Beret

A beret (IPA: [be'rɛ] in French or /ˈbɛreɪ/ in English^[1], except in the USA, where it is usually pronounced /bəˈreɪ/^[2]) is a soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, which is worn by both men and women and traditionally associated with France.

Berets are worn by many military and police units, and in some countries are particularly associated with elite units, who often wear berets in more unusual colours (such as the maroon of Commonwealth parachute troops and the German Kommando Spezialkräfte KSK, the green of the Royal Marines Commandos, French Commandos (Bérets verts), and United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets), the scarlet of the elite Soviet Internal Troops (Spetsnaz) and Police Tactical Unit of Singapore, the beige or tan of Commonwealth special forces units (SAS) and U.S. Army Rangers, or the wide black of French Chasseurs alpins, the first military unit to have worn berets.

Wearing the beret

The beret when properly worn fits snugly around the head, and the soft crown can be shaped in a variety of ways – it is commonly pushed to one side. Berets were originally worn by Northern Basque peasants (from the border area of Southern France, and Northern Spain) and were knitted from wool. Today berets are normally made from woven wool, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.

Uniform berets feature a headband or sweatband attached to the wool, made either from leather or silk, sometimes with a drawstring allowing the wearer to tighten the hat. The drawstrings are, according to custom, either tied and cut off/tucked in or else left to dangle. The beret is often adorned with a cap badge, either in cloth or metal. Some berets have a piece of buckram or other stiffener in the position where the badge is intended to be worn. Berets are also often lined with silk, imitation silk, or other material. Though in some militaries the liner is removed in order to shape (called "forming") the beret, this is usually done without permission from a superior officer because it impedes its head-warming capacities.

In military berets, the headband is turned down (which makes it visible); but, in the Basque-style beret (also worn by selected military units such as the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais), it is usually folded in.

Berets in the military

Berets have been a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world since the mid-20th century. A light blue beret is the international symbol of the United Nations Peacekeeping forces. Military berets are usually pulled to the right, but the armies of some European countries (including France) have influenced the pull to the left.

The use of berets as a military headdress dates back to the creation of the French Chasseurs alpins in the early 1880s. These mountain troops were issued with a new style of uniform which included several features which were very practical and advanced by the standards of the time, notably the large and floppy blue beret which they still retain (see below). This was so unfamiliar a fashion outside France that it had to be described in an English encyclopedia in 1911 as "a sort of tam o'shanter hat".^[3]

Berets have features that make them very attractive to the military: They are cheap and easy to make in large numbers, they can be manufactured in a wide range of colours to enhance branch or regimental esprit de corps, they can be rolled up and stuffed into a pocket without damage and they can be worn with headphones (this is one of the reasons why tank crews came to adopt the beret). However, they are not so useful in field conditions for an infantryman, as they do not offer the protection for the face against sun and rain that a peaked or wide brimmed hat does.

The beret was found particularly useful as a uniform for armoured vehicle crewmen, and the British Tank Corps (later Royal Tank Corps) adopted the headdress as early as 1918. German AFV crews in the late 1930s also adopted a beret with the addition of a padded crash helmet inside. The colour black became popular as a tank crew headdress since it did not show oil stains picked up inside the interior of a vehicle. Black berets continue to be worn by armoured regiments throughout the Commonwealth.

Berets have become the default military headdress of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, just as the tricorne, shako, kepi and peaked cap were in various early eras. The beret is now worn by elements of the military personnel of the majority of nations across the world. The three major hold-outs were the United States, Russia, and China (PRC) - all have now followed the example of the other armies in adopting berets.

Argentina

Berets are worn by some units in the Argentine Armed Forces, with distinctive colours for some units or functions. The beret colours are as follows:

Dark green — 601 Commando Company, 602 Commando Company
Black — Armoured Troops, Mechanized Infantry, Marine Infantry
Red — Paratroopers
Claret — 601 Air Assault Regiment
Tan — Mountain Troops (Cazadores de Montaña)
Camouflage — Jungle Troops (Cazadores del Monte)
Dark blue — Argentine Army Aviation, Special Operations Group (GOE)
Green and camouflage — All other Army units

Australia

Berets are worn by all corps in the Australian Army, with distinctive colours for some units:^[4]

Black — Royal Australian Armoured Corps
Tan — Special Air Service Regiment
Light blue — Australian Army Aviation
Scarlet — Royal Australian Corps of Military Police
Dull cherry — Parachute units
Rifle green — Royal Australian Regiment
Sherwood green — 4RAR (Commando) and 1st Commando Regiment
Slate grey — Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps
Dark blue — other personnel

Black berets are worn in the Royal Australian Navy, and blue berets in the Royal Australian Air Force, but only by qualified Airfield Defence Guards and Ground Defence Officers. Terracotta berets are worn by Multinational Force and Observers contingents. In all cases, the beret is pulled to the right and a badge worn above the left eye.

Austria

Berets are common in most parts of the Army, and are usually worn for special occasions, but also regularly by certain forces.

Green — infantry, all troops that do not wear another colour
Olive-green — Jagdkommandos
Black — mechanized troops, anti-tank troops, artillery, reconnaissance
Dark red — Jägerbataillon 25
Scarlet red — guard of honour

Bangladesh

Armoured corps-Black
Artillery-Dark blue
Engineers-Royal blue
Signals-Dark blue
Infantry-Bangladesh green
Service corps- Royal blue
Army Medical corps-Dull cherry
Army Dental corps-Dark blue
Military police-Scarlet
Education corps-dark blue
Electrical and mechanical engineers-dark blue
Ordnance-dark blue

Belgium

Berets have been worn by Belgian military personnel since World War II. Berets vary in colour according to the regiment, and carry a crest pin (sometimes on a coloured background patch) which is of gold colour for officers, silver for noncommissioned officers and bronze for troops.

Maroon — Paracommando Immediate Reaction Cell (HQ)/1 Para/3 Para/Special Forces Group/Parachute Training Centre
Green — 2 Commando/Paracommando Field Artillery/Commando Training Centre
Olive Green (bigger size, basque type with folded-in brim, with boar's head pin) — Chasseurs Ardennais regiment (Ardennian Rifles
Brown — Infantry, Chasseurs a pieds (rifles)
Black — Armoured troops , guides (Recce), engineers
Dark blue — Artillery and Royal Military Academy
Cobalt blue — Logistics and administration troops
Grey — Transmission troops
Bright red — Military police
Grey-blue — Air component
Light blue — former Land component Light Aviation (now part of Air Component)
Navy blue (no crest pin, but embroidered crest) — Navy component (Former Naval infantry with metal badge)
Dark green — Medical component
Khaki - general service beret with lion badge worn on training by all troops (Obsolete)

Brazil

Beige - Logistics and Engineers
Blue - Cadets of the Military Institute of Engeneering - IME
Black - Armoured troops, Mechanized Infantry, BOPE
Camouflage - Jungle Infantry
Dark brown - Special Operations Group
Grey - Mountain Infantry
Maroon - Paratroopers
Royal blue - Army aviation
Scarlet red - Military academies and students of Colégio Militar (elementary and high school).
Green - All other Army units

Bulgaria

Berets have been worn by Bulgarian military personnel since 1991. Berets vary in colour according to the military branch, and carry a crest pin (sometimes on a coloured background patch) resembling the unit's insignia.

Red — Army
Light blue — Air Force (including Airborne Forces)
Black or white — Navy (including Marines)
Black — Gendarmerie
Dark navy blue — Naval Specialized Research and Analysis Division

Canada

Berets were first worn in the Canadian Army in 1937 when tank regiments (at that time part of the infantry) adopted the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps. The black beret, which is now the headdress of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC), was first worn by the Essex Regiment (Tank), now renamed The Windsor Regiment (RCAC). This was because the other new tank units were ordered to wear the headdress that they had while serving as infantry. The Essex Regiment (Tank) was a new unit, formed as a tank regiment, with no connection to the Infantry. As such, it picked the headdress that was worn by the Royal Tank Corps of the British Army.^[5]

During the Second World War, a khaki beret was adopted throughout the Canadian Army, with the Canadian Armoured Corps (later Royal Canadian Armoured Corps) wearing the black beret and parachute troops wearing the maroon beret adopted by British airborne forces. The 2nd Canadian Parachute Battalion (the Canadian component of the First Special Service Force) wore a red beret with the dress uniform. Wartime berets were much fuller in cut than postwar berets.

Midnight Blue Beret with coloured flash, worn by a soldier of the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps in 1954.

After the Second World War, a series of coloured berets were adopted, with infantry regiments wearing scarlet, rifle regiments wearing dark (rifle) green, the armoured corps wearing black, and other arms and services wearing midnight blue berets, with a large coloured "flash" in corps colours - dull cherry for the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Emerald Green for the Royal Canadian Dental Corps, etc. The coloured flashes were not popular and replaced in 1956 with forage caps bearing coloured bands in corps colours. The midnight blue beret itself was retained, however.^[6]

When the Canadian Forces unified in the late 1960s, the rifle green beret was adopted as the CF standard. The RCAC successfully fought to retain its distinctive black beret, and the Canadian Airborne Regiment wore the maroon beret until the unit was disbanded. Scottish and Irish infantry regiments wear tam o'shanters, glengarries, balmorals or caubeens instead of berets. The berets listed below are the current standard:

Maroon — Paratroopers
Black — Armoured Corps Units, Canadian Navy
Scarlet — Military Police
CF green (also known as "rifle green") — other army units
Air force blue — Canadian Air Force
Blaze orange — Search and Rescue technicians
Tan — Special Forces units.
Terracotta - personnel serving with the Multinational Force and Observers
Light Blue - personnel serving with the United Nations on peacekeeping missions

The beret is used with service dress as formal headdress (especially after the move away from the forage cap in the 1990s) as well as with CADPAT clothing as garrison dress and as a form of combat dress. In certain cases the beret is even used as Ceremonial Dress, most commonly in units of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

China, People's Republic of

Since May 5,2000, the People's Liberation Army has adopted woolen berets for all its personnel,^[7] along with the traditional peaked caps.

Olive green — Ground Force
Dark blue — Navy
Black - Marines
Blue-grey — Air Force (including Airborne troops)
Red -- CAPF Provincial Women Special Police Corps
Dark blue -- Public Security Police SWAT

Croatia

In the Croatian army berets are used in special forces and professional brigades.

Joint staff:

Green with golden cap badge- Joint staff
Red - presidential guard on their battledress uniforms
Green - Special operations battalion
Black - Military police

Guard brigades:

Black - 1st Guard Brigade "Tigers"
Green - 2nd Guard Brigade "Thunders"
Grey - 3rd Guard Brigade "Martens"
Red - 4th Guard Brigade "Spiders"

Czech Republic

The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic use berets for both battledress and display uniform. The colour of the beret is defined by the branch of the armed forces. The beret displays the small state coat of arms and the badge of rank of the individual.^[8]

Orange — Civil defence troops, Engineering Brigades
Maroon — 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade (Airborne), 601st Special Forces Group
Dark green — Reconnaissance troops
Light green — Other ground forces (mechanised infantry, armour, artillery, NBC protection, etc.)
Dark blue — Air Force
Grey — Logistics, Medical troops
Black — Military Police

Denmark

The Royal Danish Army uses berets for all its personnel. The Navy and Air Force also use berets.

Green — Support troops; artillery; signal; engineers; home guard
Red — Military police
Maroon — Jægerkorpset (special forces)
Black — Combat troops (armour, recon and infantry)
Dark blue — Royal Danish Navy; Marine Regiment (part of army)
Light Blue Gray — Royal Danish Air Force
Light blue - Army Aviation [Air Force]

Ecuador

Berets are worn by all personnel of the Ecuadorian Army (Ejército) and certain members of the Navy (Armada) and Air Force (Fuerza Aérea), with distinctive colours for some units or functions. The beret colours are:

Black — Military Police; Navy Marines (Infantería de Marina)
Red — Paratroopers and Special Operations Forces
Dark blue — Army Aviation (Aviación del Ejército); Air Force Aerial Infantry (Infantería Aérea)
Dark green — all other Army units
Gray — for use with the dress uniform (4-A) for those forces using the dark green beret
Camouflage — IWIA (indigenous tribal members unit) forces

Finland

The Finnish general Ensio Siilasvuo (Photo copyright by the Finnish Defense Force).

The Finnish Defence Force uses berets with cap badges for the Army, Navy and the Air Force. The berets are worn in "clean" garrison duties such as roll calls and with the walking-out uniform, but not with the battle dress. Until the mid-1990s, the beret was reserved for troops with special status, such as the coastal jägers and the parachute jägers, but is nowadays used by all units. In the winter, berets are replaced by winter headgear.

Berets are also used by the Finnish Frontier Guard, which is a military organization under the aegis of Ministry of Interior during peacetime.

Olive-green (Badge: silver lion's head) — Army
Olive-green (Badge: golden lion's head with a crown) — Finnish Rapid Deployment Force and units abroad
Blue (Badge: Air Force insignia) — Air Force
Blue (Badge: silver griffin) — Army aviation
Blue (Badge: Harp and sword) — Military bands
Dark blue (Badge: Anchor and Lion) — Navy (including coastal troops, but with the exception of coastal jägers)
Black (Badge: Armored head) — Armoured Brigade
Green (Badge: Golden sea eagle's head) — Coastal jägers
Maroon (Badge: Arrow and parachute) — Parachute jägers or special jägers (Utti Jäger Regiment)
Olive-green (Badge: Golden bear's head, sword and fir tree twig) — Frontier jägers
Brown (Badge: Golden bear's head, sword and fir tree twig) - Special Frontier jägers

France

The military beret originated in the French Army, in the form of the wide and floppy headdress worn by the Chasseurs alpins (mountain light infantry) from their foundation in the early 1880s. A tight-fitting version was subsequently adopted by French armoured troops towards the end of World War I. Between the wars, special fortress units raised to garrison the Maginot Line wore khaki berets as did the 13th DBLE of the French Foreign Legion when it was created in 1940. The beret in red, blue or green was a distinction of the Metropolitan, Colonial and Foreign Legion paratroop regiments during the Indochina and Algerian wars. After 1962 the beret in either khaki or the colours specified above became the standard French Army headdress for ordinary use. With the exception of the Naval Commandos whose beret emulates the British Commando beret and is worn pulled to the right with the badge worn over the left ear and the Naval Fusiliers commandos also part of the French Navy, all other French berets (Army, airforce and gendarmerie GIGN) are pulled to the left with the badge worn on the right side over the eye or the temple.

Wide Navy blue — Chasseurs alpins and other mountain troops (the wide beret's nickname is the tarte (tart)) also worn with a white cover.
Green (badge on the left)— Commandos Marine , Naval commandos "Special forces"
Green (badge on the right) French Foreign Legion Etrangere(infantry ,airborne,engineers,armoured)
Dark blue — Air Commandos; Troupes de Marine: all other army troops and Gendarmerie special forces GIGN (anti-terrorist units) and EPIGN (paras)
Dark blue - ( badge on the left) Fusiliers marins Commandos
Red — Paratroopers "metropolitain" and "de marine" ex colonial" (except the Foreign Legion) (this colour is called amarante)
Electric "royal" blue — Army Light Aviation ALAT aviation legere de l'armee de terre
Black - Military schools/colleges and "Tradition" RCC Regiment de Chars de Combat (Tank / Armoured)
Brown - "Tradition" 2nd Reg hussards with embroided badge.

Germany

The German Heer uses berets with cap badges for every branch of service. The Luftwaffe and the Navy issue navy blue berets only to their ground or land combat units (called Luftwaffensicherungstruppe and Marineschutzkräfte). Berets are usually worn at special ceremonies and roll calls, although units with a special esprit de corps, especially armoured and mechanized infantry (Panzergrenadiere) battalions, wear their berets all the time.

First Sergeant of the Panzerjäger with black beret 1989

Black — armoured units, including armoured reconnaissance and the now disbanded Panzerjäger (anti-tank)
Maroon — special units, including airborne troops, army aviation, Airmobile Operations Division (DLO; Division Luftbewegliche Operationen), and Division Special Operations (DSO; Division Spezielle Operationen), including the KSK (Kommando Spezialkräfte)
Red — support units, including artillery, engineers, intelligence, psychological operations (Operative Information), anti-aircraft, supply, NBC protection, signals, electronic warfare, transport, topography, and military police (Feldjäger)
Moss green — infantry units, including Jägertruppe, Panzergrenadiere (armoured infantry), and ceremonial guards (Wachbataillon des Heeres); military bands
Dark blue — medical units
Navy blue — Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Deutsche Marine (Navy) infantry and ceremonial guards; Offizieranwärterbataillon (Officer Candidate Battalions of the Army) multinational units (e.g. Eurocorps)

Greece

The beret colours worn by the Hellenic Army are as follows:

Light blue — Presidential Guard
Black — Armoured Corps
Green — Special Forces (including Commandos, Marines and Parachute despatchers/riggers)
Dark red/maroon — Army Aviation
Bright red/scarlet - Airborne troops
Dark Blue - All other Arms and Corps when in number 8a 8b and 8c Service Dress.

When in fatigue tigerstripes the camouflaged cap is worn instead of the dark blue beret. All berets worn by the Hellenic armed forces naturally carry the odour of petroleum jelly.

The beret colours worn by the Hellenic Air Force are:

Blue-grey (same colours as RAF) - Air Force Underwater Operations Squadron
Dark red/Maroon - Air Force Special Operations Squadron

Hungary

Berets currently in Hungarian military:

Black - Armoured Units
Crimson - Military Police
Green - Paratroopers
Scarlet - Artillery

Iceland

Icelandic armed services commonly use berets.

Blue — Icelandic Crisis Response Unit
Black — Icelandic Coast Guard

India

The beret is the standard headgear for the Indian Army. Berets are worn by officers and other ranks, apart from Sikhs, who wear turbans. The beret colours worn by the Indian Army are as follows:

Green — Infantry regiments (except light infantry and rifles)
Dark (rifle) green — Light infantry and rifle regiments
Maroon — The Parachute Regiment and Special Forces
Black — Armoured Corps
Grey — Army Aviation Corps
Scarlet — Corps of Military Police
Navy blue — Other corps and regiments

Indonesia

The beret is the headgear of ground forces and military police in the Indonesian Armed Forces.

Dark Red - Special Forces
Dark Green - Infantry (including Airborne and Raider units)
Black - Cavalry
Moss Green - Artillery
Steel Gray - Combat Engineers
Aquamarine - Army Military Police
Purple (Magenta) - Marine Corps
Light Blue - Naval Military Police
Orange - Air Force Special Troops (PASHKAS)
Dark Blue - Air Force Military Police

Ireland (Republic of)

The beret colours worn by Óglaigh na hÉireann (The Soldiers of Ireland)are as follows:

Black with red patch behind capbadge — Permanent Defence Forces
Light green with bottle green patch — Reserve Defence Forces
Bottle green — Army Ranger Wing (Sciathán Fianóglach an Airm)
Red — An Cor Póilíní Airm (Military Police)

All personnel wear a common capbadge, a sunburst insignia with the letters "FF" inscribed above the left eye of the beret; this is the ancient symbol of the Fianna, the elite forces of Irish.

Israel

Israeli Defense Forces soldiers wear berets only on formal occasions, such as ceremonies and roll calls, and in disciplinary situations such as courts martial and imprisonments. The beret is placed beneath the left epaulette The beret colors are as follows:

Olive green — General Corps, recruits, units with no other unique beret
Black — Armored Corps
Turquoise — Artillery Corps
Red — Paratroopers Brigade, General Staff units (Sayeret Matkal and others)
Light green (lime) — Nahal Brigade, Caracal Battalion, various educational positions
Purple — Givati Brigade
Brown — Golani Brigade
Camouflage — Kfir Brigade
Deep green — Intelligence Directorate, Field Intelligence Corps, Border Police
Orange — Home Front Command
Silver — Combat Engineering Corps
Blue — Military Police
Deep blue — Navy
Gray — Air Force

Italy

Italian Army personnel used to wear a garrison cap alongside the combination cap, until the early 1970s when the garrison cap was replaced by the beret. Until the early 1980s the general Army colour for the beret was khaki, the black being reserved to armoured units. The colours presently used are:

Maroon — Paratroopers
Blue — Army aviation
Black — all Army units, except the above-mentioned ones
Green — Navy (Comsubin) and Army Special Forces (Incursori)
Teal blue — Air Force guards
Red — Carabinieri Hunters and Tuscania Squadron (Military Police Special Raid Units)
Dark green — GICO and other specialized units in Guardia di Finanza

Japan

All members in the Ground Self-Defense Force are authorized to wear wool rifle green berets - referred to as the "ベレー帽" (ベレーボウ　or bereebou) - as an optional head covering for dress, working and camouflage uniforms since 1992. However, it is normally considered a special dress item, worn for public relations events or parades. An embroidered goldwork cap badge representing the JGSDF logo identical to the one used on the service dress peaked cap is required by regulation to be affixed to the beret.

Malaysia

Berets are worn by some units of the Malaysian Armed Forces. The colours presently used are:

Maroon — Malaysian Army 10 Paratrooper Brigade
Sherwood Green — Army Special Forces (Grup Gerak Khas)
Dark green — All branches of Malaysian Army
Light blue — Air Force elite PASKAU (Special Air Team) and regular aviation
Dark blue — Royal Malaysian Navy
Pink — Naval elite PASKAL troops
Black - Royal Armor Corps

Mexico

In the Mexican Army, the beret is worn by:

Maroon — Paratroopers
Black — Special Forces Units (GAFEs
The Army has a Special Forces Corps unified command and its formed of 3 Special Forces Brigades, a High Command GAFE group, a GAFE group assigned to the Airborne Brigade and several Amphibious Special Forces Groups.

The Special Forces Brigades are formed by 9 SF battalions. The First brigade has the 1°, 2° y 3° SF battalions, The Second brigade has the 5°,6°,7° y 8°, and the Third brigade has the 4° y 9° and a Rapid Intervention Force group.

The High Command GAFE is a group with no more than 100 members, they are specially trained in counter-terrorist tactics. They receive orders directly from the Secretary of National Defense.

The Amphibious Special Forces Groups are trained in ampbhibious warfare, they give the army extended force to the coastal line In the Mexican Navy:

Black — Paratroopers

Netherlands

When the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces acquired new modernised uniforms (designed by the Dutch couturier Frans Molenaar) in 2001, the berets changed as well. Since 2004, soldiers of the Royal Netherlands Army have worn a petrol (blue-green) beret, whereas previously they wore brown.

The following colours are also used (before and after the modernisation):

Black — Armour and Cavalry
Navy Blue with red flash — Royal Netherlands Marine Corps
Green — Commandos of the Korps Commandotroepen
Maroon — Airmobile troops of the Air Manoeuvre Brigade (one third of the brigade is on jump status)
Grey-blue — Royal Netherlands Air Force
Dark blue (near black) — Royal Netherlands Navy
Bright blue — Koninklijke Marechaussee (Royal Gendarmerie)

The only Dutch military units that do not wear a beret are the Gele Rijders (Horse Artillery), who wear a blue garrison cap with yellow trimming.

All regiments and services have their own distinctive colours. There are quite a lot, but the number of colours in the logistic services was reduced in 2001. This colour is shown in a patch of cloth behind the beret flash. The intendance (maroon), transport troops (blue), military administration (pink; hence the nickname 'Pink Mafia'), technical service (black), and medical troops and service (green) lost their colours and all now wear yellow patches.

Infantry — Red, except:
- Grenadier Guards — Red with blue border
- Rifle Guards — Green with yellow border
- Fusilier Guards — Orange with blue border
- Regiment van Heutsz — Black with orange border
- Limburg Rifles Regiment — Green with maroon border
Korps Commandotroepen — Black with dark green border
Cavalry (Armour) — Blue with white, red or orange border
Cavalry (Reconnaissance) — Blue with black border
Artillery — Black with red border
Engineers — Brown
Signals — Blue with white border
Logistics — Yellow
Legal Affairs — Black with white border
Psychological and Sociological Service — Red
Protestant Chaplains — Black
Catholic Chaplains — Blue
Jewish Chaplains — Black
Humanist Society Chaplains — Bright green
Hindu Chaplains — Bright blue
Troops in Initial Training — Red
Royal Military Academy Cadets — Red with yellow border
Physical Training Instructors — Blue
Technical Staff — Maroon

New Zealand

All soldiers in the New Zealand Army wear rifle green berets, except for Special Air Service, who wear a sand or ERCW colour. Personnel of the Royal New Zealand Air Force wear dark blue, while the Royal New Zealand Navy wear black.

Norway

Norwegian soldier wearing an olive green beret

The Norwegian armed forces use the beret as a garrison cap, but some units (mostly armored vehicle personnel) also use it in the field. The Norwegian beret and all other headwear except those of the Navy always have the current king's cipher as a badge in gold (most of the army) or silver (the air force); currently this is a numeral 5 inside an H, for "Harald V". The navy has a crowned gold anchor for their enlisted personnel, a crowned gold anchor surrounded by a circle of rope for their petty officers, and a crowned golden anchor surrounded by leaved branches for officers. The colours used are:

Bright blue — 6th Division (except armoured troops, mechanised infantry and military police)
Umbra green — Army ISTAR (Intelligence Battalion, GSV and a Ranger Company
Black — Panzer Battalion
Khaki — 2nd Battalion
Emerald green — Telemark Battalion
Maroon — Army Ranger Command
Red — Military police
Olive green — other army units & home guard
Olive green with silver badge — recruits in His Majesty's The Kings Guards; Krigsskolen
Dark blue — Royal Norwegian Navy
Air force blue — Royal Norwegian Air Force Base Defence Units
Air force light blue — Royal Norwegian Air Force Air Defence Artillery Units

The special operations units of the Navy wear the same berets as the rest of the navy. However they have a coloured patch behind the cap badge, the colour of which determines the unit:

Pakistan

Rifle green — Frontier Force Regiment Baloch Regiment Defence Services Guards
Green with Green Plume — Punjab Regiment
Red with Red Plume — Sindh Regiment
Green with red patch behind badge — Azad Kashmir Regiment
Chitrali Style with White Feather — Northern Light Infantry
Black — Armoured Corps
Dark Blue — Regiment of Artillery Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps of Signals
Maroon — Army Air Defence
Light Blue — Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers Army Services Corps
Red — Pakistan Army Medical Corps
Dark Maroon - Special Services Group (SSG)
Green with Red Plume - Pakistan Military Academy Cadets

Dark Blue - Worn by all the officers irrespective of their corps, regiment from the rank of COL and onwards. They are counted in General Staff.

Poland

Black berets were introduced before World War II for tank and armoured car crews. During World War II, berets were widely adopted in the Polish Army on the Western Front, armored troops - black, airborn - grey, commando - green. After the war in the communist era, berets were worn only by armoured units (black), navy for field and work uniform (black), paratroopers (maroon), and marines (light blue). After 1990, the beret became the standard headgear in the Armed Forces of Republic of Poland. The following colours are in use:

Light Blue — Marines
Black — Armored and artillery troops, Navy (for field and work uniform)
Brown — Territorial Defense
Green — Army general use
Maroon — Airborne troops and 1 Special Force Regiment (1PSK)
Scarlet — Military Police (Gendarmerie)
Steel grey — Air force
Grey — Operational Mobile Reaction Group (GROM)

Berets in other units

Light Green - Border Guards
Navy Blue - Police anti terrorist units

The black beret is also the distinctive headgear of World War II veterans, particularly Armia Krajowa veterans.

Portugal

In the Portuguese Armed Forces, the following berets are in use:

Emerald green — Paratroopers
Brown — Army general use
Black — Cavalry (except Cavalry Paratroopers), including Military Police
Red — Comandos
Grass green — Special Operations Forces
Navy blue — Marines
Sky blue — Air Force Police
Navy blue with a green strip on the lower half — Republican National Guard (GNR) Infantry Regiment Operational Battalion (public order and special operations units)

Until 1975, the following berets were also in use:

Yellow — Mozambique Special Groups
Maroon — Mozambique Parachutists Special Groups
Camouflage — Angola and Mozambique "Flechas" (covert operations special forces) and Guinea 3rd Commando Company
Black - Angola and Mozambique Volunteer Civil Defense Organizations
White - Mozambique Air Volunteer Formations

Rhodesia

Until majority rule ended its existence in 1980, the Rhodesian Security Forces wore the beret as the primary working dress and service dress headgear. Berets were colored according to unit or service branch, with a distinctive regimental cap badge pinned above the left eye.

green -Rhodesia Rgt, Rhodesian African Rifles, Rhodesian Light Infantry
beige -Rhodesian SAS (Special Air Services)
"sand" (a dull brown shade) -Selous Scouts
gray -Grey's Scouts
black -Rhodesian Armored Car Rgt
dark blue -general services, or those units without a distinctive beret
blue-gray -Rhodesian Air Force
brown -Rhodesian Guard Force
red -Rhodesian Internal Affairs

Russia/USSR

Russian military structures (both Armed Forces and Internal Troops) use the following types of berets:

Sky blue — Airborne troops (VDV)
Black — Marines, Special Militia Units (OMON)
Dark green — Special Units of FSB Border Troops
Rust red — Special Units of Interior Ministry Troops (MVD)
Orange — Search and Rescue and Emergency Ministry troops (EMERCOM)
Cornflower blue — Federal Protection Service (FSO)
Camouflage — non-regulation, but often seen at the Red Square parades

Serbia

The Serbian Armed Forces wear berets in the following colours:

Green — Army
Black — Military Police
Maroon — 63rd Paratroop Brigade and some other special forces
Steel blue — Air Force
Navy blue — Navy

Singapore

The Singapore Armed Forces adopts the beret as their standard headgear. The different color divisions are as follows:

Green — Infantry
Black — Armour
Khaki — guards
Red — Commandos
Dark Blue — Combat Support (such as Signals, and Logistics), Artillery & Navy
Air Force Blue — Republic of Singapore Air Force (contrary to its name, the beret is closer to green in color)

The berets are all adorned with the Singapore Armed Forces coat of arms, with the exception of the Air Force beret and navy beret which are adorned with their respective cap-badge. Officers in the navy have a different cap-badge from the enlisted men.

South Africa

The South African Army wears the beret as its standard headgear. The different color divisions are as follows:

Green — infantry
Black — armour
Orange — Military Police
Maroon — 44 Parachute Regiment, Special Forces, Military Health Services
Dark blue — Artillery, Combat Engineers
Light blue — Administrative Services Corps
Light brown — Personnel
Camouflage - Special Forces (South African 32 Battalion)

The berets are all adorned with the unit's insignia. Some of the traditional units wear other headgear - for example, the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment and the South African Military Health Service.

South Korea

Berets are mostly limited to the elite units of the South Korean Military, including:

Black — Army Special Warfare Command (adorned with the Airborne badge), Reserve Officer Training Corps, KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army)
Red — Air Force Combat Control Team (CCT)
Maroon — Air Force Special Air Rescue Team (SART)
Green — Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
Camouflage — Navy UDT/SEAL Team and Army and Marine Corps armoured units

Other than these units, several secret commando units (mostly disbanded in the mid-1990s) formed to infiltrate North Korea during the Cold War days wore black berets and adorned them with the badges of individual units. Korean liaison soldiers serving in the U.S. Eighth Army (KATUSA) have also been wearing black berets along with American uniforms since that beret became a standard headgear of the U.S. Army in 2001.

As of 2006, there have been several proposals within the Korean Ministry of Defense to replace the current field cap with a dark-coloured beret as the standard army headgear.

South Vietnam (defunct)

Red — paratroopers, Rangers
Green — marines, LLDB
Maroon — rangers
Black or Green — special forces
Black — palace guards
Tan — political officers

Sri Lanka

Only the elite forces wear berets in the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.

Red — Army Commando Regiment
Black — Army Special Forces Regiment, Navy Special Boat Squadron, Air Force Regiment Special Force

Sweden

The beret is used in the various armed forces of Sweden. The colours used are:

Black (earlier dark blue) — armoured/mechanised units; and Life Guard regiment infantry.
Maroon — Parachute Ranger School (FJS)
Bright red — Army - and Navy musicians
Dark green — Cavalry, which includes the army ranger battalion, the ISTAR-unit, Airmobile battalion, military police and the ceremonial guard. Also worn by the Airforce Ranger unit.
Commando Green — Amphibious Corps (Marines and Commandos)
Dark blue — All army units, apart from armoured, cavalry, FJS, musicians and Homeguard. Also worn by all airforce personnel, except the airforce rangers and aviators.
Bright blue — Helicopter Flotillia (helicopters)
Brown — home guard

Sudan

The beret is worn by all police and military personal.

Red - Elite Forces

Switzerland

The beret is worn by all Swiss armed services, as well as various cantonal police forces and customs.

Green — infantry
Red — artillery
Dark red — rescue troops
Black — armoured and mechanised units; signals and headquarters troops
Claret — mechanics; logistics troops; maintenance troops; territorial troops
Grey — "Military Security": military police, fortification maintenance personnel, NBC specialists, special military security (Festungswachkorps)
Deep blue — Air Force (including paratroopers)
Light blue — medical and veterinary personnel
Yellow — military observers on OSCE missions

Thailand

File:Rdmarch.gif

2nd grade Army Reserve Force Students of Thailand wear khaki green beret with army reserve force insignia

The beret is used in the various armed forces of Thailand. The colours used are:

Maroon — Paratroops, Special Forces
Khaki green — Army Reserve Force Students
Black — all other Army units, Air Force, Thahan Phran, Paratroop Police, Border Patrol Police
Camouflage — Royal Thai Marine Corps

The black beret is also worn by ordinary police in certain situations.

Turkey

Black — Armored vehicle personnel
Green — Gendarmerie
Light blue — Commandos
Maroon — Special forces

United Kingdom

The British Army beret dates back to 1918 when the French 70th Chasseurs alpins were training with the British Tank Corps. The Chasseurs alpins wore a distinctive large beret (see above) and Major-General Sir Hugh Elles, the TC's Colonel, realised this style of headdress would be a practical option for his tank crews, forced to work in a reduced space. He thought, however, that the Chasseur beret was "too sloppy" and the Basque-style beret of the French tank crews was "too skimpy", so a compromise based on the Scottish tam o'shanter was designed and submitted for the approval of George V in November 1923. It was adopted in March 1924.

During the Second World War the beret was also adopted by the Commandos and Parachute Regiment. Later in the war, a rather baggier beret-like hat, called a General Service Cap, was issued to all ranks of the British Army (with RAC, parachute, commando, Scottish and Irish units excepted), to replace the earlier Field Service Cap. The GS Cap was not popular, and after the war was replaced with a true beret.^[9]

Today, every British military unit wears a beret, with the exception of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Royal Irish Regiment, who wear the tam o'shanter and the caubeen respectively (the Scots Guards and Irish Guards, however, wear berets, as frequently do the Royal Irish Regiment on operations). Many of these berets are in distinctive colours and all are worn with the cap badge of the service, regiment or corps. The cap badge for all services in the UK is supposed to be worn directly over the left eye.

Beret Colours

The colours are as follows:

Khaki — Foot Guards, Honourable Artillery Company, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, Royal Anglian Regiment, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, Royal Welsh, Yorkshire Regiment, Mercian Regiment (this was the generic colour during the Second World War)
Light grey — Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Dark grey — Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
Brown — King's Royal Hussars, Royal Wessex Yeomanry
Black — Royal Tank Regiment, W (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron, Royal Yeomanry
Dark (Rifle) green — The Rifles, Royal Gurkha Rifles, Small Arms School Corps, Essex Yeomanry, King's African Rifles
Maroon — Parachute Regiment, All ranks serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade other than the non Parachute Regiment Infantry Battalion(note that the beret is not restricted to Parachute qualified personnel).
Beige — Special Air Service including attached troops who are not SAS-qualified
Lovat Green - Special Reconnaissance Regiment
Cambridge blue — Army Air Corps
Cypress green — Intelligence Corps
Scarlet — Royal Military Police
Green — Adjutant General's Corps (except Royal Military Police, who wear scarlet; Army Legal Services Branch, who wear black; and Military Provost Staff, who wear navy blue), Military Provost Guard Service
Navy blue — Generic: worn by all other Army units (except Scottish and Irish line infantry regiments), Royal Navy, Royal Marines who are not commando-qualified
Commando green — commando-qualified Royal Marines, Commando qualified personnel of all services serving in Commando units, Special Boat Service
RAF blue grey — Royal Air Force (including RAF Regiment)^[10]

Other Adornments

Some Regiments and Corps wear a coloured backing behind the capbadge, these include:

Foot Guards - Blue Red Blue patch (less the officers of the Scots Guards, who wear a patch of Royal Stewart tartan)
Honourable Artillery Company - Black Circle
Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment - Primrose and Blue Patch
Royal Anglian Regiment - Small Black 'Tombstone'
Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps — Red Patch
Royal Army Medical Corps - Dull Cherry Oval Patch
Army Air Corps - Black Patch
Army Physical Training Corps - Patch in Corps Colours
Royal Marines 'Red Tombstone' (only on blue beret worn by those who are not commando-qualified)
Royal Welsh Regiment and Mercian Regiment - Green badge outline and square respectively

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the only remaining independent fusilier regiment, wears a feather hackle on the beret. Other ranks of the Royal Welsh also wear hackles.

Members of the Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Army Air Corps, Parachute Regiment, SAS and Intelligence Corps wear berets in Nos 1, 2, 3 and 6, Dress. Other Regiments and Corps wear peaked caps in these orders of dress ^[11]. Troops from other services, regiments or corps on attachment to units with distinctive coloured berets often wear those berets (with their own cap badge). Colonels, brigadiers and generals usually continue to wear the beret of the regiment or corps to which they used to belong with the cap badge distinctive to their rank.

Old Units

Former regiments and corps, now amalgamated, that did not wear navy blue berets included:

Khaki — Green Howards, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps, infantry motor battalions in World War II
Dark (Rifle) green — Light Infantry, Royal Green Jackets, Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry, Rifle Brigade, King's Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles), 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
Black — all Royal Armoured Corps regiments in World War II, Westminster Dragoons, Berkshire and Westminster Dragoons
Maroon — Glider Pilot Regiment and glider-borne units
Green — Women's Royal Army Corps, women in Officers Training Corps (now wear navy blue)
Brown with a broad crimson headband and NO hat badge - 11th Hussars (PAO)

United States

Berets were originally worn by elite forces in the United States Army. Hence, there was controversy when in 2001 the United States Army adopted the black beret, previously reserved for the Rangers, as standard headgear for all army units.^[12] The Rangers are now distinguished by tan berets. The United States Army Special Forces are generally known as "Green Berets" for the color of their headgear. Soldiers in airborne units wear distinctive organisational flashes. Conventional forces wear a pale blue flash with thirteen white stars. Officers wear their rank emblem within the flash, while enlisted ranks wear their distinctive unit insignia. United States Army units can be distinguished by the color of their berets, as follows:

Jungle green — Special Forces, JFK Special Warfare School
Tan — 75th Ranger Regiment, Ranger Training Brigade
Maroon — Airborne units (except the 101st Airborne Division which is no longer an airborne unit). Soldiers do not have to be jump qualified to wear the maroon beret, but must typically be airborne qualified to be assigned to an airborne unit.
Black — all other Army units

The wearing of berets in the United States Air Force is less common, but several career fields are authorized to wear berets of specific colours, as follows:

Scarlet — Combat Control
Maroon — Pararescue
Dark Blue — Security Forces
Black — Tactical Air Control Party
Grey — Special Operations Weather Technicians
Pewter Green — Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape
Blue - 1st Class Cadets, United States Air Force Academy, and 2nd Class Cadets acting as cadre during basic cadet training

In the United States Navy, female servicemembers may wear a black beret (of a different style than most military berets) instead of a combination hat or garrison cap while in service uniforms.