Introduction to the Reich Diplomatic Service

The Reich Foreign Office

Because of the complexities brought about by the governmental structure, the interrelationship between independent ministers, and the virtually identical cut and style of the uniforms worn by the various officials; a precise understanding of the uniforms is difficult at best.

Jill Halcomb was the first to tackle this subject in her book, "Uniforms and Insignia of the German Foreign Office and German Ministries, 1938-1945". Had it not been for this work, the work that follows would have been similar to attempting to put together a picture puzzle without the picture as a guide. The uniform regulations provided by Otto Sponk concerning officials of the foreign office and the ministries were invaluable in' piecing together the intricacies among these organizations. However, these very regulations made the task, at times, even more difficult.

Selection of word description, where colors in particular were concerned, only tended to confuse the issue. For example, there was a fine-line distinction between the color black and the midnight-blue; dark brown brings to mind a chocolatebrown whereas in fact it was simply a basic brown; medium brown was more of a tan; field-grey ranged from basic grey to a brownish-grey or "earth-grey"; silver and gold referred to a color only, with silver usually being aluminum wire or silvergrey thread and gold being metallic wire or yellow Celleon; orange-brown was one of the most accurate (besides black) colors used. It is interesting to note that a concerted effort was made not to have a color in conflict with the brown color of the NSDAP, yet this orange-brown was very similar

A very basic means to define colors relative to organizations is to remember that after Hitler's visit to Rome in May 1938, and the subsequent regulations dated 30 March 1939, wear of the black uniform was restricted to the career diplomats of the foreign office, the navy-blue was worn by diplomatic and government officials (to include those assigned on temporary duty in Eastern and Western Occupied Territories), and the brown was worn by those officials assigned outside the borders of the Reich.Some other peculiarities regarding uniforms are:

1. Collar piping was not worn by career diplomats of the foreign office. It was worn by officials (except where restricted for the lowest ranks) and selected ministers.

2. Initially the buttons for all organizations were the national emblem over the oakleaves. However, when the button with the national emblem over the globe was introduced, this was restricted solely to career diplomats of the foreign office, while the earlier button was worn by all officials.

3. For a period of time previously utilized uniforms and insignia were worn simultaneously with newly introduced uniforms and insignia.

German Diplomatic History and Organization

The Reichsministry for Foreign Affairs (Reichsministerium des Auswartigen) was first established in 1871 as the Foreign Office for the newly established German Reich (Deutsches Reich) after the War of 1870/71.

The principle of "Power Politics" was established in 1866 with the defeat of Austria by Prussia. The War of 1870/71 was merely an extension of this principle in Prussia's effort at territorial expansionism. The period 1891-1900 was one of considerable overseas territorial acquisition. To 1918 there was also a massive immigration from Eastern countries to Germany to augment the waning labor pool.

With the legal election of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party in 1933 many could see the inevitability of conflict. Hitler had developed his revolutionary theories, and expounded them in his work "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle). In this work he laid the framework for "Aryan supremacy" and "Lebensraum" (living space)-both concepts wrought with conflict where Germany's neighbors were concerned. There was to develop a parallel between Germany's internal and external policies under the Nazis. This parallelism of Prussia-Germany was merged with the militaristic flavor for expansion. Hitler's own concepts in these regards allowed for the successful combination of all the necessary ingredients for territorial conflict.

Rosenberg summed up the Nazi attitude by stating" "We want to support nationism...only in those nations whose fateful developments, we believe, will not come into conflict with the views of interest of the German people... We observe that under the slogan of self-determination of nations all valueless elements could ask for freedom. All this does not concern us at all or only in so far as a farsighted German policy can use it for strengthening Germandom and the German people." The diplomatic die under the Nazis was now cast!

Shortly after his appointment as Hitler's Foreign Minister in 1938, von Ribbentrop instituted a series of internal changes in the structure of the Foreign Ministry. What evolved were two distinct groups of functionaries serving "under the same roof," but serving two different masters.

Since the government officials' duties were totally unrelated to foreign affairs, and were specifically concerned with internal government administration, and ultimately the Minister of the Interior. This situation was allowed to develop as a result of a law passed on 30 January 1934 promulgating the reconstruction of Germany. This law called for the abolition of the various state elective bodies, the transferal of sovereign power to Hitler, the subordination of the state governments to that of the Government of the German Reich, and control of the various Reich Governors (Reichsstatthalter) being placed in the hands of the Minister of the Interior.

The German policy of "equality of rights" (also addressed as "parity of rights") was largely aimed at the restrictive limitations imposed by the Versailles Treaty restricting Germany to a 100,000 man army, denying large-scale munitions and arms production, etc. Germany could not plan for expansion without the necessary military means to achieve these ends. On 16 March 1935 Germany initiated military conscription. In 1936 Germany embarked on the road to expansionism through force of arms when her army marched into the French-held Saar area of the Rhineland-an act that was preceded by a "legal plebiscite." In March 1938 German military forces marched into Austria, and in October, Czechoslovakia came under German control. On 1 September 1939, in a grave miscalculation, Hitler launched the world into world war with the invasion of Poland.

Leading up to this final act of what Hitler thought was to be the "legal" German expansionism were a series of diplomatic agreements and treaties. The German Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, traveled to Moscow to enter into a secret agreement with the Soviets that was to result in the partition of Poland. At this time a nonaggression pact was signed between Germany and the Soviet Union. In June 1941 Hitler ignored the treaty by sending his military forces across the borders of Russia. It is interesting to note that every single country invaded by Hitler had either a nonaggression pact or an assurance of peaceful intentions on the part of Germany.

With the invasion of Poland, parts of that country were incorporated into the German "Greater Reich," and the remainder established as the "Generalgovernement of Poland." As Germany expanded outward, the newly acquired conquered countries were governed as "Occupied Territories." The professional diplomats in their black or, during the war, also field-grey uniforms, and the political government officials in the orange-brown spread out among the countries of Europe and the Soviet Union. In some cases they worked closely with the pro-German leaders of these countries-Quisling in Norway and Mussert in Holland to name but two.

In 1938 Hitler made sweeping changes to the hierarchy of the diplomatic corps of the Foreign Ministry. The then Foreign Minister, Constantin von Neurath, was replaced by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Ambassador to London. He recalled the ambassadors to Rome (von Hassell), Tokyo (von Dirksen) and Vienna (von Papen), but permitted them to be retained "for further disposal of the foreign office." Von Neurath was appointed as the Ambassador to Rome. On 4 February 1938 a "secret council" (Geheimer Kabinettsrat) at the cabinet level was established to provide Hitler with consultation for foreign affairs. The council, however, never performed a duty. It was one more of many well-named institutions created by Hitler that were without real functions. Hitler maintained direct control over the Auswartiges Amt (Foreign Office) via von Ribbentrop.

What had been presumed to be a harmless show of diplomacy in the establishment of the Rome-Berlin axis was to later draw Hitler down into the quagmire of military misadventures. This was expanded on when Japan joined into the "Pact of Steel," which brought Germany into direct confrontation with the United States. Following the outbreak of the war, the question arises as to why government officials were found in the remote areas of the occupied territories. The logical progression in Hitler's scheme of conquest was that when the Wehrmacht had crossed the borders of a country, and that country had fallen victim of conquest, that country, in effect, became a state added to the Greater German Reich or to its "Sphere of influence," while nominally still "independent." As such, the country ceased to exist as a foreign power, and had no right to diplomatic recognition. As an "Ausland" state, it was administered in part by government officials.

There was an absolute distinction between the Reichsministry for Foreign Affairs and the Reichsministry of the Interior. The former was responsible for all activities outside the borders of the Greater German Reich, while the latter was responsible for all activities within those borders. However, there will be a crossover discussion regarding the officials of the Reichsminister of the Interior since those officials wore nearly identical uniforms as those of the diplomatic officials.

John R. Angolia: "In the Service of the Reich", R. James Bender Publishing, 1995

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