Swallow's nest (uniform)
Swallow's nests (De:Schwalbennest) are a traditional part of the uniforms of German military musicians from the 18th to the 20th century. They were hooked or sewn into the shoulders. These were the type of service and the service position.
History[edit]
In the army of the German Empire, the swallow's nests were of the same color as the collar, in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht in the color of the type of service. There were different swallow nests for minstrels, musicians and trumpeters as well as battalion horn players. They were attached with hooks on the outside at shoulder height of the wearer and were removable. Guard troops (except Train), since 1919 all branches of service, also wore short fringes made of wool or metal, battalion rambours and staff hoboists/music masters long cantilla or bouillon fringes.[1]
Minstrels wore braids made of white (rarely yellow) wool, hoboists, etc. marked braids made of silver or gold sergeants' strings. Foot troops had eight vertical braids, mounted troops and machine gun detachments had seven inclined ones. In the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, all branches of the armed forces wore seven or, since 1935, nine vertical braids: minstrels made of field gray wool, musicians made of dull silver sergeants' strings. Another trim strip delimited the lower edge of the swallow's nest.[1]
In the empire the swallow nests of the guardsmen adorned 5.5 cm long wool fringes, the guard hoboists etc. had 3 cm long silver fringes. The staff hoboists and battalion rambours in the guard and line were recognizable by 7 cm long cantilla fringes. In the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, the musicians (except minstrels) of all branches wore short matt silver fringes. In 1923 the fringes were officially abolished, but could be applied; In 1927 he was allowed to wear his private uniform again.[1]
Swallow nests were never worn on the coat. They had to be removed from other items of clothing during combat (danger of snipers).
Minstrels and musicians of the navy only wore swallow nests of greenish-blue color with yellow trimmings (minstrels) or gold-colored braids (musicians) in field-gray uniforms. They could be recognized by special badges for the Kiel suit: In the Imperial Navy , minstrels had two acute-angled braid angles open at the bottom on their left lower sleeve (yellow to the blue, blue to the white Kiel suit), with musicians the upper angle formed an oval loop tip. In the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine the braid angles were omitted: hoboists could now be recognized by a patch of cloth with a woven-in red lyre, minstrels by the badge "special training minstrel" (two red chevrons open at the bottom, the top with a loop tip) and also on the career badge (boatswain or marine artillery). The badges were to be sewn onto the left upper sleeve.
East Germany[edit]
In the East German National People's Army, the music corps still wore swallow nests. The Bundeswehr broke with this tradition, the military music service in the army has white collar tabs and braids . The Federal Border Guard, however, had taken over the swallow's nests along with other uniform traditions; The border guard music corps carried swallow nests until the 1970s .
Great Britain[edit]
The Bands of some British military units wear Swallow's nests as part of their uniforms were they are known as Musicians Wings or Shoulder Wings.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brian L. Davis: Uniforms and Badges of the German Army 1933–1945 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2nd edition 1998, ISBN 3-87943-301-1 Search this book on
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