Cockade
The colours of the Bavarian cockade were white/blue/white. Note that this example is a private purchase item usually worn by officers, senior NCOs and one year volunteers and as such shows greater detail and the use of white metal rather than white paint. This example is from an other ranks peakless field cap from the 1st Bavarian Chevauleger Regiment of the imperial German army.
Photo © Kaisers Bunker
  Small Other Ranks Saxon Cockade
The colours of the Saxon cockade were white/green/white. This example is from an other ranks peakless field cap from the 19th or 20th Saxon Hussar Regiments of the imperial German army.
Photo © Kaisers Bunker
  Small Other Ranks Württemberg Cockade
The colours of the Württemberg cockade were black/red/black. This example is from an other ranks peakless field cap from the 20th Württemberg Uhlan Regiment of the imperial German army.
Photo © Kaisers Bunker
  Small Privately Purchased Baden Reservist Cockade
The colours of the Baden cockade were usually yellow/red/yellow, though this privately purchased reserve officers' cockade seems to have omitted the central yellow in favour of a yellow metal Landwehr cross- a device often displayed by Reserve, Landwehr and Landsturm units. This example is from an officers peaked field cap from the 20th Baden Dragoon Regiment of the imperial German army.
The cockade colours of the smaller German states (such as Hessen, Mecklenburg, Brunswick etc) are fully described by many sources including the excellent Kaiser's Bunker website. Although the smaller states are not known to have provided contingents for the East Asian Expeditionary Corps or the Asienkorps at least one reserve officer from Anhalt was seconded to the African colonies. His tropical helmet has been photographed in "Tropenhelme der kaiserliche Marine, der Ostasiatischen Truppen und der Schutzruppen" by Ulrich Schiers. The Anhalt cockade was green all over though still in three bands, in this case again with a reservist's Landwehr cross superimposed. 
Photo © Kaisers Bunker
     

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