Category: Politics/Operations
Statement: Tradition Line, East and West, Command Operation
Accompanying Items: Additional Uniforms, Documents from East and West
While uniforms were gradually fazed out and replaced by more civilian-style work attire in West Germany and West Berlin from the 1970s onwards, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) remained a uniformed state until its dissolution. Railway workers in the GDR wore military-style uniforms, complete with insignia denoting their rank (shoulder boards) and department (indicated by the colour of the piping). These uniforms closely resembled those worn by Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) employees in 1937—of course, without the Nazi eagle. The railway’s name, "Deutsche Reichsbahn," also remained unchanged.
One notable difference was the cockade on the cap: black, red, and gold, mirroring the colours of West Germany. This was in contrast to other uniforms in the GDR, which featured the emblem of the GDR. A comparison between the uniform of the GDR’s Transport Police (left) and that of a DR Railway Police officer in West Berlin highlights these differences. Despite the stark ideological divide between East and West, the Berlin S-Bahn remained, in many ways, a symbol of German unity throughout the decades.