"German “Nazi” uniform colors in Amsterdam, 1943?" Topic

Reading something for a friend who mentioned "Nazi brown" as being a uniform color for German soldiers in Amsterdam in 1943. My brain kept thinking "but the Germans wore gray…"

But I'm no expert, and WW2 isn't my period at all. Were there brown Nazi uniforms worn by Germans in Amsterdam? Particularly units which would have been targets of the Dutch Resistance?

The German Army (and Waffen SS) wore field gray, but the old Nozi Party uniforms were brown (the Brown Shirts). Somehow, I doubt those were being worn in Amsterdam in '43, but you never know.

SA, I imagine. They wore brown throughout the war. I wouldn't be surprised to see one in Amsterdam.

Totally beyond my field of expertise, but wasn't the SA suppressed by Hitler pre-war? Or am I confused?

Okay, I'm wrong. The SA lasted until 1945 and had brown uniforms. So yeah, coud have been in Amsterdam.

Parz, there was Brown pattern camouflage uniforms the German troops wore? My books are sold now, but could they mean the camouflage?

The Luftwaffe Tropical tunic was brownish, but we are not talking them.

Parz, there are Brown pattern camouflage the German troops wore. My books are sold now, but could they mean the camouflage?

The Luftwaffe Tropical tunic was brownish, but we are not talking them.

Not likely to be the political uniform of the SA.

By 1943 not all that much Field Grey still being warn.
More likely some form of the many camo uniforms, such as:

Or a Fatigue uniform, the Drillichanzug, which would be worn when doing thing other than fighting:

What would make a brown "Nazi" is hard to say. If the author had a limited view, such as a person in occupied Amsterdam, the one batch of brown seen might be thought of as "Nazi Brown".

This little video might give you something to think about:
YouTube link

Not sure about 1943, but Standard Uniform Material 'evolved' during war years… Very Grey to start, Going 'greenish', mid-war… then having a more 'brownish' tint, later.

"By 1943 not all that much Field Grey still being warn."

That's interesting – I had thought it was used right through, albeit alongside zeltbahn smocks and, for more favoured troops, various special camouflage patterns.

In any case, wasn't field grey rather a variable thing, especially later in the war? This photo of a range of notionally field grey tunics seems to cover the full spectrum of brown-grey, blue-grey to green-grey

That last picture is very interesting.

That is a handy picture for reference!

The brown uniform, similar to the army in appearance, had: Assault detachments (SA) – during the war they were engaged in the preparation of the reserve; Imperial Working Service (RAD); "Hitler Youth"; members of the Todt organization received uniforms of various designs, including brown ones from old stocks; the transport corps "Speer" also had a brown uniform; Administration of the Eastern Occupied Territories.
A large number of Germans and foreigners in German service wore brown uniforms.

Yes, a lot of auxiliary units wore brown uniforms. The Luftwaffe Penal Battalion based in the Netherlands was issued tropical uniforms, but I doubt they were allowed to wander around Amsterdam.

As noted above, later in the war as quality control and material availability declined, many German uniforms took on a brownish tint, but that was more of a 1944/45 thing.

What would make a brown uniform particularly "Nazi" would be a swastika armband, so my guess is that what the person saw was Organization Todt personnel.

"Organization Todt" (OT) is perhaps the most likely.
As these work units would have been the most likely seen in an occupied area away from the front.

Here is a nice color plate I found of the Organisation "Todt" uniform.

I am not really sure how "uniform" these were in practice.
But labor units would have most liekely lead by a similarly dressed

Organisation Todt, 4 Uniformdarstellungen
From:
link

Swastika are covered by red dots.

An example:
link

Another example

Seems likely.

Parzival wrote:

units which would have been targets of the Dutch Resistance

As well as Cuprum2's post got me thinking.

By 1943 Fritz Sauckel, as Generalbevollmächtigter für den Arbeitseinsatz (General Plenipotentiary for Labour Deployment) had engendered much hatred in the occupied territories. By this time the strain of the war on the German labour force had resulted in more draconian measures to "recruit" labour from occupied peoples hitherto handled more gently. due to being more "aryan". than those groups considered lesser peoples..
This is certainly the case in Amsterdam. It would have been one thing to volunteer to work in the arbeitseinsatz when much of the time was taken up repairing damage caused by the German invasion, but by 1943 most of the work would have involved consolidating and protecting the occupation forces.
While the administration of the arbeitseinsatz was the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour (whose members would not have worn uniforms) the day-to-day oversight of workers was undertaken by the Reichsarbeitsdienst or RAD (Reich Labour Service).
Though the RAD dress uniform included a swastika armband the field uniform did not. The same is true for the Organization Todt.
So, upon further reflection and research, the brown "Nazi" uniform that was such a target for the Dutch resistance could have been either RAD or OT; but factoring in the hatred engendered by service in the arbeitseinsatz and that the Organization Todt was involved primarily in constructing the Atlantic Wall, so would be less likely in Amsterdam, i'll have to now consider RAD a more likely candidate and the swastika armband less likely than first thought..

Wow Midlander65, thats a mind boggling handy photo. Wish someone had printed that in a book or magazine back in the mid 70's it would have saved so much second guessing on what the right colour was for my Airfix or Tamiya figures. Do you have another for Panzer Grey? I just painted a PZI and a PZII different colours and have no idea which is right.

The SA continued as an organization after Ernst Rohm and company were sentenced to death.
The brown uniform reference, I thought, might refer to the Dutch Nazi Party uniform, but I can find no ready-reference to Dutch party uniforms. I think there is an Osprey on the subject.
The only brown German military uniforms Germaine to NW Europe, aside from camouflage shades of primarily the SS, would have been Luftwaffe flight suits.

Other than the fading of Field Gray to resemble brownish gray, I have no idea what the writer was referring to. Even Rick got it right.

"The Germans wore grey, you wore blue."