The official birthday of the German Panzerwaffe was October 15, 1935 when the first three panzer divisions were established. To set themselves apart, the uniform worn by tank crews was inspired by the Herzoglich Braunschweigisches Korps (Brunswick Ducal Corps) which was a mixed formation of infantry, Jägers (light infantry), and cavalry raised by the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Charles William Ferdinand in 1809. The unit was characterized by their black uniforms and use of the Braunschweiger Totenkopf (Brunswick Death’s Head [Skull]) and thus earned them the nickname Schwarze Schar (Black Horde). The Schwarze Schar, by 1866, became the Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.92 and Braunschweigisches Husaren Regiment Nr.17 and upon the German defeat in World War One in 1918, the “Black Horde” was disbanded.
Thusly inspired, the German panzer uniform was all black and used the Totenkopf on the collar tabs. The Waffenfarbe (Corps Colors) for panzer troops was pink and so the piping on the uniform seen in the photograph along the collars, on the shoulderboards, and surrounding the collar tabs was pink. The most distinctive piece of the uniform was the Schutzmütze, first issued in 1934. It appears as an oversize, floppy beret but in reality, the Schutzmütze main purpose was as a crash helmet. The beret portion of the Schutzmütze, which was removable, was made of black wool and formed the cover for the crash liner underneath. The liner was constructed of thick felt padding covered in black oil cloth. It also featured a leather sweatband and had six rubber lined ventilation holes. Featured prominently prior to World War Two, once the war began in 1939, the Schutzmütze fell into disuse and by 1940, had been officially replaced by a black wool version of the German Army’s Feldmütze (Field Service Cap) that the Army had been using since 1938.
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