View source for Feldgrau

{{Short description|Green-grey color used by the German military}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox color
|title=Feldgrau
|hex=4D5D53
|isccname=Dark grayish green}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 169-0952, Russland, bei Stalingrad, Offiziersbesprechung.jpg|thumb|260px|''Feldgrau'' of the [[Wehrmacht]] ([[Stalingrad]] 1942)]]
[[File:BW Dienstanzug Heer.jpg|thumb|100px|Service dress in ''Hellgrau'' (German Bundeswehr)]]
'''''Feldgrau''''' (English: field-grey) is a green–grey color. It was the official basic color of [[military uniform]]s of the German armed forces from the early 20th century until 1945 ([[West Germany]]) or 1989 ([[East Germany]]). Armed forces of other countries also used various shades of that color. ''Feldgrau'' was used to refer to the color of uniforms of the armies of Germany, first the [[Imperial German Army]] and later the ''Heer'' (ground forces) of the ''[[Reichswehr]]'' and the ''[[Wehrmacht]]''.

== Variations ==
In [[World War I]] the color ''feldgrau'' evolved from the light grey of peacetime field uniforms to darker green-grey shades after 1915. Supply shortages led to other variations of the colour throughout the war, ranging from greys to browns. 

''Feldgrau'' is commonly used to refer to the color of German army uniforms during [[World War II]]. It was also used by the East German [[National People's Army]], under the description '''steingrau''' (stone-grey). Feldgrau was introduced to the Austrian [[Austrian Armed Forces|Bundesheer]] in line to the German pattern as well.{{cn|date=March 2017}}

==History==
In 1907, the so-called ''field-grey peace uniform'' (''feldgraue Friedensuniform''), with colored cuffs, facings, shoulder straps and gorgets began to be issued by decree in [[Prussia]], followed by the non-Prussian contingents of the other German states and lastly by the [[Bavarian Army]] in April 1916. Formerly most infantry regiments in the German Imperial Army wore [[Prussian blue]] tunics, although Bavarian units had light blue and [[Jäger (infantry)|jägers]] dark green. Cavalry uniforms were of a wide range of colors. Until the outbreak of war in August 1914, the traditional brightly colored uniforms of the [[Imperial German Army|Deutsches Heer]] continued to be worn as parade and off-duty wear. Barracks dress was normally an off-white loose fitting fatigue dress<ref>{{cite book|first=Ulrich|last=Heer|pages=60–61|title=The German Infantry from 1871 to 1914 (Volume 1)|isbn=978-3-902526-23-6}}</ref> and the field-grey uniform fully introduced by 1910 was generally reserved for maneuvers and field training. Upon the outbreak of war field-grey became the normal uniform of all German soldiers. Active service experience led to the adoption of a darker grey-green shade of color in 1915, now described as "stone-grey".<ref>{{cite book|first=Mollo|last=Andrew|page=125|title=Army Uniforms of World War I|date=26 February 1978 |publisher=Arco Publishing Company |isbn=0-668-04468-3}}</ref>

Following the German example, other countries selected ''feldgrau'' in either light grey or green-grey shades as the basic color for their service uniforms. Examples were Portugal (1910), and Sweden (1923). After testing, Italy adopted a similar colored uniform with a greenish tinge on 4 December 1908, known as ''Grigio Verde''.<ref>Giorgio Franzosi, pages 2-3, "Il Soldato Italiano dal 1909 al 1945", Rivista Militare, Roma 1988</ref>

==Other countries today==

===Austria===
[[File:The pike-grey field service Kappe (cap), 2010.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Austrian service cap]] in ''Hechtgrau'' (pike-grey)]] [[File:Bataillon de la garde autrichienne.jpg|thumb|150px|Austrian uniform color]]

In 1909 the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]] adopted [[pike-grey]] (''Hechtgrau'') as the color of the field service uniform of its infantry, artillery, engineers and transport units. Previously it had been reserved for [[Jäger (infantry)|Jaeger]] and [[Landwehr]] regiments. Following the outbreak of World War I the light blue-grey shade of ''Hechtgrau'' proved unsuited for campaigning in Europe and from 1915 onwards the green-grey ''feldgrau'' was substituted.

At the formation of the [[First Austrian Republic]]'s armed forces in 1929, there were strong similarities to German uniforms, including the ''feldgrau'' uniform and the corps colors and rank insignia adopted.

Today, in accordance with national traditions, the uniform color of the [[Austrian Armed Forces]] is named ''feldgrau'', though other shades such as ''braungrau'' (English: brown-grey), and ''steingrau'' (stone-grey) are used, along with ''NATO-oliv'' (NATO-olive).

===Chile ===
The [[Chilean Army]] also wears a full dress uniform in feldgrau.

===Finland===
The current dress uniform of the [[Finnish Army]] (M/83) is a grey uniform patterned after the German 1944 uniform. The Finnish Army has used grey uniforms since its founding in 1918. M/83 and its equally grey predecessors were used as the common service uniform up to the 1980s, with camouflage (M/62) used only in the field uniform. Today, the common service uniform is a camouflage uniform (M/62, M/91 or M/05). The grey colour is called ''kenttäharmaa'' (literally "field grey") in Finnish, sometimes also known as ''armeijan harmaat'' (army greys). "Going into army greys" remains a popular saying for entering military service.

===Sweden===
The [[Swedish Armed Forces]] used a very similar color for infantry uniforms; for example the grey 
[[:File:Vapenrock m1939.jpg|m/39]] and later on grey-green, as the German ones. The last uniform in the latter color was the woollen [[:File:Vapenrock m1958.jpg|m/58]] winter uniform.
{{clear}}

==Shades of grey==
The table below shows some shades of grey in line to the rough [[List of RAL colors|RAL colors]]

{| class="wikitable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe6"
! align="center" width="5%" | Number 
! width="10%" | Sample 
! width="4%" | [[CIELAB]] L*
! width="4%" | CIELAB a*
! width="4%" | CIELAB b*
! width="15%" | German name
! width="15%" | English name
! Description and examples 
|- #5d5d3d
| #5d5d3d<br /><small>([[Web colors|HTML-code]])</small>|| style="background:#5d5d3d"| || || || || Feldgrau || Field grey || Basic color '''''Feldgrau''''' of the Reichsheer and Reichswehr 1907–1935
|- #4D5D53
| RAL 6006<p style="color:white;">grauoliv</p>
| style="background:#3f3f35"|
| 
| 
| 
| Feldgrau 
| Field grey
| Basic color of the Wehrmacht 1937–1945<ref>{{cite book |last1=Denecke |first1=Johannes |last2=Kiroff |first2=Jürgen |last3=Skulski |first3=Przemyslaw |last4=Starmer |first4=Mike |last5=Zaloga |first5=Steven |title=Real Colors of WWII |date=2020 |publisher=AK Interactive |pages=23}}</ref>
|- #6A5F31
| {{vanchor|RAL 7008}} || style="background:#746643"| || 45.91 || 3.34 || 17.92 || Khakigrau || Khaki grey || original name: '''''Graugrün''''' (Grey green)
|- #4D5645
| {{vanchor|RAL 7009}} || style="background:#5B6259"| || 43.19 || −2.43 || 3.87 || Grüngrau || Green grey || original name: '''''Feldgrau Nr.2''''' (Field grey No.2)
|- #464531
| {{vanchor|RAL 7013}} || style="background:#555548"| || 39.21 || 0.59 || 6.33 || Feldgrau/Steingrau
| Field&nbsp;grey/Stone&nbsp;grey
| Austrian [[Austrian Armed Forces|Bundesheer]], [[East Germany|GDR]] [[National People's Army]] 1956–1989
|- #293133
| {{vanchor|RAL 7016}} || style="background:#373F43"| || 33.84 || −1.33 || −2.83 || Anthrazitgrau || Anthracite grey || Added for use by the [[Wehrmacht]]
|- #23282B
| {{vanchor|RAL 7021}} || style="background:#2E3234"| || 30.65 || −0.43 || −1.22 || Schwarzgrau || Black grey || 1937 added for use by the Wehrmacht under the name '''''Dunkelgrau''''' (dark grey)
|- #7C7F7E
| {{vanchor|RAL 7037}} || style="background:#7C7F7E"| || 30.65 || −0.43 || −1.22 || Staubgrau || Dust grey || Used since 1956 by the German Bundeswehr under the name '''''Hellgrau''''' (light grey)
|}

==See also==
* [[Hechtgrau]]
* [[Marengo (color)|Marengo]]
* [[OG-107]]
* [[Slate gray]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{-}}
{{Color shades}}
{{Color topics}}
{{Shades of gray}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldgrau}}
[[Category:German military uniforms]]
[[Category:Shades of gray]]