Standardization The Danish Royal Army uniforms can be traced back to the creation of the army in 1614, where a couple of regiments were given similar outfits by the state. Towards the end of the 17th century, different army regiments began to introduce the distinct
red coat. During the Scanian War of 1676–1679, the price of scarlet cloth for uniforms soared and was widely sought after. However, it was only after a Royal decree in 1711, that it was expanded to all army regiments. Though all army regiments were required to have red coats, there were no standard uniform, with each regiment having different regimental
Facing colours. The uniforms within the regiments were also different based on elements, such as rank, resulted in more than 400 different types of uniforms. When
Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain became head of the army, he attempted to change the base colour to
Prussian blue. However, Claude Louis was removed from power, in 1766, and a counter-order was issued changing it back to red. When Claude Louis returned to power, in March 1767, he instead issued orders to change the colour to white as the
French Royal Army. Though, neither the blue nor white saw general use. Throughout the next 50+ years, the uniforms saw changes in cut of jacket and trousers, removal of the
Tricorne in favour of the
shako. Economic hardship also affected the uniforms, causing the removal of extravagant
epaulets, feathers, tresses, and
galloons. In 1842, the standardized uniform was presented throughout the Army. The standardized uniform retained the red coat and introduced light blue pants for all. The unique regimental colours were removed and replaced with standards of the
flag of Denmark, making it was harder to differentiate between the regiments. This led to all the regiments being given numbers, which would then be placed on the shoulder-straps. In 1848, the red coat was exchanged with a
Double-breasted dark blue jacket, and the cumbersome shako was replaced with a more practical
kepi. In 1880, the uniforms saw minor updates, along with a colour change of the hats, which had been made dark blue a few years prior. By the turn of the century, it was apparent the blue uniform was less than ideal as a field uniform and was in need of a replacement which was less prominent in the terrain. In February 1903, the more groundbreaking
M/1903 uniform was presented to the
General Staff. This uniform was in
Reseda green and was inspired by the lessons learned by the great colonial powers, where the bright blue/red jackets were too visible on the battlefield. However, after only 3 years it was withdrawn from service, as the General Staff did not want to replace the beautiful M/1880. The following uniform was the
M/1910, which was blue like the previous ones, however, a more simplified version going from double-breasted to
Single-breasted. The kepi was also hardened, to be more like the French version. With the increased risk of a German invasion during
World War I, the
Security Force was established to ensure Danish neutrality. This led to the 57,000 soldiers being deployed, creating extra demand on the production of the blue M/1910 uniforms. The shortage of blue dye and evidence that blue uniforms were less suitable in modern combat, led the General Staff to halt the production of the M/1910, and instead produce uniforms in different shades of grey, which then became the
M/1915 uniform. Another lesson learned, was to remove the elaborate rank insignia, and move the insignia to the
collar. However, due to supply shortages of the new uniform, both the M/1880 and M/1910 uniforms were still common to see during the war.
Modernization Following the end of the WWI, the General Staff learned the M/15 had inadequate camouflage capabilities, leading to the creation of the
M/23 uniform. This uniform was similar to the British uniform of the time, and added a
Sam Browne belt for the officers. The same year, the
M/23 helmet was introduced, meaning the kepi was replaced by a soft
side cap with flaps, for enlisted, which was worn when the helmet was not worn. For officers, a soft
peaked cap was introduced. For garrison usage, a hard side cap, with inspiration from the cavalry was introduced. Pips on the collars were also introduced to the officer corps. While meant for every service of the army, the large stock of blue and grey uniforms created during WWI, meant these had to be worn out before the M/23 could be issued. The uniform was however not completely introduced by
World War II, with many soldiers being forced to use the M/15, with only officers having the new uniform. Following
Operation Safari, Danish uniforms were appropriated by the German army. The Danish Army was relegated to the
Danish Brigade in Sweden, where the received equipment from the British and Swedish. This meant that the Danes would wear the
British Battledress as the combat uniform, which was called the
M/44. To replace the aging M/23 officers uniform, the
M/47 was introduced. This uniform was based around the design of the older M/23 and retained the same insignia, however, with a "turned-down" collar. The result of the "turned-down" collar also meant, that the four-pointed stars, which had previously signified personnel of the officer class, was replaced with the emblem of the regiment introduced at the same time. The peaked cap of the M/23 uniform was retained, with more ornaments and renamed M/52. In 1946, Denmark introduced a new steel helmet, which had the shell of the
M1 helmet, but interior of the
Mk III helmet. It was however cheaper to just buy the American helmet, which was named
M/48 for Danish use. The equipment for the uniform had mixed elements of American, British and Danish origin. The M/44, was ineffective against the elements and received many complaints from the soldiers, this led the army to introduce the
M/58 combat uniform. The M/58 combat uniform was very similar to the contemporary US counterpart. The new uniform was designed in such as way, that rank insignia had to be sown on, rather than shoulder straps. The M/58, was not deemed appropriate for walking-out, which meant that enlisted was forced to wear older the M/44. The following year, the garrison uniform (
M/59) was introduced for enlisted soldiers. The introduction also meant that the
beret was introduced to the army, and the side cap was mostly phased out. In 1961, the M/58 uniform colour was changed from khaki to olive green, furthermore the fabric was changed to a thinker version and shoulder straps were reintroduced. The same year, the
M/61 summer service uniform was first introduced to soldiers stationed with
UNFICYP.
M/84 The army had previously talked about adopting a camouflaged uniform compared to the single coloured M/58, however without reaching any agreements, as the single colour of the M/58 proved to be more effective in the Danish environment at distances of more than 300m. During a joint military exercise in Germany, it was reported that the M/58 uniforms were significantly more visible through
Night vision than other nations. The
Army Materiel Command and
Danish Defence Research Service therefore began to research a new uniform in 1977, with special focus on making it less visible to the naked eye and night vision. The new uniform, first introduced in 1984, utilized
M/84 camouflage pattern, which was a derivative of the
Flecktarn B pattern specialized for the Danish environment. The uniform, also named
M/84, became both the standard barrack dress and combat uniform for all branches. The new uniform, was created with the aim of creating a connected uniform system, rather than previous uniforms, which had elements from different periods. Originally, the shirt issued with the uniform served as both a combat and barracks shirt. However, this was changed in 1989, with the introduction of separate combat and barracks shirts. In 2000, an improved rain suit was introduced, replacing the older model, and in 2002 the national shoulder tab was removed and replaced with the national flag. ;Combat The combat uniform initially consisted of a combat jacket and trousers, rainwear in green on the outside and white on the inside, a waterproof
Pelerine and a green
Ushanka. The M/84 system saw gradual improvements over the years, starting in 1992, when Danish soldiers deployed on international missions were issued the
Gefechtshelm M92. Later in 1996, older M/48 helmet was replaced throughout the army with
SPECTRA helmet, and the aging M/59 webbing equipment, was replaced with a Danish version of the
PLCE 95 pattern, both designated
M/96. In 2000, the M/00 was added, then Assault Vest ( M/06) was added, and during the time, the uniform jacket was improved with new pockets and moving the rank insignia to the chest. ;Barrack dress All branches of the Army issued the
M/84, it consists of the barrack dress version of the trousers and jacket, a green shirt, beret, and a
stable belt in either black or the colours of the regiment. Furthermore, army regiments wear an
Ascot tie, for official portraits and ceremonies. Due to the changing weather in Denmark, the shirt can either be short or long sleeved, and there can furthermore be worn a jumper or rain-jacket. There was also an equestrian version of the M/84, this was only given to
HESK and officers of
Guard Hussar Regiment as there were still horses in use. The equestrian uniform of M/84 was the same as the M/69 but featured a green shirt in lieu of the service dress uniform.
M/01 Following deployments to the Balkans, it was discovered that the M/84, made for the Danish environment, was too thick/heavy. Leading the army to create a light
Ripstop version of the M/84 (). With the deployments to the Middle East, a desert version of the light uniform was introduced, using the
M/01 camouflage (). In 2010, a
Combat shirt in M/01 were introduced, to allow soldiers to wear something lighter than the combat jacket. The M/01 uniforms were limited to deployed personnel, and were not given to the army in general. The relative rarity of these 'deployment uniforms', especially the desert version, meant that some of the equipment was not always in stock, forcing many soldiers to use woodland versions. ==Current Uniforms==