The Army
The Infantry - The Uniforms of Generals and Staff Officers - (Cont'd)
Flugel-Adjutanten wore similar uniforms to those noted directly on the prior page but with silver Litzen, aiguillettes and buttons.
The Aide-de-Camps, the Adjutantur-Offiziere again wore the blue foot service uniforms or the white cavalry dress. Their blue KOllet had Swedish cuffs. The collar and cuffs were faced in bright green velvet and the coat tail turnbacks were red. On the white Kollet the facing were all piped in green until the end of 1812, when the collars and cuffs were covered in green velvet. In 1814 a Polish cuff was introduced onto the uniform and with it came gold lace that was added to the collars and cuffs of the blue tunic; at the same time, the white cavalry uniform was abolished.
Hussar officers who took up staff appaointments for which there was not a specific uniform, were required to wear their regimental Liebrock, dark blue with collar and cuffs in the dolman colour. This was to be worn with a cocked hat, but frequently, this instruction was ignored and they continued to wear the distinctive dress of their arm.
Officers of the General staff and the War Ministry wore the uniform of a Flugel-Adjatant but with crimson collars and cuffs. On the white uniform, these facings were coloured scarlet.
NCO's rank lace - The different patterns of lace in use drawn as if mounted on the pre-1814 collar:
(A) Line Units, (B) Guard Units, (C) Landwehr, (D) Landwehr variation.
The Infantry - Non Commissioned Officers
These grades were distinguished by gold or silver lace, corresponding to the button colours; that was sewn to the upper edges of the collar and cuffs; prior to 1813, this collar lace was sewn to the lower edge. The Landwehr had an NCO's lace that was coloured black and white.
All NCO's wore special black and white mixed Troddeln. On the black or white parade Busch, the top quarter was always in the opposite colour, white over black or vice-versa.
An UNteroffizier was distinguished by the details noted above. A Feldwebel additionally carried a cane looped from the second button on the Kollet. Senior NCO's wore the NCO's uniform but carried an officer's sword and sword knot. NCO's in colour guards were armed with a pike.
Fahnrich
This was a title given to an aspirant officer who had to serve a period of time in the ranks. They wore an NCO's uniform with an officers sword and sword knot.
Officers
Apart from the obvious differences of uniform, officers were distinguished in three ways. They were armed with a sword to which was attached a silver and black mixed sword knot; around their waists they wore a silver and black net sash and on their shoulders they carried either shoulder straps or epaulettes which indicated their status.
Officers fell into four distinct rank groupings and within each group there was no attempt to indicate a specific rank see Table 9 below:
General Officers were not ditinguished by insignia of rank, only by a General's uniform.
The insignia of the other three groups was complicated owing to the fact that between 1808 and 1815 there were three different systems in use. Shoulder straps coloured as for the men, piped in red and decorated with black-trimmed silver lace, were worn up to 1814. From mid-1814, however, epaulettes were introduced. These eventually replaced the shoulder straps. They were topped as for the other rank's shoulder straps and were trimmed with the silver/black lace, the metal crescent and fringe being in the button colour.
