In 19th century German armies, Guard and other elite regiments wore lengths of double braid () encircling all or most of the collar as a mark of distinction. By the middle of World War I these ornate collars had been reduced to an embroidered representation of short lengths of braid joined at the ends, sewn to patches worn at the front of the collar. When the was established in 1921 as Germany's first national army were prescribed as the universal collar device for all personnel other than generals, and the Third Reich continued the practice.
