History

The headgear, uniforms, and insignia worn by members of the Kriegsmarine were based upon the designs utilized by the Kaiserliche Marine and the Reichsmarine. The official regulations governing the uniforms of the Reichsmarine were issued on April 5, 1921, and they were embraced, with a few alterations, as the Kriegsmarine uniforms in 1935. New guidelines concerning rank insignia were issued in 1936.

The cap band tally ribbon (Mützenband) was worn on the Kriegsmarine Sailor’s Cap.

The Sailor’s Cap was associated with the blue service uniform, and it was primarily worn by Kriegsmarine personnel who held the rank of Junior Non-Commissioned Officer or Private. It was also worn by Kriegsmarine Cadets during the Second World War.

In 1919, the cap band tallies featured the name of the wearer’s unit or ship in Latin script. In 1929, the script used on the tallies was changed to Gothic. Initially, all numbers on the tally were written in a Roman style, but they were changed to the Arabic style in 1935.

In November 1938, a standardized cap band tally policy was introduced via the Navy Mobilization Order, wherein all inscriptions except “KRIEGSMARINE” were barred from placement on new cap band tallies. This change was meant to make it easier to quickly mobilize the Kriegsmarine. In September 1939, all other peacetime tally variations were removed from circulation, but personnel who had no chance of being seen could continue to wear their non-regulation tallies.

The cap band tallies were generally composed of silk or rayon, and the gold-coloured letters were originally made of gilt bullion. Due to the oxidization of the gilt metal thread in the sea air, the thread was changed to machine-woven (BeVo style) rayon, cotton, or artificial silk thread via an order in October 1936. The ends of the ribbon were deliberately cut on an angle to produce the “swallow-tail” appearance when worn on a Sailor’s Cap.

The ribbons that were purchased privately tend to be longer in total length.

The cap band tallies worn by Kriegsmarine personnel within Navy Preparatory Schools had the name of the school woven in a blue-coloured or black thread on the cap band tally.

There is a great deal of variation in the pre-Second World War cap band tallies and their inscriptions. For tallies used by the Reichsmarine, see the Weimar Republic folder. The following list will give an approximation of the tallies confirmed to have been worn between 1930 and 1939.

Reich War Ministry:
OBERKOMMANDO DER KRIEGSMARINE

Navy communication centres:
MARINENACHRICHTENABTEILUNG
MARINENACHRICHTENSTELLE followed by these designations: BORKUM, BÜLK, CUXHAVEN, DÜSTERNBROOK, FLENSBURG, FRIEDRICHSORT, KIEL, LIST, MARIENLEUCHTE, MITTE, NEUMÜNSTER, PILLAU, STOLPMÜNDE, STRALSUND, SÜD, SWINEMÜNDE, WILHELMSHAVEN

Commands of navy stations in the North and Baltic Sea:
MARINEGENESUNGSHEIM HOLST. SCHWEIZ
MARINELEHRWERKSTATT followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN
MARINENACHRICHTENMITTELERPROBUNGSKOMMANDO KIEL (also possibly MARINENACHRICHTENMITTELVERSUCHSKOMMANDO KIEL)
1. SCHIFFSSTAMMABTEILUNG 1. (with numbers 1 through 24)
1. SCHIFFSSTAMMABTEILUNG DER NORDSEE (with numbers 1 through 4)
1.A. SCHIFFSSTAMMDIVISION DER NORDSEE 1.A.
2.A. SCHIFFSSTAMMDIVISION DER NORDSEE 2.A.
1. SCHIFFSSTAMMABTEILUNG DER OSTSEE (with numbers 1 through 4)
1.A. SCHIFFSSTAMMDIVISION DER OSTSEE 1.A.
2.A. SCHIFFSSTAMMDIVISION DER OSTSEE 2.A
STATIONSTENDER NIXE
STATIONSTENDER NORDSEE

Navy schools and inspections of the navy artillery:
KÜSTENARTILLERIESCHULE
MARINEFLUGABWEHRSCHULE
MARINEGASSCHUTZSCHULE
MARINENACHRICHTENSCHULE, either on its own, or followed by these designations: AURICH, MÜRWICK
MARINESANITÄTSSCHULE
MARINESCHULE followed by these designations: FRIEDRICHSORT, KIEL, MÜRWICK, WESERMÜNDE
MARINESPORTSCHULE
1. MARINEUNTEROFFIZIERSLEHRABTEILUNG 1. (with numbers 1 through 3)
1. MARINE UNTEROFFIZIERSSCHULE 1. (with numbers 1, 2, and 4; number 3 is possible, but has yet to be encountered)
SCHIFFSARTILLERIESCHULE
SPERRSCHULE
SPERRSCHULFLOTTILLE
STEUERMANNSCHULE
TORPEDOSCHULE
UNTERSEEBOOTSSCHULE
MARINE VORSCHULE BERLIN

Submarine testing personnel (worn until 1936):
ERPROBUNGSKOMMANDO FÜR UNTERSEEBOOTE

Blockade weapons units:
SPERRABTEILUNG
SPERRKOMMANDO
SPERRVERSUCHSKOMMANDO

Navy hospitals:
MARINELAZARETT followed by these designations: CUXHAVEN, KIEL-WIK, MÜRWICK, PILLAU, SWINEMÜNDE, WILHELMSHAVEN

Armoured ships:
PANZERSCHIFF followed by these designations: ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE, DEUTSCHLAND, ADMIRAL SCHEER
SCHLACHTSCHIFF followed by these designations: BISMARCK, GNEISENAU, SCHARNHORST, TIRPITZ

Liners:
LINIENSCHIFF followed by these designations: SCHLESIEN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, ZÄHRINGEN

Cruisers:
KREUZER followed by these designations: ADMIRAL HIPPER, BLÜCHER, EMDEN, KÖLN, KÖNIGSBERG, KARLSRUHE, LEIPZIG, NÜRNBERG, PRINZ EUGEN

Survey ships:
VERMESSUNGSSCHIFF METEOR

Marking ships:
1. PEILBOOT 1. (with numbers 1 through 5)

Sailing school ships:
SEGELSCHULSCHIFF followed by these designations: GORCH FOCK, HORST WESSEL, (ALBERT) LEO SCHLAGETER
possibly SEGELSCHULBOOT GUD-WIN

Ships protecting fisheries:
FISCHEREISCHUTZBOOT followed by these designations: ELBE, WESER

Destroyers:
1. ZERSTÖRERDIVISION 1. (with numbers 1 through 6)
After 1938: ZERSTÖRER followed by these designations: ANTON SCHMITT, BERND VON ARNIM, BRUNO HEINEMANN, DIETHER VON ROEDER, ERICH GIESE, ERICH KOELLNER, ERICH STEINBRINCK, FRIEDRICH ECKHOLD, FRIEDRICH IHN, GEORG THIELE, HANS LODY, HANS LÜDEMANN, HERMANN KÜNNE, HERMANN SCHOEMANN, KARL GALSTER, LEBRECHT MAASS, MAX SCHULTZ, PAUL JACOBI, RICHARD BEITZEN, THEODOR RIEDEL, WILHELM HEIDKAMP, WOLFGANG ZENKER

Torpedo flotillas:
1. TORPEDOBOOTSHALBFLOTTILLE 1. (with numbers 1 through 4)
1. TORPEDOBOOTSFLOTTILLE 1. (with numbers 1 through 6)

Submarine flotillas:
U-BOOTSBEGLEITSCHIFF followed by these designations: ERWIN WASSNER, OTTO WÜNSCHE, SAAR, WALDEMAR KOPHAMEL, WILHELM BAUER
UNTERSEEBOOTSFLOTTILLE followed by these designations: EMSMANN, HUNDIUS, LOHS, SALZWEDEL, WEGENER, WEDDINGEN
UNTERSEEBOOTSTENDER followed by these designations: D. HERTHA, D. ODIN, DONAU, HAVEL, ISAR, LECH, MEMEL, MOSEL, WARRNOW, WEICHSEL

Navy leader ships:
FÜHRERBOOT DES followed by these designations: F.d.M., B.d.M., B.d.U., B.d.T., B.d.Z.

Minesweeper and convoy flotillas:
1. GELEITHALBFLOTTILLE 1.
2. GELEITHALBFLOTTILLE 2.
1. GELEITFLOTTILLE 1.
2. GELEITFLOTTILLE 2.
1. MINENSUCHHALBFLOTTILLE 1.
2. MINENSUCHHALBFLOTTILLE 2.
1. MINENSUCHFLOTTILLE 1.
2. MINENSUCHFLOTTILLE 2.
16. MINENSUCHFLOTTILLE 16. (other numbers may have existed, but have yet to be encountered)

Torpedo boats:
TORPEDOBOOT with the following designations: ALBATROS, FALKE, GREIF, ILTIS, JAGUAR, KONDOR, LEOPARD, LUCHS, MÖWE, SEEADLER, TIGER, WOLF

Small vessel flotillas:
1. RÄUMBOOTSHALBFLOTTILLE 1.
2. RÄUMBOOTSHALBFLOTTILLE 2.
1. RÄUMBOOTSFLOTTILLE 1. (with numbers 1 through 7, 9, and 17. Additional numbers may have existed, but have yet to be encountered)
R-BOOTSBEGLEITSCHIFF followed by these designations: BROMMY, NETTELBECK, RAULE, VON DER GRÖBEN, ZIETEN
The following tallies may have existed, but have yet to be encountered:
SCHNELLBOOTBEGLEITSCHIFF followed by these designations: ADOLF LÜDERITZ, CARL PETERS, HERMANN VON WISSMANN, NACHTIGAL, TANGA
S-BOOTBEGLEITSCHIFF TSINGTAU or S-BEGLEITSCHIFF TSINGTAU

Artillery school ships:
ARTILLERIESCHULBOOT followed by these designations: DELPHIN, DRACHE, FUCHS, HAI, JAGUAR, JUNGMANN, ULAN. The following may have existed, but have yet to be encountered: BREMSE, BRUMMER, CARL ZEISS, LUDWIG PREUSSER, MARS

Tenders:
FLOTTENTENDER followed by these designations: GAZELLE, HAI, HECHT, HELA, JAGD, SAAR, TSINGTAU, ZIETEN
STATIONSJACHT NIXE
STATIONSTENDER FRAUENLOB

Test ships:
VERSUCHSBOOT followed by these designations: ACHERON, ARKONA, CLAUS VON BEVERN, GRILLE, NAUTILUS, NIBELUNG, OTTO BRAUN, PELIKAN, SCHILBUNG, STÖRTEBECKER, STRAHL, SUNDERWALL
VERSUCHSSCHIFF ALBERICH

Sailing ships:
SEGELJACHT followed by these designations: ASTA; ORION
SEGELSCHONER DUHNEN

Navy artillery units:
1. MARINEARTILLERIEABTEILUNG 1. (with numbers 1 through 6)

Navy replacement units:
1. MARINEERGÄNZUNGSABTEILUNG 1.
2. MARINEERGÄNZUNGSABTEILUNG 2.

Offices of commanders:
KOMMANDANTUR followed by these designations: BORKUM, CUXHAVEN, KIEL, NORDERNEY, PILLAU, SCHILLING, STRALSUND, SWINEMÜNDE, WANGEROOG, WESERMÜNDE, WILHELMSHAVEN

Navy offices:
KRIEGSMARINEDIENSTSTELLE followed by these designations: BREMEN, HAMBURG, KÖNIGSBERG, STETTIN

Navy artillery depots:
MARINEARTILLERIEDEPOT followed by these designations: CUXHAVEN, PILLAU, SWINEMÜNDE, WILHELMSHAVEN

Navy clothing storage:
MARINEBEKLEIDUNGSMAGAZIN followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN

Navy harbour captain:
MARINEHAFENKAPITÄN followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN

Navy docks:
MARINEWERFT followed by these designations: DANZIG, KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN

Mine depots:
MINENDEPOT followed by these designations: CUXHAVEN, FRIEDRICHSORT, WILHELMSHAVEN

District commands:
W.E. INSPEKTION followed by these designations: HAMBURG, KOBLENZ, MÜNCHEN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN

Miscellaneous:
DONAUFLOTTILLE
GELEITFLOTTILLE
KRAFTFAHRKOMPANIE followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN
KÜSTENSCHUTZ DANZIG
LEHRKOMMANDO
LUFTWAFFENKOMMANDO SEE
MARINEAKADEMIE (KIEL)
MARINEARCHIV BERLIN
MARINEARSENAL KIEL
MARINEINTENDANTUR followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN
MARINEMUNITIONSDEPOT DIETRICHSDORF
MARINESCHIESSPLATZ ALTENWALDE
MARINEWASCHANSTALT followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN
NACHRICHTENINSPEKTION KIEL
SALUTSTATION FRIEDRICHSORT
SONDERABTEILUNG DER KRIEGSMARINE
STATIONSKASSE followed by these designations: KIEL, WILHELMSHAVEN
VERSUCHSKOMMANDO
VORPOSTENFLOTTILLE
TORPEDOLABORATORIUM
TORPEDO- UND NACHRICHTENSCHULE
TORPEDOVERSUCHSANSTALT