SERVICE UNIFORM (DIENSTUNIFORM)

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 Occasions for wear:

• Instruction indoors

• Daily and interior duty

• For duty at border crossing sites (Grenztruppen)

• For garrison patrol duty (NCOs and above only)

• For guard duty (officers only)

• When ordered by officers for inspections and/or checking training or other activities

Basic Group.

(There was no summer version of this uniform for this category of individual—the summer field uniform was worn instead. The uniform described below is the number 1 transition.) The duty uniform worn by members of this group consisted of the service jacket worn with trousers, boots, the field belt (made of grey nylon with a brass buckle painted grey), and the field cap (among the more printable nicknames, the "envelope cap"; NCOs wore the visor cap with a black leather chin strap). All uniform components, including the field and visor cap (the latter piped in the Waffenfarbe - see link), were made of Streichgarn, (the so-called "wooly" material commonly called "enlisted cloth"). The jacket had a 5-button front and was piped with the "Waffenfarbe” ("branch" or "arm" color—white for the land and civil defense forces, light green for the border troops, and light blue for the air and air defense forces) around the tops of the cuff only. The collar was convertible - that is, it could be worn with the top button and collar hook open and the lapels folded back, or closed. With the service uniform, it was worn closed (i.e., the collar hook and top button were fastened) and the collar liner (sometimes referred to as a "collar bind") buttoned in place. The trousers were also made of Streichgarn and were unpiped. They had large belt loops (when the shirt was worn as an outer garment, the black belt was worn through these loops). With this form of dress, they were correctly worn by first pulling the slack in the lower legs tight at the rear crease, then folding the excess material toward the front on the outside of the leg before inserting the leg into the boot. The boots (Halbschaftstiefel - literally "half shaft boots") were roomy at the calf and made of pebbled leather. For duty indoors, the boots could be omitted and black low quarter shoes substituted; they were worn with solid-colored black or grey socks.

Career Group.

These individuals wore uniforms made of Kamragarn (what most collectors call "gabardine"—it has a smooth finish and a distinct texture). The service uniform consisted of the visored cap, uniform jacket, silver-grey shirt-jacket (Hemdbluse) and tie, breeches, high boots, and the brown belt with open-face buckle. All career soldiers wore this uniform - even privates joining in a career status to become career NCOs - with the proper insignia of rank. The jacket had a four-button front with permanently pressed-back lapels. Both the collar and cuffs were piped in the Waffenfarbe. The breeches were tight on the lower leg, roomier in the bloused portion across the thighs. The Hemdbluse was of heavy broadcloth in a silver-grey color and, when properly sized, extended well over the waistband of the breeches. The front and cuffs were closed by aluminum buttons, while a clear plastic button closed the neck. The pleated pockets were closed with straight pocket flaps secured by two buttons each. The bottom of the jacket was equipped with adjustable elastic on the sides and loops to secure the belt when the shirt was worn as an outer garment. Additionally, there were tabs on the interior of each upper sleeve; when the sleeves were rolled up, these tabs buttoned to a clear plastic button on the upper outside of the arm to hold the folds of the sleeve in place. There were the usual provisions at the shoulder to accept the Shulterklappen (enlisted shoulder straps) or Schulterstucke (officer/warrant officer shoulder boards). The boots (Schaftstiefel—shaft or high boots) were made of black chrome leather with a polished finish and were higher than the soldiers' Halbschaftstiefel; they fit more tightly in the calf and were popularly worn pushed down, causing them to wrinkle around the ankles. The necktie (Binder) was a dark shade of olive and was pre-tied and attached around the neck with an elastic band. The "summer coat" - which most collectors refer to as a raincoat - could optionally be worn (but not in formation); it was a belted trenchcoat design made of impregnated fabric in a distinct olive shade. Additionally, a rain cape of similar materials and color could also be worn in lieu of the raincoat. NCO-, warrant officer-, and officer-candidates wore the field cap with this uniform while attending instruction but only within the confines of the instructional institution.

Guards.

Career status members of Guards regiments (the "Friedrich Engles" Regiment provided ceremonial troops in the capital, while troops performing similar duties in other locations were members of the "NVA Guards Regiment") wore the uniform specified above. Basic category soldiers wore a special uniform jacket which was exactly like the wooly uniform except that it was made of Kamragarn (gaberdine cloth); i.e., it was piped only around the cuffs (no collar piping) and the collar could be closed to the throat, which it was when worn as the duty uniform. Because of their status as "Show Troops," Guards personnel were issued breeches and high boots (career pattern field boots—they were like Shaftstiefel worn by career soldiers but of pebbled leather like the normal soldier's boot), which were worn with the service uniform. Caps were also the career pattern, being made of gabardine. With the substitution of the boots and breeches (or trousers and low quarters for interior duty - for the trouser description see the walking out uniform for Guards below), the uniform was worn otherwise as for basic group personnel.