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Halsbinde (Neck Stock)
The Halsbinde was meant to protect the wool collar of the tunic from wear; not as is commonly thought, to prevent the collar from chafing the Soldat's neck. The comfort of the Soldat was not considered to be particularly important; more so was the need to preserve the uniform. Indeed, in many cases, the tunic lasted longer than the Soldat, as evidenced by the wartime re-issue of tunics of those soldiers who had died in hospitals.
Photo from The German Army in the First World War: Uniforms and
Equipment, 1914-1918 by Jurgen Kraus for the Bayerisches Armeemuseum.
The field-grey top sample is for standing collars (officers and infantry). The grey lower example is the "universal" wartime Halsbinde which is the correct model for infantry and the only acceptable model for JR63.
The Halsbinde should be grey-colored for wear with the field uniform, while the Halsbinde worn with the work uniform was black. Some reversable Halsbinde of black-grey have been found.
Above left: Original photo of a group of relaxing soldiers, a couple without tunics but still wearing their Halsbinde — a close up shown at right