High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Waffenfarbe (German: "corps colour") is a means the German military uses to distinguish between different corps or troop functions in its armed services. The waffenfarbe is the colour of the collar patch, of the piping (coloured edging) around the shoulder boards or shoulder straps and - for enlisted ranks - of the piping around the collar and the garrison cap (schiffchen). (In the latter places, NCO`s wear cords of dark gold, officers silver, and generals gold.)